| Friday 23rd October, 2009 You are here: Home - 23rd October 2009 Index Page |
Christian Aid launches radical ‘Poverty Over’ challenge
By Janet Maxwell
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| Pictured at the Poverty Over launch are (from left): Paul Valentin, Margaret Boden, retired Archbishop Walton Empey, Archbishop Alan Harper, the Revd Professor James Haire and Lady Eames. (Photo: Adrian Horsman) |
Christian Aid Ireland launched its new campaign - Poverty Over - at Dromantine, Newry, Co. Down, last Friday (16th October) with keynote speeches from Paul Valentin, International Director of Christian Aid, and the Revd Professor James Haire, a theologian from Canberra, Australia. A panel discussion chaired by Radio Ulster’s David Dunseith followed, with panel members, the Rt Revd Walton Empey, former Archbishop of Dublin; Margaret Boden, Chief Executive of Christian Aid Ireland; and the Revd Dr Stafford Carson, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Editorial
Faith In Ireland Today
The Irish School of Ecumenics (ISE) has released results of a survey which it has conducted on the subject of ‘faith on the island of Ireland’, last week seeing the launch of its findings at the ISE’s Belfast campus. A total of over 1,600 responses were analysed in the process. Full Text
Home News
Links between Cambridge University and Irish Church marked
By Jon Scarffe
A special Choral Evensong was held recently in Christ Church Cathedral Dublin to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the establishment of the first community of scholars in Cambridge and to honour the historic links between Cambridge University and Ireland, in particular, those between the University and the Irish Church.
Derry and Raphoe Diocese launches major new strategy
By Earl Storey
Over 1,000 members of the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe recently came together for the launch of Transforming Community - Radiating Christ, a diocesan strategy in which every parish in the diocese has committed to taking three new initiatives. The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Rt Revd Ken Good, in launching the initiative, reminded everyone present that two of the projects would be for the development of each parish and the other would be designed to serve the needs of the local community.
Connor early retirement
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The Revd Clifford Skillen and his wife, Alison (2nd left and centre respectively), are pictured following presentations made to them to mark Mr Skillen’s early retirement from the parish of Finaghy (St Polycarp), Belfast, Diocese of Connor, where he had been rector for 13 years. Looking on are (from left) Barbara Kenwell (honorary secretary), Peter Breene (rector’s churchwarden) and Maxine Judge (people’s churchwarden). Mr Skillen will remain as Assistant Editor of The Church of Ireland Gazette. (Photo: Maureen Moore)
Newly-built Dromore Cathedral organ dedicated
By Annette McGrath
The newly-built organ in Dromore Cathedral, Diocese of Dromore, was recently dedicated by the Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Rt Revd Harold Miller. Theo Saunders, organist and master of the choristers at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, provided the accompaniment and gave a recital at the service. The choir was led by Dromore Cathedral’s musical director, David Falconer.
Co. Antrim parish church becomes ‘Noah’s Ark’
All Saints’ church, Craigyhill, Larne, Diocese of Connor, recently became a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for a Sunday afternoon, with a colourful collection of animals out in force for a unique celebration service marking World Animal Day, St Francis of Assisi Day and the start of Guide Dogs for the Blind Week.
Was St Paul really ‘converted’?
This intriguing title represents the subject of the next lunchtime lecture to be given in St Bartholomew’s church, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, on Tuesday 3rd November, at 1.10pm. The speaker will be the rector of St Bartholomew’s, the Revd Dr Ron Elsdon - one of the Gazette’s columnists - who completed a Ph.D. thesis on this topic in 2000, supervised by the Revd Wilfred Harrington of the Milltown Institute in Dublin.
Minister for Social Development supports role of faith-based organizations
The Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Margaret Ritchie, has said that she believes faithbased organizations have a vital role to play in meeting some of the deepest needs in present-day community life and that the government can find ways of supporting them to do this.
Online survey to investigate sexual dynamics and concerns of young people
Summer Madness and Love for Life, along with Evangelical Alliance, have recently launched an online survey to probe the sexual attitudes and values of young people. The new questionnaire aims to find out what young people in Northern Ireland really think about sex, love and relationships.
Institution
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The Revd Darren McCartney is pictured following his institution as rector of Knocknamuckley, Diocese of Dromore, accompanied by his wife, Karen.
World News
Act local as well as national, urges Archbishop of Canterbury
In a lecture last week at Southwark Cathedral, sponsored by the Christian environmental group, Operation Noah, Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, set out a Christian vision of how people could respond to the looming environmental crisis. Beginning with the story of Noah and the Flood, Dr Williams highlighted the "burden of responsibility for what confronts us here and now as a serious crisis and challenge".
WCC Faith and Order Commission inaugurates ‘moral discernment study’
By Theodore Gill
Why do some Christians support one position on a public issue, while other Christians defend the opposing viewpoint? How do some Churches come to adopt a particular moral stance, yet other Church bodies disagree with that conclusion? Can Christianity avoid divisions within and among Churches over such conflicts? The manner in which Christians and their Churches approach controversial topics occupied two full sessions of the Faith and Order Plenary Commission, as it met at the Orthodox Academy of Crete in Kolympari, Greece, from 7th to 13th October.
Documentation
The Hope We Share: A Vision For Copenhagen
A Statement from the Anglican Communion Environmental Network in preparation for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference Of Parties (COP) Meetings, the Fifteenth Session, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009.
To Anglicans Worldwide, to COP Delegates, Faith Community Representatives, Observer Organizations, Friends of Creation: Is there anyone who does not seek a sustainable world, a world which promotes justice and harmony for all and hope for future generations? May the participants of the Copenhagen conference meet in this spirit and combine to envision a better, more harmonious and just world.
Letters to the Editor
Soap
Down at St. David’s
By Ted Woods
Things happened quickly for Anthony and Annabel. As promised, his letter of resignation as Archdeacon was delivered by hand to the See House the next morning. He also dropped another letter through the Bishop’s door. It was a more personal letter, apologising for the trouble they had caused and the possible scandal that would have ensued to the detriment of all. They acknowledged that they had both been at fault, but that for them at least, good had come out of evil and there had been a reconciliation between them.
By the Book
Titus 1: 10-16 - Design your own bishop!
Edward Vaughan
One of my daughters enjoys visiting a website which enables you to ‘create your own fashion story’. It’s an electronic way of playing ‘dressing-up’ with dolls. By choosing from a wide range of clothes and accessories, you can create your own fashion model. Playing with dolls wouldn’t be my favourite activity (or, at least, one to which I am not going to admit in the Gazette!), but it is a lot of fun watching her create some very attractive, and sometimes very wacky, outfits.
Musings
Hickory, dickory, dock …
Alison Rooke
Keats may have waxed lyrical about autumn being "the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness", but he did fail to mention another sign of impending winter - the arrival of mice in the house. "What’s that noise? Listen, do you hear it - behind the wardrobe?" "Mummy, there’s a funny ‘fistling’ noise coming from under my bed; come here and listen to it." Or perhaps it’s just a simple case of the tell-tale signs manifesting themselves, lying in the bottom of the saucepan which you have just brought out from the back of the kitchen cupboard.
Book Reviews
RADIANCE OF HIS GLORY - Prayers for the Church ; years A, B and C
Author: David Adam
Publisher: SPCK
REPRISE - An Irish church musician looks back
Author: Harry Grindle
Publisher: April Sky Design
News Extra
Dublin seminar focuses on conservation of church buildings
The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG) in the Republic of Ireland recently held a highly informative one-day seminar - ‘Inside the Place of Worship: Art and Intervention’ - at the Coach House, Dublin Castle. The programme included presentations by architects, archivists, conservators and artists relating to research, repair and management of both change and artistic interventions in places of public worship which are of architectural heritage and special interest.
Conference considers aspects of spirituality and psychotherapy
Pictured at the Slieve Croob conference are (from left) Dr Gordon Graham, conference co-ordinator; Mary Cairns, psychotherapist; Dr Johnston McMaster; Dr Anne Codd, theologian; and Canon Dick McDonald, supervisor of councillors, BACP. (Photo: Mourne Observer)
A broad cross-section of representatives of religious and psychological communities recently came together in the Slieve Croob Mountain Inn, Castlewellan, Co. Down, for the 5th annual Slieve Croob conference on spirituality and psychotherapy. All four major Churches were represented, as well as practitioners of Zen Buddhist meditation; and therapists from the Irish Council for Psychotherapists, the London Institute of Psychosynthesis, the All Ireland Spiritual Guidance Association, the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the UK Council for Psychotherapy, with two guests from the US.
Presbyterian Church wants urgent action over Mutual Society
The Presbyterian Church has urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Working Group on the Presbyterian Mutual Society (PMS) to proceed “with the utmost urgency” to make its report. The call came from the Church’s General Board at its meeting last week in Presbyterian Church House, Belfast.
Church of Ireland approves controversial Covenant section
The Church of Ireland has accepted the text of the Ridley Cambridge Draft Anglican Covenant’s controversial Section 4.
The draft was presented to last May’s meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-14) in Jamaica, but unexpectedly Section 4 was referred back to the Churches of the Communion for further consideration.
Section 4 deals with the matter of procedures for dispute resolution and leaves it open to Churches other than those in the Anglican Communion to adopt the Covenant.
However, the Section also states: “Adoption of this Covenant does not bring any right of recognition by, or membership of, the Instruments of Communion.”
At its last meeting, the Standing Committee of the Church of Ireland General Synod approved the following response to ACC-14’s request for reconsideration of the text of Section 4: “Having considered Section 4 of the Draft Anglican Covenant very carefully, and bearing in mind a full range of points of view, we believe that the text of Section 4 as it stands commends itself in the current circumstances. The term ‘Joint Standing Committee’ clearly needs to be updated following its restyling at ACC-14. We appreciate the work of the former Covenant Design Group, not least in taking into account the Church of Ireland’s views, and encourage the Archbishop of Canterbury and his new group under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Dublin as they seek to conclude the work on the text of the Covenant.”
Appointment / Death