The following appointments were made at the recent meeting of the Standing Committee of the General Synod
Church of Ireland Historical Centenaries Working Group
The Revd Earl Storey was appointed to the Church of Ireland Historical Centenaries Working Group as an additional member from Northern Ireland to facilitate the work being undertaken. The Standing Committee further empowered the working group to co-opt up to five additional members to enable it to complete its work.
It was also resolved that, regarding the work of the Historical Centenaries Working Group, Standing Committee encourages the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue to consult with ecumenical parties, the Archbishops to consult Governmental and Political representatives and the Bishop of Connor and the Dean of Belfast to prepare liturgical material for use during services marking the centenaries of the 1912-1922 period.
Irish Inter-Church Committee – Dr Kenneth Milne was appointed as a Church of Ireland representative to the Irish Inter-Church Committee until March 2014.
Irish Inter-Church Meeting – The next Irish Inter-Church meeting will take place on Thursday 20 October 2011 at Edgehill College, Belfast. The theme will be ‘Hope’, with the Rt Revd Tom Wright as the keynote speaker. The Most Revd Richard Clarke and the Revd Canon Ian Ellis who serve as members of the Irish Inter-Church Committee are automatically invited to attend. The following were appointed as Church of Ireland representatives to the meeting: the Archbishop of Dublin; the Bishop of Connor; the Revd Barry Forde; Ms Margaret McNulty and a staff member and three students from the Church of Ireland Theological Institute as nominated by the CITI Director.
World Council of Churches – The Bishop of Connor, the Rt Revd Alan Abernethy, was appointed as Church of Ireland representative to the central committee of the WCC. In addition to reporting back to the Church of Ireland, as representative, the Bishop will also report back to the Methodist Church in Ireland.
Christian Aid – Standing Committee requested the Honorary Secretaries to express its thanks to Mrs Bet Aalen for her service on the Board of Christian Aid as Church of Ireland nominee, upon her retirement. Standing Committee requested that the Bishops’ Appeal World Development Committee puts forward a nomination on behalf of the Church of Ireland to the Board of Christian Aid at its AGM in November 2011.
UN Commission on Status of Women – It was resolved that, regrettably, in light of current financial restraints, a representative of the Church of Ireland shall not be sent to the 56th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York in February-March 2012. The Honorary Secretaries agreed to seek papers following the session for briefing purposes.