Standing Committee & RB25 Jun 19

Standing Committee News

The Standing Committee of the General Synod met on Tuesday, 18th June 2019, in Church of Ireland House, Dublin.  Ms Hazel Corrigan opened the meeting in prayer.

The Honorary Secretaries reported that, following invitations from the respective Churches, the Ven David Huss and Mr Mike Johnston attended the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (3rd–7th June) in Belfast and the Very Revd Nigel Dunne and Mr Joc Sanders attended the Methodist Conference (12th–16th June) in Ardfallen Methodist Church, Cork, on behalf of the Church of Ireland.  Mr Ken Gibson is likewise to attend the July Group of Sessions of the General Synod of the Church of England.

The Standing Committee agreed that the 2021 meeting of the General Synod would be held in the Armagh City Hotel and asked the Honorary Secretaries to explore holding future meetings of General Synod in dioceses in which they have not been held previously.

A resolution was passed to ask the current members of the General Synod Representation Working Group and the two Honorary Secretaries serving as facilitators to continue their work based on the principles endorsed by the General Synod, with a view to the presentation of a Bill by the Standing Committee at General Synod in 2020.

Further to the Standing Committee’s resolution of November 2016, the Standing Committee approved the addition of a second national school principal (from a small rural school) and a second external academic expert to the membership of the Advisory Council for the Church of Ireland Centre at Dublin City University’s Institute of Education.

The full membership of the Advisory Council would therefore comprise two Church of Ireland school patrons (one of whom will act as Chair); an Honorary Secretary who is a member of the Board of Education (RI); a member of a board of management of a Church of Ireland national school, who is a member of the Board of Education (RI); two national school principals, one of whom shall be from a small rural school; a member of the RCB with financial or auditing expertise; and two external academic experts, at least one of whom shall be from the Republic of Ireland.

The following grants from the General Synod Royalties Fund were approved:

– £4,000 to the Liturgical Advisory Committee to print and distribute to parishes ‘A Treasure in Clay Jars: Thoughts and Reflections on the Canticles’;

– €2,000 to the Rev Canon Dr Maurice Elliott and the Rev Dr Paddy McGlinchey to subvent the publication by Wipf and Stock Publishers of ‘Perspectives on Spirituality and Prayer’; and

– €1,000 towards the publication by Four Courts Press with Church of Ireland Publishing of ‘A Churchwarden’s Account of the Parish of St Bride, 1663–1792,’ edited by Mr Ronnie Wallace.

The next meeting date for the Standing Committee will be held on Tuesday, 17th September, at 2pm.  Standing Committee meetings are to be held on the following dates in 2020:

– 21st January (please note change from 28th January);

– 10th March;

– 21st April;

– 16th June;

– 15th September;

– 17th November.

The meeting closed with the Grace.