The Irish Council of Churches is hosting an online ‘Voices of the Climate Crisis’ event on Tuesday, 25 May 2021, from 10.30am to 12.00noon in collaboration with Christian Aid.

The aim of this event is to equip people in church leadership (lay and ordained) to develop their church response to climate change by connecting them with people directly impacted by climate change and introducing them to resources developed by Christian Aid that will support their churches’ engagement.

You will hear Bob Kikuyu, Global Theology Advisor at Christian Aid, and Julius Mbatia and Rebekah Wilson, young climate activists from Kenya and Ireland, about the impact of climate change on peoples’ lives, and find out about resources from Christian Aid that can equip their churches to respond to the climate crisis.

You can find out more here on the Irish Council of Churches website and register at irishchurches.org/voices

By Bishop Pat Storey

On World Mental Health Day last October, the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Rev John McDowell, launched MindMattersCoI, the Church’s new mental health promotion initiative.  Wellness in body, mind and spirit is something that our Church wishes to promote and our faith deeply desires. 

We have been working hard, gathering a lot of information, developing a website and establishing an advisory group of experts to guide the project.  I am pleased to let you know that we’re now starting to collect information on awareness and attitudes towards mental health within the Church, and we need your help.  Gathering your thoughts on mental health awareness and understanding is a key phase of the project as the results will inform and shape everything else we do. 

Therefore, I would really appreciate if you would visit our website – https://mindmatters.ireland.anglican.org – and complete a short survey. It will only take about 15 minutes to complete, and the information you share will be anonymous and confidential.  We will also be running a number of online focus groups, and if you would like to join one of these, please let us know by emailing: [email protected]

If you don’t have internet access but would still like to participate, please call + 353 (0) 1 4125 660 and leave your name and address. We will post you out a copy of the survey with a stamped addressed envelope, to return directly to the project manager, and will also provide details of the focus groups should you wish to participate in them. 

The success of this initiative depends on your participation, so I would really like to encourage you to contribute and also tell your friends, relatives and fellow parishioners about this opportunity to take part and help us to respond best to the mental health needs in the Church and wider community. Updates on the project will be available on our website so do visit it regularly. Thank you in advance. 

Bishop Pat Storey chairs the Project Team and Advisory Group for MindMattersCoI.  This article was first published in the May 2021 edition of the Church of Ireland Gazette, an all–island magazine serving the Church.

Applications for the Aurora Certificate in Youth Ministry are now open. This ecumenical training course is designed to meet the needs of volunteer youth leaders who have busy lives and no formal youth work qualifications. More details can be found in the attached leaflet or at www. https://www.auroratraining.org.uk/eire

Everyone can pray for five people from Ascension to Pentecost

The Church of Ireland’s Archbishops and its Council for Mission have endorsed the Thy Kingdom Come global prayer initiative which takes place each year from Ascension Thursday to Pentecost Sunday, and will this year run from 13th May to 23rd May.

The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd John McDowell, remarked: “From fairly modest origins back in 2016, Thy Kingdom Come has grown from year to year, and has caught the imagination of many people, perhaps because of its simplicity and directness – praying that our own faith may be deepened, and that others who we love may come to share in the same faith. The wind of the Spirit would appear to be in its sails and I trust it will commend itself to many.”

The Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, said: “Thy Kingdom Come captures the dynamism and energy that flows between Ascension and Pentecost. Disciples now as then are not left comfortless but are inspired to move from the departure of the Jesus they knew to the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We in our day are called to witness and to serve and Thy Kingdom Come invites us to do so.”

The Revd Adam Pullen, Chairperson of the Council for Mission and Rector of Stranorlar, in the Diocese of Raphoe, added: “We in our parish will be taking part in Thy Kingdom Come this year yet what, you may ask, is it?

“It is taking time to pray over 11 days from Ascension to Pentecost, praying that God’s Kingdom will come on Earth. It is as simple as praying for five people, family and friends, that they will come to know Jesus, and have faith in Him. It is for all ages and all situations. Among the resources, there is Cheeky Pandas for the children, Escape Room for the youth and, for the rest of us, an app from Lectio 365 for phones and tablets, and even a paper journal we can follow each day.

“Whatever our age, our circumstance, or our level of confidence, we can all pray. I encourage you to take part and be encouraged that you are making a difference. It is amazing for me that the creator God asks us to join Him in His work: Thy Kingdom Come.”

Thy Kingdom Come is an international and inter-denominational prayer movement which started in the Church of England in 2016. Those who take part are encouraged to deepen their own relationship with Jesus Christ, pray for five friends or family members to come to faith in Jesus, and pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit so that the Church would be effective in its witness.

The Thy Kingdom Come website – www.thykingdomcome.global – features a prayer map where participants can pledge their support from where they live around the world, and includes a range of ideas, guides and resources to encourage prayer by children, young people, adults, families, schools, churches and small groups. Resources for churches include suggestions for prayer stations and 24-7 prayer, and prayer journals for parishioners.

The Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal has released €10,000 in emergency funding to support Covid relief efforts in India. Individuals and parishes are invited to contribute to support these efforts. Funds will be channelled to partner agencies working on the ground in communities in India providing vital support and supplies.

More than 200,000 lives have been lost to the pandemic in India. The pandemic has spread from large cities to smaller cities, towns and villages where its impact is largely under-reported, and the peak of the outbreak may still be two to three weeks from now.

Bishops’ Appeal’s Diocesan Representative for Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, the Revd Albert Dawson, says: “As we look at the news bulletins over the last few weeks, the situation that has evolved with Covid-19 in India is very distressing to watch. We can only imagine the distress the doctors and nurses are working in to care, as best they can with extremely limited resources, for the sick and the dying in the hospitals.

“Let us remember the doctors and nurses who have travelled to our country from India and provided care for our citizens over the last year in the hospitals and nursing homes throughout Ireland. These are very valued members of our healthcare staff and it would be one way of showing them how much we value their contribution to our society.”

Donations can be made online or by post using the reference ‘CIBA India Covid Relief’ and all details about how to contribute can be found here: https://store.ireland.anglican.org/donations/the-bishops-appeal