By Julie McLaughlin
A NEW book is being launched to tell the history of a local church down through the years.
Kilkeel Presbyterian Church is hosting a book launch event at 8pm on Thursday, 5 March, for the book, which is titled, ‘Kilkeel Presbyterian Church, the First 200 Years: a History of the “Wee Meeting”’.
The event will take place at the church, which is located at Newcastle Street, Kilkeel.
There will also be refreshments on the night. All are most welcome.
The book was written by two church members, Ruth Reilly and Ruth Bird, and celebrates the history of the church and the faithfulness of God throughout the years, Rev Stephen Johnston, minister of Kilkeel Presbyterian Church, said.
“This is all part of our bicentenary,” he explained.
Rev Johnston said that the title of the book comes from when people locally would call Kilkeel Presbyterian Church ‘the wee meeting’ to differentiate it from Mourne Presbyterian Church, which was called ‘the big meeting’.
To go along with the book launch, there will be a free photographic exhibition running until Monday, 9 March in the Samuel Donaldson Hall at the back of Kilkeel Presbyterian. This will feature photos submitted by church members, as well as photos that were published in local newspapers of the time.
“It’ll take you on a chronological journey from the last 200 years,” Rev Johnston said, adding that obviously some decades during the last 200 years will have more photos available than others.
The photographic display will be open for viewing during the book launch event, as well as between 10am and noon plus 6.30pm to 8.30pm on Friday, 6 March. On Saturday, 7 March, it will be open between 10am and noon, as well as 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
On Sunday, 8 March, the exhibition can be viewed from 2.30pm to 4pm and on Monday, 9 March, it will be open from 10am to noon.
The book will be available to purchase at the book launch, as well as afterwards during the photo exhibition and at the local Faith Mission Bookshop, located at Greencastle Street in Kilkeel.
Rev Johnston said that this is just the first of many things that the church has planned for this year to mark the church’s 200th anniversary.
