| Where
is Trinity Church? At the foot of
Summerhill North, facing the ‘Coliseum Corner’;
the main entrance is at the end of Little William St off
York St between MacCurtain St & Wellington Rd. It is
the church with the crooked spire. Who are we? We are part of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland which has 300,000 members in about 600 congregations in different parts of the island (not in any way to be confused with Rev Ian Paisley’s Free Presbyterian Church which is a separate denomination). |
 |
 |
What do we believe? We have orthodox Christian beliefs, based on the Bible. We believe in the Trinity, that Christ died as the only sacrifice to make us able to come to God. We believe that whatever happens, God is in control and that we may know his love simply through personal trust. There is nothing we can do to get his favour; it is a free gift.How do we differ from other churches? The main differences centre on worship and structure. Because we take the Bible by itself as the final authority, rather than including subsequent tradition, we have a simple style of worship, based on the principles of scripture alone, faith alone and Christ alone. With our belief that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2.5), the role of the clergyman or minister as the teaching elder is to encourage each member to approach God in personal faith and to search and understand the scriptures for themselves. The word ‘Presbyterian’ comes from the Greek word for elder presbyteros. Democratically appointed elders make collective decisions at every level of our denomination’s structure. The aim is to be accountable to the membership, while affirming and protecting the duty of ministers to preach the Word of God without fear or favour. We try also to co-operate with other churches in matters of common concern where we can work together without compromise of the basic message that Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father. (John 14.6) |
| How long
have there been Presbyterians in Cork?
The first congregation in the city dates from the early 18th Century;
it tended towards ‘Unitarianism’ -- a type of non-conformity which
sat loose to the historic Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the
three persons in one being of God and the deity of Christ. The ‘Old
Presbyterian Church’ in Princes St was the meeting place of that
congregation, latterly part of the Non Subscribing Presbyterian Church
(so called because there is no obligation in that denomination to
‘subscribe’ to the Westminster Confession of Faith). The
congregation in Princes St now worships elsewhere as the building is
dilapidated. What is the history of Trinity Church? The origins of Trinity Church derive from the arrival of Scottish merchants in Cork in the early 19th Century who desired orthodox Trinitarian teaching. A congregation known as Trinity or Scots’ Church was formed in the 1830s and met for a time in Queen St (now Father Mathew St) in premises now owned by Lantry & Co. at the corner of Fitton St and Father Mathew St. The present Trinity Church was completed in 1863. Until the 1920s a congregation continued to meet in Queen St., also part of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Then falling numbers following partition necessitated the coming together of the two congregations on the Summerhill site. Memorial tablets from the Queen St church and a photograph of its interior are on display in Trinity Church. Is it necessary to be a Presbyterian to come to the Church? No, anyone is welcome to join us for worship. We have a simple form of service. We stand to sing hymns (but you don’t have to sing if you don’t want to!) and sit for prayer, scripture readings, a short talk with the children and the sermon. An offering is taken during the service for the support of the church and wider work in mission but this is voluntary also! A Sunday School is run during the service for children and younger teenagers. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated four times a year and is open to all who sincerely love the Lord Jesus and are in good standing with a Christian church. From time to time Christian Basics classes are run for those who would like to become full communicant members of the Presbyterian Church. Marriages are normally celebrated where at least one person is already a member of the congregation. A service of blessing of a marriage previously solemnised elsewhere can be held, in which case we would seek a letter of good will from the minister or other office holder of the church where the couple usually worship. What time are the services? Our main service is on Sunday at 11:45 a.m. and a Sunday Evening Fellowship is held on most Sundays at 8 pm, with worship in a more informal manner (see our weekly bulletin). A Bible Study is held in the church hall (in the church grounds) on Wednesdays at 1 p.m., followed by a time of prayer from 2 p.m. Why is the spire crooked? Legend says that the workmen fell out with the architect and did it out of spite. It is more likely that it was a fault in construction which did not appear until the scaffolding was removed and nothing could be done. Don’t worry, it won’t fall on you! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
