Press Releases
PRESS OFFICE NOTES FROM STANDING COMMITTEE
The Archbishop of Armagh paid tribute to the Bishop of Cork, the Right Rev Roy Warke, whose last meeting of the Standing Committee this was before his retirement at the end of the year.
In reply Bishop Warke referred to the Standing Committee as the "boiler house" of the Church of Ireland and that he had been privileged to serve on it - on and off for many years.
The Archdeacon of Dublin, the Venerable Gordon Linney announced his retirement as one of the two Clerical Honorary Secretaries of the Standing Committee of General Synod with immediate effect.
The Central Communications Board recommended the following payments From the General Synod Royalties Fund.
A loan of IR£30,000 to the Hymnal Revision Committee towards the cost of the publication of the Revised Church Hymnal.
A grant of IR£3,000 for the publication of a companion guide to the Irish Church Hymnal to be written by the Bishop of Limerick.
A grant of £1,500 sterling for printing and distribution to clergy of a book of Revised Baptismal Rights.
Mrs Vivienne Darling has been appointed as a Church of Ireland representative to PACT (Parents and Children Together) to succeed Mrs Rose McGillycuddy who has resigned. The Rev Tom Haskins is the other Church of Ireland representative.
The Millennium Committee reported as follows:
Co-ordination of Millennium Events
The Group sees this task as being fulfilled by gathering information from the Church of Ireland at every level about millennium events and plans. It is intended to publish a Millennium Newsletter with increasing frequency to create the widest possible availability of information with a substantial newsheet being produced for General Synod 1999. It is also hoped to disseminate information through Website.
The Group also sees a limited role in creating cohesion in the celebration of the Millennium - for example in attempting to develop an accepted pattern for parishes in their liturgical celebration of the event.
The Group is also aware of and intends to contribute to the inter-church aspects of the celebration of the Millennium.
Accordingly, we wish to propose that the Millennium Project, "All God's Children" should be adopted as a Millennium Project for the Church of Ireland.
Mrs Elaine McKay, Diocese of Connor, has been appointed through the Committee for Christian Unity to attend The German Evangelical Kirchentag in Stuttgart in June 1999.
Irish Inter-Church Meeting
The next Irish Inter-Church Meeting will take place on 23-24 April 1999 at the Emmaus Conference Centre in Swords, Co Dublin. The Church of Ireland is entitled to have eight representatives at the meeting including the three members on the Irish Inter-Church Committee who are the Archbishop of Armagh, Rev Dr I M Ellis, Rev R J Gray, the Bishops of Cashel and Clogher, Mrs R McKelvey, Mr T Morrow and Mrs J Barcroft.
Appendix to Press Office Notes from Standing Committee
Role Of The Church Committee
The Committee as a whole and it's various sub groups are looking at the review of the Constitution of the Republic of Ireland as requested by the Government Constitution Review Group.
The sub groups are also working on issues such as Moral Ethics, European Affairs, Political Development and Socio/Economic issues.
A new paper on Sunday Trading in the Republic of Ireland has been produced.
Further information from:
THE CHURCH OF IRELAND PRESS OFFICE
Church of Ireland House
61 - 67 Donegall Street
Belfast BT1 2QH