"The first sod was cut in 1973, but as most of the work was done voluntarily by members of the congregation, it took a while to complete. The day the new church building was opened. "And when I look back on my life in the church, Apis the memory that stands out. "We needed a permanent home and 10 years on from first gathering for missions in Magherafelt we had our new building. "That this church is standing and thriving today is a tribute to all who have put in so much dedication over the years," he said. Today Calvary Free Presbyterian is well established and, said Rev McCrea, it's testament to the commitment, sacrifice and spirit of the community built up around it. "It was at Mullaghboy Hill in Magherafelt and that site has been our home ever since." "We made do with a corrugated iron building - the 'Tin Tabernacle' or 'Hen House' as people called it. so when the hut had to be returned we understood, but had to do something to keep going. "It was June 1969 when I returned fully recharged, preaching in a borrowed wooden hut loaned by Rev Beggs of Ballymena. "I really threw myself into it all in those early days," he said. That short visit to Magherafelt was followed by similar missions in Scarva and Desertmartin, but blazing that early trail took its toll and a six-month spell on the sidelines to recover from illness ended with a calling back to what would become his spiritual home in Magherafelt. "It's amazing where those 50 years have gone to." "I can remember that old Army tent with the holes in the roof like it's yesterday." he said. But if there's one legacy he wants to be remembered for, it's the church a community grew around. Spells as an MLA for Mid Ulster and South Antrim, then as MP for South Antrim, continued a rollercoaster political career that saw controversies, a three-month stretch in prison for riotous behaviour at an Orange parade in Dungiven in 1971, impassioned speeches as Paisley's right-hand man in the DUP, and parcel bomb and machine gun attacks on his home. There was a four-year spell as the DUP's MP for Mid Ulster after a 78-vote win over Sinn Fein's Danny Morrison, before Martin McGuinness unseated him in 1997. He embarked on a political career as a councillor in Magherafelt which lasted four decades, as he followed in the footsteps of Paisley by stepping onto a bigger political stage. Receive today's headlines directly to your inbox every morning and evening, with our free daily newsletter.Įnter email address This field is required Sign Up "I suppose I must have done something right in those first days in Magherafelt as a young 19-year-old," Rev McCrea said after delivering his final sermon.ĭaily Headlines & Evening Telegraph Newsletter More than 50 years later Calvary Free Presbyterian Church stands on Mullaghboy Hill looking down on the town, the 600-seat building newly refurbished, debt free and ready to embrace a new generation as Rev McCrea finally steps down as full-time minister of the church he built from the humblest of beginnings.īorn in Stewartstown, Co Tyrone, into a farming family on August 6, 1948, and the youngest of five, his passion for the ministry was there from an early age.īut no matter where he went, the pull of the south Derry market town always proved too strong to resist. In the middle of a thunder storm with rain pouring through a leaking roof of the mission tent, those attending to hear Rev William McCrea, then assistant student minister to Dr Ian Paisley, huddled together under umbrellas as the heavens opened. It was Jwhen a young preacher first set up camp in Magherafelt.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |