Irish news digest June 12

Methodist Church’s Resolution on Racism

At yesterday’s Ministerial Session of the 251st Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the following Resolution was agreed by all those “attending” by means of zoom. It came in the name of the Methodist Council on Social Responsibility and was agreed by all “attending”. It stated –  “In the wake of the cruel and needless death of George Floyd and the widespread cry for an end to the “polemic of racism” we call upon our Methodist people to stand up against the sin of racism. Let us not just condemn the wicked actions of others in the present or the past, but let us examine our own hearts and attitudes. Like the related evil of sectarianism, racism can be deeply ingrained and yet hidden, under a veneer of respectability. In doing so, we are not saying anything new. Methodists, informed by Scripture, have always believed in the dignity and value of every person as someone “created in the image of God”. If we have not always lived up to the ideal and failed to stand with those who have been mistreated and discriminated against, we repent of that failure. We look back to our roots and are challenged by the last letter that John Wesley wrote, a week before his death, to William Wilberforce who was campaigning againstslavery in Westminster. Wesley wrote to encourage him not to give up.

He wrote:

” O be not weary of well-doing. Go one, in the name of God and in the power of His might, lest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it”

We call on our Methodist People, throughout Ireland, to engage prayerfully, peacefully, publicity (recognising the restrictions due to Covid.19) and politically to work together with others to eliminate racism in our world, our own communities and in our own hearts.

The resolution was brought in the name of Rev. Dr. David Clements, Convenor of the Northern section of CSR but bringing it is the name of the whole of Irish Methodism.

The Resolution received the acceptance of all those in attendance.

 Cork Church Music Scheme supports music in schools

The Cork, Cloyne and Ross Diocesan Church Music Scheme is funded by the Diocesan Board of Education, the City of Cork Church School Board, the Diocesan Council with further support from Ashton School. Recently the Scheme received a generous donation of €30,000 given in memory of Avril Watters. The Scheme is run by the music department at Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork and provides support for the development of music in primary and secondary schools, as well as in parishes across the Diocese.

A large component of the Scheme involves weekly and monthly visits to schools. Primary schools further from the city are brought together for several joint workshops each year centred on the towns of Skibbereen and Bandon.

The latest development during the current school closures is a one week programme of videos made by Director of Music, Peter Stobart. He commented, “In order to bring some music into the lockdown lives of the children in our Diocesan Primary Schools, I have created a series of five short videos to be watched from home, one for each day of the week. They are all different and include warm-up songs, some with actions, tongue twisters, and each one ends with a hymn. Whilst nothing beats communal singing, this is an attempt to keep spirits up and to bring some of what would normally happen in school into the home.”

The videos were released at the end of May ‘Diocesan Church Music Scheme’ playlist on the Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral’s YouTube channel. Links at
[[] https://churchofirelandcork.com/2020/06/10/five-online-singing-classes-for-schools-from-cork-diocesan-church-music-scheme/ ]

C of I Archbishops on return to church worship

The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd John McDowell and the Archbishop of Dublin, Most Revd Michael Jackson, have given advice to parishes as the Church of Ireland draws up guidelines on returning to worship in churches. The Return to In-Church Worship protocols document is now available at
[ ireland.anglican.org/parish-resources. ]

Both Archbishops have appeared in a video introducing the guidelines –
[ https://vimeo.com/427017116 ]

Food for thought

God in Creation