Mental health, education, fishing, farming, policing and criminal justice, are all on the agenda this week for Rt Rev Dr William Henry, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s (PCI), as he kicked off his first Presbytery Tour yesterday (29 September) – the Presbytery of Ards – one of the Church’s 19 regional presbyteries.
The Presbytery takes in 32 local congregations in all and Dr Henry will spend time encouraging local congregations and their ministers. He will also see first-hand the work of the local Church, and key agencies in an area, which stretches from Helens Bay round the North Down coast and down the Ards Peninsula.
Opening his Presbytery Tour with a service in Strean Presbyterian, in Newtownards, yesterday morning, he also spoke later on at the close of ‘Bangor Cares’. “Bangor Cares is a fantastic event, as it raises awareness of mental health challenges that we can all experience, while creating a culture of caring. This week I will also be spending time with the staff at Action Mental Health New Horizons, seeing how they assist people recovering from mental ill health,” Dr Henry said.
“We all have an important role to play in increasing awareness of mental health issues and being more supportive of those we know who may suffer from mental ill health. Our churches, and their pastoral care teams, play an important part in that and throughout this week I am looking forward to hearing about it and discovering more about the work of our church locally.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the week, Dr Henry said, “I am really looking forward to spending time encouraging local congregations and their ministers in their ministry, and seeing for myself the work of the Church on the ground.
“Ards is one of the largest presbyteries that we have, with many people engaged in significant activity in different walks of life, exemplifying what you might call ‘Christian citizenship’, as they work out their faith in Jesus every day, enjoying God in what they do as they serve others. I am very much looking forward to meeting them and saying ‘thank you’.”
As the Clerk of Ards Presbytery, Rev John Flaherty, minister of Millisle and Ballycopeland Presbyterian Church, explained, there are around 19,000 people who have a connection with local PCI local congregations. “Dr Henry will be meeting and worshiping with ministers in parish ministry at one event and some of our 400-plus elders at another during his week with us, while he will also take time to meet those involved in youth work.
“It will be a busy week for the Moderator and we are looking forward to having him. There is a strong educational focus to the tour, as he will be spending time at Millisle Primary School, where he will take assembly, and visit Clandeboye Primary. Movilla High School and Killard House Special School are also on the agenda. He will meet students and teachers and see the amazing work that they are doing, while hearing about some of the many challenges that they face,” Mr Flaherty said.
The Moderator will also pay a courtesy call on the Mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council, visit the PSNI in Bangor and Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre in Rathgael. In Trinity Cloughey Presbyterian on the Peninsula, Dr Henry will meet fishermen and farmers. Back in Bangor, he will lead a service for residents and staff at Sunnyside House, one of PCI’s residential care homes.
“While the tour will be a time of coming together in praise and worship, it will also involve a good bit of listening, especially around Brexit and the issues faced by local fishermen and farmers and their expectations of what may come. Meeting them will also enable us to reflect more widely on Brexit as a denomination, as we attempt to respond pastorally,” Dr Henry said.
The tour concludes next Sunday evening when the Moderator preaches at Movilla Presbyterian Church’s harvest service.
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