Presbyterian Church in Ireland

From Freepedia

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The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has a membership of 300,000 people in 650 congregations across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is the second largest church in Northern Ireland, the first being the Roman Catholic Church. All the congregations of the church are represented up to the General Assembly (the church's government).

The present General Secretary is the Rev. Dr. Donald Watts.

The motto of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is "Ardens sed Virens" - "burning but flourishing". It is mainly seen alongside the Burning Bush, the churches symbol. A Burning Bush was included in the more modern logo.

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The current headquarters of the church are at Church House in Belfast, but they will be relocating to a new development in May Street in the city soon.

Contents

Leading Irish Presbyterian Figures

  • Dr Henry Cooke, 19th century Presbyterian leader
  • Professor J Ernest Davey, theologian and historian, acquitted of heresy charges in 1927, elected Moderator 1951
  • Dr Ray Davey, founder of Corrymeela Community
  • Dr John Dunlop, CBE, former Moderator (1992), a leading participant in Northern Ireland's civic life.
  • Dr Ruth Patterson, the first woman to be ordained to the ministry of the Irish Presbyterian Church


Church & Worship

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Apart from the seats for worshippers (not shown above), the inside of the church is dominated by four items of furniture.

  • The Pulpit is the place from which the sermon is delivered and it reflects the important place given to teaching the Word of God in the church's life
  • The Bible Stand holds the bible in a prominent place in the church. The bible is the source of all authority in the life of the church.
  • The Communion Table occupies the central place in the church. The associated chairs are occupied by the minister and elders during the service of Holy Communion.
  • The Baptismal Font is used during baptisms, which is the rite of entry into church membership. Children are regarded as sharing the promise of salvation with adults in the church and have as much right to be baptised as adults.

Service

The Word of God is central in the Presbyterian Church, along with Prayer and Praise. The worship is a mix of Prayers, Hymns, Psalms, Paraphrases, Scripture Readings and Sermons. In Recent years Psalms and Paraphrases have been used less but are still an Important part of worship.

External Links

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