Crossgar minister new moderator of Free Presbyterians

Crossgar minister new moderator of Free Presbyterians

23 May 2018

A CROSSGAR minister has been elected as the next Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster.

At their May Presbytery the Rev Gordon Dane was elected to succeed the Rev Thomas Murray, minister of the Comber congregation.

Rev Dane has been minister of Crossgar Free Presbyterian Church for the last 15 years.

He is married to Florence and has three children — Faith, James and Ruth. Faith is married to Danny Roberts and they have two children, Annabelle and Jonah.

Rev Dane ministered in two congregations before coming to Crossgar. He was the first minister of the fledgling congregation in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, and he then moved to Coragarry, Co Monaghan, where he was minister for nearly 12 years. 

Rev Dane, who is an Enniskillen man by birth, has a Bachelor of Science honours degree from Aston University Birmingham and an MA from Trinity Theological Seminary in the United States which he gained with high distinction.

He is also a graduate of the Whitefield College of the Bible where he has taught New Testament Greek for 29 years.

Rev Dane says that he is conscious of the high honour that has been bestowed on him by the Presbytery but also of the deep responsibility.

He said: “In a time of political uncertainty as at any other time our land needs the hope of the Gospel of Christ.

“Men and women, boys and girls need to hear the glad news that ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ Christ is the answer to all of our problems. Sin is the cause of the problems but Christ by His death on the cross has given the solution that we need.”

Mr Dane added that his hope for Ulster was “for a revival of true religion in its towns and countryside.”