Presbyterian moderator's 'deep appreciation and great respect' for police past and present
The Presbyterian moderator has spoken of his “deep appreciation and great respect” for police officers past and present at a special commemoration in Co Down.
Rev Dr Sam Mawhinney said it was a “great honour” to preach at the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Day Service – held each year to “mark the sacrifices and honour the achievements” of the RUC.
This year’s service took place at St Philip and St James Parish Church in Holywood.
Dr Mawhinney said the service had added poignancy as it took place on the 30th anniversary of the Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre, which killed 29 people.
Many of those who lost their lives on June 2, 1994 were leading security personnel from Northern Ireland, including senior members of the RUC.
“I considered it a real honour to have been asked to speak God’s word to the members of the RUC GC Foundation and the families of those bereaved,” Dr Mawhinney said.
“At today’s special service my theme was ‘The day when everything changed,’ and I chose a very well-known passage – Mark 4:38-41 – that tells of the time that the disciples felt confused and totally helpless in the midst of a raging storm, a storm that was ultimately calmed by Jesus, who was also in the boat.
“So many people at this afternoon’s service had suffered the loss of a precious loved one in the service of the community, often in difficult, unexpected and traumatic ways.
"I hope that in honouring their memory and sacrifice, those present were able to take some comfort in knowing that whatever storms of life we face, when really difficult things happen to us, which includes death, it is important to have faith in Jesus and have Him with us in life."
The Most Rev John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, Rev David Turtle, President of the Methodist Church, Rt Rev Sarah Groves, President of the Irish Council of Churches, and Fr Eugene O’Hagan, representing Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, also took part.
Dr Mawhinney went on to say: “I would like to thank the RUC GC Foundation once more for inviting me. Today has been an opportunity to remember and demonstrate our deep appreciation and great respect for police officers past and present.”