The Church of Ireland General Synod will be held this year in the Stillorgan Park Hotel in south Dublin from Tuesday 13 May to Thursday 15 May.

One of the key topics on a busy agenda is the new Book of Common Prayer due to be published next year. There are thirteen bills relating to liturgy that include a new Order for Confirmation, General Directions for Public Worship and a Service for Ash Wednesday.

Honorary Secretary, Canon Des Harman says: “Recent Synods have been agreeing the services to be included in this new book and this year members will hope that the process will move swiftly and efficiently. It will be interesting to see how the General Synod will develop in the next few years when the time given to liturgy in recent synods will not be required.”

There are four other bills that relate to the use of inclusive language in the Constitution of the Church of Ireland, the consolidation of the Constitution, the provision of a Severance Fund for clergy and the procedure for making parish appointments.

Covenant Council

Last year the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland formed a Covenant. A motion this year proposes setting up The Covenant Council with ten members from each church who would facilitate the implementation of the Covenant at local, regional and national level.

Limited service

A motion proposes that no lay person be allowed to serve more than nine consecutive years on any Select Vestry, Diocesan Council or General synod or any other church committee.

Reports

“A number of important topics are to be found in the Standing Committee Report particularly in the appendices”, says Canon Harman. “The Reports offer an opportunity to discuss a wide variety of topics and concerns”.

He adds: “The content represents the hard work of a broad range of committees that carry forward the mission of the church at central level. The report includes the work of the Bishops’ Appeal and the Priorities Fund as well as the Central Communications Board and other committees.”

‘Living with difference’

The Sectarianism Education Project Committee will present the results of an in-depth Scoping Study of attitudes and perceptions among members of the Church of Ireland to sectarianism and ‘living with difference.

“This 109-page study is the beginning of a process of dealing positively with sectarianism and difference and the General Synod will be asked to refer it to Diocesan Synods for appropriate study in every diocese”, says Canon Harman.

Society

The Church in Society Committee report identifies seven areas for future study including the environment, European affairs, legislation and political matters, medical ethics, social justice and theology.

Education

The Board of Education (RI) draws attention to school building programmes and provision for children with special needs. The failure of the Irish Government to provide vetting procedures for those employed in schools or who volunteer to assist with youth activities is deplored.

In Northern Ireland the Post-Primary Review with its concern about transfer mechanism has received a measured response and this may lead to substantial debate.

Young People

The Youth Department reports on its simplified structure and says devolution of funds, reductions in administrative costs and the provision of training and networking is beginning to bear fruit.

Christian Unity

The Committee for Christian Unity has produced a discussion document on the Understanding of Unity, which it hopes will be a catalyst for a lively debate.

Ministry

The Commission on Ministry identifies issues that facilitate or hamper ministry and reports on the Summit on Ministry, the meeting of Provincial Mediation Panels and a review of women in the ordained ministry.

The funding of ordinands is covered in a report by a fact-finding group that makes recommendations on financial and property matters. These have implications for the present pattern of training.

Synodical Reform

The Standing Committee set up a working group following the failure of reforming bills in recent years. The group recommended seven areas for consideration and it is suggested that reform takes place on an issue by issue basis during the next three years. No proposal is being made in the first year of this new synod.

Synod Service

The General Synod Service will be held in St Patrick’s Cathedral on the first day of Synod (Tuesday) at 7.30pm. The celebrant will be the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd John Neill, and the preacher will be The Rt. Revd Michael Marshall, Incumbent of Holy Trinity, Sloane Square, London.

Click here to visit the General Synod 2003 website