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History
Throughout the course of the plantation of Ulster, a great many Scottish Presbyterians settled here. However, with limited clergy to give pastoral care and the domination of the established church, it was not until after the victory of King William III of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne, that Presbyterian congregations became firmly rooted. By 1691, the Kinard congregation covered an enormous area by today’s standards, extending into Co Armagh, Co Monaghan and Co Tyrone. There is no certainty as to where the meeting house on the Armagh side of the river was located, but there is a traditional belief that it was located at Limnagore, near the rear entrance to Tynan Abbey. As congregations grew, representations were sporadically made to the Church Synod, in favour of carving up the larger area into distinct congregations.
In March 1807, the Presbyterians of Caledon sought to have a minister of their own and their own identity but it was not until 17 years later that the meeting house was built on its present site and Mr John Allen was ordained as the first minister.
In 1906, the Lecture Hall was built and in 1908 a complete renovation of the Church took place. The original building was altered from having a central aisle to having the present day side aisles. In addition new pews were installed and also a new choir and pulpit. One major change was the addition of the gallery, a mezzanine floor presumably to accommodate a growing congregation, which is still in place today.
On Saturday 6th November 1993, the Church buildings were extensively damaged in a terrorist mortar attack on Caledon RUC Station, the grounds of which adjoined those of the Church. Mortars fired at the RUC station, exploded in the Church grounds causing structural damage to the roof and walls, with the loss of all the stained glass windows.
Following major restoration work, the Church was officially reopened by the Moderator of The General Assembly, The Right Reverend Dr J Ross, on Sunday 21st April 1996.
1814-1824 Rev John Allen
1824-1862 Rev Andrew McCullough
1862-1870 Rev Nasan Brown
1870-1881 Rev Robert Irwin
1882-1886 Rev John Martin
1887-1906 Rev Dr C L Thompson
1906-1923 Rev George Faris
1923-1927 Rev Robert Wilson
1929-1932 Rev Thomas Jasper
1933-1934 Rev Andrew Crooks
1935-1939 Rev Haslett Hunter
1939-1948 Rev Henry Osbourne
1949-1963 Rev Dr Ernest Best
1964-1969 Rev Ivstan Kardos
1970-1972 Rev Maynard Cathcart
1973-1992 Rev Samuel McMillan
1993-2010 Rev Ann McDonald
2012-2017 Rev Barry Reid
2019 - present Rev Joanne Smith
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