Assembly photography: Jamie Trimble
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2021 |
A different opening service As is traditional, the General Assembly started with the installation of the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Breaking with tradition, the opening service did not take place in a crowded Assembly Hall on a balmy June evening, but instead on an autumnal Monday morning with only voting members allowed to be present. Furthermore, for the first time since 1894, a Moderator was confirmed for a second year of office, with Dr David Bruce continuing in the role he was first elected to in June 2020. With no outgoing Moderator to hand over the office, Dr Godfrey Brown – the most senior former Moderator – took the chair for the formal election of Dr Bruce, saying, “This is a historic moment for our Presbyterian Church in Ireland.” For the same reason, Dr Bruce gave his reflection on his past year in office as well as an address on the year ahead. Naturally, the events of the Covid pandemic, Brexit and interrupted supply chains were all included in Dr Bruce’s reflection as he outlined the challenges faced in 2020.
“I could speak of postponements, cancellations, of global recession, of bushfires, of tropical cyclone, of cancel culture, of failed sustainable development goals. I could talk of mental health crises, of toppling statues, of church leadership scandals, and of course I could talk of Zoom. Small wonder perhaps that Time magazine labelled 2020 as ‘one of the
worst years to be alive in modern history’.” Yet, despite these challenges, Dr Bruce highlighted times of joy, like the birth of his grandson or celebrating 100th birthdays with 17 centenarians around the Church. This message of optimism, despite a time of a great many challenges, continued with Dr Bruce unveiling ‘Hope’
as his theme for his remaining months in office. “The Puritans who did so much to shape the theology of the Reformation were above all else, and among many other things, a people of hope. They believed in the power of the gospel to transform society, and so they pushed the church out in mission. For them, the world was not a wreck from which people must be plucked, but was rather the property of Christ, which the church, armed and equipped with the gospel, should reclaim for him. The church must not withdraw from the world, but rather engage with it. “The unstoppable transformative power of the gospel enables this to be a realistic ambition. They understood themselves not as separatists, but as servants of a world in need. “Today, we find ourselves, of course, in a very different kind of place, but the same gospel hopefulness inhabits and shapes our Reformed vision of the world, and our belief that the task before us remains unfinished until Christ comes again, as he surely will. So, we press on, brothers and sisters, in hope.” Herald Autumn 2021
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