The church caught in the middle of a standoff over a contentious parade in Portadown, Northern Ireland, has committed itself to be a “place of reconciliation”.
Members of the unionist Orange Order were due to take part in a permitted parade on Sunday morning, walking down the mainly-nationalist Garvaghy Road. Hundreds of protesters blocked the road for a second day on Monday, to prevent the march. Around 35 Orangemen have been waiting at the local church.
The Drumcree parade was given legal approval for the first time in around 30 years, having been the site of serious disorder in the 1990s.
Drumcree Parish Church has distanced itself from the dispute, holding a worship event “lifting the name of Jesus over our nation”.
A Facebook statement on Monday emphasised that all people were created in God’s image; that being welcoming to all regardless of tradition or background “is at the very heart of the Gospel we proclaim.”
The Church said: “We are a Christian community under the oversight of the Church of Ireland. Our teaching, witness and hospitality are governed solely by the Scriptures, the traditions of our Church, and the call to love our neighbour as ourselves. Meaning we do not align with or endorse practices and principles that do not reflect an inclusive welcome for all.
“We recognise that recent days have brought hurt, division and deep feeling to our community. We are committed to being a place of reconciliation, where all may find a home in God’s love. We invite all people of goodwill to join us in seeing peace, building trust and showing the love of Christ to everyone in our community.”
David Smyth, head of the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland, told Premier Christian News that church leaders in the area had expressed “fear and concern” about rising tensions, holding prayer events and “trying to mediate at a very local level where they can”.
“What we have here is two nationalisms: British nationalism and Irish nationalism. What we would say as Christians is, it’s okay to have constitutional preferences but our kingdom identity in Christ must take precedence, especially when there is risk of chaos and disorder.
“We’ve had peace in Northern Ireland for close to 30 years, but I don't think we’ve had reconciliation at a community level, and they are different things. Reconciliation takes deep relationships.
“I often talk about a triangle of relationships, rights, and responsibilities. Right now, we’re hearing a lot of talk about rights, and rights are really important. But we also need deep, genuine relationships. We need to be able to take responsibility, and political leaders to be able to lead not just their own section of the community, but the whole community”, Smyth added.