The on-going influx of immigrants to Ireland has given a boost to the State's Protestant church communities.
The parish of Clontarf - where services faced being curtailed because of dwindling congregations - is one of several where church attendances have leapt since the arrival of asylum-seekers from Africa and other parts of the world.
The Methodist minister there, the Reverend Noel Follows, said: "Our congregations have increased about five times and most of the new worshippers are African nationals.
"They found out about the church from two Congolese immigrants, who found the church by chance.
"As I understand they were walking around trying to find a Protestant church and came across this one.
"Before that the daily attendance at our evening service had gone down to less than 10, and there was a danger of the church being closed.
"But certainly there is no talk of closure now."
Mr Matthew Nubacki, who arrived in Ireland from Angola in 1997, said he looked on the Clontarf congregation as one big family.
"It was very important because we left our mothers and fathers back home and members of this church treat us like their children. When we have a problem we go and speak to them."
To cater for the foreign dimension of the churchgoers, some of the church's services are now conducted in French, for the benefit of immigrants who cannot speak English, and much of the music has a strong African influence.
Mr Jack Roycroft, a member of the Clontarf congregation for 35 years, said: "We are now very optimistic for the future. People come here to worship, like what they hear, and come back."