Groomsport EP Church was originally planted as a congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in 1994.
It began in response to a request from families in the North Down area seeking a Reformed and Expository ministry. Revs Derek Thomas, Andrew Woolsey and Mark Johnston were asked to pioneer this work with Sunday afternoon services in the Scout Hall on Hamilton Road in Bangor. Relatively soon after this, Rev Jeff Ballantine was asked by the Presbytery of the EPC if he would be willing to take on responsibility for it in a church-planting role. He accepted this call and he and his wife Sheena moved to Bangor.
The congregation soon began to flourish under Jeff’s ministry and they were eventually given the opportunity to move to a site in Groomsport. There they were able to erect a purpose-built facility with a church building, function hall and a dedicated space on the second floor for youth activities and Sunday School work.
In recent years, the church has continued to grow and has gone through some changes, the most significant being the retirement of Jeff Ballantine. In early 2023 the congregation issued a call to Rev Mark Johnston which he gladly accepted.
The church seeks to serve not only the Groomsport community with a range of ministries, but the wider community in North Down as well.
