Presbyterian Moderator to begin tour of Tyrone

THE Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland will start a week-long tour of Tyrone and Fermanagh by visiting churches in Castlederg and Ardstraw this Sunday.

Right Rev Dr Sam Mawhinney and his wife Karen will undertake 30 engagements during the pastoral tour of the Presbytery of Omagh, which takes in west Tyrone and all of Co Fermanagh.

On Sunday morning, Dr Mawhinney will preach in Second Castlederg Presbyterian Church and First Castlederg, before visiting Ardstraw Presbyterian Church in the evening for the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade enrolment service, where he will talk to and pray for the children and young people.

Speaking ahead of the tour, Dr Mawhinney said, “I am looking forward to my visit and having the opportunity to visit and encourage the churches and their people located in towns and villages in the west of the province, which are far removed from the denomination’s headquarters in Belfast’s Assembly Buildings. A recent visit to some of our furthest congregations in County Cork gave me a fresh appreciation for all that our ministers who serve the Lord in rural congregations do, and I wholeheartedly commend their dedication and hard work in ministry.

“I hope the ministers and congregations in the Presbytery of Omagh will be encouraged by my visit as they are reminded of their belonging to the General Assembly of PCI and that we value them highly. Throughout the visit I hope to have time to spend with ministers, their families, and congregations, encouraging them to have “Confidence in Christ”, as they serve their people and communities.”

Dr Mawhinney said that he is also ‘very keen’ to see not only what happens on Sunday, but what the church is doing in the community.

“It will be a busy week, but I am looking forward to visiting, schools and being part of four assemblies, seeing local businesses, including a farm, PCI’s residential nursing home, Harold McCauley House, and Omagh Hospital. There are also a couple of events with young people, and I look forward to engaging with them. As a junior doctor, I remember working in the Omagh Hospital and the old Enniskillen Hospital.”

Consisting of 40 congregations, the Presbytery of Omagh is largely rural and takes in towns including Castlederg, Newtownstewart, Omagh and Enniskillen.

A Moderator last toured the presbytery in 2019.

The week that Dr Mawhinney is in the Presbytery coincides with Remembrance Sunday. During the tour, he will pay his respects at the Omagh Bomb Memorial site and visit Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday itself.