Presbyterian Moderator, Rt Rev Dr David Bruce, concluded his second presbytery tour yesterday, when he preached at the evening service of Richhill Presbyterian. In an article for this week’s Ulster Gazette, Dr Bruce reflected on his time in the Presbytery, which included Remembrance Sunday, saying that it had been “quite a week, and one I won’t forget.”

Because of the current restrictions at this particular time, we scaled back the tour considerably, but it was still busy and very worthwhile as a means of encouraging our ministers and congregations. My theme for each of my sermons, when I preached in Lurgan, Portadown, Armagh and Richhill, focused on the exile of the Hebrew people to Babylon, as I wanted to show how, then as now, our God is faithful in times of disruption, challenge and change.

“While I was able to preach in four of our congregations in the Presbytery, over a number of separate meetings over Zoom during the week, it was good to be able to speak with nearly all of our local ministers. Catching up with them, hearing first-hand what had been happening over the last eight months, how they had been supporting their congregations and how their congregations had been supporting the local community was time well spent. We were also able to spend valuable time praying together.

In many respects it wasn’t a typical presbytery visit, but I was able to spend time with some traders in Portadown, students at Killycomaine Junior High in Portadown and the Royal School Armagh. I was also able to take some time to meet Roberta Brownlee (chair) and Shane Devlin (CEO) of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. We had a wide-ranging discussion about Covid impact, social care, and the demands of running the Trust in these times. I was also able to pass on to them the appreciation of the Church for the vital work that everyone in our remarkable NHS is doing.

At both schools it was wonderful to meet members of staff and students. I thoroughly enjoyed the Q&A with 5th and 6th formers at the Royal School who grilled me on everything from ‘does God exist’ to social changes in society and the Churches position on some of the more controversial ones. At Killycomaine Junior High, with Year 9s we talked about how do you know if something was true or not, and how the Bible shows how we can know that God exists. Their teachers in both schools can be very proud of them.

My tour came to an end on Remembrance Sunday. Having preached my first sermon of the day in First Armagh Presbyterian, I had the opportunity to lay a wreath on behalf of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland at the city cenotaph, which was exceptionally poignant. My last engagement was in Richhill Presbyterian, were the welcome was as warm as it has been across the Presbytery. Quite a week, and one I won’t forget.

Photos: The Moderator’s tour of the Armagh Presbytery began on the previous Sunday when Dr Bruce preached in First Lurgan Presbyterian, where he worshiped with his family as a boy. Here, Dr Bruce is pictured with (1) Shane Devlin, CEO of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and the Trust’s chairperson Roberta Brownlee. During their meeting he was able to pass on PCI’s appreciation for the vital work that everyone in the NHS is doing (2) with 5th and 6th formers at the Royal School Armagh and (3) laying a wreath on behalf of the General Assembly at Cenotaph on the The Mall, Armagh, on Remembrance Sunday.