In what could be a unique record for a Presbyterian Moderator, the Right Reverend Dr Richard Murray gave his fourth opening address to a General Assembly when he formerly constituted in prayer the annual meeting of Presbyterian Church in Ireland this morning, which meets this week in Belfast until Friday.
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Moderator opens PCI’s General Assembly with final address
Dr Murray opened last year’s General Assembly, during which his term of office officially concluded. He then opened the Special General Assemblies of December 2025 and February of this year having been recalled to office as a result of the Church’s failures in its central administration of safeguarding, which he spoke of in his address - and now today, a fourth time.
Speaking to ministers and elders from PCI’s 500-plus congregations, and other representatives entitled to attend, he spoke of last words. Dr Murray said that, “…given that this is my last time opening the General Assembly, I want to speak on last words, because last words can be really significant.”
While Moderators do not make speeches at a General Assembly, Dr Murray’s address took the last words of the Apostle Paul, from the fourth chapter of his second letter to Timothy, praying “…that it will teach us, rebuke us, correct us and train us in righteousness – that individually and as a denomination we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The Moderator continued, “…So, when Paul told Timothy to “preach the word”, he meant preach Jesus the word of God who is the only hope for men and women living in darkness…So, I hope your preaching of Jesus (and my preaching of Jesus) is yes truthful and sound but also warm and gracious and loving and enthusiastic – the sense of holding out the word of life that hearts may be set on fire.”
In his sermon, which was livestreamed from PCI’s Assembly Hall in Assembly Buildings, Dr Murray also referenced the safeguarding crisis that had enveloped the all-Ireland denomination since November of last year, describing it as a “torrid time”.
The Moderator said, “I know it’s been a tough seven or eight months for our denomination and many have been left disheartened and discouraged by our failures in safeguarding. The words of Jesus in Matthew 18:6 serve as a warning to all those that would harm others “if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea”. And we are deeply saddened and sorry that people have been hurt and harmed by our failings.”
The Moderator’s address was divided into four parts, focusing on where Paul spoke of ‘an unfinished task’ when the apostle said, “…be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). There was a section on ‘unflinching faith’, where Paul speaks of his departure saying (in verses 7-8) “…I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Speaking about the latter to illustrate a point, Dr Murray said that two young people had approached him at the launch of a new ‘Christianity Explained’ course in April for advice on how to reach their schools friends for Christ, saying that they had “…absolutely no interest in the things of Christ. Two young believers fighting the good fight, with unflinching faith in their day and generation.
“And yes, it has been a torrid time for us in PCI, but we need always to remember - “he that is in us is greater than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4) and God is working out his purposes even though we don’t know what He is doing – we just believe God must be in it somewhere,” Dr Murray said.
The Moderator continued, “On a similar note, I was in Second Broughshane hall last Thursday evening for safeguarding training – along with approximately 500 others. Let that sink in for a moment – 500 of us! 500 people in that locality concerned, in as safe a way as possible, to do the work of an evangelist winning young people for Christ.
“How heartening it was to see every single one of them and to remember “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus”. There is so much good going on in our Presbyterian Church in Ireland.”
The Moderator also reminded the General Assembly, that Paul, the “greatest evangelist and church planter in the world has ever seen…” was often let down by people, in what was then, and is still, “an unfair world”. Dr Murray said, “…Paul’s experience is a reminder to us all that people will always get us down. We will let people down. And people will always come and go - we cannot fix them, but we can fix ourselves and keep our own spirits right – even when we are aware of failures and statutory inquiries are running and we have the uncertainty of their outcomes.
“Brothers and sisters, I suspect Paul is including these things so that Timothy doesn’t become too idealistic but that he is realistic. There is no perfect congregation. No perfect denomination until His appearing and His kingdom.”
In his concluding remarks, the Moderator reminded the General Assembly that in Paul’s last words to Timothy, he speaks of an unchanging friend (v17) when he was before the Emperor Nero in Rome, “But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17)…So, as we open the Assembly, let us remember our reformation motto – ‘Burning but flourishing.’ And yes, we are still in the fire, (and we’ve been burned), but the Lord is standing at our side. So, we go forward in faith remembering that as well as burning, fire cleanses, and fire is one of the symbols of God’s presence.
“May the fire of Jesus Christ, whose eyes are like a flame of fire, burn in our midst, may all our eyes be fixed on him the author and perfector of our faith. That the earth may be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”