Pictured at the Down & Dromore
Diocesan Synod 2006 in Down & Dromore
Diocesan Synod 2006 at St John�s Parish
Centre, Moira on Thursday 22nd June is L to R:
(back row) Rev Canon Roderic West,
Archdeacon John Scott, Rt Rev Harold
Miller - Bishop of Down & Dromore, Rev
Canon Rajkumar Sathyaraj, Archdeacon
Gregor McCamley and Rev Joanne Megarrell.
(seated at front) Rev Alan Millar, Rev
Canon Robert Howard and the Very Rev
Stephen Lowry.
280 delegates attended the Down & Dromore
Diocesan Synod 2006 in St John�s Parish Centre, Moira on
Thursday 22nd June from 2.15pm to 9.45pm. The Synod began with a Holy Communion
service; the preacher was the Reverend Canon Rajkumar Sathyaraj.
In his Presidential address, the Bishop of Down & Dromore, the
Right Reverend Harold Miller said that the theme for this his
tenth Synod in the Diocese of Down and Dromore could be summed
up in one word: RESPECT. The following is a summary of
Bishop Miller�s address:
Don�t get worried, I�m not going to major
on respect for bishops, though St Paul does say to all of us
�Respect those who are over you in the Lord�! That kind of
respect has to be earned these days, and I have to say that I
believe there is a strong mutual respect � and a sense of joy
and privilege in ministry � in the diocese at this time, for
which I am truly grateful.
But there are several areas of our common
life in this province where, it seems to me, that respect and
valuing of other human beings is at a low ebb. And it is these
on which I want to focus, because if we do not face these issues
as a society, and speak into these issues as churches, our
future is very bleak indeed.
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The Very Rev. John Dinnen - Dean of
Down, Rev Canon Roderic West and David
Cromie pictured at the Down & Dromore
Diocesan Synod 2006 in St John�s Parish
Centre, Moira on Thursday 22nd June.
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Respect for other races
The first, highlighted by Canon Raj�s
address at the opening Eucharist and his report to CMS Ireland
is, quite simply, RACISM. I was appalled, when I returned from
the Albany Diocesan Convention to hear a report of a touring
under 19�s Indian cricket team chased by youths through Belfast
and experiencing their accommodation being stoned. Brothers and
sisters, we know this kind of thing is going on at regular
intervals. The myth of our so-called Ulster hospitality and
warmth has been blown open. It was such a joy to welcome people
from a whole range of nationalities to Down Cathedral on St
Patrick�s Day this year � and to see how much those who came
valued the invitation. We said to them �If you are not Irish
come into the parlour�. But I have to say that this really must
get down to local parish level, not simply in terms of not
cold-shouldering people of other cultures, but in terms of
positive outgoing welcome and action, valuing of those who are
marginalized, and embracing the wonderful faith and gifts which
so many of our new neighbours bring to us.
I was recently at the annual meeting of
�Embrace�, which focuses in on these issues from a church
perspective. We were told there that unemployment in Northern
Ireland is at an all-time low (only 4%) and we, along with the
rest of this island are actually dependent on people coming to
live here from other cultures. We cannot develop economically
without them. As churches, we also need to say that we, in our
sometimes traumatised introversion after the troubles, need the
gifts and faith of ordinary people from other backgrounds to
bring new life to our congregations. Respect of people from
other cultures is vital.
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Barry Harrison - Parish Reader,
Bertie Logan - Lay Reader, Rev Liz
Hewitt and the Very Rev. Fr Brian Brown
PP pictured at the Down & Dromore
Diocesan Synod 2006 in St John�s Parish
Centre, Moira on Thursday 22nd June.
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Respect for the two communities
The second aspect of RESPECT, which we need
to focus on is RESPECT for the two indigenous communities which
inhabit this province alongside those from other cultures. That
theme is nothing new. It has often been noted (not least by the
Croatian theologian, Miroslav Wolf) that there is a kind of
trajectory of lack of respect. It develops through different
stages, all of which we have seen and experienced in Northern
Ireland. There is first of all the devaluing of the humanity of
others because they are different; then we begin to distance
ourselves from them, to pass on negative stories about them, to
create a society in which they have no voice and rights, to
airbrush them out; and finally in the worst scenarios it can
lead to ethnic cleansing. This was focussed for me on one
occasion when driving around the ring road and seeing the
graffiti: �Keep Ulster tidy: Kill all Taigs�. We have all been
guilty of this lack of respect for and valuing of �the other�!
Thankfully, I believe the church, and not least our own Diocese,
has given a (perhaps inadequate) lead in helping to build
bridges across the divide, not least through the work of Charlie
Leeke. And the Church of Ireland continues this ministry
through the �Hard Gospel� programme.
I have some degree of concern at the
moment, which I expressed at this year�s General Synod, that
this lack of respect is being felt now in reverse � by the
Protestant Community itself. For me, and I think for Bishop
Alan, who joins us today, the events of the late summer of 2005
were a glimpse into this particular abyss. A community, -
indeed the community, which has historically identified with the
Church of Ireland � which feels itself to be disrespected,
devalued, rudderless and indeed leaderless, (exacerbated of
course by the political vacuum at Stormont). I saw this on my
visitation of the inner city areas, and I also saw a community
looking to the churches to take a new lead. I want to say
firmly that no one has the right to disrespect protestant
culture, sincerely felt Britishness and appropriately expressed
traditions, so long as those traditions do not dominate or
diminish others. Last September I sensed a working-class
protestant community with such a poor self-image that it was
prepared in a lemming-like manner to jump over the cliff rather
than embrace the future. We must not allow this to continue,
and need to support our churches in working-class areas which
are seeking to build up confidence and lead the community to a
healthy Christian future. May I also say how sadden I was to
hear last night of the death of Monsignor Denis Faul, who in is
own outspoken way was much loved and valued for his honesty and
fairness in both communities.
Respect for human value
Area number three is RESPECT FOR HUMAN
VALUE AND LIFE. There is a whole �package� of issues here. I
mention only a few of them. For example, we live in a society
where it would be easy to respect only those whose lives appear
to be productive. I have always had a particular abhorrence of
abortion, while realizing that there are some very extreme cases
where there is no other option. But the very idea that it is
becoming increasingly possible to choose to abort a foetus
simply for social reasons or because of abnormalities (the
extreme case which gained publicity recently was a �club foot�)
is so utterly anti-Christian that there are hardly words to
describe it. May I also say how pleased I was yesterday to hear
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O�Connor raise the issue of reviewing the
Abortion Law in England, especially in regard to a new upper
time limit for the period in which abortion is permitted. At
the other end of the life �spectrum, it was a joy to see not
only all the churches working together, but indeed faith groups
working together, to ensure the rejection of Lord Joffe�s
Assisted Suicide Bill in the House of Lords; which I gather
would not immediately have applied to Northern Ireland, but
would no doubt eventually have had an impact here. My only
shock was that the votes were only 148-100.
Christians must always show respect for the
inherent value of human life as God-given, for the vulnerable
unborn child in the womb, the disabled or mentally weak person,
(may I, on your behalf, welcome the Special Olympics Ireland
Games to the Diocese over the next five days), and the aged and
infirm who can so easily persuaded that they no longer have
value and that life is not worth living. And in my experience,
the church is one of the places where this human respect is most
fully found.
I could go on to speak of so many other
areas of crisis in our society, in which our valuing and respect
of others is key to a way forward:
- Domestic violence � women and men
- Physical and sexual abuse
- Drug and alcohol problems
- Bullying of children
- Dehumanizing of people because of their sexuality.
The list is endless � the clergy will be
looking in detail at many of these pastoral areas at their
conference in October.
Brothers and sisters in the Gospel, the
call on us as Christ-people is to give the value and respect to
others, which Christ in his grace has given to us. To recognise
that in serving others we serve him. To understand that no
sinfulness, difference or wrong stamps out the essential image
of God in which we are created, and to continue to grow a church
in which all are welcome, all are received in Christ�s name, and
all are enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit to become aware
of how greatly and perfectly they are loved and valued by God.
Then, together, we will grow to be disciples, more and more like
Jesus our Master and our example.
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Ladies from Moira Parish, who
catered for the members of the Down &
Dromore Diocesan Synod 2006 in St John�s
Parish Centre, Moira on Thursday 22nd
June. L to R: Bina Brown, Margaret
Purdy, Joan West, Hope Henderson, Betty
Derby, Valerie Little, Phyllis Kennedy,
Heather Dillon and Jacquie Simpson.
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Retirements
The General Synod last month was saddened
by the news that the primate has announced his retirement for
the end of the year. This is not the time for long eulogies,
but we do recognise not only that he has ministered (in all
three orders of ministries in Down and Dromore), and that he
will be returning to Down and Dromore when he retires. We wish
Robin and Christine God�s richest blessings in the years to come
and thank them for the way they have poured themselves out not
only for the Church of Ireland, but for the whole Anglican
Communion and indeed the wider church of God.
This is the last Diocesan Synod for the
Archdeacon of Down, Gregor McCamley, who is to retire at the end
of February 2007. Gregor was really the person who looked after
me when I arrived from Cork, green behind the ears, in 1997. He
and Rosemary took me into their home for weeks while the See
House was being made ready. He has always been a loyal, loving,
likeable and blunt colleague; I will miss him greatly, as will
all of us. But again, he will not be far away, but will be
living in the diocese and will become Chaplain to the Retired
Clergy when Bishop Ned Darling (whom I would like to thank for
his dedication to the task) lays it down in February. Ned has
had a very special place in the lives of the retired clergy and
widows � 111 households of them, and worked alongside the
parochial clergy in caring for them and valuing them as
co-workers in the Vineyard.
I do not usually name names of those who
are celebrating ordination anniversaries at the Synod, but as
this is the very day on which David Brown, Tom Conway, Sam
Jones, Paul Hewitt, David Humphries and Roderic West are
celebrating, we specially mention them. And join with them many
whose anniversary is at this time.
My own 30th anniversary of
Ordination to the Diaconate is in two day�s time, on St John the
Baptist Day and along with the other clergy here I simply marvel
that God has chosen me to serve him in this way at such a time
as this. He has also chosen and redeemed each one here and we
are privileged to be the people of His Kingdom. Glory to God
who is always able to do far more than we could, ask, think or
imagine.
Other presentations were:
- �Confirmation - Not a Passing Out
Parade� (Andrew Brannigan)
- �Church, not as you have known it�
(Colin Corbridge & Jasper Rutherford)
- �The work of the Mothers� Union in the Diocese� (Anne Neill & Roberta Rogers)
- �Fairtrade� (Margaret McNulty)