As Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) congregations returned to in-person worship in the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, 16th May 2021, the Church’s Moderator, Rt Rev Dr David Bruce, has welcomed the return saying ‘it will be a genuine time of joyful thanksgiving’.
“The permission from the Irish government to resume in-person services of worship from Monday 10th May onwards was long overdue. Together with other churches, PCI has been making the consistent case that the restrictions on public worship should have been removed long before that date.
“These past long months have been a deeply frustrating and a difficult period for our congregations. While online services have met a real need, and indeed created new opportunities, they have been no substitute for the corporate, in-person gathering for worship of God’s people, which is at the very heart of what it is to be Church.”
Dr Bruce, who was minister of Clontarf, Ormond Quay and Scots Presbyterian Churches in Dublin for 5 years in the late 1980s, early 1990s, continued, “This coming Sunday, as many of our congregations across the Republic of Ireland resume in-person worship for the first time in almost 5 months, it will be a genuine time of joyful thanksgiving. While the implementation of the necessary precautions and mitigations will have its own challenges, it is a time to give thanks and to look forward.
“In testing days, the Apostle Paul reminded the Christians in Corinth, that “we live by faith, not by sight”. This remains true, as we begin to emerge from lock-down, leaving behind the memory of these past difficult months. In faith we trust God to guide us as we cautiously move forward together. As we continue to engage with government ministers and officials, they can be assured of our prayers,” Dr Bruce said.
Read more from PCI on their website here.
