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In Australia they are meant to do things differently but with the appointment of Professor James Haire to the Presidency or Moderatorship of the Uniting Church of Australia, a union of Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational, they have repeated for a second time a piece of Presbyterian history.
Belfast born Professor Haire's father and grandfather, both themselves Professor James Haires, were Moderators of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in 1939 and 1970 respectively and now that has been repeated on the other side of the world.
The Uniting Church in Australia is a result of the union of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational denominations into a church with a membership of 1.3 million members and 2,600 ministers in over 50 presbyteries. It is the largest non-government employer in Australia with hundreds of schools, university colleges and hospitals.
Professor Haire is Head of the School of Theology at Griffith University in Brisbane and his appointment to the Presidency is a nine year term of office, three years as National President-Elect, the next three years as National President and a final three as National Ex-President. Continuing the theme of following in others footsteps the first President of the Uniting Church was also an Irish Presbyterian, Rev Davis McCaughey.
James Haire was born in Belfast in 1946 and educated at Royal Belfast Academical Institution, Oxford, and studied Missiology in Holland before training for the Presbyterian ministry in Belfast. He and his wife Mary, also a minister, served with the Overseas Board of the Presbyterian Church on the Indonesian island of Halmahera from 1972 until 1984 where James lectured in New Testament Studies. In 1985 he joined the Uniting Church In Australia as minister of Darwin City Parish before moving to Brisbane the following year to continue his academic career.
Professor and Mrs Haire have two daughters Julia and Miriam and Dr Margaret Haire, Professor Haire's mother, still lives in Belfast.
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