Bishop shares his thoughts on Lambeth with Synod members
The 2008 Down & Dromore Diocesan Synod met in the Jethro Centre, Lurgan on Thursday 19th June. In what is a triennial election year Bishop Harold concentrated in his Presidential Address on three main areas: the Church of Ireland Bishops' Mission Statement, the Anglican Communion and the forthcoming Lambeth Conference.
The former Archdeacon of Dromore and rector of Seagoe Parish, the Rt Revd David Chillingworth was the preacher at the Holy Communion service held at the commencement of Synod. Bishop David has been Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane since 2005. The visiting Bishop was also invited to share ‘Home Thoughts from Abroad' with the Synod during the afternoon session. To download Bishop David's sermon click here, to download his presentation click here.
Bishop Harold welcomed clergy from the local Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches who had accepted his invitation to attend the Down & Dromore Diocesan Synod. The Synod began with a viewing of a video which has recently been produced for use at Lambeth. It features the Jethro Centre (being used for the first time as a Synod venue) as a neutral meeting place for both communities. Whilst Synod was in session community activities at the centre were unaffected - the Zipporah café remained open to the public, the children's crèche and after school club operated as normal, and the programme of activities for senior members of the community ran as usual.
In speaking to Synod on the Bishops' Mission Statement Bishop Harold took the areas of Worship and Spiritual Growth, Unity and Dialogue and Living God's Kingdom and Serving the World. Bishop Harold said that he believed that the vision needed to be implemented at parish level and asked members to note that the key role of the church in the Bishops' Statement is to develop ‘growing communities of faith'. Bishop Harold urged churches in the diocese to ‘Never let worship become predictable and dull'. Time was allocated after the presidential address for Synod members to respond to the Bishops' Mission Statement and Vision.
Bishop Harold told Synod that he had thought long and hard before deciding to go to Lambeth. He explained that some of the issues that concerned him were:
Up to a quarter of the Bishops in the Communion will probably not feel able to be at Lambeth this year
The nature of the Conference will be quite different
Concern about who has, and who has not, been invited.
The Bishop continued to expand on his reasons for taking the decision to attend Lambeth:
He said that he was not generally an ‘opter-out'
He wants to stand in solidarity with his eleven brother-bishops in the Church of Ireland and with the bishops ‘linked' with Down & Dromore - Albany (Bishop Bill Love), Maridi (Bishop Justin Badi) and Southern Cone (Bishop Greg Venables).
He believes it could be in the interest of some to destroy the Lambeth Conference
He wants to be involved in the one area of the proposed Anglican Covenant that will be discussed at Lambeth
He is prepared to give Lambeth another chance.
The Revd John Dinnen, who retired as Dean of Down Cathedral in 2006 and as rector of Hillsborough parish in December 2007, is now the Honorary Travelling Secretary for Northern Ireland with Intercontinental Church Society. He and Mr David Healey, who is ICS (Communications Manager and acting General Manager) were invited to speak to Synod about the work of the Society during the afternoon's proceedings.
During the Synod business sessions of Synod the following Motions were debated and passed:
Age profile for Synod:
That at the 2009 Easter Vestry meetings one extra Synod representative under 30 years of age for each cure should be elected.
Revision of Rural Deaneries
The Synod approved the restructuring of rural deaneries in the United Diocese of Down & Dromore which will have the affect of creating more strategic missional areas in the diocese.
Children's Officer
The Synod approved a motion from the Diocesan Council for Mission to explore fresh methods of engaging with children, which would, it is hoped, include the appointment of a Children's Officer.
Bishop Harold's full presidential address can be downloaded here.