Condemnation of Derry graffiti, The Achill mission remembered, Derry & Raphoe celebrates ‘Moving On’, Breakfast with Richard Bewes, General Synod 2013
Condemnation of Derry graffiti
The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, The Right Revd Ken Good, has condemned the appearance, in The Fountain Estate in Londonderry, of graffiti making reference to the Rev David Latimer, Minister of First Derry Presbyterian Church who recently addressed the Sinn Fein conference and has supported Martin Maginness’ candidacy for the Irish presidency.
Bishop Good stated,
‘In Northern Ireland we have witnessed and endured too many times when intimidation has been used as an insidious means of dealing with internal disagreement within a community. Cowardly and anonymous words, specifically intended to intimidate and to undermine other people, have done great damage, not only to those directly concerned, but to us all.
‘When we declare that we wish to belong to a society where civil and religious liberty prevails, as we rightly do, we must also be willing, as a consequence, to allow others the liberty of expressing views which may differ from our own. When differences of viewpoint exist within a community, maturity and civility requires of us that we express our disagreement in a ways that are not destructive either to person or property.’
The Achill mission remembered
In his first public engagement as Bishop of Tuam The Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, preached at Dugort on Saturday 24 September 2011 at a Service of Healing followed by marking of the graves of victims of the Famine on Achill. This was a joint act of worship with the Roman Catholic church which had ben arranged by the rector and in which the Roman Catholic Archbishop participated.
“The thrust of the Reverend Edward Nangle’s Achill Mission seems to have been to win souls for Christ through participation in a particular expression of Christianity and in the name of the Church of Ireland. But again, with the benefit of hindsight, to take advantage of innocent, vulnerable people at such a time, however well intentioned, does seem somewhat opportunistic and distasteful.
“But then we can’t know the full circumstances and, before we totally condemn, we have to ask ourselves if we always in our own lives in 2011 act responsibly and wisely and in a Christian manner – so, ‘let he who is without sin cast the first stone’.
“It is not our purpose in coming together to apportion blame or to judge anyone – only to acknowledge that our churches have been guilty in the past of causing suffering,here and elsewhere, despite the best of intentions of those involved.
“We are here though, to acknowledge that the unmarked graves in the five graveyards, serve as a reminder to us, all these years later, of the hardships endured then as a result of the failure of the potato crop and ignorance of farming methods.
“Thankfully, in this country, this has not re-occurred. But that is not to say hardship experienced by many is a thing of the past. Far from it. Over the past three or four years we have all witnessed the most dramatic economic recession.
“Consequently, hardship is a present reality. People may not be dying as they were in the 1840’s but they are, as then, being forced to flee their country in search of a living. So let us in our ceremony remember and pray for all, who for whatever reason, even today are going through financial ruin and emotional hardship.
“And in determining to do what we can for them – we might remember that, despite its many faults, it is estimated that Nangle’s Mission Colony at the height of the famine in 1847, was supplying daily relief to 5,000 of Achill’s 7,000 inhabitants.
Derry & Raphoe celebrates ‘Moving On’
On the evening of 29th September up to 1000 members of the Church of Ireland diocese of Derry And Raphoe came together for a major celebration. The event entitled ‘Moving On’ was held to celebrate the progress made in parishes across the diocese in making the diocesan vision ‘Transforming Community Radiating Christ ‘ a reality at local level.
Bishop Ken Good said of the church “We are in the business of growth, not in the business of managing graceful decline”. Reflecting on the ‘Moving On’ event he saw it as “representing a belief in the future. It is a belief that there are things that we can do to make a significant difference not only in the church but for the good of our communities”. Julie Green, a youth leader in the diocese talked of a “sense of excitement and anticipation within the diocese at present”.
Early in 2011 the diocese took a remarkable initiative. It decided to give each parish a gift of either £1,000 or 1,200 Euro. As the gift was given each parish was asked to invest in practical action towards ‘the diocesan vision of Transforming Community Radiating Christ’. This vision represents a commitment by every parish in the diocese to take action that not only builds the church but also serves practical need in their local communities.
The ‘Moving On’ celebration gave an opportunity for a range of different parishes to tell inspiring stories of what action they were taking to make a difference. It was also an opportunity to recognise the efforts of many church members across the diocese.
Derry and Raphoe has a combined membership of 32,563 people. The diocese conducted a survey in 2009 to build a picture of what sort of activity was taking place within it. It emerged that a pool of 5790 members helped to run church related activities across the diocese. Such a figure is not surprising given the commitment of church members in maintaining the life of their local church. What was interesting to note was that 2035 volunteers took part in activities that not only benefited the parish but also the wider community.
Breakfast with Richard Bewes
Knockbreda Parish played host to well–known Christian writer and preacher, Richard Bewes, who addressed a breakfast meeting on Saturday 24 September. He spoke to a gathering of 60 men, including the Bishop of Down and Dromore, on the topic of a second pre–Christian era, an era he believes we are now entering.
Richard is the son of famous missionary parents, and was born and raised on the lower slopes of Mount Kenya. He came to England for his secondary education, before going to Cambridge University as an undergraduate. He then went on to study for the ordained ministry at Ridley Hall Theological College, Cambridge
After leading two churches in the south–east of England with his wife Liz, he was appointed by the Crown as Rector of All Souls Church, Langham Place, following in the succession of John Stott and Michael Baughen. Over the years as leader of All Souls, the international nature of the congregation (embracing some 70 nationalities) continued to develop with some 2,500 coming through its doors every Sunday. During Richard’s time, the facility to listen to sermons online was achieved, and a ‘virtual weekly global internet congregation’ stands as one of the many legacies of his time in post.
He chaired the Church of England Evangelical Council throughout the 1990s. Stepping down from All Souls in November 2004, Richard was awarded the OBE in the New Year of 2005.
General Synod 2013 – Venue and Dates
Standing Committee has decided that the General Synod in 2013 will be held in Armagh from Thursday 9 May to Saturday 11 May 2013. The first day of the Synod will fall on Ascension Day and this will afford a significant opportunity to mark it liturgically.