An Ulsterman, the Rev Prof James Haire, son of the late Rev Prof J.L.M. Haire, was recently installed as president of the Uniting Church in Australia. The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Rev Dr Trevor Morrow, represented the church as the guest of the Uniting Church.
on his return from Australia, Dr Morrow said he had heard at first hand the concerns of Christians persecuted unto death in the Moluccan islands, as a result of an ongoing Islamic jihad in the eastern islands. He was able to assure Moluccan leaders of the Indonesian church, such as the Rev Augustina Aesh, attending the Uniting Church Assembly, of the support of the Irish Presbyterian Church for their people in their travails.
Dr Morrow also took stock of the current challenges facing the church in Australia, in particular the question of Aboriginal Christians. In addition to discussions with the leaders of the Uniting Church, Dr Morrow spoke with leaders of the Presbyterian Church in Australia (not within the Uniting fold). They expressed a wish to strengthen relationships with Irish Presbyterians.
During his one-month stay, Dr Morrow took the opportunity to make courtesy calls in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. He visited the Rev Dr Peter Jensen, principal of the Moore Theological College. He had just returned to Australia from Belfast where he gave lectures in the Union Theological College. Moore Theological College is reported as the largest evangelical training college for church ministers in the world.
Some time before his election to the moderatorship, Dr Morrow had what he described as his most "daunting and thrilling responsibility". He was asked to speak at the conference of the New Horizon group at the campus of the University of Ulster (Coleraine) in 1999.
The New Horizon Conference attracts thousands of Christians from all the denominations in Ireland for "a balanced ministry of biblical teaching, worship of God and challenge to service through the church".
He chose to give Bible readings during five mornings, constituting an exposition of the New Testament Letter to the Galatians. Dr Morrow believes "a direct and provocative message for Ireland emerges from this letter of Paul's".
For those who have lived through the Troubles, Paul's message is unsettling and liberating, he claims, and he argues that "many Christians adhere to unnecessary conventions and traditions, and as a result unchurched people feel alienated from and are unwilling to listen to the Christian church as they share the Gospel of Jesus".
These talks have been published by the Presbyterian Publications Department as Free to Love - A Manifesto for Christian Freedom, 140pp.
It can be purchased for £5 from Faith Mission Bookshops and Family Books, Church House, Belfast.
Students from the State about to pursue their studies in Belfast are reminded of the excellent accommodation available for young men and women in the Union Theological College, Belfast. The college is close to Queen's University and has easy access to Botanic railway station and many city bus routes. Rates are reasonable. Contact the administrator, Ms Sandra Mc Kinney, Union Theological College, 108 Botanic Avenue, Belfast, BT7 1JT, tel: 028 9058 0040.