Newell was born in
Belfast in 1942, just after
the Blitz. In 1976, at the height of
the Troubles, he returned to Belfast from a teaching post on the island of
Timor in
Indonesia. He served as
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (June 2004 – 2005), and was the minister of Fitzroy Presbyterian Church until his retirement on 21 September 2008. His time as a minister was marked by a commitment to peacemaking, and he was responsible for building relationships in communities in Belfast. ==Books==