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Friday 1st May, 2009
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Front Page

Archbishop of Sydney in rallying call to Church of Ireland evangelicals

 

Archbishop Peter Jensen
Archbishop Peter Jensen (Photo: Anglican World)

Delivering an extensive survey and commentary on the current inter-Anglican crisis over human sexuality last week at an open meeting of the Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy (EFIC), the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Revd Peter Jensen, issued a rallying call to Church of Ireland evangelicals to be vigilant that no "official act which endorses sin" should take place in the Church of Ireland. Click here for the full text of the Gazette article or Click here for a separate audio interview with Archbishop Jensen

Editorial

ANGLICAN CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA

The Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Revd Peter Jensen, made a significant impact on Church of Ireland evangelicals during his visit to the Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy last week. In his address at Dollingstown (report, page 1), and in an interview with the Gazette (online audio), he made clear his own wellknown views on the current human sexuality issues dividing the Anglican Communion and also provided important insights into the work of Gafcon, the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and the emerging new Anglican Church in North America. Full Text

Home News

Boundary wall reinstated at Co. Monaghan church

St Tighernach’s Day, Saturday 4th April, was celebrated in style in Clones, Co. Monaghan, as parishioners and members of the local community came together for a festival service of thanksgiving and dedication in St Tighernach’s parish church, Clones, Diocese of Clogher.

Synod Mission Event to focus on environmental issues

The speaker at the annual Synod Mission Event, organized by the Council for Mission, will be the Revd Dave Bookless, the founder of A Rocha UK, part of the international Christian environmental movement, A Rocha (www.arocha.org), which runs practical environmental projects across the world. The movement began in Portugal in 1983 (where the name means ‘the Rock’) and is now established in 18 countries across six continents.

Lunchtime lecture to examine issues of assisted suicide

The next lecture in the Tuesday lunchtime series in St Bartholomew’s church, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, will take place on Tuesday 5th May, at 1.10pm. Entitled ‘Please help me die - How can we respond?’, it will be given by Dr Moyna Bill, anaesthetist at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.

MU Spring Council

 

MU Spring Council

The Mothers’ Union (MU) All Ireland Spring Council was recently held at Stormont, Belfast, for the first time. Arlene Foster MLA (4th left) is pictured welcoming some of the delegates (from left) the Revd Kathy Trimby, Myrtle Nairn, Margaret Crawford (MU All Ireland President), Aimee Dadswell and Canon Doris Clements.

Clogher Diocese initiative supports Nigerian farming communities

By Glenn Moore

 

he Revd Noel Regan (second left) is pictured with members of the local Church in Kaduna Diocese
The Revd Noel Regan (second left) is pictured with members of the local Church in Kaduna Diocese during his visit to the Jacaranda Farm project.

The Revd Noel Regan, diocesan curate of the Garrison, Slavin, Belleek and Kiltyclogher group of parishes, Diocese of Clogher, recently returned from "an experience of a lifetime" in the Diocese of Kaduna, northern Nigeria, where Clogher Diocese is involved in financially supporting a project based on a combination of reconciliation, agriculture and self-empowerment.

Irish School of Ecumenics undertakes major faith surveys

The Irish School of Ecumenics (ISE), Trinity College Dublin, has recently initiated two major surveys on faith in 21st century Ireland, the first surveys of their kind in the country. One survey is designed for clergy of all Christian denominations and religious faiths, while the other is designed for laypeople. Both surveys can be completed online at: www.ecumenics.ie/survey.

Standing Committee News

The Standing Committee of the General Synod met in Dublin on 21st April. The meeting opened with a Scripture reading, the Easter acclamations and prayers. Items discussed included:

World News

Churches still concerned for Dalits

Two global Church organizations have congratulated the UN Durban Review Conference on the adoption of its outcome document, while regretting that the latter makes no mention of the plight of hundreds of millions of people affected by caste-based discrimination.

US Episcopal Church polity challenged

A statement released last week and signed by US Episcopal bishops and clergy challenges the polity of the Episcopal Church by suggesting that dioceses are autonomous entities and independent of General Convention, the Church’s main legislative body. The statement, which drew swift criticism for being an attack on the Church’s governance, was signed by 15 active and retired Episcopal Church bishops.

Christians accused of trying to convert President Obama’s Muslim grandmother

A row is simmering between the Seventh- Day Adventist Church (SDA) in western Kenya and Muslims in the country over reported attempts to convert to Christianity Sarah Obama, the grandmother of US President Barack Obama. "We had invited her to grace our meeting in Kisumu which was to mark the end of a three-week convention, but although she had prepared, she did not attend," Lewis Ondiek, SDA central Nyanza executive director, told Ecumenical News International.

Letters to the Editor

  1. Lisbon Treaty Full Text

  2. Down at St David’s and the economic downturn Full Text

  3. Sammy Wilson and global warming Full Text

Focus

The General Synod 2009 - Preview of the General Synod 2009

By Sam Harper and Archdeacon Robin Bantry White, Honorary Secretaries

General Synod meets on Friday 8th May in the Primatial City of Armagh, under the Chairmanship of the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper. Finance and education appear set to be prominent in the debates. This is the first Synod for some, as 2009 is the first year of the Triennium, when Synod members are elected or re-elected by their dioceses. However, even for longserving members, there will be much that is new. It is the first Synod to be held at a weekend. In a desire to involve more people in the governance of our Church, members appealed for a weekend Synod to enable those who could not be available midweek to attend. The Standing Committee responded and we will see the outcome at work in Armagh.

Soap

Down At. St. David’s

By Ted Woods

Rows, rows and more rows in the rectory: about Laura; about getting her to study for her forthcoming exams. Laura had returned from her trip to Zambia with Habitat for Humanity thrilled and exhilarated; not only had she helped in the construction of new houses but she had also come back with a new boyfriend. "Oh, you’ll just have to meet him," she told Fiona. "He’s just so … so strong and dad will like him too; he plays rugby for the 1st team in his school; and … he has a car. He’s calling for me tonight to take me to the cinema."

Popular Culture

Hunger

Gareth Higgins

Last week, I finally had the chance to see Hunger, the astonishing feature film debut of the visual artist, Steve McQueen, which compelled audiences on its release last autumn and is now available on DVD. The political responses to the film were predictable - but the film itself was not. In the first instance, it is not, as was assumed, a film primarily about Bobby Sands or even about the 1981 hunger strikes in general.

Life Lines

Peace for the asking

Ron Elsdon

A recent report published by the Mental Health Foundation suggests that we are a fearful society, anxiously living under parallel threats of terrorism, crime, financial uncertainty, hospital super bugs and loss of community. The report also concludes that we are more fearful than we need be and that much of it is actually fuelled by the doom-laden prognostications of politicians and media alike. In the first two months of this year, the country’s largest charity dealing with anxiety, Anxiety UK, reported a doubling of calls to its helpline.

News Extra

Archbishop slams Department of Education’s ‘unbelievable lack of understanding’

Speaking last week, the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd John Neill, criticised "the very discriminatory nature of the cuts in last year’s educational budget" and their effect on Protestant Schools. He continued: "In spite of every effort made by schools, by management bodies and by bishops, there is an unbelievable lack of understanding in the Department of Education and Science of the fact that previous governments have recognised the specific needs of providing education within their own ethos for a vibrant but scattered Protestant population."

Appointment