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The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (or PCI) has a membership of 300,000 people in 650 congregations across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, though the bulk of the membership is in Northern Ireland. It is the second largest church in Northern Ireland, the first being the Roman Catholic ChurchConfusion can arise from the fact that overall, the majority of the people of Northern Ireland are members of the various Protestant churches such as the Presbyterian Church, Church of Ireland, Methodist Church and several others. Therefore the Roman Catholic Church is smaller than the combined Protestant denominations in Northern Ireland.. All the congregations of the church are represented up to the General Assembly (the church's government).

History

Presbyterianism in Ireland dates from the time of the Plantation of Ulster in 1610. During the reign of James I of Ireland (James VI of Scotland) a large number of Scottish Presbysterians emigrated to Ireland. The first move away from the Church of Scotland, of which the Presbyterians in Ireland were part, saw the creation of the Presbytery of Ulster in 1642. This later merged with the Secession Church in 1840. In 1854 the Synod of Munster merged into the church.

PCI today

The current (2006-07) moderator is the Reverend Dr David Clarke, who is the minister of Terrace Row Presbyterian Chruch in Coleraine.

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, a founding member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, has over 560 congregations in 21 presbyteries across Ireland. The PCI is involved in education, evangelism, social service and mission in a number of areas around the world;

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

Logo and motto

The motto of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is "Ardens sed Virens" - "burning but flourishing". It is usually seen alongside the Burning Bush, the church's symbol. A burning bush was included in the more modern logo (top).
Main article : Burning Bush
According to the Bible, in Exodus 3:2, Moses heard the voice of God coming from a burning bush that was not consumed by fire. This occurred after he had to flee Egypt, and was when he was called to go and demand the release of the Israelites.

Church and worship

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.

Irish Presbyterians

Footnotes

See also

Other Presbyterian Churches in Ireland

External links

Local churches

Calvinism | Christian denominations | Presbyterian Church in Ireland | Members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Presbyterian Church in Ireland".

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