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Presidential Address to the Kilmore Elphin & Ardagh Diocesan Synod
Kilmore Elphin & Ardagh Diocesan Synod
Saturday 20th October 2007
Shannon Keys West Hotel, Rooskey, Co. Roscommon
Presidential Address by The Right Reverend Ken Clarke
Members of Synod, welcome to our Diocesan Synod 2007. This is an important day in the life of our Diocese as we listen to God and each other in our worship, prayers, and the business of Synod. Throughout our Synod business today let us remember the visionary and life changing truth we sang a few moments ago in our service of Holy Communion,
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart…
Christ of my own heart whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all
When we met at this time last year we didn’t know which political developments would unfold in Northern Ireland. We hoped and prayed for local government by local people from all sides of the political spectrum. It has happened. It is working. Of course this development has met with a variety of reactions and responses. Some feel let down by their leaders, some feel betrayed, some feel angry, but the vast majority of people are thankful to God and our politicians that we are forging ahead with new partnerships and travelling together new roads of peace. The relationships between leading ministers may not be acknowledged as a “love-in,” to quote one of Northern Ireland’s most famous leaders, but the fact is that all are in, and that is to be welcomed. We rejoice at the move away from violence as a means of achieving political ends. We challenge the view that this means was the only path to progress. We mourn the loss of life and we are all too aware of the pain endured by individuals, families, local communities and the whole community.
As I said at General Synod in May in Kilkenny we must never forget, in the midst of all the developments those who are most often described as “the victims of the troubles.” In one sense we are all victims but the pain of 30 years of violence is felt most keenly by those who have lost close family members, relatives, friends and neighbours. The courage and self sacrifice of our security forces and the long lonely nights for their families and children wondering if Daddy or Mummy would ever come home...the known injustices and legitimate grievances…the heartless senseless shootings and bombings, the feelings of alienation and marginalization are just some of the ingredients of the years of hurt hopelessness and heartbreak. It will take a long time to address effectively the suspicion, sectarianism and community divisions which still exist. However thank God we are moving forward. Different people will move in different ways, at different times, and at different speeds. Understanding patience and deep sensitivity are vital in a caring stable “post-troubles” society. It is all too easy to be bland naïve and insensitive to the daily pain which some still experience. How we help each other after hurting each other is a top priority if progress is to be steady and sustained.
Key elements in any personal or communal progress in a post “troubles” society are compassion and forgiveness. Forgiveness is easier to talk about than practice. Forgiveness can be personally costly, incredibly difficult and slow in coming. It can involve outrageous courage. It can defy reason. It can even seem unfair and unjust. But it is an essential key to moving forward. It is a mark of a healthy society. It is the Christian way. At the centre of our faith is a man on a cross, suffering unjustly and dying a harrowing undeserved death. As He dies he prays. As he prays he breathes forgiveness. “Father forgive them, they do not know what they do.” Even if they did know the offer of forgiveness is still a reality. This is our God! He is a forgiving God. His Son is the great forgiver.
A healthy person will be a forgiving person. Healthy relationships prioritize forgiveness. A healthy community will be a forgiving community. A healthy marriage will be a forgiveness-knowing marriage. A healthy church will model and minister forgiveness in ways which will release people and shock others. Forgiveness opens doors to a new found freedom and the healing of hurts. It is worth pursuing. It is a powerful pain reliever. It is a way forward. It is the Jesus way.
Across the world we have witnessed examples of remarkable forgiveness. A young 9 year old Vietnamese girl, Kim Phuc, had the skin torn off her body after another napalm bomb had been dropped and exploded in the Vietnam War. After years of pain and medical treatment she said. “It was the fire of bombs which burned my body. It was the skill of doctors which healed my wounds but it took the power of God’s love to heal my heart.”
A Sudanese Christian boy had his legs and feet nailed to a board and was left to die. When rescued he said he forgave the man who did this because Jesus was also nailed and forgave him.
For other people the journey of forgiveness can be longer. Each person will travel in a different way. However the commitment to forgiveness of each other and respect for each other is vital if our society is to be a healthy one and if substantial progress is to be made. One young teenager, Mohammed from Pakistan, who was involved in a reconciliation programme called Seeds of Peace said, “We are warriors of hope, we are masters of understanding, we are pioneers of respect, we are soldiers of trust.” Hope, understanding, respect and trust are qualities which build a healthy society. Bitterness, hatred, mistrust and distrust divide and destroy.
Nelson Mandela invited the men who guarded him in jail to his inauguration as President of South Africa. He put leaders who had supported apartheid in his Cabinet. He set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to give people who had committed crimes during the apartheid era the chance to avoid imprisonment by confessing. Mandela was convinced that people could only face the future if they let go of the past. Forgiveness is about letting go. Compassion is also about letting go, going out and reaching out.
We urgently need new waves of compassion in Ireland today. There is so much which is encouraging in our society but there are issues which need to be addressed. Here are a few…
Prosperity and Poverty
- Poverty is the dark side of the Celtic Tiger. Recently I was in a parish where a family had been living within 200 yards of the Parish Church for 3 months without daily food, no cooker and the family including the children all slept on the wooden floorboards. Within 24 hours of discovering this need parishioners had provided food and basic furniture. How we tackle poverty as a society will be evidence of how compassionate we really are. How we respond to frightening human need in other parts of the world is evidence of how compassionate we really are.
- Poverty of values… some of the people in our society who have the toughest decisions to make are those who work in our Health Services…financial constraints and stretched resources can lead to agonizing decisions regarding priority treatment. How are decisions made? Do the young have precedence over the old? Do those with healthier life-styles take precedence over those with a different life-style? Do the rich take precedent over the poor? Objective discussion of these issues moves into a different realm when a member of one’s own family needs necessary treatment. However a more fundamental question to ask is…why should some people be required to ask such questions and make these decisions? In a compassionate society is comprehensive health provision not a top priority? Are we releasing enough resources? Are we providing sufficient staff? Do we need to pay additional taxes?
- Poverty of morals. A moral poverty in a society can be even more devastating than a material poverty. Have we exalted personal pleasure to the status of a god? Are ancient idols really ancient or have we renamed them obsessions? Is the thirst for personal gratification a new expression of idolatry? Have we so shifted the moral goalposts that we have changed a few names but in fact we play the same old selfish games? Does “the common good” ever feature in our thinking or are we driven only by that which is for personal gain? In the most prosperous Ireland that has ever existed how we use and share our wealth will be an indication of our morals and values. How deep is generosity of spirit in our priorities? How wide is the distribution of our wealth? How high is the value of each individual in our policy making? People from the whole of this island have made significant contributions to the spiritual, physical, mental and social wellbeing of others in different parts of the world but we have more to give.
For those of us in the Church of Ireland and the church in Ireland an understanding of our present contemporary culture prompts us to ask…What kind of church will make an impact on this new Ireland? How do we communicate the faith in 21st Century Ireland? What kind of shape should the Church be?
In the Church of England there has been a focus on a “mission-shaped church”. What about us? Later in the Synod we will hear about some of the thinking in the General Synod Board of Mission. I believe that we are called to be a church which is the shape the Church has always been called to be…Christ-shaped and, like Him, totally committed to word and deed, proclamation and demonstration. A church which modelled and lived this kind of life is the church in Antioch. I believe that some of the marks of that church are to be marks of the Church in Ireland today.
- A community church
In Antioch the fellowship was real, the racial and social diversity was immense, and all kinds of barriers had been broken down in Christ. People of differing backgrounds and from different countries were in the same church. They were discovering together a remarkable unity in Christ. They were marked by a unity in community. It spoke volumes to those outside the church. We are called to that same sense of community.
We are made for relationship and the church is called to be God’s new community where springs of grace burst forth, the river of forgiveness flows and waves of compassion stream into hearts and lives.
On a Sunday afternoon in May when over 1200 of us gathered from around the Diocese at the Slieve Russell Hotel we sensed community. The theme of the day was inspiration and many of you have told me that you found it inspiring. Celebration and inspirational events can foster and deepen our sense of community and help us to remember that we are family together. The church is a family of people from every nation and in our churches and schools we can enrich community life by our welcome of the visitor, the stranger and those from other cultures and countries. - A compassionate church
The church in Antioch was marked by grace and motivated by love. The love of Christ and love for Christ controlled the lives of those Christians. This church cared for others both locally and globally. These Christians sent gifts and practical help to those suffering from famine in Judea.
Like them we are called to be RC’s! Radically compassionate in our acts of service. We spend a lot of time and money on our church buildings but what are we investing in the building of relationships? Are we a church in the community for the community? If our parish was not there would the life of our community be any different? Is our parish life focussed on ourselves or are we making a difference in our community? Are we known for being a community of compassionate people? I hope that in this next year we will be intentional in serving others. People in need are to be a focus of our love and compassion.
I am absolutely delighted with initiatives in the Diocese in the past year which have been expressions of a genuine concern and compassion for people in other parts of the world. One Vestry has decided to tithe 5% of its income to a Mission Agency. A cross community team of people from the Sligo area have been to Uganda this past summer and helped pay for and build a new school. Young people from our Diocese were involved in the Streetreach outreach on the streets of Belfast in July. Others served both here and overseas. - A Christ Centred Church.
It is interesting that the disciples and followers of Jesus were first called or nicknamed “Christians” in Antioch. Why? Because their lives were focussed on Christ. They talked about Christ. They prayed in the name of Christ. They sang hymns about Christ. In all that they did they sought to be Christ centred not culture centred. They were consumed with a passion for Christ. St. Paul summed it up when he wrote, “For me to live is Christ.” St. Patrick and the Celtic tradition followed his example. Think of that wonderful hymn we call St. Patrick’s Breastplate…
“Christ be with me, Christ within me
Christ behind me, Christ before me.”
How often have we sung that ancient Irish hymn “Be thou my vision.” It concludes..
“Christ of my own heart whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all”
Some may respond. “But things were so different then!” That is true, but there are many similarities. Like us, the church in Antioch lived in a pluralist society which has been described as “as money-mad, sex-mad and pleasure-mad.” The followers of Jesus Christ were so distinctive in holding Christ centred beliefs and living Christ centred lives that they gained the nickname “Christians.” In some parts of the church today we do well to remember this Christ-focussed faith and Christ-following way of life. To depart from it is to move out of robust vibrant Christian orthodoxy. Christ cannot be marginalized. Nor is He co-equal with other religious leaders. He is unique. He is pre-eminent. He is worth living for. He is worth dying for. This was the faith of the church in Antioch. This is the story of faith in the church through the centuries. This is the tradition we are part of. God grant that we will never seek to tamper, tinker or tramp upon such faith. In doing so we lose it. A Christ-less cross and a cross-less Christ are not authentic Christianity.
In a part of the world where sales of religious books are soaring, where sincere searching about life’s meaning is going on, where there is a new openness to life’s big issues, where serious questions are being asked, it is imperative that the church keeps pointing people to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. If we lose Christ-centred good news we have moved away from New Testament Christianity. In the next 2 years I plan to visit each Parish in the Diocese and be involved with you in some Christ sharing events and activities. Together we will help each other move forward in living out our calling.
Conclusion:
A few months ago we witnessed the forest fires in Greece…raging and radiant, invading and pervading, going where the wind was blowing.
- I long for unstoppable fires of God’s compassion and forgiveness to spread through this Diocese and the island of Ireland.
- I believe we are a church on the threshold of something significant.
- I believe we are a church with opportunities unprecedented in the history of the Church of Ireland.
- I believe we are a church which can make an impact far beyond what our numbers would suggest.
- We are to go where the wind of the Spirit is blowing.
The choice lies before us. We can squander this “kairos” moment by division in the camp, lack of vision, poverty of will, obsession with past forms and patterns, or sheer lethargy OR we can grasp the opportunities God has given us, bloom and blossom where He has planted us and be the salt and light Christ has called us to be. May God grant the latter! Like Jesus and like the church in Antioch may we be fire lighters rather than fire extinguishers!!
Clergy changes
It was with sadness that we said farewell to 2 “firelighters” who have served so well and brought great light into their parishes, communities and this Diocese. Archdeacon Andrew Forster is now serving in Dungannon in Armagh Diocese and at the end of September Canon Liz McElhinney retired as Rector of Calry Parish and Chaplain to Sligo Grammar. We thank both of them for their faithful and fruitful ministries and pray God’s generous blessing upon them and their families. Liz’s departure also meant the departure of Cyril McElhinney. We thank him for his enormous amount of work in both the Diocese and Calry parish. All are missed!
We welcome into our Diocese from South Africa the Rev. Ivan Ruiters, his wife Raylene and son Lynton. We pray that they will quickly settle into their new home in Florencecourt Rectory and that they will have many years of effective ministry in that Group. We are also delighted to announce that the Rev. Ian Linton, Curate in Enniskillen, will be the new Rector of the Drumcliffe Group.
I thank all those who serve so willingly in our Diocese, the clergy, retired clergy, Diocesan Readers and Parish readers, our secretariat and members of Councils and Committees. Thank you for all you give. Together may we light fires of Christ’s compassion and forgiveness!
For further information please contact:
The Diocesan Communications Officer
Revd Arthur Barrett
Mobile: +353 (0)86 6076630