The 'Wittenberg Door Puzzle' is taking shape! Peter has managed to cut out all of the interlocking tiles, smoothed them so that they move around the board – and now some paint is going on to represent Luther's face. The final addition will be Luther's introductory line to his 95 Theses: "Out of love for the truth and the desire to make it plain ... ."

Dr Paisley is remembered for his jocular references to "Mr and Mrs Wood and Timothy Timber." Our freshly stained reel drums could very easily masquerade as the Wood couple; however, I'm not convinced that the Press should be called "Timothy." It's much more of a Johann, or a Gutenberg – after its famous designer. Once we get a rubber stamp fitted, our version of the Gutenberg Press will be operational. Populating the bottom tiers of the reels is going to be a more difficult proposition at this stage. These will accommodate the 28mm models that will recreate ten major scenes in the life and times of Martin Luther.

One piece is missing from our 'slider puzzle.' This, of course, is by intention – otherwise this item wouldn't work. It has been a painstaking job to prepare these tiles in tongue and groove fashion so that they will replicate the old hand-held puzzles that featured sliding tiles. It is our intention to mount this on the Wittenberg door, though a few logistical issues may still need to be conquered. For example, the type of paint we use, the angle at which the puzzle is tilted from the door, the ease with which various tiles can slide around the board. But – as with all previous problems that we have encountered – "where there's a will, there's a will." A will to work and succeed there most

Wanted! Two budding monks to 'test drive' part of our (limited) wardrobe in the Reformation Room. Thanks to the efforts of Majorie Stitt, a couple of rustic robes for Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon are now ready for 'Opening Day.' Naturally, we're not encouraging you to devote yourself to a life of monasticism ... ! MARTIN AND MONKERY On 2 July 1505, a young Luther was travelling from his home in Mansfeld back to the University at Erfurt. During this journey, he was caught in a terrible thunderstorm. Fearing death from a stroke of lightning, Luther cried out in terror to the patron saint of miners these words, “Help me, St. Anne, and I will become a monk.” As Luther’s most famous biog

This was the seal that was designed for Martin Luther at the behest of John Frederick of Saxony in 1530, while Luther was staying at the Coburg Fortress during the Diet of Auguburg. Lazarus Spengler sent Luther a drawing of this seal. Luther saw it as a compendium or expression of his theology and faith, which he used to authorise his correspondence. Luther informed Philipp Melanchthon on September 15, 1530, that the Prince had personally visited him in the Coburg fortress and presented him with a signet ring, presumably displaying the seal. A single rose had been known as Luther's emblem since 1520 when Wolfgang Stöckel in Leipzig published one of Luther’s sermons with a woodcut of the refo

As well you know if you've ever handled one of these items, the Fly Press didn't leap anywhere ... . It was gently eased into the lift at Martyrs and brought out onto the landing on the first floor of the Jubilee Complex. It is now almost functional – all that needs to be added is a rubber stamp bearing a key message and – hey presto! – this solid girl will be doing some smooth business!

With little more than a week to go to 'Opening Night,' the activity on our Reformation project – which has been intensive for months now – stepped up a further gear this morning. • Further work was done on the 'Gutenberg Press,' with the attachment of a rotary arm and the application of some paint; • Contact was made with some people who have promised to loan relevant materials for the Exhibition; • Photo frames were purchased for the purpose of displaying relevant postcards and pictures that feature the Reformation story; • Monks' gowns appeared, now in their proper position on newly-fitted pegs in the Monastery Room; • A template was designed for the first of several buildings in the Luthe

Three of the many key Reformation figures whose busts are on display in the Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church, Belfast, are: • John Wycliffe – 1300s (England) ​• John Hus – 1400s (Bohemia / Czech Republic) ​• Martin Luther – 1500s (Germany) These three men spearheaded the rediscovery of Gospel Truth in Europe — Grace Alone! Faith Alone! Scripture Alone! — and each paved the way for the next. The connection between them is illustrated by a set of medallions on display at the Library in Prague and also by pictures on the wall of the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, the church in which John Hus preached. • One picture / medallion features Wycliffe with some flint stones – “Wycliffe struck th

This 'alphabet magnetic board' will be used to spell out the famous text that was used of God to the opening of Martin Luther's spiritual eyes: "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17). The children will be divided into groups and each group will be timed as they search among the scrambled letters in search of this key Gospel sentence.

Some items for the Wartburg room that have been recently procured will give our castle room a more authentic feel. These include a pewter candlestick holder, an antique chair and a desk. With the addition of a quill, some ink, and several manuscripts, Luther – as part of the 'Sanhedrin' (a translation committee that worked on bringing the Latin Old Testament into German) – will be ready for action ... .

As soon as the dust from the Easter Convention settled, it was time to reopen the doors on the Reformation Project and work towards ticking off a few more items on our extensive checklist. This was duly done: • at Martyrs, the entrance to Luther's Castle Room was rendered in a 'stone finish,' his bed was returned to its position in the Monastery Room, and items of furniture were put in position. • in the 'paintshop,' a new batch of Reformation figures and materials was started. Onward we go ... .

One of my friends on Facebook recently posted a photo of a figurine of Martin Luther holding an open Bible. My thought was that one of these would look terrific in one of the displays in our Reformation Room. A delivery from Joh. Vogler GmbH, Germany, duly arrived at an Ulster home today ... .

Part of the Kids Club that is organised for children during the annual Easter Convention services was to do some rubbings on the 'Luther Doors' at Martyrs. On the central set of the six front doors at Martyrs some of Luther's 95 Theses are displayed. It is our plan to begin the Luther Tour at this point, so the children who made rubbings of one word on these doors yesterday helped us with a valuable test: • is the panel on the sheet we have prepared for these rubbings large enough to accommodate the largest words on the doors? • how high can children typically reach on the doors? • are the crayons we plan to use large/good enough for the job? • how long will it take a class of 30 children to

"This is the meaning of the words by St. Paul: "Christ was raised for our justification." Here Paul turns my eyes away from my sins and directs them to Christ, for if I look at my sins, they will destroy me. Therefore I must look unto Christ who has taken my sins upon Himself, crushed the head of the serpent and become the blessing. Now they no longer burden my conscience, but rest upon Christ, whom they desire to destroy. Let us see how they treat him. They hurl him to the ground and kill him. O God; where is now my Christ and my Saviour? But then God appears, delivers Christ and makes Him alive; and not only does He make Him alive, but He translates Him into heaven and lets Him rule over a

Thanks to the generosity of Mr Joe Costley, 2000 bookmarks arrived at Martyrs today in time for the annual Friday evening meeting in the Easter Convention. These will be extremely useful in drawing attention to our 'By Faith Alone' Luther Exhibition as they deliver the invitation to: • Retrace the Steps of Luther • Rediscover the Gospel of Grace as he did • Receive Excellent Resources about the Reformation. Many people wandered through our Exhibition area in the hope of catching sight of what we are doing. However, tonight was not the night: we plan to open the doors on Thursday, 4 May, initially for the benefit of our own congregation, then the opportunity will be given for Youth Fellowship

Born on this day – 14 April, 1521 – John Marbach entered the world at a most dramatic moment when Martin Luther was taking his robust stand against the corruption of the established church. • The year before his birth, Pope Leo X issued the bull, Exsurge Domine, condemning 41 of Luther's propositions. • Four days after Marbach's birth, Luther stood before an assembly in Worms, Germany and famously declared, "Here I stand. I can do no other." Marbach's studies eventually took him to the University of Wittenberg. At eighteen years of age, he joined other students who sat at the dinner table of Dr. Martin Luther. Perhaps some of Luther's controversiality and intensity rubbed off on the pupil. A

I was intrigued to be part of a discussion today where the subject was offerings in Martyrs 'in days of yore.' One visitor raised the image of plastic buckets being passed around the congregation (later revising this to a memory from the opening of the Whitefield College of the Bible at Laurencetown); another insisted that this had not been a feature during his sojourn at Martyrs; yet another recalled the 'famous silent collections'! One truth remains uncontested: Martyrs people still know how to give well. With some degree of trepidation, we announce (edit: warn of) the arrival of Tetzel – the arch adversary of Martin Luther in Wittenberg in October 1517. A suitable money chest has been sou

Monday witnessed a big push (no pun intended) to take our Fly Press onto the next stage and nudge it closer to mimicking the appearance and action of an old Gutenberg press. With the help of Wittenberg printers, Martin Luther was able to produce multiple copies of key Reformation literature, including his new German Bible. A few more additions, tweaks and some staining and this press will really look the part. Better still, it will be a functional part near the end of the Luther Tour, allowing our visitors to try their hand at some small scale printing ... .

Sparking off some discussion in Haldane & Fisher on Ladas Drive yesterday was a growing bundle of wooden tiles. 24 in total. Each 8 inches square. "Umm, what is it you're doing?" Admittedly, it's not a daily pastime. But it was one of the tasks that Peter Lunn had set himself yesterday as he made every effort to move the Reformation Room Project on to another stage. In the latter half of the C19th a New York postman, Noyes Chapman, invented a simple puzzle. It was a tray of tiles. Each with a number on it. One to 15, arranged in a 4 by 4 grid. The final, sixteenth tile was missing, allowing the tiles to be shuffled around the board to be mixed and then returned to the correct position to sol