Fintan O’Toole, political commentator and Assistant Editor of the Irish Times, will give a keynote address on ‘The Church in the Public Square’ this Thursday
The 88th Annual Meeting of the Irish Council of Churches will take place at the Island Civic Centre, Lisburn, Co. Antrim on Thursday 7 April 2011. The meeting will bring together 97 delegates from 14 member Churches, including senior church leaders.
President of the ICC, The Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke, Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath & Kildare, says, ‘We are very much looking forward to being challenged by Fintan O’Toole – hearing views and perceptions of the role of Churches in the “market square” in our time. We are Churches coming together seeking to explore our effectiveness and our connections with each other.’
The Irish Council of Churches is meeting against the backdrop of vast changes within Irish Christianity. Noting these changes, Bishop Clarke added, ‘The Christian voice must be neither clichéd nor facile. Part of the role of the Irish Council of Churches is to find that voice and to use it effectively’.
The event is part-funded by a grant from the Lisburn City Council Good Relations programme and will be attended by the Mayor of Lisburn, Alderman Paul Porter, who said, ‘I am delighted to be part of the Irish Council of Churches’ 2011 AGM and pleased that they have chosen the Island Civic Centre here in Lisburn to host the event. I am looking forward to learning more about the work of the Council along with celebrating with music and worship on the day. It is encouraging to see so many Irish Churches uniting in prayer and dialogue and working hard to improve our society.’