Back in 1984, Mark Johnston was involved in starting a new work with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) of N. Ireland in the village of Richhill, Co. Armagh.
Although the village itself is not large, there is a population of around 50,000 within a five-mile radius and people began to find their way to this fledgling work. Mark was to serve as its minister for the next ten years.
Subsequently, the congregation faced a series of challenges that caused division and damaged its work in the local community. Numbers fell and so did the morale of those who were left. However, they, along with a number of people from other EPC churches, committed themselves to keeping the flame alive.