Moderator commences busy tour of region

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church is in County Cavan this week as part of a week-long tour of the region.

Right Reverend Dr Sam Mawhinney has a busy itinerary when he visits the confusingly titled Presbytery of Monaghan.

The Presbytery of Monaghan stretches from Dundalk in County Louth to Ballina in County Mayo and from Sligo City to Kells in County Meath. It includes all of County Cavan. The vast majority of the Presbytery’s 33 congregations are to be found in counties Monaghan and Cavan.

Included in Dr Mawhinney's 20-plus separate engagements are visits to schools, local business, elected representatives, a local hospital, and an agricultural college.

His tour started on Sunday when Dr Mawhinney preached in First Ballybay Presbyterian Church, in the morning and Corlea Meeting House in the late afternoon. The tour will conclude this Sunday, March 11 when he preaches at Cavan Presbyterian Church in the morning and Clontibret Presbyterian in the evening, which will be a service for the whole Presbytery.

Accompanied by his wife Karen, this is the fourth and final presbytery tour of his year in office.

Dr Mawhinney, who is the minister of Adelaide Road Presbyterian Church in Dublin and a former GP, said that presbytery tours are a great opportunity to see a cross-section Church life.

“One of the many blessings of my role, is that you get to see and do things that you wouldn’t normally, and one of those is witnessing Presbyterians living out the Gospel on the ground across Ireland.

“Our congregations and my fellow Presbyterians in the border counties, are perhaps the backbone of our Church in the State, and I am looking forward to preaching and worshipping in a number of churches in the Presbytery.

“Given our history as a people across the Presbytery and border counties, and the history of this part of the island, Presbyterians have played and continue to play their part in the life of the State, from business to local and national political life, and the life of local communities. Meeting people in their places of work, and those serving in the public square, visiting schools and spending time with, and praying with my colleagues in ministry, are all part of the tour. It all happens within a period of eight days, so it will be busy, but God willing, very fruitful.”

Dr Mawhinney concluded by saying, “Each of the Presbytery Tours that I have done have afforded me a wonderful welcome and the privilege of seeing the work of the Church, that I would not have otherwise seen. I am very thankful for that and really looking forward to seeing that work across the Presbytery of Monaghan,” he said

Encourage

Talking about the visit, Rev Daryl Edwards, Clerk of Presbytery and minister of Cootehill, Drum and Kilmount Presbyterian Churches, said, “The Moderator’s visit reminds us of our links with the wider church family. As we are often working in small congregational groupings covering a wide area, the visit gives us a great opportunity to come together and encourage one another for the year ahead.

“While they don’t happen very often, the last one took place in 2019, we are looking forward to Dr Mawhinney leading us in worship in different congregations, as he explores his theme for the year, ‘Confident in Christ’. This will serve as a stimulus and challenge for our ongoing mission and witness in our local communities.”

Mr Edwards continued, “The primarily focus is encouraging members and ministers across the Presbytery and seeing first-hand the mission and ministry of the Church in this part of the country. The variety of events that have been organised also encompasses time with people of all ages. A Presbytery Youth Night for young people of secondary school age is planned for the first Sunday evening in Ballyalbany, when the Moderator will speak about his faith journey and his time as Moderator.”

Alongside a number of church-based activities, during the week the Moderator will have a wide range of other engagements. These include a courtesy call on Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, visits to Cavan General Hospital and local employers Carleton Cakes in Cootehill. Dr Mawhinney will also visit Combilift in Monaghan, and representatives of the agricultural industry in a planned visit to Ballyhaise Agricultural College. He will also take time to visit four National Schools under the patronage of the Presbytery, three in County Monaghan and one in County Louth.