The event was one of 20 different engagements that Dr McMullen is undertaking as he continues his weeklong tour of the Church’s Presbytery of East Belfast to encourage the local church and its members and to see first-hand their work in the community. The Moderator was invited to take part in the service by Rev Mervyn Gibson, minister of Westbourne Presbyterian Church, following a lunch with local community workers in the East Belfast Network Centre.
Speaking after this afternoon’s service, Dr McMullen said, “In remembering the events of 100 years ago you cannot escape its enduring impact that was so keenly and painfully felt at the time across Ireland’s towns and villages and cities, like Belfast.
“Our collective memory at times like this is so important, as it expresses a tremendous sense of community, solidarity, heartfelt gratitude and tells a greater story than the sum total of its parts. Many communities were simply changed forever by the First World War and few families remained untouched by it, including my own. As we gather to remember today, we also remember the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, triumphing over death, and his call of us to be peacemakers.”
Explaining how this act of remembrance came about, Rev Mervyn Gibson said, “Each year from 2014 and the centenary of the start of the First World War, thousands of Poppy Crosses have been planted in Dr Pitt Memorial Park, not far from Westbourne, creating a temporary ‘Field of Remembrance’. It’s a simple opportunity for anyone to place a cross at any time to remember relations lost in the Great War, those who served in other conflicts, or simply loved ones no longer present. Owing to the bad weather we had to move the service to the East Belfast Network Centre on Templemore Avenue.
“The week running up to Remembrance Sunday includes other activities, but in the middle of the week, we hold what has become a Community Act of Remembrance. It usually attracts a lot of local interest and this year has been no different, I am very pleased that this year the Moderator was able to say the opening prayer and lay a wreath.”
The service was attended by local churches, schools, football clubs, and representatives from ethnic minority communities. Members of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service; Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland also attended.
Mr Gibson explained that during the service the story of a local member of the community was read out. Over 30 such stories have been heard since 2014. “Today we heard of the sacrifice of Sergeant Edmund McNeff, an Irish National Volunteer from 66 Short Strand who attended St Matthew’s Catholic Church. He joined the Royal Inniskillen Fusiliers in 1914 and was killed aged 21 two years later. Today we recall all those who have gone before us and fought for the freedoms that we enjoy today,” he said.
On Friday, Dr McMullen will preach at a remembrance service in Campbell College, which lost 126 former pupils and one member of staff during the First World War. On Remembrance Sunday he will lead the prayers in a Christian act of worship at the Cenotaph at Belfast City Hall and attend a service in St Anne’s Cathedral in the city, to commemorate the centenary of the ending of the war.
Photos: (1) The Moderator, Dr Charles McMullen lays his wreath during the Community Act of Remembrance (2) The Moderator with some of the community representatives who also laid wreaths (L-R) Maciek Bator, representing the Polish community; Dr McMullen with Rev Mervyn Gibson of Westbourne Presbyterian Church and Colonel Brian Sykes representing the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for Northern Ireland.