The latest in a long line of deaconesses in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI), has been commissioned to serve in West Church, Bangor in a socially distanced service held in the County Down church. Originally from Portavogie, Louise Davidson is one of fifteen deaconesses currently serving in local congregations across PCI, alongside hospital, and prison chaplains and other specialist ministries.

As an auxiliary nurse working in the Ulster Hospital and a community healthcare worker for 25 years, Louise said that she had always felt God’s call on her life. “I have always had that desire to help and support people and that has been accompanied by real sense of God’s call on my life, while not exactly knowing where it might lead.

“I always had an interest in what a deaconess did, so to follow in the footsteps of so many faithful women is a privilege. I am so thankful to be able to join them and I’m really looking forward to working with the team at West, walking alongside people and watching God work in their lives. It is a privilege to be able to serve the Lord in this way, something that I couldn’t have done without the support and encouragement of my family,” she said.

As part of her journey in becoming a deaconess, the married mother of two twenty-something’s, who lives in Greyabbey, took a Pastoral Care course at Belfast Bible College, which was followed by a three year full-time degree in theology at the University of Cumbria. A year after graduating, she applied to become a deaconess, by which time she was volunteering as a pastoral care worker at First Bangor Presbyterian Church. Having been accepted for the Diaconate, three years of training at Union Theological College in Belfast followed.

The first deaconesses in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland began their training in 1908, when the office of deaconess was established by the General Assembly. This followed an earlier 1904 General Assembly report that looked at the work of the Church in industrial areas.

One of its recommendations was that minsters in urban congregations be provided with trained support staff to assist them in the carrying out of their duties. This included the training of women for full-time church work.

Since then, hundreds of women have been called by congregations, and to other areas of specialist ministry, as deaconesses within the Church. The overall responsibility for them lies with PCI’s Council for Mission in Ireland in partnership with Presbyterian Women (PW) and the Council for Training in Ministry.

Each of the denomination’s 19 regional presbyteries have certain responsibilities for deaconesses, including the commissioning of them to the office of deaconess. This takes place after they have been called to serve in a congregation, which is responsible for deploying them to meet specific local pastoral and community needs. The Moderator of the Presbytery of Ards, Rev Graeme Kennedy of Ballygrainey Presbyterian, led the service of commissioning for Louise.

Mission in Ireland Secretary, and PCI’s current Moderator, Rt Rev Dr David Bruce, took part in Louise’s commissioning service. “Deaconesses have played an important role in the life of our Church for well over a century now, seeking to serve God, the Church and the community. Taking up lead roles in missional and evangelistic activities, they support the warp and weft of ordinary congregational life in so many important ways,” Dr Bruce said.

“I am hugely supportive of the work that our deaconesses do, a group of women deeply committed to the service of Christ in the community, which is such a powerful social witness to the gospel. They are much valued and I am pleased to say that we have another commissioning service in a few weeks’ time, a new intake of three trainees who will start their training in September 2021 and another who has still to complete her training.”

Talking about the commissioning service and the role that Louise will fill, West Church’s minister, Very Rev Dr Charles McMullen, said that it had been a very special evening. “Under normal circumstances West Church would have been full to overflowing, but there was an intimacy and an overwhelming sense of God’s presence as Louise was commissioned and inducted as our new deaconess. I am pleased to say that many others were able to join us via the live streaming of the service.

Dr McMullen continued, “We are a large congregation of around 1,100 families and have a long history of team ministry. Louise, who did her student placement with us, was a breath of fresh air. With a big heart for Jesus and a tremendous capacity for people, she will be responsible for developing our ministry among women, mentoring our youth interns, and being an important part of the pastoral care team – and that work has already started.”

At the commissioning service, PCI’s Women’s Ministry and PW Development Officer, Pauline Kennedy, presented Louise to the Presbytery for her commissioning as a deaconess. During the service, she also presented her with a badge of office, a silver broach bearing PCI’s emblem, the burning bush from the Bible, Latin motto and the word ‘DEACONESS’. “It was a very special service and a real privilege for me to present Louise, on behalf of PW, the Council for Mission in Ireland and Council for Training in Ministry, to the Presbytery for her commissioning,” she said.

“Over the last three years I have been able to be side-by-side with Louise as she underwent her training. As I walked with her, I had the opportunity to see the depth of her love for God and His very real sense of call upon her life. It has also been so evident that her many gifts and talents, not least her servant heart, will be a real blessing to West Church, and we wish her God’s richest blessing as she commences this new chapter in her life and her life of service.”

Photos: (1) PCI's latest deaconess, Louise Davidson (2) Louise with (left) West Church's minister, Very Rev Dr Charles McMullen and (right) Moderator of Ards Presbytery, Rev Graeme Kennedy (3) members of the Presbytery of Ards and speakers at the live streamed commissioning service (4) the deaconesses badge of office that bears a representation of the burning bush in the Bible and Latin moto 'Ardens sed Virens' ardens -‘burning but flourishing'