Irish Times Notes07 Jan 23

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

New Year Tasks

As the Church prepares to look forward into a new year, paradoxically one of the first thing that it will do is look back, for this is the time of year when work begins on annual reports. And so, secretaries of synods, councils, committees, commissions, boards and vestries will begin to review the activities of 2022 and remind those, who need to be reminded, of the information which they require.

Although the governance of the Church of Ireland has been constantly evolving the essence of its polity is largely unchanged from that devised in the later 19th century for the newly disestablished Church. That familiar pyramidal structure with parishes at the bottom, dioceses in the middle and the General Synod and Representative Body at the top remains in place. At each level there is an array of officers, committees and commissions all of which have been elected, all of which must keep a record of their activities and most of which have a duty to annually report to the bodies which elected them. And so there will be minute books, accounts, correspondence and papers which should reveal who attended the meetings, which issues were discussed and which decisions were made about them. Perhaps the most significant feature of this polity is that representation is weighted in favour of the laity. The bishops and clergy, of course, both have a significance role, but in essence the Church of Ireland is a Church of all the people, irrespective of status or gender.

For those who are new to the Church of Ireland this sustained deliberative process often seems frustrating and something which gets in the way of ‘getting things done’ but it has served the Church well and has ensured high levels of accountability, sustained levels of involvement and appropriate levels of transparency. All may not, to quote Bishop Jeremy Taylor, ‘be clear as the windows of the morning’ but most of what is done in the Church’s name is readily apparent.

The Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland has announced the appointment of Ms Lydia Monds as Ministry Leader. In her new role, she will encourage and facilitate a healing ministry for parishes with no previous involvement, and will encourage those across the Church who already have healing ministry.

Lydia holds a Masters in Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies and a Higher Diploma in Education. Recently, she qualified as a Forest School Leader, which focuses on engaging people in nature and all the benefits that brings. Lydia has worked as the Children’s Ministry development officer for the Sunday School Society for eight years. She and the team focused on supporting children’s leaders and families in their own mental health, faith and wellbeing, particularly since the Pandemic. She was also the Education Advisor to the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal for over 11 years, in which role she collaborated with the Mothers’ Union and Tearfund to design and run a parish training titled ‘Equipping the Church to take action and end domestic abuse’. 

To request a quiet day, retreat, or other event in your parish, or to discuss the setting up of a healing prayer group or the holding of a service of healing and wholeness, contact catherine@ministryofhealing.ie. Go to the CMH:I website – ministryofhealing.ie – for further resources, including prayer cards for download and a new request facility for healing prayer for someone in need. You can also follow CMH:I on Facebook and Instagram for reflection, prayer, news, and healing meditations.