| Friday 3rd September, 2010 You are here: Home - 3rd September 2010 Index Page |
Front Page
Secretary of State impressed by ‘vibrant’ Church life in Northern Ireland
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| Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, pictured during last week’s Gazette interview at Hillsborough Castle. |
In an exclusive interview last week at Hillsborough Castle with the Church of Ireland Gazette editor, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP, said he had been greatly impressed by the "vibrant" life of the Churches in Northern Ireland and the "lively, intense interest" in Church matters generally. He said this contrasted with a more general lack of interest in England, which he described as "unhealthy". Full Text
Editorial
Sham Marriages
It was recently reported in the press that 10%-15% of marriages in the Republic of Ireland are sham, designed to get around immigration rules. So far, sixteen people have been arrested for breaches in the law in relation to bogus marriages. Many young vulnerable women, mainly from eastern EU countries, are being paid, and sometimes being subject to false imprisonment and violence, to participate in marriages of convenience to non-EU men, because the status acquired through EU legislation via marriage is better than that provided via the asylum system. Full Text
Home News
Co. Armagh team in mission and outreach visit to Romania
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| The St. Mark's Portadown ladies who undertook mission and outreach work in Arad, Romania |
During the summer, a team of 10 women from St Mark’s parish, Portadown, Diocese of Armagh, visited Arad, in western Romania, on a mission and outreach initiative. In the months prior to the trip, the team had met regularly to pray, complete an Exodus discipleship course and devise ways of raising funds to finance the visit. The main part of the work in Romania consisted of helping to run a five-day camp for 52 children, aged between 8 and 14, most of whom came from very poor backgrounds. The team also assisted with Bible teaching, prayers, games and crafts. The members were greatly impressed by the behaviour of the children in all their activities; even when taking part in competitive games, they displayed a high degree of fairness and honesty, whilst still striving to win.
Initiatives announced to take youth ministry forward in Connor
The leaders of ‘Energize’ - a project designed to re-energize youth work in Connor Diocese - have announced a series of new initiatives aimed at both young people and their leaders. Meetings of ‘Get Connected’, a network scheme to help leaders take youth ministry forward, will be held in three separate venues during the month of September: Dunluce parish, Bushmills, on Thursday 16th; Jordanstown parish on Tuesday 21st; and Ballymacash parish, Lisburn, on Monday 27th. All meetings will start at 7.30pm.
Service for revival of faith to be held in Belfast Cathedral
There will be a special service for the revival of faith and love in Ireland in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Monday 13th September, at 8.00pm. This is part of a programme of seven years of prayer for revival organised by Interdenominational Divine Healing Ministries; the initiative began in June 2009 and now involves some 400 people throughout the country who pray daily for revival.
New Christian Endeavour President to be installed
Gillian Ferguson will be installed as President of the Irish National Christian Endeavour (CE) in the course of the 96th annual Convention in Fivemiletown Methodist church, Co. Tyrone, over the weekend of 17th-19th September. The special speaker at the installation service will be the Revd Paul Ritchie, of Richhill, Co. Armagh, and the theme of the Convention will be ‘One God, One Family’.
Bishops’ Appeal special Sunday collections for Pakistan and Niger
The Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of Ireland have expressed the wish that Church members throughout Ireland be given an opportunity to respond to the present humanitarian crises in Pakistan and Niger, in western Africa. In a letter from the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper, and the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd John Neill - and circulated for information by the Church of Ireland Press Office - they write: "We request that retiring or other appropriate collections take place in every church on some Sunday before the end of September.
Bible resources now available online
The Bible Society in Northern Ireland has placed a new range of worship resources on its website at www.bsni.co.uk to encourage churches to celebrate access to the Scriptures. The resources are connected to this year’s Bible Sunday service, the theme of which will be ‘Free to go - the Bible liberating lives’, based on Luke 4: 16-24
Parish Profile
Fanlobbus Union of Parishes, Diocese of Cork
By Harry Allen
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| A Confirmation class in the Fanlobbus union of parishes learns about different aspects of Christ’s life. |
There are four parishes in the union - Dunmanway (Fanlobbus is its ancient name), Drimoleague, Coolkelure and Drinagh - which cluster around the town of Dunmanway in the southwest corner of Ireland, in the heart of West Cork. Among the organisations in the union are the Mothers’ Union, the Healer Prayer Group, the Girls’ Friendly Society, the Boys’ Brigade, two Sunday Schools, bowls and one of the oldest badminton clubs in Co. Cork at St Mary’s, Dunmanway.
World News
Kenyans trust media more than clergy, survey suggests
Kenyans have more faith in the media than in their Church leaders, a survey indicates, just two weeks after the passing of a new constitution that the country’s Church leaders strongly opposed because they said it helped to give a legal basis to Islamic courts and abortion. The Church leaders have rejected the survey’s findings, following the 4th August referendum on the new constitution.
Southern Sudan UDI, last thing Churches would want, says Dr Kobia
Former World Council of Churches General Secretary, the Revd Samuel Kobia, says a planned January 2011 referendum for Southern Sudan must go ahead in order to prevent the region itself declaring independence. "A UDI (unilateral declaration of independence) is the last thing the Churches will want to see. It must be avoided at any cost," Dr Kobia, who now serves as the All Africa Conference of Churches’ special ecumenical envoy for Sudan, told journalists in Nairobi.
River where Jesus was baptised ‘too polluted’ for pilgrims
Health concerns relating to water quality have triggered calls for the banning of baptisms in the lower Jordan River, where the Bible says Jesus was baptised. "For reasons of public health, as well as religious integrity, baptisms should be banned from taking place in the river," said Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director of EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East, which has offices in Tel Aviv, Bethlehem and Amman.
Letters to the Editor
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St John Chrysostom Full Text
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Affirmations on Migration, Diversity and Interculturalism Full Text
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The Idol Factory Full Text
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New York Mosque Full Text
Focus on university chaplains
Cambridge college chapels - the life of the Church in miniature
Patrick Comerford profiles two Irish chaplains working in Cambridge colleges
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| The Revd Christopher Woods |
For the third consecutive year, I spent part of the summer on study leave, participating in the summer school organised in Sidney Sussex College by the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, part of the Cambridge Theological Federation. In Cambridge, I enjoyed the opportunity to stay at both Sidney Sussex College and Christ’s College, along with the hospitality of these college communities and their chapel life.
IRISH CONNECTIONS
Both colleges have Irishborn chaplains. The Revd Christopher Woods was curate-assistant of St Mark’s, Dundela, Diocese of Down, before moving to Christ’s College in 2007. The Revd Dr Peter Waddell, from Newcastle, Co. Down, has recently been appointed Dean of Sidney Sussex College; he completed his PhD while he was an ordinand at Westcott House, Cambridge, and was appointed chaplain of Sidney Sussex in 2005.
Soap
Down At St. David’s
By Patrick Towers
"One should not overlook the merits of gossip," said Simon Blackshaft in his response to an all-too familiar, ‘churchy’ affectation - this time, one just expressed by Melissa Gabb. Melissa had intended dropping in to see his wife, June, who was rather more ‘in’ with St David’s, whereas Melissa was one who liked to be ‘in’, but not at the price of too many Sundays in the pew. June, however, was out shopping and Simon, under-taxed by the long university vacation, had invited Melissa in for a coffee.
Rethinking Church
Church schools - an endangered species?
Stephen Neill
September is here again, which for clergy such as myself - with a primary school in the parish - means assemblies, boards of management, parent-teacher associations and the relentless fundraising that goes with school management. Though I am still surprised to find myself admitting this, I really enjoy every aspect of my involvement in the parish school. A wise senior cleric once told me that a school was either the greatest asset to a parish or its heaviest burden. My experience is - thankfully - the former. I look forward to the first assembly and meeting the new children and their parents.
Life Lines
Destinations and getting there
Ron Elsdon
Janice and I had the holiday of a lifetime this past summer: three weeks going across the USA by train all the way from New York to San Francisco (and not as the crow flies - we did 3,700 miles!). We booked this holiday with a travel firm whose slogan was: ‘The journey is just the start of the adventure’. Now, I can’t say I particularly enjoy long-haul flying (especially the 10-hour overnight back from San Francisco to Heathrow - and what an awful place that is … ). However, some of the journeys we did were quite wonderful. There were three overnights on trains in sleeping berths (Washington- Chicago; Chicago- Denver and Flagstaff- Los Angeles) which were certainly adventures in themselves.
News Extra
Bishop Good prays for Claudy Families
Following last week’s revelation by the Northern Ireland police Ombudsman, Al Hutchinson, that the former Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Roman Catholic Church and the British Government colluded to cover up the late Fr James Chesney’s suspected role in the 1972 Claudy atrocity, the bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Rt Revd Ken Good, said: "my thoughts and prayers, along with those across our diocese, are with those who have walked a painful journey since that tragic day in Claudy."
US civil rights activist to support Christian Aid House of Commons lobby
Christian Aid has announced that the Revd Jesse Jackson will be in London on 20th October, backing a lobby of parliament aimed at moving climate change and global tax transparency further up the political agenda. the Christian Aid lobby will coincide with the presentation of the Government’s Comprehensive spending Review to the House of Commons.
Death