One Hundred and Fifty years of Moravians in Belfast
The year 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the commencement of worship in Belfast by Moravians Whilst 1871 is recognised as the first meetings of Moravians in Belfast, in the 1830’s John Carey, a non-ordained home missionary, attempted to set up local meetings of Moravians who had moved to Belfast for work. This effort did not have the suppo
rt of the Elders in Gracehill and came to nought. By way of background John Cennick’s ‘preaching tour’ of Ireland in the 18th century was confined to rural areas with the result that, apart from Dublin, the early Moravian congregations in Ireland were sited in country villages. In the late 18th and early 19th century Belfast was becoming more industrialised as the linen mills and shipyards grew with the resultant greater employment opportunities. According to the book ‘Portrait of an Industrial City’ (Stephen ROYLE) by the end of the 19th century only a quarter of the population of Belfast were born there. Increasing numbers of Moravian members of the rural congregations moved to Belfast to take up work in the linen industry, the shipyards and the newly built gas works. In 1871 the Rev Joseph Carey, son of the aforementioned John Carey, set up a home mission in Belfast assisted by the scripture reader J J Hanna. Meetings were held in various buildings ranging from private houses to hired halls and meeting rooms. Due to ill health the Rev Carey was replaced in 1875 by the Rev W O Lang who continued the Home Mission work in Belfast. From the diary entries of the Rev Lang it was obvious that this was from time to time an onerous task, “during the service this evening 3 young women did their best to disturb the meeting and walked out in the middle of the sermon”. Unfortunately, in 1877 the Rev Lang had to leave due to ill health and was replaced by the Rev S Kershaw who had accepted the call to carry on the home missionary work in Belfast. The Rev Kershaw was invited to the General Elders Conference (GEC) at Gracehill where he reported that the attendances at meetings in Belfast were increasing and it was agreed to explore the possibility of building a ‘schoolhouse’. Later in May of that year the Rev Kershaw writes that a Chapel could be substituted for the Lombard Hall, which had been rented for meetings but was only available on Sundays, and would be more useful than a Sunday School. Eventually the GEC agreed in 1881 that a Moravian Church should be built in Belfast and after fundraising was commenced a suitable site was purchased at the junction of the Lisburn Road and University Road. The present church was opened on the 14th May 1887 thanks to donations from numerous benefactors many of whom were in fellow congregations in Ireland and England. The list of donors ranges from – A Londoner £15 to A Poor man 6d. In the early 20th century, the congregation grew and in order to accommodate members who lived further away a second congregation became established at Cliftonville in north Belfast. University Road was one of a ‘triumvirate’ of churches along with the Presbyterian and Methodist congregations in this immediate area. Unfortunately, both of our fellow churches have closed, one being derelict and the other taken over by another Christian group. The fact that the Moravians are still here bears testament to our belief that the Lord has a purpose for us in this area. We have had our tribulations, a nearby bomb in 1972 damaged the church and in 1986 a bomb placed outside Lisburn Road RUC station destroyed the manse. As in all Moravian churches University Road has a true sense of ‘family’ amongst all its members which is demonstrated by the sense of belonging to ‘our’ church even though many members have moved away from the immediate area. One area that brings joy to all our hearts is the number of children in our Sunday School with regular attendances of over 10. Despite a reducing list of members, as is common in all churches, many activities and groups are connected to the congregation – MWA, Bible Study, Indoor bowls, Garden Club, Arts and Crafts group. The church has recognised that as part of the local community we must provide whatever support we can and consequently our outreach has included – Nightreach at weekends to provide a coffee and listening ear to late night ‘revellers’, MCafe as a means for young people (especially from the local University) to get together and share fellowship, building a partnership with a local food bank. The church hall is utilised by local groups, dance, choir and martial arts to name a few. In essence the church is a community hub as well as a place of worship.
