The General Assembly encompasses four days of worship, prayer and decision-making for the estimated 1,000 people who will attend what is the Church’s governing body from congregations across Ireland.
Dr. McMullen's installation and public sessions of the Assembly will be streamed live on our website from 7pm. You can also follow a live Twitter feed @pciassembly using the hashtag #PCIGA18.
Here are a few things you may not know about the General Assembly:
| 1. |
New Moderator elected each year |
| 2. |
Moderators who resided in India (1867 & 1962) |
| 4. |
Hymns to be sung at the service of installation |
| 5. |
Moderator’s to come from Bangor congregations (Dr. McMullen will be the fifth) |
| 6. |
Moderators will be present - Drs McNeely and McMullen and the Moderators of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Synod of Livingstonia and its Synod of Zambia, Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, Church of Scotland and United Reformed Church |
| 25. |
Former Moderators attending this evening |
| 58. |
The age of the new Moderator, Dr. Charles McMullen |
| 100. |
Resolutions to be discussed |
| 178. |
Years since the first General Assembly in 1840 |
| 392. |
Pages in the Blue Book |
| 421. |
Elders who will be in attendance |
| 571. |
Ministers who will be present this week |
| 4000. |
(or thereabouts) cups of tea and coffee served |
Invited civic dignitaries, delegates from denominations at home, churches from as far as East Africa, ministers and members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland will gather in Belfast for the Opening Night of Church’s annual weeklong General Assembly.
The decision making body of the all island church – the largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland – will also formally elect and install the Rev. Dr. Charles McMullen, minister of West Church in Bangor, County Down, as the new Moderator of the General Assembly.
Speaking ahead of the service, Dr. McMullen said that it still seemed “a little surreal, but I am deeply honoured and humbled to be embarking an a new phase in my ministry, one I had never expected.”
The Omagh born minister continued, “Throughout my life the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has been a sacred place of unnumbered blessings. It has given me the sheer joy and enduring friendship of so many sisters and brothers in Christ. I look forward to being able to represent the Church over the forthcoming year and would genuinely appreciate the prayers of people up and down the length of Ireland for this week and the coming months beyond.”
Dr. McMullen’s installation service is open to the public and will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio Ulster 1341 Medium Wave from 7pm.
Business commences at 10.30 am on Tuesday. Proceedings will close on Friday, 8th June at 1.30pm 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 2018 resources section here.