A WEST Belfast native is set to become the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s next Moderator.
Richard Murray (58) has been minister of Drumreagh Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney since 2016 and will be the denomination’s 179th Moderator since 1840.
Richard grew up in Brooke Drive in West Belfast and attended Suffolk Primary School. Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Richard recalled his early days growing up in West Belfast.
"My parents wanted to live in a mixed area but when the Troubles started, we left in 1973 after there was a shooting in the street," he said.
"I remember getting asked was I a Protestant and I didn’t know what it was. All the Protestants ended up leaving the area.
"It was a really nice place to live. I remember the house so well. I went to Suffolk Primary School which is no longer there. I had many happy memories.
Richard takes a photo of his old street sign this week
"We ended up moving to Finaghy. Suffolk Presbyterian Church was my first memory of being involved in the church. I was actually baptised in Broadway Presbyterian Church which closed 50 years ago.
"I moved to Finaghy Primary School and then Wallace High School in Lisburn. It was in my youth that I first made a commitment to Christ but during those teenage years I sort of drifted away from God.
"Due to The Troubles, the family moved to Finaghy on the outskirts of the city, becoming members of Lowe Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Having attended Wallace High School in Lisburn, Richard started his first full-time job with Arthur Guinness & Co. in Belfast as a distribution clerk, where he worked for three years before moving to Ulster Bank in Lisburn, where he was a clerk.
"I got a job with Guinness on the Boucher Road but during that time I felt an emptiness in my heart," he added. "I ended up going down to Crescent Church on University Road to a Tuesday night service.
"Afterwards I felt different. I ended up leaving Guinness and working in Ulster Bank for three years. It was then I felt a call to become a Minister so I went to university for six years."
In 1989 he went to Queen’s University where he graduated in 1992 with a BA in Ancient History and Social and Economic History.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s Union Theological College beckoned and in 1995 Richard gained his Batchelor of Divinity, the same year that he was licensed as a Minister of the Gospel in Lowe Memorial. He then served as assistant minister in Terrace Row Presbyterian in Coleraine for three years before moving to Hilltown and Clonduff Presbyterian Churches, near Rathfriland in County Down, where he was ordained in 1997.
In 2005 Richard was called to Connor Presbyterian Church near Ballymena, where he served as minister for 11 years. He became minister of Drumreagh and Dromore Presbyterian Churches, a joint charge, in 2016 with Dromore Presbyterian amalgamating with Drumreagh last year.
"I have been a Minister now for 30 years," said Richard. "I am currently Minister in Drumreagh Presbyterian in Ballymoney. It has been a real privilege to share my ministry in so many people's lives.
"I think religion has changed here a lot over the years. The numbers have certainly dwindled over the years but those that do go to church are more committed and the music has changed also. I really like modern worship."
Richard was one of five nominees for the Church to choose from this year, which traditionally elects the Moderator-Designate on the first Tuesday in February. He will be formally elected as Moderator by the Church’s General Assembly in June.
Until then he will be known as the Moderator-Designate and continue to serve his congregation in Drumreagh.
"The Presbyterian Moderator is a year-long role," he explained. "For a week in June, I will be chairing meetings and debates when 500 congregations from across the island of Ireland come together at this year’s General Assembly when it gathers in Belfast in the third full week of June.
"After that, my role will involve visiting many of these congregations and attending events.
"It is also a pastoral and representative role. I will be the face of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
"For the year, I will step down as Minister in my own Church. It will be a very busy year but I am really looking forward to it. I hope to bring a lot back to my own congregation in Ballymoney. I am looking forward to being part of the wider church. It is definitely a real privilege to take on the role."
