DRUMINNIS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

At Hamilton’s Bawn on August 4th, 1840, a group of Presbyterian worshippers met
together and formed a congregation. Having applied for preaching, they were supplied
with ministers from the Armagh Presbytery. This arrangement was carried on for
two years.

An arrangement of greater permanency was achieved when on June 21st, 1842, Reverend
Henry Kydd was ordained as the first full time minister of Druminnis Presbyterian
Church. For the following twenty years, Reverend Kydd guided the foundling congregation
until its foundations in the community were firmly established. Also during the
time of Reverend Kydd, a permanent meetinghouse was constructed. Reverend Kydd retired from the ministry in July of 1862. He died three years later.
The congregation was without a minister for only a matter of months. Reverend William
Jordan was ordained to the ministry on December 4th, 1862. For the succeeding thirty
years, he gave faithful service to the church. He died three months after his retirement in September 1892.

His successor was Reverend David MacLoughlin who served the congregation for thirty-one
years before resigning to take up a charge a Kilkenney. His departure coincided
with the resignation of Thomas Roulston from the ministry of Redrock Presbyterian
Church. The dual vacancy facilitated a union of the two churches in 1924.

Reverend Thomas Bole was installed to the joint charge on August 28th 1924. He remained
with the congregation for only two years before resigning to take up the ministry
at Claremont, County Londonderry. Succeeding him was the Reverend Joseph McKee, a former
minister of Redrock Presbyterian. During his term in charge, the church at Druminnis
carried out much needed repairs to the meeting-house and installed new open pitch-pine
pews. Reverend McKee retired from the ministry on June 25th, 1942.

Mr. Andrew Peden McComb took up the charge. During his ministry, a war memorial
was unveiled at Druminnis Church. Mr McComb resigned in 1954 to carrying on his
ministry at Dunlop Memorial Hall in Belfast. Reverend John Hall Lyons who was installed
on September 28th 1955 followed him. Under his direction, a new roof was constructed
and a new manse built in 1968. The old manse and part of the manse farm were subsequently
sold. In 1974 the church was altered to accommodate a gallery.

1955 – Rev John Hall Lyons
1989 – Rev Howard Gilpin
2002 – Rev Sam Finlay