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The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (or PCI) has a membership of 300,000 people in 650 Congregations across both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland , though the bulk of the membership is in Northern Ireland. It is the second largest church in Northern Ireland, the first being the Roman Catholic Church . (Confusion can arise from the fact that overall, the majority of the people of Northern Ireland are members of the various Protestant churches such as the Presbyterian Church, Church Of Ireland , Methodist Church and several others thus members of the Roman Catholic Church are in a minority with respect to Protestants in general). All the congregations of the church are represented up to the General Assembly (the church's government). HISTORY Presbyterianism in Ireland dates from the time of the Plantation Of Ulster in 1610. During the reign of James I a large number of Scottish Presbysterians emigrated to Ireland. The first move away from the Church Of Scotland , of which the Presbyterians in Ireland were part, saw the creation of the Presbytery of Ulster in 1642. This later merged with the Secession Church in 1840. In 1854 the Synod of Munster merged into the church. PCI TODAY The current General Secretary is the Rev. Dr. Donald Watts . The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, a founding member of the World Alliance Of Reformed Churches , has over 560 Congregations in 21 Presbyteries across Ireland . The PCI is involved in Education, Evangelism, Social Service and mission in a number of areas around the world; The headquarters of the church are at Church House in Belfast , but will be relocating very soon to a new development in May Street in the city soon. LOGO AND MOTTO The motto of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is "Ardens sed Virens" - "burning but flourishing". It is usually seen alongside the Burning Bush, the churches symbol. A Burning Bush was included in the more modern logo (top). : ''Main article'' : Burning Bush According to the heard the voice of God coming from a Burning bush that was not consumed by Fire . This occurred after he had to flee Egypt , and was when he was called to go and demand the release of the Israelites . CHURCH & WORSHIP Apart from the seats for worshippers (not shown above), the inside of the church is dominated by four items of furniture.
Service The Word Of God is central in the Presbyterian Church, along with Prayer and Praise. The worship is a mix of Prayers , Hymns , Psalms , Paraphrases , Scripture Readings and Sermons . In Recent years Psalms and Paraphrases have been used less but are still an Important part of worship. FAMOUS IRISH PRESBYTERIANS
SEE ALSO
Other Presbyterian Churches in Ireland
EXTERNAL LINKS
Local Churches
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