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Church of Ireland and Methodist Chaplaincy, Belfast

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The Church of Ireland and Methodist Chaplaincy Belfast is a jointly-backed Christian mission, currently based at Queen's University Belfast.

The status of the most popular Christian traditions at Queen's is unusual, as the four so-called mainline traditions (Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Methodist) each own and operate property adjacent to the central university campus, whilst maintaining full independence.[1] This situation is unique within the British Isles.

The Church of Ireland and Methodist Chaplaincy is notable as it contains residential accommodation for around fifty students,[2] in effect creating a large Christian community on the campus.

The original Anglican student centre was established by the Church of Ireland in 1955, although the first chaplain was appointed as early as 1849. The corresponding Methodist student centre was opened in 1973. In 2012, a local covenant partnership was signed with the Methodist Church in Ireland to create a joint chaplaincy.[3] In 2021, a charitable company was formally incorporated with the two parent denominations as members.

As well as several notable alumni, many chaplains have proceeded to hold influential positions within their respective denominations.

Chaplains

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Church of Ireland

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Methodist

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  • Rev. T. David Turtle (1974–1988)
  • Rev. Donald Ker (1988–1991), later President of the Methodist Church in Ireland.
  • Rev. Henry Keys (1991–2006)
  • Mrs Gail Mercer (2006–2009)
  • Rev. John Alderdice (2009–2014)

Joint Appointments

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Notable alumni

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Associated people

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  • Prof. J.C. Beckett, Irish historian (co-founder)
  • Rt Rev. Trevor Williams, former bishop of Limerick and Killaloe (assistant chaplain, 1977 – 1980)

Former students

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Church of Ireland Theological Lectures at Queen's

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Since 1957, the Church of Ireland's Board of Education has funded annual lectures,[5] hosted by Queen's University, which eminent theological figures (typically, but not always, Anglican) are invited to deliver. In recent years, these have included the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby; the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, the Archbishop of Armagh, Richard Clarke; theologian Alistair McGrath; Bishop of Kensington, Graham Tomlin; Alistair McGrath; and philosopher, Elaine Storkey.

References

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  1. ^ "Chaplains and Religious Representatives | Queen's University Belfast". cmst4.qub.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
  2. ^ "Student Accommodation". The Hub Belfast. 2012-06-13. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
  3. ^ "Church of Ireland and Methodist Chaplaincies sign Partnership at Queen's". The Church of Ireland Diocese of Connor. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
  4. ^ "Premiership is where Ballymena United Women belong, says Hannah Firth". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2023-04-26. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  5. ^ "Theological Lectures – History". The Hub Belfast. 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-08-05.