History

A Church is a living witness of God's grace and activity in our lives, and as such, it cannot be wholly determined by its past. Nonetheless, our history is important because it provides the backdrop against which our worshipping community will grow and develop.

History of Our Denomination

(Source: www.nspresbyterian.org)

Edward Brice becomes the first Presbyterian Minister in Ireland.

The First Presbytery in Ulster set up in the town of Carrickfergus.

The First Non-Subscribing Presbytery formed. Antrim Presbytery stood alone in defence of the sufficiency of Scripture and the supremacy of the teaching of Jesus Christ on all questions of Faith and Duty.

The second and better known controversy over the principle of non-subscription within the Synod of Ulster brought to the forefront two men of outstanding character and ability. Dr. Henry Cooke commanded the support of the subscribers; Dr. Henry Montgomery was the champion of those who espoused the non-subscribing principle. These two men propounded and defended their respective conservative and liberal principles. Dr. Henry Montgomery, Minister of Dunmurry, led three presbyteries; Armagh, Bangor and Templepatrick, representing seventeen congregations out of the Synod of Ulster and formed the Remonstrant Synod in 1830.

The Remonstrant Synod and the Presbytery of Antrim drew closer together and eventually, in 1910, they united to form the General Synod of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland.

The Synod of Munster, an old and historic Non-Subscribing Synod, was welcomed into fellowship with the Non-Subscribing Church.

Our Synod, or General Assembly, consists of three Presbyteries and thirty-four congregations. All these congregations together form and constitute the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland.

Window 3

History of Our Congregation

In 1626, Josias Welsh (the grandson of the famous Scots reformer John Knox) arrived in Templepatrick and brought Presbyterianism to this part of County Antrim.

The present Meeting House was erected in 1784; the pulpit was situated at the west wall, with the porch directly opposite the east wall.

When Dr. Montgomery and his colleagues formed the Remonstrant Synod, the then minister of Templepatrick, the Reverend Robert Campbell senior, and the majority of the old congregation, held remonstrant views. A small number of members sympathised with those who had already accepted the Westminster Confession and gave up their connection with the congregation. Their numbers were later increased by the addition of those tenants of Lord Templetown, who feared that his animosity to the old congregation would lead to them being evicted from their farms, as the minister had been from his farm at Kirkhill.

In 1881, the Meeting House was renovated by Hutchins Heith at a cost of £620 6s 7d. The present pulpit and pews reflect this renovation. The magnificent organ and the first of the stained glass windows were presented in 1895 by Samuel Johnston Moore, MD, of Glasgow, in memory of his parents. The memorial window situated on the west wall, near the back of the church, was presented in 1912 by Mr William Kells in memory of his parents, and in 1922 Mrs Campbell presented the third stained glass window, also on the west wall, in memory of her late husband, Robert Campbell F.R.C. (Eng).

Electricity was installed in 1955 for £194 and all the oil lamps removed, but after the church was redecorated in 1972, three standard lamps and two bracket lamps were returned to their original positions.

In 1982 the Ladies Guild commissioned the round stained glass window situated above the main entrance to the church.

In 1995, the church committee agreed to raise money for a new church hall. The Ladies Guild was the first to donate funds and the entire congregation was involved in an extensive fund-raising effort. By January 2000, there were sufficient funds to dismantle the old hall and to allow work to commence on the new hall in April 2000.