The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Right Reverend Dr Trevor Gribben, has paid tribute to his predecessor, Very Reverend Dr Ivan Patterson, whose funeral took place in County Antrim, saying that he was “…a wise leader, a gifted preacher and a compassionate pastor.”
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Tributes paid to former Moderator
Dr Patterson, who was 76 and passed away last Wednesday, served as minister of Newcastle Presbyterian Church for 22 years from 1991 until his retirement in 2013. In 2011 he was elected Moderator of the all-Ireland denomination, PCI’s highest office, serving the Church faithfully during his year in office. He is survived by his wife Maureen, who he married in 1972, and his son Stephen, daughter-in-law Morag, and three grandsons, Sam, Tom and Nate.
The Moderator took part in the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Dr Patterson, which took place at High Street Presbyterian Church in Antrim, followed by a private committal at the old Buckna Presbyterian Church, near Broughshane, the church of Dr Patterson’s youth.
During the service Dr Patterson’s son Stephen paid tribute to his father, while scripture readings were taken from Psalm 27 and 1 Thessalonians 4 13-18. Hymns sung included ‘Bless the Lord O my soul’ and ‘Guide me O thou Great Redeemer’. The tribute was given by Rev William McCully, minister of Dundonald Presbyterian Church, who had been Dr Patterson’s assistant in Newcastle for two and a half years in the late 1990s. He was also one of his chaplains during Dr Patterson’s year as Moderator.
Paying tribute to ‘his great friend…and mentor’, during the Service of Thanksgiving, Mr McCully said, “Ivan was an absolute gentleman. Thoughtful and kind he became a mentor and guide to me as he has been ever since we first met. He was just a delight to work alongside. I learned so much in a short period of time. Both Ivan and Maureen were a team in Newcastle complementing each other…He was always supportive and very thoughtful – I witnessed how much he helped people – his gift was coming alongside people and even when saying tough things, he did so always with the best of intentions for the good of the Gospel and the church at large.”
Mr McCully told those gathered for the service that Dr Patterson had made it clear to him that he didn’t like long eulogies at funerals, “as too much could be made of man and not enough about the Lord,” he had once said.
With that in mind, Mr McCully read a poem that he had written for the service, which honoured Dr Patterson’s wishes and included the following lines, Teaching and preaching, minst’ring to all
Dealing with problems, large or small.
‘Service with enthusiasm’ - that’s how he worked!
Never growing weary, of the flock that he served.
The youngest of three children, Dr Patterson was brought up near the County Antrim village of Buckna, where he worshipped with his family at the local Presbyterian Church. Attending Ballymena Intermediate School, he went on to the town’s Technical College before working as a television repair engineer.
After seven years, he attended Queen’s University where he obtained a degree in Semitic Studies, spending time at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He completed his training for the ordained ministry at Union Theological College.
Dr Patterson was ordained in First Presbyterian Church, Bangor (now City Church Bangor) as assistant minister in 1980, serving there for two years before being installed as minister of Bushvale Presbyterian near Ballymoney in 1982. In 1991 he was called to Newcastle Presbyterian where he served until his retirement in 2013. During his ministry in the seaside town, Dr Patterson developed a special interest in Romania and formed a twinning arrangement with a congregation of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Hodos, Romania, where he often visited.
After nearly 30 years in parish ministry, in February 2011 Dr Patterson was nominated by 12 of PCI’s 19 regional presbyteries to be Moderator, the office he formally assumed at that year’s General Assembly. The 166th person to hold the office since 1840, his theme for his year as Moderator was ‘The Word is Life’, as his term was set against the backdrop of the 400th anniversary of the publication of the Authorised King James Version (KJV) of the Bible that year. As part of the commemorations around the KJV, Dr Patterson took part in a special service in Westminster Abbey, which was attended by the late Queen and other members of the Royal Family.
In his opening address as Moderator at the General Assembly in June 2011, he said, “As we read the record of what God has done, Christians ought to find themselves being drawn into the story as participants, not spectators. Jesus speaks about going the extra mile, welcoming strangers, loving enemies, forgiving those who do us harm. Being peacemakers and encouragers – that is what we are called to be – witnesses who bring good tidings.”
It was a busy year away from his congregation, which saw Dr Patterson encourage the Church at home across the island, and partner churches in Hungary, Romania, Latvia and Lebanon. While he was unable to attend President Higgins’ first inauguration in 2011, seven years later in November 2018, Dr Patterson represented PCI at the President’s second inauguration.
In Newcastle, as an active parish minister, Dr Patterson spent much of his ministry focussing on youth work and held a number of offices promoting this area of ministry. From 1989 to 1993, he was Convener of PCI’s Youth Board, and in 2014 he was appointed the first chair of Youth Link, a body set up by the four main churches to facilitate the development of youth work and ministry on behalf of the churches in Northern Ireland. From 1995 until 2020, he was also Clerk of the Presbytery of Iveagh.
Even in his retirement Dr Patterson was busy. Having served for two years as Vice President of the Irish Council of Churches from 2018, in April 2020 during the first month of the Covid-19 pandemic, he began his two years as President. During his term of office of one of the world’s oldest national representative church bodies, along with the Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, Methodist Church and Presbyterian leaders, he took part in the ‘Service of Reflection and Hope’ in Armagh, to mark the centenary of the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland.
Taking part in the Service of Thanksgiving, PCI’s current Moderator Rt Rev Dr Trevor Gribben, offered “the sympathy and assurance of the prayers of the General Assembly of our Presbyterian Church in Ireland…” to Dr Patterson’s widow, Maureen and her family. “It is a particular privilege for me to do so this morning, because during my ministry Ivan was not just a colleague, but so often was also a wise confidant, and a dear and supportive friend. Like me, many in our wider Church will greatly miss Ivan and today we mourn his passing. But we do not do so as those who have no hope, because we know a ‘Hope and a Future in Jesus’ - A hope and a future that Ivan has now entered fully into, and in which one day we who love Jesus will join again with our treasured loved one and our dear brother,” he said.
Reflecting on his friendship with Dr Patterson after the service, Dr Gribben said, “Ivan was a devoted servant of his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He served faithfully in the congregations that he ministered in, and also in our wider Presbyterian Church in Ireland as long-standing presbytery clerk, and our Moderator. He was a wise leader, a gifted preacher and a compassionate pastor, and like many others I valued both his counsel and his friendship. He will be greatly missed by many colleagues, but chiefly by his loving wife Maureen, son Stephen and the family circle.”
The current Clerk of the Presbytery of Iveagh, Mr Jim King, also paid tribute to Dr Patterson, saying, “Ivan was always active and energetic in the life of the Presbyterian Church locally, touching the lives of everyone he met. In his parish ministry and in his work for the presbytery, so many will recall his compassion, wisdom, quick mind, and dedication, especially when it came to helping anyone in need, whether within the church family, or from outside of it. His servant heart was always evident, and his compassion and willingness to help others always shone through.
“On behalf of the presbytery, I would also like to extend my deepest sympathy to Maureen and the family at this time, in the knowledge that by God’s grace, Ivan has left a tremendous legacy in Iveagh Presbytery, the full extent of which will only be known in eternity.”