This year's General Assembly will be Rev Trevor Gribben’s fifth as Clerk. The first time that he attended, however, was as an Assistant Minister in 1987. Looking forward to this year’s meeting he said that one thing that has always struck him about the annual meeting is that it is the Presbyterian family coming together.
“For me the General Assembly has always been a wonderful picture of our Church coming together: ministers, who have been called by their congregations, elders who have been elected by their brothers and sisters in Christ, joining with other representatives, all coming together as a Presbyterian family to worship and pray,” he said.
One of the largest churches in Ireland and the largest Protestant, or Reformed’ denomination in Northern Ireland, along with its primary focus on mission and ministry as part of the Church of Jesus Christ, the General Assembly is a time where the pressing social, moral, denominational and public issues of the day are also discussed. He also said that while many of the issues are important, some can be mundane, but necessary, and sometimes they can be controversial.
“Sadly it’s often only the last of these that ‘make the headlines’, but on the ground and in different ways, our Church continues to make a unique contribution in communities across the country. Our annual meeting next month is the coming together of ministers and elders from every congregation across this island, meeting in General Assembly, to take decisions for the Church and often giving voice to the concerns of many people within and outside PCI,” Mr Gribben explained.
“The reports that are debated, and the resolutions that are passed, shape the Church’s direction in different areas. These decisions are taken jointly by ministers and elders, men and women, from congregations up and down the land. People who give of their time freely and use their many gifts on various bodies in the service of the Lord Jesus – and I pay tribute to these people and the work that they do at denominational, presbytery and congregational level.
“This year, much of the work reported on has stemmed from decisions taken at the last, or previous, Assemblies. For instance, Task Groups have been looking at a number of areas, including dissent and guidance for congregations around membership. Valuable work that we will be able to discuss next month,” he said.
Mr Gribben, who was born in Tandragee, County Armagh, continued, “With the vast majority of our business conducted in an open, transparent and public way, democracy is also one of the strengths and hallmarks of our Presbyterianism. As we discuss and debate together with grace and respect, I would also encourage everyone who is eligible to attend and take part.”
Speaking to the PCI family as a whole, Mr Gribben said, “As we come together, and as we seek to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to people of all backgrounds, please pray for all involved in this year’s General Assembly and its deliberations - and for the life, ongoing work and witness of our Church.”
To get a flavour of the what a General Assembly is like, you can watch a short video of scenes from last year's meeting.
The General Assembly will take place in Belfast from Monday 3 June and will conclude on Friday 7 June. All are very welcome. You can find further details and a summary of business before the Assembly here.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the three worship services at 11.45am on Tuesday, which includes Communion, 12.15pm on Wednesday and 2.45pm on Thursday. Wednesday also sees an Evening Celebration of public praise and worship in the Assembly Hall that begins at 7.45pm, which is open to all.
You can follow proceedings live via Twitter @pciassembly using the hashtag #PCIGA19 for all public sessions, which will also be live streamed from this website.
The formal election and installation of the incoming Moderator for 2019/2020, Rev William Henry of Maze Presbyterian Church, is is also open to the public and will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Ulster 1341 Medium Wave from 7pm on 3 June.
Photo (1) Rev Trevor Gribben, Clerk of the General Assembly and General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (2) Having been formally elected as Moderator at the Opening Night of last year's General Assembly, Rt Rev Dr Charles McMullen embraces his predecessor, Very Rev Dr Noble McNeely.