A very warm welcome to the website of Ballykelly Presbyterian Church 

Perhaps you are just browsing the site out of interest, perhaps you are planning to visit us or perhaps you already attend the church. Either way we hope that this site will give you a better picture of what goes in Ballykelly Presbyterian Church. 

By way of a short introduction, the earliest records of the congregation date to around 1650 but it is believed that Presbyterians were worshipping in the area from around 1634. The earliest congregation worshipped at Walworth, but the first building for Presbyterians was at Tully.

As a ‘plantation’ village it wasn’t until 1820 when a deputation from the Fishmongers Company London who owned the land around Ballykelly came over to Ireland.

Soon after their arrival they noted that the condition of the existing Presbyterian Church was poor. They were asked to renew the lease, but refused, and instead decided to build a new church (the present one) in what is now known as the village of Ballykelly. 

The building designed by Richard Suter and built by James Turnbull began in 1826 and was completed in 1827 costing £4000. The Fishmongers Company formally presented the building to the congregation on 4th March 1828, which is marked by a large stone tablet above the pulpit. 

There were over 900 families in the congregation at this time but the numbers fell to around 300 and remained so for the next one hundred years. To date there are around 238 families.   As we seek to provide modern facilities and resources for our congregation and community we are in the early stages of building a new hall complex.

The building itself which is steeped in history is a Grade ‘A’ listed building in neo classical style and there are few churches as imposing and yet so appealing.  

But a church building important as it is, is only a meetinghouse. It is the people who gather there week by week who make the church together with the Holy Spirit into a place which is welcoming, and vibrant in its witness.

Our focus is that our services are bible based; Christ centred and help to equip us to live out our faith where God has placed us.As a result our services are varied with a commitment to teaching the whole of the Bible.

We believe that building relationships are of vital importance as Jesus commanded us to do in the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:36ff).Our aim is to love God but also to love those around us seeking to provide care, prayerful guidance and understanding for all people irrespective of their background. 

Many organisations within the church exist to help cater for the needs of our growing congregation and the community. These organisations vary from the spiritual, social, youth, musical, even our senior folk. Meals together where we are able to chat and enjoy friendship are also a regular feature.

Many visitors are attracted to the natural beauty of the area with the Roe Valley Country Park and the Foyle Estuary on our doorstep. We are also only 20 minutes drive away from either Londonderry or Coleraine, and Benone Strand is a short distance away. 

This is just a brief introduction to our church and I would encourage you to come along and visit us, as we would be delighted to meet you. Please continue to browse through this site and find out more about our church and how you could be part of it.  

Alan Wilson            
Minister Ballykelly Presbyterian Church