Presbyterians To Elect New Moderator

Next Tuesday 2 February, Presbyterians around Ireland will meet to elect a Moderator Designate to succeed the present Moderator Dr Stafford Carson at the Presbyterian General Assembly in June.

The voting will take place in the presbyteries that independently meet around Ireland in locations as diverse as Dublin and Londonderry, Carrickfergus and Omagh.

However, rather than being the 21 presbyteries of previous years, the voting will be across only 19 due to a change in presbytery boundaries that came into effect last spring. In a rearrangement agreed by the General Assembly the former presbyteries of Coleraine, Foyle, Omagh and Derry/Strabane merged into two new ones, Coleraine/Limavady and Derry/Donegal making a total of 19.

Each Presbytery, which has a membership composed of all the ministers and a representative elder from every congregation in its area, can just nominate one name and these are communicated to Church House in Belfast where the result is declared out of a total of 19 votes, one from each presbytery.

Presbyteries will decide who they will nominate from a list, circulated to all Presbyteries by the Clerk of Assembly, Rev Dr Donald Watts, comprising of names submitted to him by each Presbytery in the autumn.

This year's list has six names including Rev Norman Hamilton (Ballysillan) and Rev Derek McKelvey (Fisherwick) who received five and six nominations respectively in last years election. Dr Carson received 10. New names on the list are Rev Norman McAuley (Greenwell Street, Newtownards), Rev Roy Mackay (Second Comber) and Rev Ivan Patterson (Newcastle) along with Rev Ruth Patterson (Restoration Ministries) who has received several nominations in previous years. Brief biographies follow below

The identity of the next Moderator is expected to be announced by 9.30pm next Tuesday evening, 2 February. If there is a tied vote all those sharing the same number of votes will be voted on again at the March Presbytery meetings.

Voting in last years election is given below.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Brief Biographies

	Rev Norman Hamilton OBE Minister of Ballysillan, Belfast, Norman was born in 1946. He was ordained in 1983 as assistant minister in Finaghy and installed to Ballysillan in 1988. He is currently a member of the Church and Society Committee.
	Rev Norman McAuley Minister of Greenwell Street, Newtownards, Norman was born in 1956. He was ordained as assistant in Dundonald in 1984 and in 1987 installed as minister of Union Road, Magherafelt and Lecumpher. Seventeen years later in 2004 was called to be minister of Greenwell Street. He was Moderator of the Synod of Derry and Omagh in 2004.
	Rev Derek McKelvey Minister of Fisherwick, Belfast, Derek was born in 1945 and in 1971 was ordained as assistant in First Bangor. In 1973 he was installed in Ballygilbert and became minister if Fisherwick in 1994. He was convener of the Students' Bursary Fund between 1980 and 1987 and co-convened Strategy for Mission from 1994 to 1998.
	Rev Roy Mackay Minister of Second Comber, Roy was born in 1955 an ordained as assistant in First Ballymena in 1981. In 1983 he was installed as minister of Hydepark and Lylehill and was called to second Comber in 1995. He convened the Church Extension Committee from 1989 to 1995.
	Rev Ivan Patterson Minister of Newcastle, Ivan was born in 1949 and in 1980 was ordained as assistant in First Bangor. In 1982 he was installed as minister of Bushvale before accepting a call to Newcastle in 1991. He convened the Youth International and Inter Church Committee between 1984 and 1989, the Youth Board from 1989 until 1993 and currently convenes the Reception on Ministers and Licentiates committee . He is currently Clerk of the Iveagh Presbytery, a post he has held since 1995.
	Rev Ruth Patterson OBE Director of Restoration Ministries, Ruth was born in 1944 and ordained as assistant in Gardenmore, Larne in 1976. In 1977 she was called to Kilmakee and in 1991 became Director of Restoration Ministries. Convener of the Kinghan Mission Committee from 1983 to 1990 she was Moderator of the Synod of Belfast in 2003.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

2009 Election Result

Rev Stafford Carson (First Portadown) 10 Votes: Armagh, Ballymena, Down, Dromore, Foyle, Iveagh, Newry, Omagh, Route, Tyrone.

Rev Derek McKelvey (Fisherwick) 6 Votes: Ards, East Belfast, South Belfast, Derry/Strabane, Monaghan, Templepatrick.

Rev Norman Hamilton (Ballysillan) 5 Votes: North Belfast, Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Donegal, Dublin/Munster.

ends

Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org

PCI Home . . . Press Office . . . News Archive