The annual weeklong gathering of 1,000 ministers and elders from the Church’s 500-plus congregations across Ireland opens on the evening of Monday, 5th June. Invited civic dignitaries and corresponding church representatives from denominations at home and overseas will witness the formal election and installation of the Rev. Dr. Noble McNeely, minister of First Holywood Presbyterian Church, as the new Moderator of the General Assembly.
Unveiling the business for the week, Rev. Trevor Gribben, Clerk of the General Assembly and General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, said that with close to 100 resolutions before the Assembly this year it would be a busy time. “This is very much the Presbyterian family in Ireland coming together for a week of worship, prayer, Bible study, celebration, debate and decision-making,” he said.
“As a Church we are involved in many aspects of day-to-day life across Ireland and the resolutions that come before our governing body reflect these and in some cases the concerns that we have. This year is no different, as we will be discussing the important role that chaplaincy plays in society North and South, the concerns that we have in relation to education proposals in the Republic of Ireland and possible outcomes of the Citizen Assembly’s recent proposals on abortion, to highlight a few.”
This year’s annual reports and resolutions before the General Assembly can be found in ‘The Blue Book’, which some have dubbed a ‘bumper edition’ this year, as it covers 416 pages. It also details visiting church leaders from overseas. This year it is hoped that representatives from the Presbyterian Church in South Sudan and National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, churches ministering and bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in very difficult situations, will be able to take part in ‘Listening to the global church – Leadership in the crucible,’ one of three alternative presentations scheduled during the week.
Mr. Gribben also said that much of what is to be discussed was routine - affecting the Church, how it operates and its relationships with others. “In October we are looking forward to celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and members of Assembly will hear plans around the three events that have been proposed.
“Resolutions coming before members will seek to widen accessibility and the demographic of future General Assemblies; we will also look at the priorities that will govern all aspects of our work. A report setting out the principles by which the Church relates to other denominations, locally, nationally and globally will also be discussed.
Mr. Gribben also highlighted a resolution that seeks to engage the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland in discussions around the contemporary understanding of the Doctrine of Justification. “While we would work closely with other churches on a range of matters throughout the year, if agreed to, I think that this would be the first time in recent memory that we have considered a formal church-to-church theological dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. All things considered it will be an interesting and I hope productive week,” Mr. Gribben said.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the two worship services at 12.15 on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday also sees an Evening Celebration of public praise and worship in the Assembly Hall that begins at 7.45pm. Dr. Noble McNeely, will lead the service, which is themed ‘Everyday Disciples’. The well-known author and speaker Vaughan Roberts, the Anglican rector of St. Ebbe’s Church in Oxford is the keynote speaker for the evening and will address the theme.
Dr. McNeely’s installation service is open to the public and will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Ulster 1341 Medium Wave from 7pm. The installation and most of the other public sessions will be streamed live via this website. You can also follow a live Twitter feed @pciassembly using the hashtag #PCIGA17 for all public sessions. Business commences at 9.30am on Tuesday. Proceedings will close on Friday, 9th June with the vast majority of our business open to the public.
For information and resources about this year's General Assembly: The Blue Book, individual reports, supplementary reports, daily business, minutes, previews and reviews of each day's proceedings, visit our General Assembly 2017 resources section here.