Churches to focus on water justice during Creation Time; Bishop visits College; Connor team’s visit to Yei, South Sudan, on video; Chloe (8) goes the extra mile for the fight against poverty; RCB Library Lantern Slide Mystery Solved by BBC coverage
Churches to focus on water justice during Creation Time
Churches in Ireland will join Christians throughout the world in considering
the issue of ‘water justice’ as they observe Creation Time 2013. This year’s
theme was chosen to tie in with the UN International Year of Water
Cooperation.
Creation Time, which is endorsed by the World Council of Churches and the
Irish Catholic Bishops, takes place from September 1 to October 4 each year.
It is an opportunity for Christians to celebrate the beauty of the natural
world and to promote sustainable lifestyles.
Creation Time is promoted by Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI) – an
inter-church project that encourages churches to take an environmental
approach to worship, lifestyle, property and finance management, children’s
and youth work, community outreach and contact with the developing world.
“Many people in developing countries today are suffering from malnutrition
and starvation as a result of droughts caused by climate change,” says ECI
chairperson, Catherine Brennan SSL. “Other parts of Creation, including
animals, birds, fish and plants, are deeply affected too. We can no longer
continue to live as if there is an infinite supply of clean, usable water.
“Caring for, and sharing, God’s gift of water globally and locally is a major
ethical and religious challenge for Christians today. Water must be restored
to being a source of life and a basic right of the whole of Creation,
especially of the poor, if the world is to carry on. It is within this
context that we encourage all churches to focus on water justice during the
five weeks of Creation Time.”
ECI was involved in preparing Creation Time resources, which enable
churches, communities and individuals to focus on issues relating to water
justice. These can be found on the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
(CTBI) website – http://www.ctbi.org.uk/653.
Creation Time grew out of a resolution adopted by the European Christian
Environmental Network (ECEN) in 1999, which recommended that churches
consider and promote the preservation of creation as part of church life at
all levels. The rationale behind the initiative was that “commitment to
preservation of the creation is not an issue among many others but an
essential dimension of all church life.'”
The Third European Ecumenical Assembly held in Sibiu in 2007 concluded with
the recommendation “that the period from 1 September to 4 October be
dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of
sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change”.
For further information, see www.ecocongregationireland.com.
Bishop visits College
On Thursday, 29th August Bishop Paul Colton, who chairs the Boards of Midleton College, was present at assembly at the College to mark the start of school year.
Midleton College was founded in 1696 but this is the 297th year of continuous education at the College. The Bishop presented the new prefects with their badges of office and afterwards spoke with the four senior prefects.
Afterwards, the Principal brought the Bishop on a tour of the campus to see the significant improvement works undertaken in recents months including the new administration block, campus development to provide complete accessibility, and the extended staff room, testimony to the growth in numbers of both teachers and students at the College.
Connor team’s visit to Yei, South Sudan, on video
The sights, the sounds, the dancing and the warmth of the welcome a team from Connor experienced during a visit to South Sudan earlier this year can now be viewed on video.
The META (Mission Experience Team Abroad) was led by David Gough of CMS Ireland, which facilitated the visit, and comprised the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, Bishop of Connor; Archdeacon Stephen Forde, Larne; Canon Sam Wright, Lisburn Cathedral; the Rev Andrew Sweeney, Ballymoney; Dr Frank Dobbs, Agherton; Mrs Judith Cairns, Chief Executive of Love for Live and a parishioner of Lisburn Cathedral; and Diocesan Communications Officer Karen Bushby.
Connor has an ongoing partnership with the Diocese of Yei in South Sudan, a number of teams have visited Yei in the past, and Bishop Hilary of Yei has been a guest in several Connor parishes. This was Bishop Alan’s first visit to Yei.
During the week–long visit in January, Bishop Alan attended the three–day Yei Diocesan Synod, where he and Bishop Hilary signed a new partnership agreement linking the two dioceses for a further five years. In the scenic surroundings of a grass roofed open–walled payot in the grounds of Yei Vocational Training College, the clergy members of the team delivered training for Yei pastors, and Judith also ran training sessions for pastors and youth leaders.
If the energetic dancing and singing of the pastors and youth leaders who attended the sessions is an indication of how much they enjoyed the training, then the video shows that the efforts by the Connor team were much appreciated!
Frank spent time at the Martha Primary Care Clinic, which is run by the Diocese of Yei, and at Yei Hospital, where he ran training sessions for healthcare staff.
The team had the opportunity to travel to Mongo Primary School, which was built with funding from parishes and individuals in Connor, and the video illustrates the wonderful welcome and the genuine gratitude the people of Mongo have to our diocese, a gratitude expressed very eloquently by many including a primary school pupil and the very dignified Boma Chief.
On the Sunday of the visit, team members preached at different churches around Yei Diocese, and the video first follows Bishop Alan preaching, and encouraging some singing, in Immanuel Cathedral, Yei, in front of a congregation of 300+ and then travels to the remote village of Longamere where David spoke about CMSI and Judith preached. The video attempts to capture the vibrant atmosphere during worship in Longamere and the stunning scenery in which the village lies.
Although the video quality is not great, we hope this will give viewers an insight into life in Yei Diocese and in particular the connections made during the Connor visit in January.
To view the video via YouTube, please follow this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgOFfQXYJP8&feature=youtu.be
Chloe (8) goes the extra mile for the fight against poverty
Eight–year–old Chloe Bond from Ballymoney Parish swam one mile sponsored by her family and parishioners to raise funds for a local CAP (Christians Against Poverty) Centre.
Chloe completed her swim in the Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre on August 12 watched by her rector, family and parishioners. Chloe’s dad Allan is a Parish Reader in St Patrick’s and her grandad is the Very Rev John Bond, Dean of Connor. To date Chloe has raised £520.
Chloe was inspired to undertake this challenge when she heard her local rector, the Rev Andrew Sweeney, announce his ambition to open a CAP Centre based in St Patrick’s to serve the whole community in Ballymoney.
Each year, Christians Against Poverty helps 20,000 people find their way out of debt. CAP works out fair budgets, negotiates with creditors and can take people through insolvency.
Chloe said she was proud to be able to use her passion for swimming to help her local community.
RCB Library Lantern Slide Mystery Solved – Coverage by the BBC
Followers of the RCB Library’s Archive of the Month initiative will be interested to know that on television this week BBC Newsline carried the story of the Killaloe lantern slide photographer to a conclusion. The story is also aired on the BBC website with examples from the collection at this link entitled ‘Mystery photographer steps out from behind the lens’:
BBC journalist Francis Gorman visited the RCB Library recently and filmed Dr Susan Hood telling the story of how the slides were found and the research that was undertaken to identify who took them over 100 years ago, following the lead provided by his BBC colleague Dave Culbert. (Image above: Filming the Killaloe Lantern Slide story are right to left, Dr Susan Hood, RCB Library, Francis Gorman, BBC, JJ Fitzgibbon of the Magic Lantern Society and his wife Breda Fitzgibbon.)
The news story also includes an interview with JJ Fitzgerald, a magic lantern expert from New Ross County Wexford, and one of the few Irish members of the Magic Lantern Society who made available his own lantern slide projector to show the RCB Library collection, and also Patricia Bogue, of Donaghmore Historical Society, County Tyrone, who helped to confirm that the slides are the work of David Brown, a soap and candle manufacturer from that village, who ran the Donaghmore Soapworks, then the largest such business in Ireland and famous for their McClinton and Colleen Soap brands.
As a successful entrepreneur, Brown had the means to indulge in expensive hobbies like photography and was also able to afford to travel widely. Evidence shows he was an adventurous but also deeply spiritual man, whose Holy Land journey in 1897 – the subject of some 76 slides – had a profound effect on him.