Church Plant Seminar; Prayer request from Egypt; Centring Prayer Workshop; Advent Quiet Day; Poll majority back same sex marriage; claim that Savita case has been hijacked; Rising costs of childcare in NI
Church Plant Seminar To Take Place in Dublin
The Bishop of London’s advisor for Church Planting will be in Dublin in the New Year to conduct a seminar. This event will take place in Dublin City Centre on January 9 and is aimed at all church leaders and church planters. It is hoped to facilitate people interested in building new communities of faith or starting something new in their own context. The seminar will start at 9.30 am and will run for about two hours at a venue close to Connolly Station. It will be free of charge. Apart from advising the Bishop of London, Ric Thorpe is a Tutor in Church Planting at St Mellitus College London. He also runs a Church plant in the East End of London, St Paul’s Shadwell. Among the topics he will cover during the seminar are: • How can we integrate well the new with the old? • How do we assess what might work in our area? • How do you go about starting something new? • How can we manage to make church planting lighter – not such a major under taking? • How do we make the transition from plant to church and still keep the zeal and fire from the early days alive? However, this is far from an exhaustive list – and organisers aim to make the day as interactive and engaging as possible as it is clear that each individual approaches the topic with challenges and questions very specific to their own circumstances. The visit is part of a growing link between Dublin & Glendalough and the Diocese of London. Archbishop Michael Jackson and a number of senior clergy met Ric Thorpe during a recent visit to London and it was felt that his experience would benefit anyone here who wished to explore the practical challenges and approaches of trying something new. January’s seminar will be a natural follow on from the Diocesan Growth Forum, from which feedback suggests there are many who want to take their ideas a step further. The event will not be exclusively for members of the Church of Ireland and will be open to all denominations who wish to explore the possibilities open to them.
Further details of the event can be found on the Diocesan Growth Forum website: www.growthforum.net. Those interested in attending please email amcneile@eircom.net in order to reserve a place and to ensure organisers can arrange a venue of suitable size.
Prayer request from Egypt
Bishop Harold Miller of Down & Dromore has received an urgent request for prayer for Egypt from The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis, and specially requests that we keep Egypt in our prayers this coming week.
Bishop Mouneer writes on 24 November…
Dear friends,
I am so grateful for the messages and assurance of prayers which I have recently received. The situation is not easy, and noone can predict what is going to happen.
There is obviously agitation within Egypt after President Mursi produced a Constitutional Declaration on Thursday the 22nd of November. This declaration removed the Chief Prosecutor, who was appointed by Mubarak, without consulting the Supreme Judicial Council. Also, the declaration gave absolute power to the President’s decisions. It states that his decisions are “final and unchallengeable by any individual or body until a new constitution has been ratified and a new parliament has been elected.” The Supreme Judicial Council described the declaration as “an unprecedented attack on the independence of the judiciary and its rulings.”
People gathered yesterday (Friday) at Tahrir Square and other places and cities in protest. They called it the ‘Friday of Anger.’ At the same time, Islamists surrounded the Presidential Palace in support of the President. Some clashes happened between the two groups. It is sad to see this division between the Egyptian people. There are people who continue to demonstrate and a major demonstration is planned for Tuesday.
A few days ago, the churches in Egypt alongside some liberal parties, withdrew their representatives in the committee responsible for writing the new constitution. This was an act of protest, because the majority of the committee are Islamists who want to impose their own views in the constitution. As we dream for real democracy, it was my hope, with many other Egyptians, to have a constitution that is inclusive of all Egyptians. It is very sad because it is now almost two years since the start of the revolution, and we are still longing for stability, democracy, and the opportunity to rebuild Egypt.
Do pray for Egypt.
May the Lord bless you!
+ Mouneer The Episcopal/Anglican Province of Jerusalem & the Middle East
Centring Prayer Workshop
Centring Prayer is a method of prayer that comes out of the Christian tradition, principally The Cloud of Unknowing, by an anonymous 14th Century author and St John of the Cross. The historical roots of Centring Prayer go back to St Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusettes, where Fr Thomas Keating was abbot from 1961 to 1981. Today Centring Prayer is practised by people from all over the world with many networks of small faith communities such as Contemplative Outreach Ireland, who in communion with many other networks from around the world, are contributing to the renewal of the Christian contemplative dimension of the Gospel in everyday life.
A workshop will take place in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, on the skill of centring prayer on November 28 from 6.00 pm to 9.15 pm. The cost is €15. Soup and sandwiches will be available from 6.00 pm with the workshop beginning at 6.30 pm.
Please email the Revd Garth Bunting, garth.bunting@cccdub.ie, if you would like to book a place or know more about the evening.
There is a centring prayer group that meets in the cathedral’s ancient crypt each Wednesday night from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm and as part of the workshop, participants will be invited to join with that group as they continue on the centring prayer journey.
Advent Quiet Day in Christ Church Cathedral
An Advent quiet morning is being held in the cathedral on Saturday December 1. The speaker is the Archbishop of Dublin, The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson. On the theme of preparation and expectation, participants will be guided in their reflections at the beginning of the Advent season as we await the coming of our Saviour. You can book your place by contacting garth.bunting@cccdub.ie. The morning will begin at 10.00 am and finish at 1.00 pm with Holy Communion.
MEDIA REVIEW
Majority backs same-sex union, poll indicates
Irish Times – There is broad public support for same-sex marriage and for most of the other constitutional changes backed by the Government, according to an Ipsos MRBI 50th anniversary poll. Most of those proposed changes will be considered by a constitutional convention which will hold its first meeting next weekend.
The only proposed change that does not meet with public approval is to reduce the voting age to 17.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/1126/1224327096677.html
Savita case hijacked by prochoice lobbyists?
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/savita-halappanavar-case-hijacked-by-prochoice-lobbyists-16242426.html
Atheist Ireland call for separation between church and state following Savita ...
Irish Examiner – Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland says in light of the death of Savita Halappanavar, the need for a separation between church and state in Ireland has never been more significant. “What we’re actually talking about is that it is controversial to …
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/atheist-ireland-call-for-separation-between-church-and-state-following-savita-death-575534.html
NI childcare costs top £16,000
The average family with two children in Northern Ireland is spending more than £16,000 a year on childcare, a report says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20492361