Advent is a joyful season, a time when we look forward to Christmas and prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth – the moment when, as John writes, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us”.
In many of our homes and churches we put up cribs to remind ourselves of this extraordinary moment. These captivating nativity scenes – a baby lying in a stable, watched over by his devoted mother and father, as the three Magi pay homage and the shepherds look on – enthral children and stir something in many adults, as well. For a while, we, too, become onlookers.
And yet, how fully, I wonder, do we grasp the magnitude of what’s being celebrated?
For Christians, Jesus’s birth is one of the two greatest events in human history – and I use the term ‘human history’ quite deliberately. “‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son’, Matthew writes, ‘and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).’”
Jesus came among us fully human and fully divine. He experienced the human condition in its raw completeness. His life story – an infant refugee growing up in an occupied land; witnessing poverty, inequality and oppression; experiencing injustice, persecution, bereavement, betrayal, mockery and abuse; feeling abandoned and, ultimately, suffering an unimaginably brutal death on the cross – means that Jesus endured many of the hardest trials that can befall humankind.
Whenever we feel lost or abandoned, when our world is in turmoil, when the valley is at its darkest, Jesus is the one constant we can turn to. He knows what suffering feels like. Our Lord’s birth, the Incarnation, is one of God’s greatests gifts to us. It allows Jesus to empathise with us, and he will never forsake us. God’s second great gift is, of course, the promise of eternal life for those who believe in him and follow his way.
This Advent, if you find yourself an onlooker at the Nativity scene, open your heart to the wonder at its core and experience the joy of Christmas in all its fullness.
I wish you every blessing this Christmas, and a happy and peaceful New Year.
The parishioners of Conwal with Gartan have today been finding out the name of their new Rector. He’s the Rev Adrian Dorrian, currently Vicar of the Lecale Area Mission Partnership (LAMP parishes) in the Diocese of Down & Dromore and a former president of Church Mission Society Ireland. A date has yet to be arranged for his institution but Rev Dorrian will succeed Rev David Houlton, who retired last June.
Adrian is a native of Groomsport, in County Down, where he was a Sunday School teacher, a Church Warden and a BB officer. He attended Bangor Grammar School before studying at Queen’s University, Belfast, graduating with a degree in Theology and Drama.
Before his ordination in 2006 (at the age of 24), he had been working as a youth drama worker with the Christian outreach Youth Initiative. When he was first instituted as a rector, in the Parish of St Peter and St James, Belfast in June 2009, he was believed to be the youngest rector in Ireland. Five years ago he was instituted as Vicar for the LAMP Parishes – a group of more than a dozen small parishes supporting each other in the Downpatrick area.
In addition to his CMS Ireland work, Rev Dorrian has served on a number of high profile committees including the Church of Ireland’s Northern Ireland Community Relations Working Group and the Church’s Mens’ Society. He has sat on the Liturgical Advisory Committee for most of his ordained life. “I teach liturgy for the OLM [Ordained Local Ministry] programme,” he points out, “and provide liturgy training for Diocesan Reader candidates at central Church level.”
Rev Dorrian said it would be a wrench for him and his wife Anne to leave the LAMP Group of Parishes, having enjoyed their nine years’ ministry in East Down, but he said they were looking forward to the move to Letterkenny. “We enjoyed nine wonderful years in Downpatrick – me in ministry and Anne working as a teacher in two local schools. I was responsible for developing the work among children and young people, which was incredibly fulfilling.” He built warm relationships with other churches in Downpatrick and looks forward to continuing that work in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. “Everywhere I’ve been,” he says, “ecumenical worship has been a big part of my ministry. It’s very important to me and Anne.
“It’ll be a wrench to leave East Down, but Anne and I are looking forward immensely to this new challenge in Conwal and Gartan. We love Donegal – I have family roots there – and we know Letterkenny, in particular, quite well. We’ve stayed there frequently in the past. We’ve good friends in the county, too, so we’re excited about this next step in ministry and eager to find out what God has planned for us.”
Arriving back in England just in time for Easter certainly was jumping in at the deep end adjusting to family, church and climate. It was a great joy to have twelve of the family at lunch on Easter day. My body, having acclimatised perfectly to the heat of Mahajanga, seems not to be prepared to adjust back again and I shall go to the grave moaning about the cold.
On my first week back the Bishop of Lincoln invited me to be an honorary assistant bishop of Lincoln. Nine months later the legal papers have not been processed to the point where they can be signed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Safeguarding procedures and learning a new vocabulary of church terminology (key mission/festival/resource/hub churches, Mission Partnerships…) have been quite a learning curve.
The first news from Madagascar at Easter was extremely sad. Sister Jacqueline, the leader of our Anglican Sisters, died of cancer. This was a hard blow to the Community as her predecessor had died of Covid. Both were vivacious and extremely capable, outgoing and loving Christian women.
With my departure from Mahajanga all bishop’s scholarships and handouts ceased abruptly which many recipients didn’t believe would happen although there was plenty of advance notice. The Malagasy are extreme optimists! Unfortunately, so also did some building projects and I have been trying to get them going again. I have given priority to the work at Port Bergé. There, thanks to those of you who have sent donations (especially St John the Baptist, Barnet) we are just completing the roof of the new church and continuing with school buildings. The diocese of Canterbury had given a generous grant for the church but the Archdeacon doubled the size of the church I had envisaged and so ran out of money! The school at Port Bergé is a great success story. There are now 756 pupils with the result that it is desperately short of classrooms and desks. I have weekly (at least) phone calls keeping me in the picture in the hope that I will wave my magic wand.
Soon after I left Madagascar the election of a new bishop took place. For various reasons this was annulled and the process restarted with the Archbishop of the Indian Ocean’s candidate being elected. He is the Ven Darrell Critch of the breakaway Anglican Church of North America. Archbishop James Wong has been the spokesman of GAFCON and all those who do not accept the role of Canterbury in the Anglican Communion. The new bishop will be consecrated and installed on Sunday, 15th December. Both Archbishops (Canterbury and Indian Ocean) leave office in January.
Far away from these church politics I now enjoy ministering to small rural congregations in glorious, but cold, ancient churches in our nearby villages on Sunday while Sarah continues to worship at Bourne Abbey. In many ways it seems like “old times” and it is hard to believe I was travelling by dugout canoe earlier this year!
Thank you to all who have read Our Mad Life for the last five years, and contributed and prayed for my diocese in Madagascar. I could not have completed any projects without you.
May we all have a peaceful and merry Christmas spreading the message of love and goodwill to this divided and torn but beautiful world.
There was a large congregation in St Columb’s Cathedral, on Sunday 1st December, for one of the highlights of the festive season, the traditional candlelight Advent Procession. Based on the Great Advent Antiphons, the service is held in deep affection by a devoted congregation, many of whom return year after year to listen to readings, hymns and anthems on the theme ‘Darkness into Light’.
The Christmas trees lining the aisles in preparation for tomorrow’s opening of the Cathedral’s Christmas Festival lent a festive atmosphere to the special occasion. As is customary, though, the church was plunged into darkness for the beginning of the service, representing the darkness before creation and the darkness of sin.
The four Cathedral Choirs – directed by Nicky Morton and Louis Fields – began singing in the gallery of the Cathedral, gradually making their by candlelight from the west end of the church to the chancel, symbolising our journey of faith towards Christ.
This evening’s service was led by the Dean of Derry, Very Rev Raymond Stewart, assisted by the Cathedral’s Pastoral Assistant, Rev Canon John Merrick. The lessons and readings were read by People’s Churchwarden, Miss Muriel Hamilton; Diocesan Reader Mr David Bell; and Parish Readers Ms Jacqui Armstrong and Mrs Heather Fielding.
The Diocese of Derry & Raphoe has published a new, free prayer resource, ‘Building Hope, Charting the Future’, to help people pray for our Church and the community.
The pocket-sized booklet reflects the issues and realities that many of God’s people are grappling with currently, such as the cost-of-living crisis, ill health, loneliness and anxiety. There are prayers, too, for political leaders, for the renewal of the Church, for the building up of faith, for clergy, for vocations, for the missionary Church and – locally – for “vision and purpose” as the ongoing diocesan review continues.
Commending the booklet to parishioners, Bishop Andrew said he hoped they would find its readings and prayers helpful. “Being able to pray is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us. Let’s use that gift as we seek to build hope and chart the future of our parishes and diocese.”
The new resource includes ‘Prayers for Your Parish’, ‘Prayers for the Diocese’, ‘Prayers for Your Wider Church’, ‘Prayers for those Struggling with Life’, ‘Prayers to Build Up Faith’, ‘Prayers to Build Vision and Hope’ and ‘Prayers for Mission & Pioneering’.
‘Building Hope, Charting the Future’ is similar to a previous prayer resource, ‘Hope in the Pandemic’, which was produced four years ago to encourage parishioners during the Covid–19 crisis; it proved extremely popular throughout the diocese and far beyond. Bishop Andrew hopes ‘Building Hope, Charting the Future’ will prove equally reassuring and just as popular.
“In almost 50 parish groups in over 110 churches, our diocese has faithfully served God through challenges in the past,” Bishop Andrew said, “and we look to God with confidence into the future, knowing that He is always faithful and His love is the same, ‘yesterday, today and forever.’”
‘Building Hope, Charting the Future’ is available free. Anyone looking for a copy should contact their rector, in the first instance, or they can get in touch with the Diocesan Office: 24 London St, Londonderry BT48 6RQ.
Two parishes in Londonderry have been recognised in this year’s King’s Awards for Voluntary Service, which celebrate the “outstanding work” of volunteer groups – “unsung heroes” – throughout the UK. They’re among 22 groups in Northern Ireland named in this year’s list, which also includes Ulster Project Derry/Londonderry.
Created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and previously known as The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), the Award has been shining a light on the fantastic work of voluntary groups from all across the UK. His Majesty The King pledged to continue the Award to ensure that volunteers from across the UK were recognised for the services they provided within their communities. Equivalent to an MBE, KAVS is the highest Award given to local voluntary groups in the UK, and they are awarded for life.
St. Augustine’s Church Volunteering Group was recognised for “overcoming isolation and extending welcome through inclusion and events at a polarised interface”. The Rector of St Augustine’s, Rev Nigel Cairns, has it as “incredible news” and recognition of many years of volunteering. He praised all those who had contributed to the outreach of ‘the Wee Church on the Walls’ down through the years.
“A huge ‘thank you’ and well done to all who volunteer at St. Augustine’s,” Rev Cairns said. “A huge retrospective ‘thank you’ to the memory of those who have gone before us and who were instrumental in their vision, outreach and community engagement, and upon whose work we have built.
“If you help at the wee church to welcome tourists, help with catering events for the community, serve LEAH lunches, move furniture, organise arts events, oversee concerts, provide talks, keep the grounds looking beautiful, provide flowers, provide a welcome, make a ‘cross in your pocket’ for the many visitors, or pray for the dozens of prayer requests received through the church café and tourist ministry – or any other voluntary role which engaged and encouraged the wider community over the years – then you’re part of this award. Congratulations one and all.”
The Cathedral Youth Club, in Londonderry’s Fountain Estate, has been recognised for “providing resources and support for youth and elderly, facilitating community learning and promoting good health”. The youth club, which has an ‘open door’ policy, serves as a community hub for people of all ages, including young people, babies, toddlers, young mothers and senior citizens.
The club, which is managed by Jeanette Warke M.B.E., is open every day from 9am to 9pm, and provides programmes and activities such as a homework support club, after school activities, arts and crafts sessions, history classes and yoga sessions. It also runs a diner, where people gather daily to enjoy fellowship.
Among the other organisations recognised this year is the Ulster Project which, for almost 50 years, has been working with Christian teenagers in Northern Ireland and the United States, to educate them and develop them as leaders to effect change in their communities. Its citation says its KAVS is for “promoting peace by instilling shared values of mutual respect and understanding in young people”.
St Augustine’s ChurchRev Nigel CairnsMrs Jeanette Warke MBEThe Cathedral Youth Club
Hundreds of people gathered at the War Memorial in the centre of Londonderry, this morning, for a service and Act of Remembrance to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives for freedom in the two World Wars and in other, more recent, conflicts.
This morning’s Service – under a benign autumn sky – was led by the Pastoral Assistant at St Columb’s Cathedral, Rev Canon John Merrick, who was joined by senior clergy from the four main Churches.
The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster; the Bishop of Derry, Most Rev Dr Donal McKeown; the Minister of First Derry Presbyterian Church, Rev Colin Jones; and the Minister at Carlisle Road Methodist Church, Rev Peter Morris, led those present in prayers and hymn-singing, including ‘Abide With Me’.
The annual ceremony is held on the Sunday nearest Armistice Day. It included a solemn ceremony during which wreaths were laid by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Londonderry, Mr Ian Crowe MBE DL; political and civic dignitaries; and representatives of various military and policing services.
The Britannia and William King Bands provided music for the event, including a rendition of the National Anthem and a poignant playing of The Last Post.
Immediately afterwards, a Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving was held at St Columb’s Cathedral.
The Bishop of Kondoa in Tanzania has thanked people here for the warmth of their welcome during his week-long visit to the Northwest to initiate a five-year mission link between his diocese and the Diocese of Derry & Raphoe.
Most Rev Dr Given Gaula was speaking in St Eunan’s Cathedral in Raphoe where he preached the first of two sermons at a Service of Evening Prayer to launch the new partnership agreement. The companionship link could see groups and individuals from each diocese visiting each other to witness and share in work for the Kingdom, and supporting one another through prayer, resources and skilled personnel.
During this evening’s service, Bishop Andrew Forster presented Bishop Given with a pectoral cross, cut from the same piece of ancient bog oak as the cross he himself wears. The crosses were carved by the Bishop’s Curate of the Ardara Group of Parishes, Rev Robert Wray.
“What I hope,” Bishop Andrew told Dr Gaula, “is that whenever you wear this cross, it will remind you to pray for us.” Pointing to his own cross, he said, “Whenever I wear this cross it will remind me that your cross is made from the same piece of wood, and I will pray for you. And it reminds us that even though we come from very different parts of the world we are children of God, we are one in Christ.”
Rev Wray presented Bishop Given with a larger cross, too, to place on his desk in Kondoa. It was a gift from the clergy of Derry & Raphoe.
Clergy and parishioners travelled from far and wide across the Diocese of Derry & Raphoe to attend the Launch Service, including from Macosquin, Ballyshannon, Omagh, Fanad, Dunfanaghy, Inver, Faughanvale, Donegal, Moville, Limavady and Londonderry.
In his sermon, Dr Gaula drew inspiration from chapter 5 of Luke’s Gospel, which recounts how Jesus called his first disciples. He tells Simon – who had had a fruitless night fishing – to put out into deep water and let down their nets for a catch. The sceptical Simon did as Jesus suggested, and they caught so many fish that their nets began to break. They signaled their partners in a second boat to come and help them, and they hauled in so many fish that both boats began to sink.
“Friends,” Bishop Given said, “God is calling us to go even deeper, to experience his power, to experience his blessings.” Peter’s faith brought him many blessings, the Bishop said. He challenged the congregation to do three things to make the new relationship between Kondoa and Derry & Raphoe go even deeper.
“The first thing I encourage each one of us to consider on iour journey is our love for Jesus. We need to love Jesus so that our relationship can go even deeper, Our relationship can be a good example of the Anglican Communion. We can only make this possible if we love Jesus in our lives. Jesus will be the centrepiece of our relationship.
“Secondly, not only to love Jesus, I’m encouraging each one of us to live for Jesus. Live Jes`us. If we live Jesus, those who are surrounding us – our neighbours, our children, our grandchildren and all around us – when they see us living Jesus, their lives will be transformed and our relationship will go from strength to strength.
“And thirdly – in order to go even deeper and catch more fish by bringing more people to Jesus – please, friends, I am encouraging each one of you, we should not keep Jesus as our own property but rather we should give Jesus to others. And this is a call to mission. You need to give Jesus to your children. You need to give Jesus to your granchildren, to your neighbour. God is calling us to give others Jesus. It is only Jesus who can transform the lives of others.”
The second sermon was preached by Bishop Andrew who said he felt blessed to be inaugurating something that would be good for us and good for Kondoa, as well. The mission link is being facilitated by CMS Ireland, whose Mission Director, Jenny Smyth, was in the congregation.
“For too long,” Bishop Andrew said, “the church in the West – the bit that we’re part of – has looked to the church in other parts of the world and almost said something along the lines of, ‘Be like us’. And in so doing, what we’ve tried to do is transport our culture – our Christian culture – to a church that actually needs to transport some of its culture to us, because what we see in the church today is that in places like Kondoa – in places across the global south – [there’s] a church that’s growing, a church that’s vibrant, a church that’s filled with a heart to communicate the Gospel into its community and into its world. And what we need, Bishop Given, is some of that passion back in the church in the west, some of that heart.
“So, the days have long since gone when it was about ‘The West to the Rest’. What we need is the church that is growing and vibrant coming to us and sharing that love and goodness and grace, and thank you for already doing that.”
Bishop Andrew said he was filled with excitement about the new link. “I need to hear of a diocese that in 10 years has grown from 5,000 members to 25,000 members. I need to hear the stories of a diocese where people are content to meet under a tree to worship God, because in their worship of God they go out to share Jesus. I want to hear about a diocese that is empowering women in a mainly Muslim area – empowering women about their own value in the eyes of Jesus Christ. I want to hear the stories of a diocese that is not content to sit back and maintain what we have but to reach out and do great things for Jesus. That’s what I’ve been hearing about all week, and it’s been wonderful, and that’s what I hope will bless us.”
This evening’s service was led by the Dean of Raphoe, Very Rev Liz Fitzgerald, who was assisted by the Archdeacon of Raphoe, Ven. David Huss, and members of the Cathedral Chapter, Rev Canon Mervyn Peoples and Canon Brian Russell who read from Scripture. Archdeacon Huss led the prayers. Music was provided by members of the Cathedral choir, accompanied by church organist Renee Goudie.
The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe has signed a partnership agreement with the Anglican Diocese of Kondoa in Tanzania that could see individuals or groups from both dioceses visiting one another over the next five years to witness and share in work for the Kingdom and supporting one another through prayer, resources and skilled personnel.
The document was signed at the Derry & Raphoe Diocesan Synod, on Wednesday 23rd October 2024, by Rt Andrew Forster, Rt Rev Dr Given Gaula (Bishop of Kondoa), and the Mission Director of CMS Ireland, Jenny Smyth.
Bishop Andrew described the partnership as a “companionship link”. In committing to it, the two dioceses have agreed to pray regularly for one another’s work; maintain regular contact through a named link person; and offer opportunities for individuals and groups to visit and join in with the life and work of the church in the other jurisdiction.
The people of Kondoa survive mainly through subsistence farming and are overwhelmingly Muslim. Despite this, Bishop Given has succeeded in growing the Church in the area through what he has described as “aggressive evangelising”, raising church membership there to more than 25,000.
Among his aspirations for the link with Derry & Raphoe are assistance with the training of new clergy for his diocese and the provision of safe, clean water supplies for local people.
In his Presidential Address to this year’s Synod, which had ‘partnership’ as its theme, Bishop Andrew spoke of his excitement about the new relationship. “Today, we are stepping out – reaching out – in faith,” he said, “as we inaugurate a new companionship link with the Diocese of Kondoa in Tanzania.” Bishop Andrew, who first met Bishop Given at the Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops in 2022, said it was a great personal pleasure to welcome his counterpart to our synod.
“I am tremendously excited by this joint initiative,” Bishop Forster told delegates. “My prayer for our partnership is that we will spur each other on in mission and evangelism, and that our new relationship will prove mutually beneficial.”
Bishop Andrew Presented Dr Gaula with a number of gifts, including a copy of the Book of Common Prayer and a plaque bearing the Diocesan crest.
Delegates at Diocesan Synod ’24 were given a glimpse of the challenges facing Church – through falling numbers and looming clerical retirements – when [on Wednesday 23rd October 2024] the two Archdeacons updated them on the Diocesan Council’s work on the Diocesan Review announced a year ago. The Archdeacon of Derry, Venerable Robert Miller, reminded Synod of last October’s decision to set up a commission to “prayerfully conduct a strategic review” of the diocese – a motion endorsed without objection. Progress in shaping the nature of the review had been slower than they would have wished, he said, although they were launching a resource at this year’s synod to equip the Diocese in prayer as a unified Diocese. “In prayer,” he said, “we will grasp the bigger picture which God has in mind for our dioceses and, furthermore, see the path to walk in order to make that picture a reality.”
The two Archdeacons were in a position to present an ‘initial report’ only, rather than the anticipated ‘interim report’, he said. “There is more work needed before we’re in a position to agree on a timetable for the presentation of the commission’s summary of the findings and recommendations but we would hope to bring this interim report to the Synod in 2025.”
In moving this review forward, Archdeacon Miller said, they were committed to listening to God and to one another. “A meeting of those who had expressed interest was held back in June 2024 and this proved to be a helpful opportunity to listen to what God has been laying on people’s hearts when praying as a part of the Diocesan Review. There are challenges to be faced – church attendance has dropped in the past 10 years – and we need to effectively plan for church leadership and ministry in the future…In the Church of Ireland we anticipate 170 retirements in the Church of Ireland in the next 10 years.
“As Archdeacons, we’ve been at work with Bishop Andrew to consider how other dioceses have approached these challenges and what their model of diocesan review has been. This information is still being collated and considered, and will inform the model of review going forward.
“What is becoming clear,” he said, “is that there are a number of ways that we can effectively listen to a wide cross-section of our dioceses to construct an accurate picture of needs and of possibilities. Our Diocesan Review will define clear actions and issue from the picture of the dioceses that we form through our listening process, and these actions will both be cultural and structural in nature. And some of the areas that the Diocesan Review will be considering will be vocation, giving, presence, mission and resourcing.
“Already in this Diocesan Synod we have renewed the call to prayer and sought to resource fresh thinking in mission with the announcement that [a new] mission fund will be launched [in the New Year]. God is at work in His church and as we seek to draw close to Him in prayer, our prayer should be that we may nurture the gifts that He has already given to us. As we look towards the review, we look also to our own hearts and the call to odedience of Our Heavenly Father.”
The Archdeacon of Raphoe, Venerable David Huss, pointed out that he wasn’t one of the 170 clergy planning for retirement in the next 10 years “although, who knows?” Echoing and endorsing everything that Archdeacon Miller had said, Archdeacon Huss focused on a few specific areas of work in regard to the Review.
The resolution passed last year could be summarised as calling for four actions, he said – to resource, research, reflect and recommend. Referring to the new prayer resource launched at Synod, Archdeacon Huss said that prayer would underpin everything about the review. “It is not simply a managerial exercise but a spiritual enterprise, and it is as much to do with prayer as about practicalities.”
Regarding the process of research, Archdeacon Huss focused on the 2023 census across the Church of Ireland. It wasn’t perfect, he said, but it was the best census that we had had, and would provide helpful data. “They show an undoubted decline over the last 10 years. In terms of attendance, a decline of at least 25% on average across our Diocese in Sunday church attendance from 2013 to 2023.” Meetings with parishes and surveys may well be used, Archdeacon Huss suggested, to gather information about finances and demographic changes, and to get a sense of the spiritual temperature and the level of morale.
The final two parts of the Review’s remit – to reflect on the information and to make recommendations – would necessarily come later, following on from the research. “In one sense, I think, they are easier, in a strange way, because it seems to me that there are a reklatively small set of possible options for configuring our dicoeses and our ministries in order to keep them afloat as we punch through the oncoming wave of secularisation which is inevitably bearing down upon all of us. The difficult thing is making sure we know clearly where we are at present and what kind of ministry we want into the future. When we are clear on those we will be able to set a wise plan which will hopefully receive assent and be put into action.”
Bishop Andrew thanked the Archbishops for providing their upate on the progress of the review.
