Sunday Worship 11.00 am and 6.30 pm Minister: Dr William (Bill) J M Parker
OUR HISTORY
OUR HISTORY
Sinclair Seamen’s is an historic church building in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter which was designed by the famous architect, Charles Lanyon and opened in 1857. The church building was built in memory of John Sinclair, a local-born businessman, whose family made donations to build places of worship both here and in America. The interior of the building is Venetian style and it houses many artefacts of a maritime nature. It is a beautiful building with a suite of halls, kitchen and facilities at its rear.
The Bible makes it clear, however, that the Church is not a building. The New Testament word for Church means ‘the called-out ones.’ In other words, the church is a gathering of those whom God has called into a saving relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. The Church is actually described as the body of Jesus Christ. He is the Head (Colossians 1:18) and Christians – all the people that belong to the Lord – make up His body (Ephesians 5:28-30). So, the building of Sinclair Seamen’s is not the church. It is simply the place where a local body of Christians meets to worship God.
Historically, the congregation grew out of mission work among seamen arriving in the Port of Belfast in the mid-nineteenth century.