Focus on the Diocese, September 2013
The following Diocesan Focus article appeared in The Church of Ireland Gazette on 27 September 2013. It was written by our Diocesan Communications Officer, Annette McGrath.
Introduction
There is no doubt that mission, and particularly our Year of Mission 2015, will define the Diocese of Down and Dromore for the next two years and beyond. It was a proposal from the Diocesan Council for Mission and the unanimous endorsement of the Diocesan Synod in June 2012 which set the year 2015 apart. What that means in practice for the parishes and people of Down and Dromore is now coming into focus in this autumn season of 2013.
The Vision
When, back in May, Bishop Harold gathered together more than 800 Select Vestry members in four different venues, he presented 3 pictures of how he would like the diocese to be transformed in the run–up to and throughout 2015.
Firstly, he said that he wanted us to be “turned inside–out,” meaning that, together, we should face outwards, rather than being consumed by our own parochial needs and preoccupations. Secondly, he urged parishes to begin to see everything through a “missional filter” – questioning all our activities, our use of money, our worship and welcome. Thirdly, the Bishop issued a challenge to the diocese to move from plateau to growth and, indeed, to believe that growth was possible. He encouraged the select vestries to lead by example and to tend the ground, creating the right environment for growth. “Let’s embrace the Year of Mission,” he said, “and allow God to transform us so that we are missional all the time and become places of transformation for others.”
‘For Him, For you’
At the same meetings and again at the Diocesan Synod, we presented the two–part Mission 2015 logo, ‘For Him, For you’. The year of Mission is first and foremost ‘For Him’ – all to the glory of God – but also, ‘For you’ – for the people God has called us to serve. ‘For Him’ is the message in the parishes as we prepare during 2013/14 and is now highly visible on banners in church buildings and halls throughout the diocese.
Laying Foundations
At the recent Bishop’s Bible Week, Bishop Harold took the opportunity to lay firm biblical foundations for mission, teaching from the Book of Acts on: The Preparation of Prayer, The Pouring Out of the Spirit at Pentecost, The Preaching of Penitence and The Practical Practice. The diocese is also committed to equipping parishes for mission, acknowledging the diverse nature of our congregations and their settings. A series of workshops will be held towards the end of October for clergy and their mission teams looking at areas for mission focus and how to do mission in different contexts.
Prior to the Year of Mission 2015, we plan a year of 24/7 Prayer in 2014. This will start at The Dock, Titanic, at midnight on 31 December 2013 and continue as we pass the baton throughout the diocese for every single minute of the new year. With the participation of every parish, each taking responsibility for a certain number of days, according to its ability, it’s an achievable target. We are excited about the possibilities that a year of 24/7 prayer will open up and the foundation that will be laid for a powerful work of God among us.
Church planting and Evangelism
Bishop Harold has tasked the newly installed Archdeacon of Down, The Ven David McClay, with developing ministry in the diocese, finding new young leaders, and enabling church planting. These are areas key to the next stage in our life and development. At the Bible Week, the Bishop launched an exciting new appeal – ‘plant forHim’ (Down and Dromore Church Planting Fund) with an initial target of £100,000. The total stands at £63,000 as we go to press and we are very encouraged by this initial response. The seed funding will be used to give high quality training to church planters and diocesan evangelists and to enable new church plants to be set up in the areas that the diocese has already identified. There are immediate plans for The Braniel and Moneyreagh (which has its first gathering on 20 October) and other locations will unfold in the future. Many gifted and passionate people have expressed interest in the training and we would love to see the rest of the seed funding come in quickly. We encourage you to contact Bishop Harold’s office if you would like to contribute.
Episcopal Visitation of the Diocese From January to May 2014, Bishop Harold will visit every parish in the diocese to hear about their plans for mission. Leaders will be invited to especially consider: Children (passing on the faith to a new generation); Community (how you perceive the needs and issue of your local community and how you are responding to them); and Church (how outsiders are impacted when they come among you in worship). All of this will be gathered and written up, enabling us to chart our decisions and goals and to encourage and be encouraged by one another.
Youth and Children
Our Youth and Children’s Department continues to blaze a trail with training, events and resources. This summer hundreds of children attended Holiday Bible clubs all over the diocese and about 400 young people from Down and Dromore went to Summer Madness. We were joined by a 15–strong group from our link diocese of Albany who, after the festival, took part in Streetreach in Derry and Raphoe.
Children’s Praise Party
Following last year’s success, the annual Children’s Praise party was a stylish affair as children arrived at Moira parish centre with some very unusual and highly creative hats! This year’s challenge competition was to design and make a hat to celebrate good things in our lives and the winners each won £100 for their Sunday school. The theme was “Come and join the Celebration,’ and there was plenty to celebrate, with over 300 children and adults gathering from 25 parishes across the diocese.
Kilbroney Adventure Camp
Down and Dromore’s first ever diocesan Summer Camp in August was a huge hit. Forty–two young people joined eighteen leaders for an adventure week in the Church of Ireland Kilbroney Centre at the foot of the Mournes. A myriad of activities included canoeing, climbing, plunge pools and archery and campers learned new skills including those of leadership and teamwork. ‘Bible Blast’ was an important part of the daily programme and looked at what it means to be ‘called by name’ from Isaiah 45:3.
Philip Patterson
Finally, we remember with gratitude the ministry and friendship of Archdeacon Philip Patterson who died on 5 May 2013. As Bishop Harold said in his Presidential Address at Diocesan Synod, “Philip was “never simply ‘Venerable’ for the sake of the role. He was an archdeacon for the cause of the Gospel, which was at the very centre of his ordained ministry, the entirety of which was carried out in the Diocese of Down and Dromore.”
With thanks to The Church of Ireland Gazette