Our History

Since 1996 we have sought to serve the local community by bearing a faithful witness for Jesus Christ.

The present church building was originally used as the Killynure National School. Built in 1798 by public subscriptions and refurbished in 1871, the school existed until 1968 when the new primary school in Carryduff was established. After the old school was vacated, it lay derelict for a number of years and was badly vandalized.

In 1976 the late Robert Lowe of Killynure, being deeply concerned for the spiritual needs within his neighbourhood, obtained approval from his fellow trustees to establish a Free Presbyterian Sabbath School where the great truths of the Gospel would be taught to the local children.

Before this new Sabbath school commenced, the trustees, with the able help of Mr. Wilfred Crawford, a local building contractor, carried out a major renovation of the interior and exterior of the old building. This included the construction of a new pulpit from which the Gospel would be proclaimed.

A two week Gospel Mission was organized in which the main speaker was Dr. Paisley and several souls were converted.

For twenty years after this first Gospel Mission, the work on the Killynure Road remained as a non-constituted outreach from the Martyrs Memorial congregation with a weekly afternoon Sabbath School and an Sunday evening Service at 8:30pm. With the passing of time and the conviction deepening among some families that what was needed was the formation of a new congregation in Carryduff, the work was officially constituted on the 18th February, 1996.

In the absence of a resident minister, the services were conducted by various ministers of our denomination and lay preachers under the supervision of Rev. David McIlveen (Sandown Road) and the Martyrs Memorial Kirk Session.

On 31st March 1999, the Rev. David McLaughlin was ordained and installed as minister of the congregation. Since his arrival, souls have been converted and a number of new families have joined the church. It is our prayer that this little sapling will grow into a mighty oak in the will of God.


History of the Free Presbyterian Church

On St. Patrick’s Day, 1951, a new Biblical witness for Christ was born in the village of Crossgar, County Down, Northern Ireland. As a result of the high-handed actions of the Down Presbytery, the elders of the local Presbyterian church were banned from using their church hall for a Gospel mission. When the leaders refused to acquiesce, they were suspended. All this took place less than twenty-four hours before the mission was due to commence.

Those elders could not go back to their church without denying or compromising the gospel. So they decided to leave a denomination that permitted dances and parties of various kinds in its church halls but which, in this case, banned the gospel of Jesus Christ.

With the help of the Rev. Ian Paisley, their guest evangelist, they formed the Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. From four congregations in that first year, the growth of the new church continued until its witness spread to all parts of Northern Ireland.

The church was founded to faithfully preach and defend the gospel of Christ in an age of growing compromise and apostasy. That determination is still to be found in every Free Presbyterian Church.

The church has now spread well beyond the boundary of Northern Ireland. Today there are over one hundred Free Presbyterian churches and extensions throughout the world; in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, the Irish Republic, Australia, Canada, USA, Germany, Jamaica and Spain with missionaries in many other places. The Free Presbyterian Church also has a world-wide radio ministry, "Let The Bible Speak". Ministers, missionaries and other Christian workers are trained in the Whitefield College of the Bible. It is situated in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, with extensions in Greenville, South Carolina, USA, and in Toronto, Canada. The spirit of family fellowship among all these far-flung churches, missionaries and ministries is deep and sweet, united in the common desire to preach Christ in all His fulness, endeavouring to lead souls to saving grace in Him.