A year in the diocese
Each September we look back at the previous 12 months in the diocese and celebrate all that God is doing among us. We are glad to report that, following our Year of 24/7 Prayer in 2014 and the busy Year of Mission 2015, Down and Dromore continues to maintain a focus in mission and discipleship.
Church halls have always been an intersection for church and community and Drumbeg Parish opened a beautiful new facility in May. It will be well used and become part of the rich tapestry of worship and creative outreach that our parishes engage in weekly. This year of two centenaries also presented unique opportunities to remember and reflect with our local communities.
In March, the Braniel and Gilnahirk Churches, together with Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock, facilitated schools in the Castlereagh and East Belfast area in ‘ethical remembering’ . The pupils, all of whom were born in and around the time of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, shared their different perspectives on the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme. A few months later, the Somme was commemorated with special services across the diocese including a cross–community prayer vigil in Down Cathedral.
A number of parishes also celebrated Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th Birthday. Down and Dromore MU organised a wonderful Tea Party for 100 guests including 45 nonagenarians and one centenarian. The event attracted a TV crew and Bishop Harold presented each guest with a copy of an illustrated short book celebrating the Queen’s faith.
Church plants
The diocese’s four church planting initiatives continue to do well in Moneyreagh, Braniel, The Glen and Killough. The Lecale Area Mission Partnership (LAMP) has entered a new phase with the Appointment of Revd Adrian Dorrian as Associate Minister and Director of Children’s and Youth Ministry. The Revd Scott McDonald has also joined the LAMP ministry team as a Diocesan Curate.
Training
Our ‘Life Changing Leadership’ initiative is part of a strategy to further expand lay training in the diocese and encourage the emergence of new leaders.
Diocesan Development Officer, Andrew Brannigan, says: “We want to recognise and develop ministry in all its forms, so we’re creating pathways to help people of all ages discover their gifts and use them to the full. Our hope is to mobilise new lay ministry in our parishes that will build up and grow the church. We’re also very encouraged by the record numbers of people training as Diocesan Readers and exploring ordained ministry.”
The Network Course is one entry point for those who want to discover their gifts and calling and there are several other initiatives planned for 2016/17: Emerging Leaders Training aimed at young people aged Year 11 and upwards; Welcoming Church Training Evenings; Pastoral Care Training and Family Faith Seminars.
The 2 year Diocesan Evangelists course is now well established with 8 Evangelists commissioned on St Patrick’s Day in 2016, 16 more in training and a new course beginning in January.
Youth and Children
After another successful Children’s Praise party in May, it was a busy summer with Holiday Bible Clubs taking place in parishes all over the diocese. Three packed Adventure and J.A.M. Camps went ahead at the Kilbroney Centre in August and, due to growing demand, there are plans to expand this ministry in 2017.
The Diocesan Youth Officer, Tim Burns, began a new youth event in December. ‘Saturday Night Live’ was hosted by four different parishes throughout the year and drew about 80 young people from a variety of youth groups each time. These were relaxed evenings with games, food, worship and a guest speaker and were especially helpful to smaller Youth Fellowships. The theme this year was different aspects of ‘Faith’ and in 2016/17 it will be ‘The Bible’.
In 2015, Diocesan Children’s Officer, Julie Currie, launched a brand new Sunday School curriculum called ‘Jigsaw – Connecting God’s Big Picture’. After a successful pilot year, Julie is releasing the Year 2 curriculum termly to 30 churches whilst 12 new churches have embarked on Year 1.
“Feedback has been very positive,” says Julie. “Jigsaw has grown some Sunday Schools and stabilised others and has definitely built on the good teaching our children have had over the years. Some churches have also used the All–age service outlines very successfully.”
Eventually Jigsaw will be a complete 6 year curriculum comprising two 3–year cycles. It is available free to Down and Dromore parishes.
South Sudan
Our link diocese of Maridi still faces tremendous challenges as South Sudan remains in a fragile state. Fortunately, two small teams were able to go ahead with visits to Maridi and Ibba in January. They contributed to several ongoing projects and brought training to local pastors. We are privileged to journey with Maridi Diocese and also with the Diocese of Albany and the Diocese of Northern Argentina as we seek in our respective places to faithfully serve God’s mission in the world.
This article first appeared on 30 September in the Church of Ireland Gazette