New minister to be installed at Ballyclare Presbyterian Church

The 53-year-old father-of-three has been the minister of Greystone Road Presbyterian Church in Antrim since 2008.

Having studied at Ulster University’s Magee and Coleraine campuses, Queen’s University and Union College in the 1990s, he was licensed to preach the Gospel in New Row Presbyterian Church, Coleraine, his home church, in 1997.

Three years later, he was ordained as minister of Ballynure Presbyterian, where he served for eight years, before being called to Greystone Road.

Each minister in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament in a service of ordination, which is conducted by the local Presbytery.

PCI has 19 of these regional bodies, which include ministers and elders from all the congregations in its local area.

When they are called to a new congregation, the presbytery, in this case, the Presbytery of Carrickfergus, will hold a service of installation for the new minister in their new congregation. In Mr Moxen’s case, this will take place in January next year.

The initial vacancy in Ballyclare Presbyterian was caused by the retirement of Rev Robert Bell, who had been the minister there for the past 30 years.

Speaking about his call to become its new minister, Rev Moxen said: “While we will not be going to Ballyclare until January, we are excited, and looking forward to be joining the folk there in the next stage of their journey with our Lord Jesus Christ.

“It is of course a double edged sword in many ways, tinged with sadness that we will be leaving a place that has been a very important part of our lives, and the lives of our children, for the past 12 years.

“While we will be leaving many friends and a vibrant and caring congregation, we will be taking with us many happy memories.”

Founded in the mid-1650s, Ballyclare Presbyterian is one of the largest congregations in the Presbytery of Carrickfergus.

With a membership of around 1,200 people, made up of some 540 families, Rev Peter Bovill, minister of First and Second Islandmagee Presbyterian Churches, has been looking after Ballyclare since the retirement of Mr Bell in June of last year.

Rev Bovill said: “I know that the congregation is very much looking forward to having Jonathan and his wife Gillian join them in January, as they become part of the Presbyterian family in Ballyclare.

“Going forward in these difficult days, it will be a real encouragement to the congregation to have a full-time minister once again.

“We will be praying for them as they make the transition from Antrim to Ballyclare, and for the congregation of Greystone Road, as they begin the process to find and call a new minister to join them.”

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