Moderator asks politicians to serve 'greater good'

Politicians in the North have been urged to restore a local administration by incoming Presbyterian Moderator Dr David Clarke.

"The finest service our politicians can render is the establishment of a local administration so that we can truly say government here is by the people. And some aspects of that may not be particularly palatable," said Dr Clarke.

"But in serving the greater good of the whole population we should be helping each other to move beyond our past into a shared future. Somehow we must find a cure for Irish amnesia whereby we forget everything except our grudges."

Speaking at the opening of the Presbyterian General Assembly in Belfast, Dr Clarke announced that his theme for the year ahead was "serving Christ, serving others". He added: "Service was not, and is not, the way of the world; the unbelieving world is more interested in control, power and domination than in service."

Dr Clarke said a recent survey had revealed that typical role models nowadays were people like "Abi Titmus and Jordan with a life of fame and public recognition being preferred to service and achievement".

Praising the legion of voluntary workers who gave service to others through the church, Dr Clarke added: "It has been estimated that between 50 per cent and 75 per cent of the voluntary work done in our society is the work of the Christian church. Let our critics take note."

But sometimes much of the church's service was "in-house", rarely going outside church buildings, he added. "The trouble with service is that we usually do not go far enough."