UPDATE ON PLANNING FOR THE DIOCESAN FORUM: STEP 2 GETS UNDERWAY

Rural Deanery Meetings to be held in May.

As was announced in last month's issue of Church Review an exciting new diocesan initiative to identify priority issues which church members feel need to be addressed within the United Dioceses has begun. The findings will be considered at a Diocesan Forum to be held at the Purcell House Conference Centre All Hallows College Drumcondra on Saturday 24 November 2001.

As part of a wide-ranging consultative process in preparation for the Forum and to ensure that all church members have an opportunity to participate a 4-Step process has begun.

Step 1 Meetings of Easter Vestries

This involved parishes considering the issues at their Easter Vestries and electing 4 representatives from each parish or group of parishes to attend rural deanery meetings.
By now Step 1 should have taken place.

Step 2 Meetings of Rural Deaneries

• This part of the wide-ranging consultative process will take place during May when
  there will be four rural deanery meetings throughout the United Dioceses.
• The elected representatives from each of the parishes or group of parishes in the rural deaneries together with the parish clergy have been invited to meet together.
• The meetings will focus on identifying up to 10 diocesan issues that need to be addressed
• Suggested ways in which this could be done will be discussed
• David Meredith will act as facilitator at each meeting.
• Also there will be a member of the Planning Committee who will act as an observer.

Step 3 The Diocesan Forum in November

Step 4 Implementation of proposals

FORUM CO-ORDINATOR APPOINTED

Geoffrey Perrin from Rathmichael Parish has accepted the Archbishop's invitation to act as the Forum Co-ordinator. He will work in close collaboration with David Meredith who has been engaged to act as facilitator of the process. Secretarial assistance will be provided for Geoffrey.

Recently retired as Head of Human Resources for KPMG Geoffrey has been a member of the Diocesan Synod for many years. He is also a member of the General Synod, the Representative Church Body, chairperson of the Audit and Stipends Committee and deputy chairperson of the Executive.

Geoffrey says, "I see this as a very exciting opportunity for the Dioceses to discuss the things that really matter. It will provide an opportunity for those who haven't so far been involved in diocesan thinking and planning to air their views and really feel involved.