'THE SIGNS ARE THAT GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR THIS CHURCH':

ARCHBISHOP NEILL'S PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TO
DUBLIN AND GLENDALOUGH DIOCESAN SYNOD

Delivering the Presidential Address to the Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Synods taking place in Taney Parish Centre, Dundrum on 16 October 2007 at 5.00pm, the Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough, the Most Revd Dr John Neill emphasized the opportunities for growth and service by the Church of Ireland and other Christian churches in a changing Ireland.

Describing the Church of Ireland in the title of his address as “a Church with growing opportunities” he emphasised that “This is worded very carefully, because the Church is not in the business of size and success, it is in the business of service, and ever more service, service in the world to the glory of God.” He added that the growth of the Church of Ireland in recent years as a result of both immigration and people joining from other traditions and none “presents two interesting and inter-linked challenges. The first is that as a church, we are being opened up to a much richer cultural mix, and that an increasing number of people do not share the historical sensibilities (or prejudices if you prefer!) that once defined a member of the Church of Ireland. The exciting challenge is to hold together, and to allow something of this diversity to develop. The second challenge is closely related – it is that we live in an increasingly secular society, one where Christian belonging, let alone allegiance to a particular church, is often much looser.”

Concluding on the topic, the Archbishop said “We have to get away from the idea either that the Church of Ireland community is in decline – it is now bigger than it was fifty years ago, or that the church is going to shrink. We will only shrink if we cease to plan for growth, if we fail to grasp the new opportunities that God is putting there for us to grasp, or if we simply cling to everything as it always was. The signs are that God still has a purpose for this Church.”

Turning to ecumenical relations the Archbishop praised the charta ecumenica signed in 2001 by the Protestant, Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican Churches (under the Conference of European churches) and the Roman Catholic Church and added that the “outreach of Christian Churches will be increasingly ecumenical.” He added however, that what the charta ecumenica “sadly fails to address is something that has become a serious ecumenical stumbling block. It fails to address the issue that in an ecumenical context, churches must commit themselves to cease making negative statements about the status of other churches. ... We need to agree to something which states quite clearly that whereas we may say many positive things about our own tradition, we must not continue to make statements which diminish other churches. We cannot be serious about ecumenical relationships unless we respect the richness and diversity of the Church of God.”

On education, the Archbishop emphasised that “Church of Ireland schools are not run solely for members of the Church of Ireland. ... The priority in a school under Church of Ireland patronage is to provide for the Church of Ireland community within its own catchment area, but after that to cater for others. In most areas, we are not running Church of Ireland schools only for members of the Church of Ireland – such is not even necessarily a good thing. Diversity among the student population, denominational as much as ethnic, is to be welcomed.”

He went on to call for “a debate as to the way in which the State continues to provide for a much more diverse Ireland which is fast coming into being. It would be my sincere hope that new initiatives will be taken which will not undermine the contribution of church schools by diluting them beyond recognition. At the same time we must encourage all our schools to seek ways in which we can accommodate those who come to this island from many other places. One of the saddest results of the present shortage of places in some areas is that emergency provision is made which tends to separate the newcomer from the well established community. Very careful planning must replace the sort of crisis provision that occurred within the area covered by the diocese this summer.”

On the issue of “the new Irish” the Archbishop described family reunification as “a major issue”. While acknowledging that “Legislation must seek to prevent exploitation, such as sham marriage” the Archbishop cautioned that attempting to handle the issue under secondary legislation has implications. He continued, “For example, aspects of the legislation relating to marriage raise particular problems for non-Irish EU citizens who may be married to a person who is not an EU citizen. In such an instance, the fear of exploitation of an immigration process is in danger of creating a system that has the risk of proving both inhuman and unjust.” He also called on the Government to increase its present Direct Provision of €19 per week (unchanged since 2002) describing it as “surely no longer adequate” and call for immigrants who have not had a decision on their status in six months to be allowed to work.

At an international level, the Archbishop said that for the Anglican Communion “[the] sense of communion is being lost by some Anglicans who seem intent on erecting barriers which often reflect cultural as much as theological differences, and allow new challenges to destroy, or certainly impair, any sense of being one family of churches in communion with each other. Loss of this sense of communion will seriously damage the mission of the Church.” On the Lambeth Conference (of Anglican Bishops worldwide) in 2008, he expressed his sincere hope that “all Anglican bishops will be invited and feel able to accept that invitation.”

Archbishop Neill’s Presidential Address to Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Synod

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WITH HOPE
A Church with growing opportunities

Introduction
The mood of the society in which we live changes quite rapidly. It is not long since the Irish economy was presented as the Celtic Tiger, and there was confidence in ever-increasing growth. However after a summer of frightening swings in the financial markets, and volatility in the housing sector, the mood has noticeably changed. Lack of a clear direction gives rise to a sense of instability. It is difficult to feel confident when there seem to be no absolutes – but everything is in a state of flux. It is no wonder that we read on one day the message of the prophets of doom, and on the next that of the eternal optimists.

The Christian Church by being part of the society in which we all live is not insulated from what is happening. The church can get obsessed with the past, and cling to such for a sense of security, and this undoubtedly does happen. The church is more true to itself when it is prepared to wrestle with the future, and to search for the direction to which God calls it. The community of faith is called to embark on a journey of faith, setting out, not knowing exactly where it may have to go. The choice for the church, for the Church of Ireland, for the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough, is whether we are simply going to reflect the volatility, and even pessimism, of the present time, or whether we have more significant factors to consider.

The theme of this address is “Looking to the future with hope – a Church with growing opportunities”. This is worded very carefully, because the Church is not in the business of size and success, it is in the business of service, and ever more service, service in the world to the glory of God.

Areas of Growth
In this United Dioceses, we are in an area of growth, a capital city that is growing, and indeed almost all of Dublin and Glendalough is within the commuter belt, as are substantial portions of our neighbouring dioceses. Greater Dublin alone now has a population about the same as that of Northern Ireland. This is presenting new opportunities and new challenges.

The new developments such as Adamstown and Cherrywoood, as well as the huge growth in what were once relatively small towns such as Balbriggan and Wicklow are but examples of what is happening on a very wide scale. Such growth is producing new social issues. The shortage of schooling has been much highlighted. There continue to be major problems in the lack of community facilities. Housing without adequate social amenities creates serious problems. The evolution of small country towns into commuter communities has led in some instances to a breakdown between what are unfortunately described as blow-ins and those whose family history goes back generations in the locality.

There is little doubt that this provides the church with real opportunities for service, and the further challenge to change with the changing social landscape.

It is an accepted fact that these issues are far greater than those faced by a previous generation. This is not just about the urbanisation of Ireland, nor about the migration within Ireland from West to East that has for long characterised our small island. This is also about large scale immigration, so that now one in ten of the population in this country was born outside of this island. Only a couple of years ago, we spoke in this Diocesan Synod about welcoming strangers, and seeing how our parishes could be places of welcome. This challenge continues, but already we are seeing that it in fact goes deeper – welcome leads ideally to integration, and integration leads to change. Change handled carefully is not about abandoning everything that we hold dear, and embracing an entirely foreign culture, but it is about being prepared to move to something richer, more diverse, and as a result genuinely more welcoming to a wide variety of people. It is not an option to opt solely for either the multi-cultural or the integrationist model.

What we learn in this process is very relevant to coping with the changes when a small country parish begins to absorb city dwellers who have moved out and who are not part and parcel of a community that has been stable for many generations.

One of the exciting opportunities for the Church of Ireland is that it is growing significantly in the Republic, and this is reflected in the United Dioceses. The national census figures demonstrate that the number of people claiming allegiance to this Church has increased over forty per cent in fifteen years. This can be put down to many factors – immigration is one, but another undoubtedly is the large number of people joining our parishes from other traditions or from none. This is reflected in a wide spectrum of parishes and indeed among our ordinands and our clergy.

This growth presents two interesting and inter-linked challenges. The first is that as a church, we are being opened up to a much richer cultural mix, and that an increasing number of people do not share the historical sensibilities (or prejudices if you prefer!) that once defined a member of the Church of Ireland. The exciting challenge is to hold together, and to allow something of this diversity to develop. The second challenge is closely related – it is that we live in an increasingly secular society, one where Christian belonging, let alone allegiance to a particular church, is often much looser. The number at worship in a given area does not always reflect the growth of the Anglican population of that area. It is therefore essential that the church is seen to reach out in a very meaningful way to such people, and it is precisely because we are now a more diverse community that we may be better equipped to tackle this challenge.

The mission of God is not fully served in a local community, unless the local church begins to reflect something of the richness and diversity of the people of that area. In today’s Ireland, this is a very real challenge. The Church of Ireland is changing to meet that challenge, and in many places in the United Dioceses, this is exactly what is happening. In other areas, it has been more difficult, but there are still signs of hope to be found everywhere.

In the early days of my ministry, I was very conscious that especially in remote rural and inner city areas, the Church of Ireland was shrinking, as indeed were other churches. Some years later, I was called as a still comparatively young man to be bishop in a diocese which was then widely thought to be fading out. This was not a true picture, and it was soon apparent to me that the Church in the sparsely populated areas was anything but finished, that much had been happening there. It was a church that in significant ways was prepared to change. I discovered a diocese producing ordinands for the wider church, a diocese with a strong commitment to young members, becoming increasingly outward looking. Exactly the same story could be told in the inner city of Dublin, where once again new ministries are developing, and again the number of ordinands reflects something of a turnaround for the church. We have to get away from the idea either that the Church of Ireland community is in decline – it is now bigger than it was fifty years ago, or that the church is going to shrink. We will only shrink if we cease to plan for growth, if we fail to grasp the new opportunities that God is putting there for us to grasp, or if we simply cling to everything as it always was. The signs are that God still has a purpose for this Church.

Ecumenical opportunities
I have spoken specifically of the Church of Ireland for the last few minutes, but I would want to emphasize that in these days, the outreach of Christian Churches will have to be increasingly ecumenical. Our divisions are not matters that enhance mission, though the variety of churches can be a real contribution to the mission of Christ in a secular world. Diversity rather than division is a tool for mission. If this is to be fully realised there needs to be a will, not so much local, but internationally to address an outstanding issue. I will put this in context.

In 2001, the Conference of European Churches (Protestant, Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican) together with the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (Roman Catholic) signed a magnificent document entitled Charta Ecumenica. This document pledged the Churches to work together, to pray together, to unite in mission and service. It was the result of a long process of consultation and revision and was hailed as a significant ecumenical breakthrough at the start of a new millennium. What it sadly fails to address is something that has become a serious ecumenical stumbling block. It fails to address the issue that in an ecumenical context, churches must commit themselves to cease making negative statements about the status of other churches. Such was historically frequent as is seen in documents emanating from the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. We cannot undo fully what was once said, but we can stop repeating such judgements against other Churches in our own day. We need to agree to something which states quite clearly that whereas we may say many positive things about our own tradition, we must not continue to make statements which diminish other churches. We cannot be serious about ecumenical relationships unless we respect the richness and diversity of the Church of God.

Educational Challenges
The issue of places in Primary Schools is one which has caused much anguish in recent months, as there are several areas in the United Dioceses where local schools cannot cope with the demands in those areas. It is easy to blame the fact that the vast majority of primary schools are under the patronage of churches, and have a distinct ethos. It must be recognised that over the years the churches have each made a tremendous contribution to the provision of primary education. Now this contribution is made in association with the state, but it is still more often than not the local church community, with parents and clergy that provide management, and raise substantial and necessary sums of money as their contribution to developments. One of the ways in which the State has recognised the different Christian traditions is to provide schools or maintain schools with a distinctive ethos, Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, Methodist, or Presbyterian. Alongside this non-denominational schools have begun to emerge reflecting a real demand in the community, and also schools of other religions. The fact is that the demand in this last sector has grown significantly, and that is a problem that really must be addressed by the Department of Education and Science rather than the churches. Synod should also be aware that the schools under my patronage in the Balbriggan and Swords area have sought additional classroom accommodation in the light of growing enrolments. This requirement for extra space is already apparent in for example the west Dublin suburb of Lucan, where there is an urgent need for a new expanded school.

Church of Ireland schools are not run solely for members of the Church of Ireland. There are fewer than two hundred such schools in the State, so that in some areas the catchment area for a school may be quite large. The priority in a school under Church of Ireland patronage is to provide for the Church of Ireland community within its own catchment area, but after that to cater for others. In most areas, we are not running Church of Ireland schools only for members of the Church of Ireland – such is not even necessarily a good thing. Diversity among the student population, denominational as much as ethnic, is to be welcomed. However space does not always allow such to be the case. It is sometimes suggested that we should encourage our schools to grow, taking in one or two extra streams to accommodate those of other traditions. In a small school, this can undermine what that school really is – a school with a distinctive ethos. The Church of Ireland has never said that the ethos of a school depends on all pupils belonging to this Church, but we have had to recognise that a substantial number must, in order to make the ethos in any way a meaningful one.

The policy of successive Irish Governments to recognise the role of the different Christian Churches and others in making up our society by supporting church schools has been a worthy one. It has actually been a creative factor in ensuring that we did not create a State that reflected only one Christian tradition. There must be a debate as to the way in which the State continues to provide for a much more diverse Ireland which is fast coming into being. It would be my sincere hope that new initiatives will be taken which will not undermine the contribution of church schools by diluting them beyond recognition. At the same time we must encourage all our schools to seek ways in which we can accommodate those who come to this island from many other places. One of the saddest results of the present shortage of places in some areas is that emergency provision is made which tends to separate the newcomer from the well established community. Very careful planning must replace the sort of crisis provision that occurred within the area covered by the diocese this summer.

Continuing Challenges for the new Irish
Those ministering to the many people who have come to our shores continue to highlight the same issues as have been to the fore for some time. I would myself want to put emphasis upon family re-unification as a major issue. It is clear that legislating in this area is of necessity complex. Legislation must seek to prevent exploitation, such as sham marriage. In this context and for this reason, the whole issue of family re-unification is being provided for, but as a matter for secondary legislation. This decision to make it a matter for secondary legislation has implications. For example, aspects of the legislation relating to marriage raise particular problems for non-Irish EU citizens who may be married to a person who is not an EU citizen. In such an instance, the fear of exploitation of an immigration process is in danger of creating a system that has the risk of proving both inhuman and unjust. There is the danger that in making the issues of family reunification into matters for secondary legislation, that discretion may replace clear legislation. The level of discretion and regulation may be so hidden, that it becomes open to abuse, even that of the prejudice of an official.

Immigration is of course a matter for control and yet it is so important that this control does not create a level of deep and long lasting antagonism which is the very opposite to the integration that must be achieved. Two words remain central to this whole process – Transparency – that is the publishing of clear criteria that can be clearly understood, and the second is – Speed – it is simply not acceptable that many immigrants should find themselves so long in limbo.

There are urgent economic matters also with regard to asylum seekers – the Direct Provision of nineteen euros per week has been unchanged for five years. If it was considered just and necessary in 2002, surely it is no longer adequate. In the UK, asylum seekers who have no decision on their status are allowed to work after six months – this is something that could be introduced in Ireland.

Looking outwards in Mission
As we look again at challenges and opportunities for the churches today, we must be aware that these challenges and opportunities reach far beyond our own shores. The fact that the Church of Ireland sees itself as part of the worldwide Anglican Communion of Churches should be a reminder to us of how important this linking with the mission of the church elsewhere is to our own mission. Sadly this sense of communion is being lost by some Anglicans who seem intent on erecting barriers which often reflect cultural as much as theological differences, and allow new challenges to destroy, or certainly impair, any sense of being one family of churches in communion with each other. Loss of this sense of communion will seriously damage the mission of the Church.

USPG – The United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel incorporates one of the oldest Anglican mission agencies, and now has added to its title “Anglicans in World Mission”. This link between the Anglican Communion and the Mission to which God has called us all is vital.

It is good to see USPG Ireland being re-launched within the Church of Ireland. One of the key themes of a recent re-statement of the theological basis of USPG is expressed in terms of mission drawing us into communion with God and with each other, and includes these moving words:

“USPG believes that in response to God’s great generosity towards us, we are called to be open and generous with each other……We treasure both the unity and the diversity of our Anglican Communion, and we view with great sadness the tensions and disputes which from time to time diminish it. We are committed to building communion and travelling together.”

I have quoted this because I believe that this is the attitude that must infuse the Anglican Communion as we face into the Lambeth Conference of 2008, to which I sincerely hope all Anglican bishops will be invited and feel able to accept that invitation – “We are committed to building communion and travelling together.”

Provision for Senior Citizens
I turn briefly to another matter for great hope in the life of the United Dioceses. Some years ago, Cowper Care was established as a limited company with its own Board of Directors, but wholly owned by the United Dioceses. It has taken over several independent nursing homes which felt that for one reason or another their days were numbered. However now, not only is there the well-established Gascoigne House on Cowper Road, but also the new sheltered housing nearby, the brand new magnificent sheltered housing and nursing home at Kilternan, and plans well advanced for developments at Baldoyle and further afield in Thurles. This is a magnificent response to the challenge facing us all, as people live longer and yet require every possible dignity accorded to them in their latter years.

Meanwhile we see exciting developments at the Mageough Home, totally renovating its houses as they become vacant, and now able to take men as well as women. St.Mary’s Home, Pembroke Park, another Church of Ireland Home is also bringing to our attention the fact that it has places available which take account of people’s means, however limited those might be.

Though certainly not, exclusively owned by the Church of Ireland, but yet with many members of the diocese involved at every level, the Brabazon Trust continues to provide magnificently for our senior citizens, with both sheltered and nursing accommodation. Here again people pay according to their means.

I have not covered all that is being done in this area of need in the community, and I am also aware that more is still being planned, some of it at the parish level, but I do want to remind you that the concerns of the Church of Ireland must include those of all ages.

- ENDS –