Colin McClure

Brought up as a member of Belvoir Park Presbyterian Church, Colin attended Belvoir Primary School and then the Royal Belfast Academical Institution ("Inst") followed by study at the Belfast Tech and thence to Queen's University of Belfast. Despite forays into medicine and policing Colin responded to a call to ministry and began theological studies at Union Theological College. Ordained in 1990 as an Assistant Minister in Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, Belfast, he has been minister of First Larne since 2003. Prior to this he served in the joint charge of Loughbrickland and Scarva, near Banbridge in County Down. During his initial theological studies he spent a year as an Assistant Minister at Webster Memorial United Church in Kingston, Jamaica and had summer attachments to Dungannon and Saintfield Road Presbyterian Churches. Married to Jane, a nurse specialising in orthopaedics, they have two children, Erin and Stuart. Erin is a qualified social worker employed in Preston. She is married to Richard, an academic mathematician. They are now very busy with an infant son, Matthew Edward. Stuart, a business management graduate from Stirling University Business School, now undertaking a Masters programme in International Business at the Queen’s University of Belfast. The manse is also enlivened by "Sophie", a crazy, mixed-up mongrel who will almost certainly greet your arrival at the Manse with voluminous barking! In his ministry Colin is convinced that pastoral care and effective pulpit teaching go hand in hand. First Larne is by no means perfect, but under his guidance there is a determination to continually progress ways in which we can grow as informed and caring disciples of Jesus Christ. From his earliest days Colin has benefited from interaction with Christians from other denominations. Nevertheless he is passionately committed to ensuring the heritage of mission and service of First Larne and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland continue to thrive in relevance and vigour. He is convinced that "worshipping God, building up His Church and sharing His love" demand from us all a vision, courage and sacrifice worthy of followers of Jesus Christ.