Parishes in Cork and Dromore dioceses make special connection
By Nicola Brown
“If God is in it, we will find the ways and means to bless this community.”
A group of eight parishioners representing Carrigrohane union of parishes in the Diocese of Cork recently travelled to Shankill parish in the Diocese of Dromore to visit and learn about the Jethro Centre in Lurgan. This cross–diocesan connection is a great example of sharing experience and expertise within our island–wide Church network. The Jethro Centre was officially opened in May 2007 and is run by Shankill Parish Caring Association (SPCA). Its vision is to promote the well–being of the inhabitants of Lurgan and surrounding areas and to promote the Christian faith among them.
The centre hosts a wide variety of courses to meet the needs of the local community, enabling the Shankill Parish Caring Association to fulfil its mission. Carrigrohane Union of Parishes – which includes Carrigrohane, Ballincollig, Inniscarra and Blarney – has a successful record of outreach but is limited by its physical separation from the main town and population area. The group’s visit to the Jethro Centre was part of its research into appropriate charitable trust models as they plan a new community resource centre in the town of Ballincollig.
Carrigrohane Union is committed to establishing a sustainable and credible witness which improves and expands the parishes’ current ministry and mission activity and, in so doing, is a source of blessing in the town of Ballincollig. Along with the Jethro Centre Manager, Andrew Dunlop, and the Chairperson of SPCA, Dessie Gregg, there was a tour of the centre which allowed the group to understand its governance structures and how it relates to the parish, looking in detail at programmes, volunteers, running costs, and internal and external funding. The visit provided an opportunity to ask honest, sometimes difficult, questions of a fellow Church of Ireland parish, and together explore the impact that pioneering Christian projects can have in local communities.
The cross–diocesan connection allowed the parishes to share meaningful experiences and to learn from one another. Bill Lane, who is co–leading the Carrigrohane Union project alongside Matt Gould, said: “It was helpful and encouraging to see how another church has chosen to engage with its broader community and become a community hub and resource. I know we have all learned a great deal and were challenged to further our vision of a similar venture in Ballincollig.”
Ideas for sharing and strengthening connections between parishes can be shared with Nicola Brown at parishsupportofficer@rcbdub.org. Ms Brown is the Church of Ireland’s Parish Support Officer and organised the collaboration between the group representing Carrigrohane Union and the SPCA referred to in this report.
This article was first published in the Church of Ireland Gazette.