Historic church hosts official service for Queen's 90th birthday

Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for County Antrim, Joan Christie OBE hosted the official service for the County of Antrim with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council assisting.

In attendance were the Rt Rev Ian McNie, Presbyterian Moderator; Most Rev Noel Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor; Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, Bishop of Connor and Rev Maureen Hassard, Ballymena Methodist Church with the address by Lady Eames OBE.

A procession left the Town Hall and made its way to the historic church for the service.

Writing in the May edition of St Nicholas’ Parish News, Rector George Davison said the church had the “privilege of hosting the County Antrim Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday”.

He added that many people from across the county would be gathering “to give thanks to God for the faithful service of our Queen and celebrate her special birthday”.

“We give thanks that we have a monarch who so clearly is a woman of faith and speaks publicly about the importance of her Christianity in the way that she carries out the important role that has been entrusted to her.”

Last month, around 2,000 people attended the lighting of a beacon at Fisherman’s Quay as MEA Borough joined in national celebrations of the royal milestone.

The occasion was also celebrated with the peal of bells from churches in Carrickfergus, Greenisland and Whitehead.