Faith Reignited – Elphin Archdeaconry 14th-24th May
The feast days of Ascension and Pentecost marked the outline of the special emphasis time in the Archdeaconry of Elphin called Faith Reignited. In brief, it involved each Parish or Group running an event or two themselves aimed at reconnecting with some of the disenfranchised Church of Ireland community in their area. Then in the evenings we held a series of eight meetings in different venues, each arranged around a question including: ‘How can I have confidence in the Bible? How can I know what’s real?’ And to conclude, ‘How can I experience God?’
It was very much a team effort, the ideas being developed from our clergy and reader Archdeaconry gatherings. Revd Luke Pratt explains how we sensed the Spirit leading us in the direction we went. He writes:
‘After some discussions at the initial prayer and planning meeting for Faith Reignited, an image came to me which helped steer our conversations and focus our subsequent plans for this archdeaconry mission initiative.
I saw a large temple with many strong and sturdy pillars — clearly old, but remarkably well maintained — sitting in bright daylight against a blue sky. What first struck me about the image, as I held it in my mind, was how impressive it looked. Nevertheless, what then became more apparent was how, when I peered past the façade, there was just darkness. There were no torches lining the colonnade, or people milling in or out. In a word, there seemed to be little in the way of life.
Sharing the image with the group, it appeared to chime with other observations which were being offered, and was a cause for reflection on how the Church in our context can sometimes look a little like that to us.’
Looking back we can say it was a very encouraging time. The parish events went well and attracted a fair few fringe people. These included messy church, walks, picnics, quizzes, prayer stations in the Cathedral and even displays of Sunday School memorabilia. The evening meetings were great. A nucleus of people came to most of them with others who came to just one. The addresses were engaging, stretching, stimulating and biblical. On the penultimate night one young couple in their 20s asked when we were going to do it again!
At the start we really didn’t know who would show up or how it would work out. People did, and benefitted. However, it feels like it was a start – there is a lot more to be done and many more people to reach. Please pray that we would discern the Spirit’s leading as to what we should do next.
Mothers’ Union All Ireland is delighted to announce the appointment of The Revd Alistair Doyle as its new All Ireland Chaplain for the 2026 to 2028 triennial.