Bishop Andrew Forster has told delegates at the Derry & Raphoe Diocesan Synod that he has no intention of closing any parish church in the Diocese. His assurance came in his Presidential Address to the 2024 Synod, on Wednesday 23rd October, during which he announced a new partnership – a five-year companion link – with the Diocese of Kondoa in Tanzania.
The Bishop said some people had been very honest with him, usually at the church door, in sharing their fear that the ongoing Diocesan Review, announced at last year’s Synod, might lead to the closure of their church buildings. But Bishop Andrew said he wanted to be “absolutely clear” on this: “I am not here to close any parish church.” He hoped his clarification would clear up any misunderstandings and allay any concerns that delegates had.
A new booklet, ‘Building Hope, Charting the Future’, which includes prayers for the church and the community, was presented to delegates at this year’s Synod. Although its prayers had a broad scope, Bishop Andrew hoped they would prove helpful as parishioners prayed for the ongoing diocesan review. “Ultimately,” he said, “the review is about determining how our church can continue to flourish in the difficult times that we live in, with all the challenges they bring for faith communities – not just the Church of Ireland but right across the board.”
Bishop Andrew’s Presidential Address is reproduced in full below.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we gather today as the people of God and the family of God – coming together from Dunfanaghy to Maghera, from Ballykelly to Ballyshannon, Castlerock to Carrickfinn, Carrigart to Castledawson, Limavady to Laghey, Letterkenny to Londonderry, Balteagh to Buncrana, Moville to Omagh, Kilrea to Kilmacrennan, and from all points – and many parishes – in between. You’re all so welcome.
We come together because we love God and we love His church. I list all those names to show what a diverse diocese we are – covering a large area of the north-west of this island, coming from two distinct political jurisdictions – but worshipping one God. From city, towns, villages, seaside and countryside, we are a varied and diverse group of people; yet at each of our Diocesan Synods I always feel a wonderful sense of unity. We assemble not just as a gathering of people but as family, we gather as family, working together, in partnership, to build God’s kingdom. In a family everyone is important and valued and has their role to play, and I hope that in this family of God everyone will feel important and valued, and that they have their role to play.
Diocesan synods have been meeting in the Church of Ireland since shortly after disestablishment. I came across these remarks that were spoken at the first diocesan synod of the Diocese of Newcastle in Australia, which pre-dates our diocesan synods. It took place on Tuesday 15th August 1856. Having given thanks to God that the synod had been able to gather, Bishop William Tyrrell began his charge with these words: ‘I would desire to unite a fervent prayer, that our consultations may tend to render our beloved church more and more efficient in winning souls to Christ.’ These are hopes that I echo for our gathering today. There’s a lot of business that we have to transact today but, overall, our vision is to continue to be a diocese that radiates Christ and transforms community; that saves souls won for Christ.
I would like us to focus for a few minutes on the theme of partnership – in its various manifestations – and that will be the recurring theme of this address.
Philippians 1 v3-6 says: ‘I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’
Partnership in the Gospel is the key to Paul’s close relationship with this small church in Philippi, and partnership in the gospel is the key to our close relationships in this diocese, because the gospel is good news. Its message has the power to change people’s lives and transform communities. Never lose confidence in the power of the gospel. As Paul puts it in Romans chapter 1, ‘I’m not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.’ And in a world where people seem to scurry up every blind alley in search of fulfilment and peace, don’t lose confidence in the Gospel, the good news, don’t lose confidence in its power. It has changed my life and it has changed yours. Our partnership is in the gospel.
Partnership in the gospel leads us on then to partnership in mission, because mission is the strategy that we use to share the good news. Mission can be both traditional and creative, local and global. There has always been a tension between maintenance and mission. The former requires us simply to maintain what we have, whereas mission involves the risk of reaching out.
The plain fact is that a solely ‘maintenance ministry’ approach in our parishes won’t cut it; it won’t maintain and protect what we have. Rather it embeds a mentality of decline. Mission is risky. It requires us to think beyond ourselves. Sometimes we’ll get that right and sometimes we won’t, but the truth is that the God whom we worship today, the God whom we’re here to serve today is a missionary God: he sends His Son; he sends His Spirit; he sent out the disciples. And now he sends us to continue their work.
How should we respond as a Diocese to God’s call? How should we respond to the great commission in Matthew’s Gospel, to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”?
Of course, we respond in a way that reflects the context in which we work; how we engage with that context and how we share Good News within that context.
Today, we are stepping out in faith as we inaugurate a new companionship link with the Diocese of Kondoa in Tanzania. It is a great personal pleasure for me to welcome Bishop Given Gaula to our synod today. Bishop Given and I first met just before the Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops in 2022, and we look forward to hearing from him later on in our proceedings. I am tremendously excited by this joint initiative, as the Diocese of Kondoa will inspire us to greater mission as I hope we will inspire the Diocese of Kondoa to greater mission. My prayer for our partnership is that we will spur each other on, and that our new relationship will prove mutually beneficial.
We will be celebrating this new relationship at a service in St Eunan’s Cathedral in Raphoe on Sunday evening, at 7pm, and it would be really encouraging if many of you were able to join us for what should be a most uplifting occasion.
In a short while, we will hear, also, from our good friend Rev Rob Jones, who is our National Director of Pioneering. Pioneering has mission at its heart, with the goal of reaching those with ‘little or no contact with church.’ I’m really pleased that our Pioneering Hub is now up and active and working. And also, in our proceedings today, you will hear from Archdeacon Miller about the launch of our own Diocesan Mission Fund beginning in January 2025. This fund will use some of our own resources to help parishes take advantage of missionary opportunities in their midst. So, we have that to look forward to.
So, partnership in the gospel and partnership in mission must have the foundation of partnership in prayer. The parable of the house built on the rock and the house built on sand has many different applications, but for me it always speaks of the priority of prayer in the life of the household of God. You may recall that during the pandemic we published a little book of prayers to help us through those dark days, ‘Hope in the Pandemic’. Today, as you may have already noticed, we are presenting a new booklet to you called ‘Building Hope, Charting the Future.’
Although these prayers have a broad scope, I hope they will prove helpful for each and every one of us as we pray for our Church and pray for those whom we want to reach out to; as we pray for our mission and as we pray for our ongoing diocesan review. Ultimately, the review is about determining how our church can continue to flourish in the difficult times that we live in, with all the challenges they bring for faith communities – not just the Church of Ireland but right across the board.
Later in this synod, our Archdeacons will report on the review. I have no desire to steal their thunder, but I would like to make a couple of points. The first is this: pray, pray and pray again that God will guide and lead us as we plan and review together. The second thing I want to say is perhaps a little more sensitive. Some people have been very honest with me, usually at the church door, in sharing their fear that the review may lead to the closure of their church building. I want to be absolutely clear on this: I am not here to close any parish church. Occasionally, vestries do come to me and say, ‘We can’t do this anymore’. Usually, in such instances, the problems are falling numbers, financial stress or major issues with a building. That leads us into a dialogue about what the best options are. We celebrate all that has happened, and all that has gone on before, the faithfulness of generations, and we look to the future. Sometimes creative outcomes are possible. St Columba’s Church in Glencolmcille is an example of this. There the church has been re-purposed with a lease that continues to facilitate occasional services in that building, so its history lives on into the future.
I hope this is a clarification that clears up any misunderstandings there may be, and allays any concerns you may have. To repeat: I am not here to close any parish churches. Trust me, and please – as we discern the best way forward for our diocese – pray, pray and pray again. Hopefully this little booklet will help you pray, it’ll help people in your parishes pray. The pandemic one surprisingly ended up going all over the world and maybe this one will, as well, and be a gift to the wider Church, as well.
So, we’ve thought about partnership in the Gospel, partnership in mission, partnership in prayer and I think there’s a very natural progression to partnership in nurturing and empowering a new generation. Passing the faith on to the next generation is surely one of the most important tasks of the Church. I always look forward to our synods, to hearing from Kirsty McCartney our Children’s Ministry Officer and Claire Hinchliffe our Youth Officer. We are blessed to have them. They bring creativity, energy, wisdom and passion to their roles and are a real asset to the diocese.
I would love it if every congregation was constantly thinking – not just every so often but constantly thinking – about how best to integrate the younger generation into the life of faith and the life of worship. There is some superb work going on across our diocese, yet we know the challenges are great – as are the challenges of growing up in today’s world. This is one of those moments when we all end up sounding like old-timers, isn’t it, when we think, ‘Goodness, I’m glad I’m not growing up now because there are so many challenges’? There’s great work going on and what difference would it make if all the time, all the time, we were constantly thinking about how best to integrate the younger generation into the life of faith?
I want to publicly acknowledge the work done in our schools, particularly those under Church of Ireland Patronage in County Donegal, which seek to live out our distinct ethos in the everyday education of the children we cherish. They have my profound gratitude and admiration.
That leads me on to Partnership in Transforming Communities. You have no idea how much I love to hear stories of churches engaging with their communities. I hear of support for food banks, winter coat giveaways, second-hand shops, men’s sheds, community concerts, festivals, cafes, winter drop-in’s, befriending services, support for refugees and help for the marginalised. Our partnership with the Mother’s Union in this diocese in advocating for the victims of domestic violence has, I believe, been groundbreaking. We follow Jesus not just for ourselves but to bring His love into a needy world. When we recall His example of meeting people at their point of need, it has to inspire us to do exactly the same thing.
I am delighted that Hilary McClay from Bishop’s Appeal is with us today. Hilary will be giving us a timely update about its incredibly valuable work, just days after the launch of its appeal for the Middle East.
Now, I could talk about many other partnerships that I see across our diocese, but time is ticking on. Partnerships make us strong and keep us close. And partnership is at the heart of the Gospel message. Let us commit ourselves to be partners in hope – Partnership in Hope. This is God’s church and Jesus says I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I don’t need to remind any of you of the challenges that we face. Each of us knows them only too well. We see them in our own personal lives and in our parishes. But God is always greater. Isn’t that an uplifting thought? God is always greater. He is greater than the challenges. He is greater than our fears. He is greater than our worries and concerns. God is always greater than anything we can imagine or conceive of, and it is in that truth that we step forward as partners in hope. Don’t let the challenges steal your hope. God is greater. He is with us, and he loves His church. He will build His church.
I want to thank all of you for the partnership in which we share. I am humbled to be surrounded today by men and women of God who give of themselves sacrificially to build their church. Thank you for what you do. I am grateful beyond words to the clergy and the laity of this diocese for the partnerships that we share. I especially want to thank those whom I perhaps work closest with in partnership, David and Robert, our Archdeacons. We take what we do very seriously, but I hope we don’t take ourselves too seriously. David and Robert are a gift to me and a treasure to the Diocese of Derry & Raphoe.
I want to thank Joanne, my ever efficient and ever patient secretary who makes sure I’m in the right place at the right time. So, thank you, Joanne, for all your support and all your prayers. As a diocese we are indebted to Gavin Harkin who does so much to make a day like this happen and who – right throughout the year, in his own quiet, unflappable way – keeps us right, ably assisted, of course, by the Honorary Secretaries alongside me. Wasn’t it Wellington who said of his generals, ‘I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy but, my goodness, they frighten me’? What a formidable bunch they are. I want to thank Paul our diocesan paparazzo – who once described himself to me as ‘God’s spin doctor’ – and who is always so immensely helpful in promoting the work of our parishes. I have already mentioned Kirsty and Claire, but I also want to mention Jocelyn for the invaluable safeguarding support that she offers and the team that she has built around us that I know has given us all much more confidence in being the safe Church that God calls us to be.
Now, on the back of your little prayer book which you have now you’ll see the prayer of the Eastern Church and I love – just over halfway down – ‘and those whom we have forgotten do thou O Lord remember’. Thank you, everyone, for all that you do. You are a blessing to me and a blessing to the Church of Jesus Christ in our beloved Diocese and in our beloved parishes.
So, let us move ahead now as we transact our business and may it be done in a spirit of partnership with God and partnership with each other.
