350 years of Presbyterian witness in East Donegal celebrated

​Last weekend, First Bangor Presbyterian church celebrated its 400th anniversary, and last night Burt church, a short distance from Londonderry city, held a 350th anniversary service with Presbyterian Rev Dr Sam Mawhinney a special guest.

Located off the busy N13 highway, main Londonderry/Letterkenny road in the townland of Carrownamaddy, Burt church was founded in 1673, when the Rev William Hampton, from Scotland, was ordained as the first minister.

Hampton was the first of 20 ministers to serve the surrounding local community down the years, and, by coincidence, Burt’s current minister is also a Scot: Glaswegian the Rev Craig Wilson.

Mr Wilson was installed as minister of Burt and Inch Presbyterian churches last year, while continuing to serve the congregations of St Johnston and Ballylennon as minister, for the past 15 years.

“As a relative newcomer to Burt congregation, I was unaware of the long and distinguished history of this old church, and the fact that in the early days a service could last up to three hours. There were no pews then and you had to stand unless you brought your own chair. Thankfully, not anymore,” said Mr Wilson.

He added: “We are a small congregation overlooking Inch Island and siting beneath Greenan mountain and its hill fort built around a thousand years before our church.

"The location is both historic and beautiful, as is the witness the congregation has borne to Christ over the past three and a half centuries.”

During Burt’s long history, two of the congregation’s former ministers led the Irish Presbyterian church as moderator: Rev William Clerk, minister from 1876-1879 and moderator in 1889, and the Rev Dr William Boyd, who ministered in Burt from 1932-1939 and was moderator in 1967.

In 1700, the son of Burt’s first minister , the Rev John Hampton, was one of four Donegal clerics who founded the first Presbyterian presbytery at Philadelphia in America.

They were led by the Rev Francis Makemie, from Ramelton, Donegal, who emigrated in 1683 and is recognised as the founding father of today's American mainstream denomination - Presbyterian USA.

Makemie and his ministerial colleagues were members of the Laggan presbytery in Donegal before they moved to America.

Speaking after last night's service in Burt, moderator Dr Mawhinney, a Dublin church cleric, said: “Anniversaries are important and it is fitting that we celebrate and give thanks to God for Burt’s 350 years of Christian witness in this northerly part. of the island.

"There are 30 Presbyterian congregations in Co Donegal, and, remarkably, 10 of them, including Burt, can trace their roots back to the 17th century, when Scottish settlers brought their Reformed Protestant witness to Ireland.

“It was a privilege to be part of the celebrations in Burt."