The Church of Ireland: It's Mission and Prophetic action


I love the Church of Ireland.  It is my spiritual home. The Lord Jesus found me when I was a spiritually wandering teenager, saved me and brought me into a loving church. I was married and had my children baptised there.  The Rev Adrian McCartney taught us about the Holy Spirit and our faith began to burn. Events like Summer Madness and New Wine added spiritual fuel and we were set on fire. I had a burning desire to reach the lost and point them towards the Saviour – Jesus Christ.
The Anglican Church stretches far and wide. I've seen vibrant village churches in remote parts of Paraguay and Argentina. On this island, Church of Ireland parishes are woven like a tapestry across the land and into the fabric of society. Our mission to people is to explain the gospel, make disciples, and to help those in need. Our mission to society is to further the Kingdom of God.
Each parish and each person has a responsibility to act on mission. To do the stuff. To go to where people are, offer help, pray for healing, and share the good news of Jesus.  To be the bedrock for care, love, peace and grace in a community.
For the mission to society the Church of Ireland must be a prophetic voice. To speak out for those who cannot: the poor, the refugee, the vulnerable; for those affected by disaster and destruction. The church must also act prophetically.  Decisive action tolls a bell calling society back to the Kingdom of God.
Today, society faces no greater threat than climate change. According to Ban Ki Moon the UN Secretary General, “Climate change is an existential threat.”
The Church of Ireland can speak out on behalf of millions of people suffering from climate change and air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels. Air pollution kills as many people as tobacco smoking. Climate change leads to more powerful storms, floods, heat waves, and droughts that are devastating vulnerable people and fuelling conflict and persecution. 
The Bishops’ Appeal is one voice calling for more to be done and it does a wonderful job channelling funds to help alleviate suffering through charities like Christian Aid and Tearfund.  All of us should learn more, give more, and encourage our bishops to speak more with a prophetic voice.
The Church of Ireland can also act prophetically. The Representative Church Body (RCB) manages investment funds for clergy pensions and central funds to which each parish contributes. Millions are invested in fossil fuel companies.
The church can act prophetically by removing all of its investments from fossil fuels.  Acting decisively will sound the bell for other institutions: churches, universities, government and investment bodies to signal that the time has for change has come. Society must begin to care for creation and keep fossil fuels in the ground.
It is time to pray that the Church of Ireland will strengthen its mission to people and society, to make disciples and further God’s Kingdom.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Care for Creation - new growth in Ireland

Image
It is been quite a year for Care for Creation in Irish Churches, perhaps it could even be called a season of new growth. And it all came about because of two teenage girls speaking passionately. Tori and Isobella from Mullingar Parish in county Meath spoke for a few minutes at the Irish Churches Creation Care conference and captured the hearts of the audience and explained what creation care is all about.  You can see the moment below, Their project Lighten Our Darkness by Numbers is a youth-led response to climate change. They are educating church goers, engaging communities, building bridges to businesses, and enhancing biodiversity in church graveyards.   This short talk from the girls had a deep impact on the Archbishop of Armagh, and he spoke about it at his presidential address in General Synod.  Archbishop John McDowell said, We need to do what that group of young people from Westmeath are doing. That is, to work on ways of inspiring and equipping parishes t...
Read more

Speech to General Synod 2022

Image
Photo from Stephen Spillane The support from the RCB to parishes, dioceses and cathedrals during the Covid-19 emergency was most welcome. It helped us worship in difficult at times. May I suggest we use this model of support to respond to other emergencies too. The World Health Organisation said in October last year that, “the single biggest health threat facing humanity” is Climate change. We must take decisive action. I want to thank the RCB for leading the way by divesting and supporting the Creation Care Conference in April.  But it is also up to every diocese, every parish, and every one of us to take action. We need a grassroots movement to transform our churches and our lives for a sustainable future. And church leaders, you might need to sow some fresh seed to help the grass roots grow. I think the RCB can support this movement by responding to the Climate Emergency, just as it did with Covid. For example, How many of you clergy have lived in a cold and draf...
Read more

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland to vote on fossil fuel divestment

Image
  Photo by  Lukasz Szmigiel  on  Unsplash There have been a number of very positive statements from the PCI in the last few months on climate change, and today there is an opportunity for action to stop funding fossil fuels. The church's decision to support The Climate Sundays initiative is really positive. The moderator is encouraging congregations across Ireland to set aside one Sunday in October as `Climate Sunday' to focus on God's creation and humanity's responsibility to be good stewards of it. Rev Dr David Bruce also produced a Climate Conversation video to outline briefly some of the theological reasons why Christians should take climate change seriously and care for creation. This is all very welcome. Another key moment will be today, Tuesday 5th October, when the General Assembly will vote on a motion to divest from fossil fuels. It aims to fully divest from fossil fuel production companies that it holds - that's £5m in BP, Shell and Total - and to engag...
Read more