The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Rev Dr Kenneth Newell, opened a new resource centre and Christian bookshop at Main Street, Maynooth, Co Kildare yesterday. The project is the initiative of the local Maynooth (Presbyterian) Community Church and its minister, Rev Keith McCrory.
On Saturday evening, as part of a week-long visit to the church's Dublin and Munster presbytery, Dr Newell took part in a service at Maynooth post-primary school, where members of other local churches were also involved.
The Presbyterian congregation at Maynooth is a daughter church of Lucan. Rev McCrory and some of the Lucan members who live in Maynooth were commissioned to establish the new church there in 2003.
The church at Lucan was "simply bursting at the seams", said its minister, Rev Dr Trevor Morrow. It was "becoming too big to function as a community", he said.
"The best option was to form a daughter church, established with a nucleus of members who were already living in the new location but going to Lucan," he said.
Rev McCrory said "people are reassured by knowing we are part of a bigger, well-established and respected church. We can build on that and develop an effective witness by getting close to people, living among them, working alongside them and making personal contact."
He was also pleased Dr Newell's visit provided people in Maynooth with a rare opportunity to meet the leader of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Yesterday's ceremony was followed by refreshments at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, the national Catholic seminary.