First Kilrea Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
First Kilrea Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian congregation
Presbyterian Church in Ireland
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland , is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland...

 in the village of Kilrea
Kilrea
Kilrea is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the River Bann, which marks the boundary between County Londonderry and County Antrim...

, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. The church is part of the Presbytery of Coleraine and Limavady.

History

The first Meeting House built for Presbyterians
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...

 in the Kilrea district was at Moyknock. In 1642 the first church building at Moyknock was burned down. A second church was built in the townland of Boveedy, just outside modern-day Kilrea. This building served the parishes of Kilrea, Tamlaght
Tamlaght
Tamlaght can refer to:*Tamlaght, County Fermanagh, a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.*Tamlaght, County Londonderry, a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland....

, Boveedy and Desertoghill. The third meeting house, the first in Kilrea was built in 1770. The building stood a short distance in front of the present church.

The present-day church building or "Scot's Kirk" (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: Scottish [or 'Presbyterian'] Church) as it was called had its foundation stone laid in 1873 and opened for worship in 1839. The funding for the church was provided by the Mercers' Company and built to a design by William Barnes of London.

Ministers

Ministers
Incumbency Minister
c1680 William Gilchurist
1697 - 1729 Matthew Clerk
1732 - 1741 Robert Wirling
1744 - 1748 Alexander Cumming
1749 - 1785 John Smith
1789 - 1794 Arthur McMahon
1794 - 1821 John Smith
1825 - 1851 Hugh Walker Rodgers
1852 - 1869 James Maxwell Rodgers
1869 - 1873 James Heron
1874 - 1932 James Stewart
1925 - 1962 Hans Hadden
1963 - 1967 Ivan James Wilson
1967 - 1975 John Oscar Bridgett
1976 - 1985 Ivan James Wilson
1986 - Trevor John McCormick

External links

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