The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has welcomed the ceasefire in the Middle East, that offers hope of an end to the war in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, the Church has encouraged its members to continue to pray for the situation in the region and its people.
Reflecting on last week’s events, Rev Richard Kerr, Convener of PCI’s Council for Global Mission’s Global Development Committee, said, “Fragile as it is, and while there is much to be worked out and thought through, we welcome the ceasefire and give thanks to God for it. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost as a result of this conflict, and it has not been easy to sift through the propaganda from both Israeli and Hamas sources to ascertain and understand what was happening. However, we are deeply grateful for the present ceasefire and pray that it will not only hold, but become the start of a long-lasting and enduring peace in the region,” Mr Kerr said.
Mr Kerr continued,
“Throughout the conflict, we have continued to pray. Our Moderator at the time of the 7 October attack, Dr Sam Mawhinney, wrote to all ministers across the island, encouraging their members “to pray earnestly for this unfolding crisis.” He reminded us all, that scripture tells us, that ‘the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective’ (James 5:16). A year into the conflict, Dr Richard Murray, who succeeded him as Moderator, called the Church to pray for the situation in the region, as we believe prayer remains our greatest spiritual gift in this and in all situations. It’s not a second-best solution of powerless people, but rather a confidence in a God who can change the narrative.”
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s International Relations Agent, Rev Dr Donald Watts joined the Convener in welcoming the ceasefire,
“As we welcome the ceasefire, we also want to speak of the hope that we have as Christians. A hope born of faith in the One who made His home in this part of the world, and who came to bring His peace to hearts and lives of many. We need to continue to pray that the ceasefire not only holds, but peace ultimately unfolds and takes root in the region.”
Just before Easter this year, PCI held a Day of Prayer for the Middle East in South Kirk, its church on Great Victoria Street in Belfast. Mr Kerr, who is the minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian Church in County Antrim, continued, “At our General Assembly, our new Moderator, Dr Gribben, also led Members of Assembly in praying for the situation in the Middle East. We also heard from two women from the region affected by the conflict and took additional time to pray."
Mr Kerr explained that
“One of the women told us via video, ‘Stand with us in prayer and in actions. Your support brings hope and strength to our people, our ministry, our country. I can ask you to pray for lasting peace in our region and especially in Syria and for the healing of the broken hearts.’ It was a powerful moment.
“In the midst of all the rhetoric, we must remember the great human cost of this war: the lives of people massacred on 7 October, the hostages taken, the impact on their families and the huge death toll in Gaza over the past two years. We need to continue to bring all who have been affected to God. As we pray for them, we should also remember those in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East who have also been affected by the conflict, including our partner churches and organisations in the region.”
General Assembly, Prayer, Church in Society, Moderator
On the final day of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the all-Ireland denomination’s new Moderator, Right Reverend Dr Trevor Gribben, led the As…
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