Children’s Ministry Ideas and Resources for Lent and Easter
Building Blocks have shared a 4-page PDF which features some of the ideas and resources presented at their recent online children’s ministry resources evening.
Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal Responds to Ukraine Crisis
Support for refugees channelled through Habitat for Humanity & Christian Aid
The Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development has committed €10,000 (£8,300) from its emergency funds to assist with the humanitarian response to the current crisis in Ukraine. Bishops’ Appeal is partnering with Habitat for Humanity Ireland and Christian Aid, and encouraging parishes across the island to contribute to our response to help people seeking refuge.
Jenny Williams, Chief Executive of Habitat for Humanity Ireland, remarked: “UNHCR reports that over 500,000 people fled Ukraine into neighbouring and nearby countries from 24th February to 1st March. We have strong programmes in Poland, Hungary and Romania and our European office is in Slovakia so we are on the ground responding.
“Habitat is meeting UNHCR daily and co-ordinates with governments to add value and ensure there isn’t duplication of effort. Colleagues from Hungary and Romania spent the weekend at their borders. In Romania, the need was to provide additional heat for a camp – even more important given that there was more snow at the weekend and people were cold. More broadly our focus is on supporting the shelter needs of refugees, ensuring that more people can feel safe. We will support them for the long term.”
Christian Aid’s funds will go to sister agencies in the ACT Alliance. This network of Christian aid and development agencies includes the Lutheran World Federation and Hungarian Church Aid which are both working in neighbouring countries. As the situation within Ukraine is changing by the day and there is a high level of violence within the country, Bishops’ Appeal will not be funding work within Ukraine at this stage although this will be kept under consideration.
The Most Revd John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, said: “The tragic and wholly avoidable destruction which we are witnessing in Ukraine leaves many of us in the West lost for words and at a loss to know how best to respond to alleviate suffering. However, wars always create refugees and I am grateful that Bishops’ Appeal is targeting its immediate aid efforts to assist trusted agencies working in neighbouring countries to help those who have been displaced by this invasion. I would urge all parishes to consider helping Bishops’ Appeal to increase the aid which it can provide by contributing generously in one of the ways outlined below.”
The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, said: “The developing and declining situation in Ukraine has already had devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of people. Prayerful assistance and practical assistance are both important components of our response. I commend the current initiative by Bishops’ Appeal.”
Lydia Monds, Bishops’ Appeal’s Education Advisor, added: “Bishops’ Appeal will continue to monitor access to refugees so that we as a Church can stand in solidarity with them and support them in the most effective ways possible. We will only release funding through channels that enable vital aid to reach those who need it most. We will continue to liaise with partner agencies working on the ground to provide relief. Our emergency funds will be released immediately and we invite parishes to continue to give to the Appeal so that we can continue to support efforts in a constantly evolving crisis.”
How you can help
Parishes are encouraged to contribute to the response and donations can be made, by euro or sterling, in the following ways:
- An online donation at www.bishopsappeal.ireland.anglican.org/give
- A direct lodgement into the Bishops’ Appeal bank account (details of which are provided on the Bishops’ Appeal website at the link provided above);
- Sending a cheque, payable to Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal, to: Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal, Church of Ireland House, Church Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin 6, D06 CF67;
- Making a donation through a Church of Ireland parish or diocesan office.
Taxpayers can give more help by gift aiding donations (if resident in the UK) or tax relief on donations (in the Republic of Ireland). The appropriate forms and further details on how to give are also available at www.bishopsappeal.ireland.anglican.org/give
Be Yourself? Church of Ireland Evangelical Fellowship Event – 23rd March
“BE YOURSELF” has become the creed and mantra of our culture. It is influencing everything Disney movies, fashion and sports-wear branding. “Be yourself” is perhaps the epoch-defining idea or concept of our time. Yet, does it bring happiness, is being yourself a good idea? That is the question the Church of Ireland Evangelical Fellowship (CIEF) is asking at our upcoming Zoom conference, as it welcomes Bishop Graham Tomlin as this year’s speaker. Bishop Graham has written widely on this topic, including his 2020 book Why being yourself is a bad idea. Described by the Church Times reviewer Jennie Hogan as:
a sound theological primer, perfect in a parish or chaplaincy bookshelf or for a confirmation group. Tomlin does a fine job in finding a simple structure in which weighty theological conundrums can be tackled without defence or triumph.
Dr Graham Tomlin is the bishop of Kensington, diocese of London. He was previously Principal of St Mellitus’ College and St Paul’s Theological Centre. He has written widely on both a popular and academic level.
We look forward to welcoming Bishop Tomlin on 23rd March at 7:30 pm. To register for the event and receive a zoom link, please contact us at [email protected], and for further information, keep an eye on our social media.
Dear despairing young person
We’re all too well aware of the struggles with mental health that so many people deal with on a daily basis, often silently. Young people are no exception, and they face so many pressures that can affect them deeply. For some, it can be very difficult to see any hope of things improving.
With this in mind, the Rev’d. Nick Jones (Rector of the Drung Group of Parishes), has written a series of short messages of hope entitled ‘Dear despairing young person’. He begins with these important words: ‘I just want you to know that you are incredibly valuable. Please hear that you are incredibly valuable. I imagine sometimes you feel you’re not, sometimes you feel life is not worth living, sometimes it hurts so much that you think it’s not worth carrying on, but please listen again, you are incredibly valuable.’
All of these articles can be read at www.drungchurches.com/rectorsblog/; on the ‘Drung Group of Churches’ or ‘YKEA’ Facebook pages; or by clicking the links below. Please share them widely, particularly with any young people you have contact with. You have no idea the difference they could make to an individual! We thank Nick for responding to this need and pray that the Holy Spirit will bring these messages to those who need to hear them, and use them to draw them to Christ who is our hope in every situation.
- https://www.drungchurches.com/rectorsblog/2022/2/1/dear-despairing-young-person
- https://www.drungchurches.com/rectorsblog/2022/2/2/dear-despairing-young-person-2
- https://www.drungchurches.com/rectorsblog/2022/2/3/y1al6xzfjactd6cvr2zkngzgy7v79r
- https://www.drungchurches.com/rectorsblog/2022/2/4/dear-despairing-young-person-4
- https://www.drungchurches.com/rectorsblog/2022/2/8/dear-despairing-young-person-5
Bishop’s Letter February 2022
February is with us with winter giving way to spring. The days are stretching out. Sunrise yesterday in Cavan was a glorious sight. The sky was bathed in a burnt orange glow. The clouds in the orange-coloured dawn warned that rain was on the way, as the well-known weather lore says: “Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning.” Just ahead of the rain came another glorious sight, a flight of around twenty swans above the roof of the See House. They were whooper swans with distinctive yellow beaks.
Whooper swans are one of the largest flying birds. Adults have wingspans over seven feet. Every autumn they fly from their breeding grounds in Iceland to winter in Ireland and Britain. They are attracted to the wet lands of Upper Lough Erne and Lough Oughter, often returning to the same fields year after year. Whoopers can live well into their twenties which is unusual in the bird world. The sight of them flying and making their distinctive trumpeting sound is a wonder to behold and cheered a winter’s day.
To date the winter has been unusually mild, but it could yet have a sting in the tail. Remember the so-called Beast from the East which sent bitterly cold winds then snow In February 2018, four years ago now. We have been so absorbed by Covid that the weather goes unnoticed to a large extent. Other things are on our minds.
The death of Lady Farnham, in late December was announced in the national and regional papers. Lady Farnham, who was ninety, served as a lady-in waiting to Queen Elizabeth for over thirty years. She accompanied the Queen on many engagements, including her historic visit to Ireland in 2011. A former press secretary to the Queen was quoted in The Times as saying that Lady Farnham was “a very glamorous figure with a wonderful sense of humour.”
Diana Gunnis, married Barry Maxwell, the 12thBaron Farnham in 1959. The Maxwells acquired land in Co. Cavan in the seventeenth century and in time became the largest landowners in the county The Farnham seat was just outside Cavan town. Lord and Lady Farnham, divided their time between Cavan and London until Lord Farnham’s death in 2001. The following year, the House and Estate were sold to become the Farnham Estate and Golf resort. She is survived by two daughters and four grandchildren who live in England. Her remains are due to be laid in the family vault after a service in Kilmore Cathedral this month.
The Scriptures teach us that the seasons come and go and that people too, have their coming and going That’s just the way it is. The writer of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, reminds us that there is a time and season for everything under heaven in chapter 3 and verses 1 to 8. Time waits for nobody. In verse 14 the author writes, “ I know that everything that God does will last forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.”
In all the seasons and changes of life we look to God and find an anchor and firm footing in the unsteadiness of these times.
+Ferran
Church of Ireland Appoints New Children and Families Development Officer
The Church of Ireland has appointed Ms Rachael Murphy as its Children and Families Development Officer. Ms Murphy has worked in the youth and children’s sector for the past 27 years; in this role, which is a three-year appointment, she will be responsible for raising the profile of children and families ministry, training, supporting and developing resources.
Welcoming her appointment, Bishop George Davison remarked: “On behalf of the Church of Ireland Board for Ministry with Children and Families, I’m delighted to welcome Rachael Murphy to the role of Development Officer. Her warm personality and wealth of experience will be great assets as we seek to develop the work of this new Board to resource and support the Church in its ministry with children and families.”
Rachael says: “I am both humbled and excited by the appointment in equal measure, as it brings together my love for children’s ministry and my passion to see families equipped and empowered.
“The past two years in particular have seen our families and children’s ministry come under great strain; it has required the Church to look for new and innovative ways to engage. As the saying goes ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ and there have been some fantastic ideas and programmes that have come forward during this time, so it is exciting now to see how the Church can further develop this vital ministry for God’s glory.
“There are so many amazing, dedicated and talented people who have been working tirelessly for God through this period and long before, reaching out to children and their families. It is my hope to raise the profile of this amazing ministry, to highlight the huge impact it has on church life and to support those who have given, and continue to give, so much of their time, skills and energy across the island of Ireland.”
Find out more about Children and Families Ministry at www.ireland.anglican.org/CFM or on our social media channels – Facebook at @churchofirelandchildrensministry and Instagram @coficfm
Explore Lent and Easter resources with the newly expanded Building Blocks team
Sign up and receive a training pack bursting with ideas for Lent and Easter.
Use these resources to support parishes, Sunday Clubs and families as we journey together, learning more and more about God’s incredible plan to make all things new.
Practitioners from around Ireland will share ideas that can be used in a variety of contexts. Creative Prayers, interactive stories, simple packs to spark children’s curiousity about Jesus and the Cross, family devotionals, 40 day challenges, outdoor activities and indoor prayer spaces of welcome and belonging where connection and faith together can flourish.
Don’t miss out!’
Two new Canons Installed in Kilmore Cathedral
Congratulations to Canon Ian Horner and Canon Ruth West who were installed as Prebendaries of St Fethlimidh’s Cathedral last Sunday night (23rd January 2022). Canon Ruth (from the Florencecourt Group of Parishes ) will serve as Prebendary of Drumlease and Canon Ian (from the Bailieborough Group of Parishes) will serve as Prebendary of Annnagh. The service was presided over by Bishop Ferran Glenfield and led by Dean Nigel Crossey. The Very Reverend Arfon Williams, Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Mary and St. John, Sligo acted as Registrar.
The address at the service was given by the Archdeacon of Kilmore, the Ven. Craig McCauley who preached from 1st Corinthians chapter 12 and Luke chapter 4. In his sermon, he drew the congregation’s attention to the obvious fact that we are community of different people with different gifts, different talents and different backgrounds but are all part of a greater and more important whole. Whether, like Jesus, we are rejected or not we each have a vital part to play in proclaiming the good news of the risen Lord Jesus. He concluded his sermon with this prayer from an old hymn:
Day by day, dear Lord, of these three things I pray; to see thee more clearly, to love thee more dearly, to follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen
We thank God for the newly installed Canons and pray that they may know God’s presence as they begin this new phase of their ministry.
Pictured above are the Chapter of Kilmore Cathedral: Canon Ian Horner, Canon Mark Lidwell, Archdeacon Craig McCauley, Bishop Ferran Glenfield, Dean Nigel Crossey, Canon Ruth West.
New Survey: Ethnic Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Justice in the Church of Ireland
A new survey seeks to gather the views of members of the Church of Ireland on ethnic diversity, inclusion and racial justice. The initiative of the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd John McDowell, follows discussions with members and clergy and those serving in lay ministry from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds on the progress made within the Church on drawing on our rich diversity.
At the Church of Ireland’s most recent General Synod in September 2021, the Archbishop said: “It was a little troubling to hear about how we had not drawn anything like deeply enough on the rich diversity of backgrounds in our Church. The meeting had also helped me to understand how difficult it can be to be a person of colour on this island and even, at times, in our Church.”
The research now being carried out has been designed in collaboration with the group of ethnically diverse clergy and lay readers who have now met on a further occasion, and will, along with other strands, examine and make recommendations on how the Church of Ireland can become truly a place of welcome for those from every ethnic background, both lay and clergy. The research is led by Dr Lucy Michael of the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough.
The Archbishop said: “Already in their discussions the group have also highlighted the positive experience of giving and receiving, but there is much we will need to do if we are to be the place which not only includes, but also celebrates, the God-given difference of the Catholic Church which we stand on our hind legs and proclaim ourselves to be in the words of the ancient Creeds, Sunday by Sunday.”
The Archbishop will publish and share the findings of the research and recommendations ahead of General Synod 2022.
All lay and clerical members of the Church are invited to give their views in this survey, which can be accessed at www.ireland.anglican.org/diversity-survey
Young Leaders in Ministry Fund – closing date 31st January 2022
As our teenagers and young adults look forward to a new year of youth ministry, the Church of Ireland Youth Department’s Young Leaders in Ministry Fund is once again open for applications. The fund is open to young people aged between 15 and 25 years who can demonstrate a current involvement in the Church of Ireland. It seeks to support training and development courses, mission teams, leadership opportunities and placements that can be shown to:
- significantly develop the faith of the young adult applicant;
- grow the skills of the applicant especially, but not confined to, leadership skills; and
- be of significant use to the ministry of the Church of Ireland in the 12 months following the completion of the opportunity.
The next closing date is Monday, 31st January 2022, and application forms (in PDF format) can be downloaded at this link (https://www.ireland.
Please send all completed applications by post to: Young Leaders in Ministry Fund, CIYD, Church of Ireland House, 61–67 Donegall Street, Belfast, BT1 2QH, or by email to [email protected]
For any further information or questions please email [email protected]