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The first image is a photo of President Lowry and Sister Lowry(3rd Back). It was taken in May 2003 at the Belfast Stake Centre. President Lowry was the second Stake President of the Belfast Northern Ireland Stake.
The next image is a photo of 4 of the Stake President's of the Belfast Northern Ireland Stake. Starting at the bottom is the current President Noble, then Ferguson, then Lowry, then Renfrew.

PRESIDENT AND SISTER LOWRY

When Pres. and Sis. Lowry received their call to preside over the Birmingham Mission, they were overjoyed. Not only had their daughter, Caroline served her mission there a few years previously but also they would be close enough to home so that frequent visits from family would be possible.
A few months prior to their official call, Pres Lowry had been interviewed by Elder Ballard while the Apostle was visiting Ireland. Elder Ballard hinted that a call to preside over a mission could be a possibility and Pres. and Sis. Lowry should prepare themselves and their family for this event. Pres. Lowry confesses that he lost a bit of sleep from that time forward.
Early on a Saturday morning in January a phone call from Thomas S. Monson to the Lowry home made the mission call official. Pres. and Sis. Lowry were to prepare to enter the mission field in June. As yet they were not informed of their mission area but they were told it would be an English-speaking mission. Sis Lowry was somewhat relieved, as her husband had served as a young missionary in Germany and the possibility of a German-speaking mission had given her some sleepless nights.
Finally the assignment to the Birmingham Mission came and all were excited to accept the challenge and responsibilities of the next three years. Pres. and Sis Lowry made the necessary preparations and their four children prepared to make adjustments to their own life styles that would enable them to fill the void of absent parents.

PRESIDENT CHARLES RAYMOND LOWRY

President Lowry joined the church at the age of 14. He was intrigued by the elders who were serving in his local town of Lisburn. He often followed them to see what they were doing and played sports with them in the local park. He found out where they lived and went knocking on their door to hear the gospel. The missionaries found him a very receptive young man, mature beyond his years and were able to teach him about the restored church. His parents were not opposed to his membership in the church although they were not receptive to the missionaries or their message. One of President Lowry’s early goals was to become a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ. He served as a District Missionary and when he was 19 he accepted a call to serve in the Hamburg, Germany Mission. His parents fully supported him in his decision to be a missionary.
On returning from the mission field, Pres. Lowry was called to serve as Branch President of the Lisburn Branch. A member of his congregation was Irene Morris. The couple started dating and, after a few proposals, Irene agreed to be his wife. Pres. Lowry worked as a sales assistant in a local jewellery shop. After gaining much needed experience he took the risk of opening his own small jewellery business. Due to a lot of hard work, commitment and sacrifice, the business flourished enabling Pres. Lowry to expand and open two further shops in nearby towns over the coming years. Pres. Lowry served as Branch President in Lisburn and then was called into the High Council of the Belfast Stake. During this time he was assigned the task of presiding over a struggling branch in the stake. This meant a lot of travelling on a Sunday for his wife and young family. President Lowry was called to be Stake President of the Belfast Stake in 1983 being interviewed by Elder Russell Ballard.
A few days prior to his interview Pres. Lowry had a ‘feeling’ that he would be the new Stake President and found the occasion of his call a very humbling experience. Pres. Lowry served for six years as Stake President and witnessed much growth within the stake and in the lives of individual members. He had the wonderful gift of making the members feel special and his sincerity and love touched everyone.
Pres. Lowry’s release as Stake President took place because of his call as a Regional Representative for Scotland and Ireland. He faithfully served in this calling until the position of regional representative was dissolved. Pres. Lowry then served as counsellor to three consecutive Mission Presidents of The Ireland, Dublin Mission. At the same time he and his wife served first as CES missionaries for the Belfast Stake Young Single Adult Institute Programme and then as Family History Consultants in the Stake Family History Library.
When he received his call to preside over the England Birmingham Mission, Pres. Lowry felt very inadequate. However those listening to his farewell talk at Stake Conference in May could feel of the love that he already had for those missionaries who would serve in his mission. He bore a strong and powerful testimony of missionary work and of his love for our Saviour. All present at that meeting were in no doubt that the England Birmingham Mission would be in good hands.

SISTER IRENE LOWRY

Sister Lowry joined the church when she was 18. She lived with her mother and one brother in Finaghy, a suburb of Belfast. She showed early dedication to the church by walking several miles on occasions to attend church meetings and activities. Sis Lowry felt she was protected during this time, as she often had to walk through dangerous areas during the height of political unrest in the Belfast area.
She married Pres. Lowry on 4th July 1971 and the couple were sealed in the London Temple. They honeymooned in Germany where Pres. Lowry showed his new wife the areas where he had served as a missionary.
Four children blessed their home. Firstly came the births of two daughters, Caroline and Brenda, followed by two sons, Andrew and David. Sis. Lowry was busy in her role as mother and wife often having to do without the support of her husband as he served long hours in church assignments. As a young mother Sis. Lowry served as Stake Young Women President and later served in the Stake Relief Society Presidency for over eight years. She also held a variety of ward callings. When Sis. Lowry served alongside her husband as a CES missionary the Young Single Adults developed a genuine love for her and while Pres. Lowry fed them spiritually, she fed them on humour and chocolate. A winning combination!
When the call came for Sis. Lowry to join her husband in presiding over the Birmingham Mission she showed the same faith and determination that has become a hallmark of her church membership. On speaking at Stake Conference prior to her departure for the MTC in Provo she said, “Do I think I can serve the Lord better in Birmingham than I can here? No! Do I want to leave my children and grandchild? No! So why am I going? The answer is simple. Because the Lord has called me.”

THEIR FAMILY

Caroline, who served in The England Birmingham Mission, married a return missionary called David Lowry earlier this year. The couple were sealed in the Preston Temple. Caroline works in the family jewellery business.
Brenda was also sealed to her husband Mark when the couple married in 1998. They have one daughter, Rebecca, who is the image of her grandmother Sis. Lowry. The couple are also expecting their second child late in August.
Andrew has taken over his father’s position in the jewellery shop. He has plans to expand the business over the next few years. He serves as Young Men’s President in the Lisburn Ward. David has recently submitted his own mission papers and is hoping to leave before the end of the year.
All the family reside in the Lisburn area
Without doubt, the England Birmingham Mission will be blessed under the loving care and dedication of the Lowrys. They enrich the lives of all they come in contact with and they will serve with unfailing love for missionaries, members and investigators alike. They are a shining example of going where the Lord wants them to go, doing what the Lord wants them to do and being whom the Lord wants them to be.

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