Press Releases16 Feb 11

Home-Grown Lent Course Out Shortly

A Bible Study resource for Lent on the theme of Creation is currently being prepared for the use of parishes in the Church of Ireland. The material will consist of a pdf freely available on the internet and via email, also available on CD-Rom at the official launch on March 6th after Evensong in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. The launch will be addressed by the Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.

The Lent Creation project is designed both to link into the Anglican Consultative Council’s project “The Bible in the Life of the Church” and to function as an inaugural effort for a proposed Biblical Association for the Church of Ireland (BACI).  Welcoming the course, the Rt Reverend Michael Burrows, Chairman of the Anglican Affairs Sub-Committee of the Church of Ireland Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue said: “I warmly welcome this excellent initiative to connect members of the Church of Ireland to something which is of paramount significance in the greater Anglican context, namely working together towards a common understanding of our elucidation and application of Scripture.”

The course, designed to provide parishes with a five-week program for Lent, will consist of ten Bible passages with introductions, notes, and questions for reflection. The material is intended to facilitate thoughtful reflection on “creation” and to inspire its application.

The pdf will be downloadable from the internet (http://bibliahibernica.wordpress.com) or be requested from the working group via email ([email protected]). The working group requests feedback on the course from all participating groups, so that a report may then be forwarded to the ACC to contribute to its analysis of how Anglican congregations around the world relate to the Bible.

Following the completion of the Lent 2011 project, the BACI working group plans to invite participation in an inaugural AGM, to establish a constitution and committee. Details for this event will be published shortly. The proposal is broad-church and ecumenically minded and seeks membership from every diocese of the Church of Ireland.

ENDS