The Beginning
The Revival of 1859, coupled with the growth of Lisburn through expanding industries, resulted in the Presbyterian Church building in Market Square (1st Lisburn) being inadequate to accommodate the numbers attending public worship. In 1860 William Barbour, founder of the linen firm that bears his name, and an elder in the Church, encouraged the formation of a new congregation in the town.
The General Assembly approved the organization of such a congregation, and in 1860 the Rev. John Powell, a minister without charge from the South of Ireland, who was also conducting a classical school in the town, held services in a hay loft in Castle Street, granted by Mr. Jonathan Richardson of Killeaton. The first committee of the new congregation was elected in November 1860.
Rev. David John Clarke (1861 – 1878)
In 1861 the majority of the congregation, faced with the calling of a minister, favored Mr. David John Clarke (lic. Down). On the latter being called Mr. Powell applied to the Original Secession Synod and founded the congregation now known as Sloan Street. The Rev. D. J. Clarke continued to minister in Castle Street until the new Church was opened in Railway Street on Sunday 6th March 1864. During Mr. Clarke’s ministry, the Railway Street National Schools at the rear of the church were built in 1869. Also at that time, a manse beside the church and an adjoining house (now 31 and 33 Railway Street) were built. After an exacting and effective ministry Mr. Clarke died on 23rd November 1878 at the age of 44 years.
Rev. James Lyle Bigger (1879 - 1885)
The second minister of the congregation, Mr. James Lyle Bigger (lic. Derry) was a distinguished scholar. He was ordained on the 16th October 1879 and was appointed Professor of Hebrew and Biblical Criticism in Magee College, Londonderry, in 1885, and resigned Lisburn on 17th July 1885.
Rev. Robert Wilson Hamilton (1885 - 1930)
Professor Bigger’s successor was Rev. Robert Wilson Hamilton of Burt, Co. Donegal. He was later to be an outstanding figure in the General Assembly, becoming Moderator in 1924. Installed here on 8th October 1885, he was a most energetic pastor, keenly evangelistic and yet with warm and broad sympathies. During his ministry, a new Lecture Hall was built in 1887. Side galleries were added in the church in 1897 and a new organ in 1908. A new manse was built at Fort Hill in 1900, the E.M.B. hall at Hilden in 1912 and the Brownlee Memorial School and Teacher’s Residence in 1913. It was under Rev. Hamilton that our Boys Brigade Company (1st Lisburn BB) was started and is still going strong to this day, with over 100 boys attending every Tuesday evening. Electric lighting was installed in the church in 1929. Dr. Hamilton exercised a highly esteemed ministry for close on 50 years, retiring on 6th May 1930. He died on 12th October 1935.
Rev. Thomas Henry Robinson (1930 - 1938)
The Rev. Thomas Henry Robinson, then minister of First Cookstown, was installed as successor to Dr. Hamilton on 10th September 1930. After a scholarly and effective ministry, Dr. Robinson resigned this charge on 31st August 1938 when he was appointed Professor of Mental & Moral Philosophy at Magee University College, Londonderry. He died on 4th August 1960.
Rev. John Knox Elliott (1939 - 1961)
On 11th January 1939 the Rev. John Knox Elliott, formerly of First Islandmagee, was installed as minister. In recognition of his services, not only in Lisburn but throughout the General Assembly, the Degree of D.D. from the Presbyterian Theological Faculty, Ireland, was conferred upon him in 1958. During his ministry the interior of the church war renovated in 1945 and electric tubular heating installed. In 1952, the old school house was renovated and became what is now known as the Minor Hall. For several years Dr. Elliott edited the Presbyterian Herald. He died on 3rd May 1961.
Rev. Howard Cromie (1962 - 1993)
The Rev. Howard Cromie, formerly of Enniskillen, was installed in Railway Street on 10th January 1962. Since then the congregation has continued to expand. In 1961, the Fort Manse was sold to Friends School and the present manse at 31 Magheralave Road was purchased and renovated prior to Mr. Cromie’s arrival. In 1965 the Church Extension congregation of St. Columba’s, Moira Road, was formed from Railway Street’s parish area. A further new Church Extension Charge at Ballymacash was formed in 1976, also from the existing parish area. Mr. Cromie, active on many General Assembly Boards and Committees, served for several years as Convener of the Irish Mission, and later in the responsible Convenership of Church Extension. His versatile pen was evident in his editorship of the Christian Irishman and in a biography of David Livingstone. In 1976, the Bicentennial year of the American Declaration of Independence, he published “Ulster Settlers in America”.
In 1984, Mr. Cromie became the second Railway Street minister to be appointed Moderator of the General Assembly. The degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on him by the Theological Faculty, Ireland, in Union College, Belfast.
During Dr. Cromie’s ministry, the Lecture Hall was completely refurbished in 1962 and the choir and pulpit area at the front of the Church redesigned. In 1978, the link area between the church and the minor hall was reconstructed, creating a more spacious entrance, cloakroom and a choir room upstairs. In 1980, a new extension to the property adjoining the church was added for youth organisations. On Sunday 6th December 1987, the Very Rev. Dr. Howard Cromie dedicated seventeen new stained glass windows depicting a selection of scenes from the Bible. This represented the culmination of a year of fund raising by the congregation and several generous donations. Dr. Cromie retired on Sunday 9th May 1993.
It was with great sadness that the congregation learned of the passing of Dr Howard Cromie on Friday 6th October 2017. Railway Street Meeting House was filled to capacity for a Thanksgiving Service for his life and ministry on 9th October.
Rev. Brian Gibson (1994 - 2013)
Rev. Brian Gibson, formerly of Windsor Presbyterian Church, Belfast, was installed in Railway Street on Wednesday 26th January 1994. Previously, Brian and his wife Jean had spent 7 years in Nairobi, Kenya, working with a PCEA (Presbyterian Church of East Africa) theological college where they taught Old & New Testament as well as developed the Theological Education by Extension program. Throughout Brian’s ministry mission was always important. Alongside Deepak Samson, the youth worker, a number of overseas teams were sent to areas such as Romania, Albania, Italy and Egypt. Short term mission opportunities are still key parts of our ministry to this day.
During Brian’s 20 year ministry, many other new ministries were introduced within Railway Street. New youth and children’s ministries included KIDS Church, Youth Church, S.E.A.R.C.H & Junction. Other organisations included 422, Soulmates and Railway Street Ramblers. A central part of Brian’s ministry was the launch of Fellowship Groups, which began in 1998. Brian also ran church family weekends away from 1996-2006. Rev. Robert (Bob) Lockhart was appointed Pastoral Assistant in Railway Street in September 2003, following his retirement from Elmwood Presbyterian Church.
Brian also oversaw a number of building projects throughout the church premises, including: the lecture hall refurbishment in 1997, re-roofing the church meeting house in 2006, and refurbishing the interior of the meeting house in 2007/08.
After almost twenty years as minister, Rev. Brian Gibson retired from Railway Street Presbyterian Church, leading his last service as minister on Sunday 6th October 2013.
Rev. Michael Davidson (2015 - Present)
Michael, his wife Linda and their three children Joanna, Emily and Stephen joined Railway Street on 11th September 2015. Previously Michael had been minister in the congregations of Drumgooland & Kilkinamurry in south County Down for 11 years.
Since arriving in Railway Street he has continued to emphasise the importance of Christ centred preaching as he systematically preaches through books of the Bible. He believes passionately in the importance of the local church serving the local community.
During his time in Railway Street Michael has benefitted greatly from having Steven Woods as Youth & Family Worker from 2015-2021 and Jamie Maguire as an assistant minister from 2017-2020. Following Jamie’s call to his own congregations of Kingmills & Jerrettspass in February 2020 and faced with the need to find additional pastoral support, Railway Street called its first Deaconess in a century – Mrs Heidi England, who was commissioned on 30th September 2020.
The congregation was delighted to see another one of its own members, Robin Aicken, go forward for training for the Presbyterian Ministry in 2014. Robin was licensed as a probationer for the Christian ministry on 18th June 2017. He served his assistantship in Sloan Street, Lisburn before being installed as minister of St Andrews in Belfast on 10th January 2020.
During the summer of 2021 the congregation began work on the third and final phase of the renovation project that began during Brian Gibson’s ministry. This involved the redevelopment of the existing ‘Link’ between the Meeting House and Minor Hall. This work began in September 2021 and was completed November 2022.