Sunday 15th September 2024 was a red letter day for one group of parishioners in East Donegal as they celebrated the 200th anniversary of their beloved church, St Ninian’s, in Convoy.

It was an occasion to savour, with Bishop Andrew Forster joining the congregation to preach the sermon and three former rectors, Rev Peter Wilson, Rev Canon Bob Hanna and Rev David Griscome, turning up to celebrate the historic occasion.

Clergy and readers from a number of Raphoe parishes were also there to support the parishioners in a Service of Thanksgiving that was organised and led by the former Rural Dean, Rev Canon David Crooks, and attended too by his successor, the Dean of Raphoe Very Rev Liz Fitzgerald. Clergy from the local Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churches were also in St Ninian’s for today’s celebration.

Extra chairs had to be brought into the church to accommodate the huge number of people who filled the pews and spilled over in the aisle. In his sermon, Bishop Andrew invited a show of hands of all those present who had been baptised in St Ninian’s or been married there – and it was striking how many of the congregation raised their arms in the air.

During his sermon, Bishop Andrew remarked on how the church of Jesus Christ was linked to the past but yet was ever new. “Think back, to 1824. Now, the Bishop at the time was William Bissett. So, Bishop Bisset – which is quite hard to say – he was actually the last Bishop of Raphoe before the amalgamation of the two dioceses, so he lived in Raphoe and would’ve made the short journey to Convoy to dedicate this church in 1824.

“It’s stood through famine; through the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, when we stopped being the state church; through two world wars; through independence and partition; through, I think I’m right in saying, two pandemics, there might’ve been more); and through civil war. It’s stood here through days when everyone in the local community was connected in some way to a church, to days that are much more secular – today. It’s stood sentinel as a place of worship and of witness to Jesus Christ. For 200 years, it’s been a place for family – a place for the family of God. Maybe it you have the family pew where you’ve always sat. Maybe it’s a place where you come for weddings; it’s a reminder of Sunday School or Confirmation; of the hardest moments in life when life has been really difficult and this has been the place where you’ve found solace and hope and love and care.

“You see, what we do this afternoon is give thanks for a building, and ultimately, whenever we strip it all away, that’s what this place is. It’s stone and lime, bricks and mortar. The Sunday School children will tell us the church isn’t a building, it’s about the people, and of course that’s true. One of our prayers very much reflects that; it’s in your Order of Service. But you and I know that through the presence of generations, through the prayers of the people of God, through the opening of God’s word and the celebration of the sacraments, this becomes much, much more than stone and lime, and bricks and mortar. It becomes a hallowed place, a place that becomes part of you, a place that is part of your own journey of faith, a place that has nurtured you, that has loved you, that has blessed you in good times and in bad.

“So, we’re thankful today, thankful for St Ninian’s; thankful for those who’ve cared for it and continue to care for it; thankful for its ministry in the past, for its ministry today and its ministry in the future.”

Bishop Andrew posed a question for the congregation: what was the church here for? There was a common image of the church, he said: hard pews, somebody at the front dressed in peculiar clothing, hymns. There are a lot of people who think it’s not an experience that they’d want. “And yet, you and I know that being part of the church, being part of St Ninian’s, being part of the family of God as you are, enhances, blesses and encourages life. It’s a life-giver and it can be life-giving for the community around us as well.”

Everyone had a part to play in their local church, the Bishop said. “What’s your part to play in 𝘺𝘰𝘢𝘳 church, St Ninian’s? Are you playing your part? We’ve all different kinds of gifts but one spirit. The Bible says to each one – you and me – gifts are given. Play your part. Do you remember that famous poster from the First World with General Kitchener [pointing the finger] which said ‘Your country needs you’? Your church needs you. Your church needs you to play your part. Play your part in building up the body of Christ.”

Bishop Andrew expressed deep gratitude to the members of Convoy Parish Church. “Thank you for your love for St Ninian’s, Convoy. Thank you for your care for this place that speaks so much to the community around. And I thank you that you are part of the people of God, the union of our church, the family of God, the Holy Temple, the bride of Christ. You are precious to him.”

The Old Testament reading in today’s service was read by Rev David Griscome. Select Vestry member Robert McGonigle delivered the New Testament reading. And Canon Bob Hanna read the Gospel. Soloist Rebecca Quinn sang a hymn, accompanied by her mother, Karen, on the organ, and among the other hymns sung in the service was St Ninian’s Hymn.

After the service, the congregation walked the short distance to the parish hall for refreshments and speeches, and to see Bishop Andrew and the church wardens cut a special 200th anniversary cake, decorated with an image of the church building.