About East Belfast Mission

Serving our community since 1826

We give the people of East Belfast the building blocks to build better futures and opportunities for themselves.

We offer services which aim to alleviate the difficulties faced by our community through projects such as our Hosford Homelessness services, our Employability project which helps people back to work, our Irish Language project to connect a divided community and of course our thriving church community which offers community groups, counselling and pastoral care to those who need it.

East Belfast Mission is one of four inner city missions of the Methodist Church in Ireland. As inner city missions we exist to share God’s love in the widest possible sense by recognising, supporting and advocating for the needs faced by those in our communities.

Meet your leadership team

Andrew Irvine, CEO

Andrew graduated from the University of Ulster with a BA (Hons.) in Business Studies in 1998 and from the University of Cumbria in 2020 with a MA in Theology.

Andrew led the redevelopment of Belfast’s historic St. George’s Market before becoming the Belfast City Centre Manager, a post he served in until joining East Belfast Mission in October 2016.  Andrew is passionate about providing with services which build inclusive community and help people to live full, enjoyable and connected lives.  Much of this passion is driven by Andrew’s Methodist Church understanding of Christianity, which if faithful to Jesus is non-judgemental, welcoming, practically loving, always seeks to heal and help.

 As a part-time ordained Methodist Minister, he is Lead Chaplain of Belfast City Centre Chaplaincy, an interdenominational mission, comprising over 20 volunteer Chaplains from across the Church denominations in the city, which provides a caring and listening service in the public spaces of Belfast City Centre.   

Andrew is a non-executive director and Vice-Chairman of Belfast One Business Improvement District and in his spare time he plays the organ reasonably well, the guitar reasonably badly and is a keen private pilot.  

Rev. Brian Anderson

Brian held the office President of the Methodist Church in Ireland (2015-16) and President of the Irish Council of Churches (2017-18). Now, born and bred in East Belfast, Brian is back to his roots.

It has been said of his ministry that he holds a special passion for those on the margins of society and the church. So being the minister in East Belfast Mission fits his calling.

Brian believes in the Methodist emphasis that all are important to God, and all can find faith. He is warm to the prophet Amos, whose words were paraphrased into Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it.

Brian is blest with a loving family, two adult children, both married to great partners, and a 12-year-old foster son, who has complex medical needs.

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