Thursday 26th September 2002

I warmly welcome the Covenant between the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland. It received the overwhelming endorsement of the Conference of the Methodist Church at its annual meeting in June. I look forward to the formal signing of the Covenant today.

It is very important to note that at the heart of the Covenant is ‘Mission’ that is to say the apostolic mission of the whole people of God. The basis of the Covenant is a full acknowledgement of each other’s church and an acceptance that we share in a common faith based on the Bible and the historic creeds.

I see the working out of the Covenant as a Pilgrimage of Faith and that the formal signing of the Covenant is only the first important step in a continuing journey together. No doubt there will be issues needing to be debated along the way but we have now pledged ourselves to a growing together so that unity may be visibly realised.

The emphasis must now be on the practical working out of the Covenant as we commit ourselves to share a common life and mission. We must find further ways of working together, building on what has already begun.

Openness, acceptance, sharing resources, appreciating each others traditions and gifts, ministry and worship are all essential to a meaningful journey together. In searching for signs of unity we do indeed need to see ‘visible evidence of working together in witness and mission’ to quote the words of the Joint Working Party.

A ‘commonness of purpose in mission’ and a relating of the good news of Jesus to the world around us in a meaningful way is a priority for our Pilgrimage. The Covenant both challenges and enables us to fulfil that task together.