Shankill Parish Lurgan

There has been a Church of Ireland church in the centre of Lurgan since 1725. The current building, dedicated to Christ the Redeemer, was consecrated in 1863, having replaced the original church to accommodate huge growth in the congregation after the 1859 Ulster Revival.

Known affectionately as ‘the Big Church’, it is the largest parish church on the island of Ireland. Always at the centre of the life of our town, it has been a place of building faith and community for many generations.

Our church is regularly used for large civic and diocesan services and events. In more recent times, we have been instrumental in reaching across our divided community through the work of Shankill Parish Caring Association (SPCA), a charitable body established by the parish in the 1990s. SPCA continues to play a vital role in building community here in Lurgan from its base in the Jethro Centre in Flush Place.

You could help us Re-Imagine Shankill for generations to come!

A Church of Ireland church has stood in the centre of Lurgan since 1725. With the 300th anniversary of the original building approaching we have launched our RE–IMAGINING SHANKILL Project. This sets out our plans to restore and reorder the Parish Church.

What is our vision?

• To be a vibrant church family worshipping in a building that is fully restored and provides a flexible worship space for our Sunday services and ministries.
• To be a vibrant church family reaching out from a renewed building in the centre of Lurgan to those who are not yet convinced about the Christian faith.
• To have a building that will benefit the wider Lurgan community – a large facility in the centre of the town that is flexible in its use.
• To have a building that can be used by the wider Christian community for large–scale events in a location that is easily accessible from any part of NI.

The building project will comprise four phases over the next three years.