welcome to the methodist church in ireland conference 2012 ... · we are grateful to the members of...

Welcome to the Methodist Church in Ireland Conference 2012, Lakelands District

(7 - 10 June) by Stephen Taylor, Lakelands District Superintendent

On behalf of the Lakelands District I am delighted to offer a warm welcome to

representatives, guests and visitors to this year’s annual Conference. Most of the

Conference events will take place in or very close to the Methodist Church in Darling

Street in the beautiful and historic town of Enniskillen. While there is precious little free

time during the four days of Conference, for those who can stay a day or two longer

there is much to see and do locally in a town and region that has a well earned

reputation as a tourist destination.

I would commend June’s edition of the Methodist Newsletter which will give a profile

of the nine Circuits that make up the Lakelands District, and also some of the historical

context of this year’s Conference.

We are grateful to the members of Enniskillen Methodist Church for making their

extensive church premises available for the Conference and for all the work they have

done in preparation for the Conference. This will be the central venue and will host the

main Conference business, Mission meeting, the Conference Sunday Service and

various stands and other meetings. We also want to thank the Dean and congregation of

St. Macartin’s Cathedral for the use of their premises for the Installation and Ordination

services and catering venues; to the Salvation Army for providing the venue for the

Ministers’ Spouses’ Lunch and to Fivemiletown Methodist Church who will host the

Conference Youth Night on the Saturday – the only “out of town” venue.

We warmly invite all representatives to attend the complimentary welcome tea in the

Enniskillen Castle grounds (weather permitting!), and we are grateful to Fermanagh

District Council for facilitating and helping to fund this event.

An important part of every Conference is the worship of God, both within the business

through prayer and hymn, and also through special services. The first of these services

is always the Installation of the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland. We are

especially pleased that the incoming President, Rev. Ken Lindsay, is a minister on this

District. Praise will be a central feature of the Mission and Youth nights on Friday and

Saturday. The Conference Sunday Service will be a celebration and will include drama,

interactive prayer, contemporary and traditional praise, with the President of the

Methodist Church in Britain, Rev. Leo Osborne, preaching. The final act of Conference

will be the Ordination Service when four ministers will be affirmed in their calling and

ordained to their ministry on Sunday evening, when the preacher will again be Rev. Leo

Osborne. As in previous years, it is important to find a seat well in advance of the

service time (7pm)!

In keeping with recent practice, we took the decision not to print a handbook this year,

preferring instead to make all the relevant information available online on this website.

Following the links on this page will give you up to date information on venues,

meeting times, parking, catering etc. Representatives will also be able to access contact

details for other representatives during Conference.

Being a town centre venue, parking is inevitably an on-going challenge, and we would

encourage representatives and visitors travelling by car to allow extra time to find a

parking space and walk to the venues. While meals are available in St. Macartin’s Hall

for those who have pre-ordered them, there are many nearby cafés, restaurants and other

food outlets that provide an excellent choice of food.

Whether this is your first experience of Conference or you are a seasoned campaigner, I

hope that this year’s Conference will be a blessing and, above all, that God will be

glorified.

Stephen Taylor (Lakelands District Superintendent)

THE REV. R. KENNETH LINDSAY B.Sc., B.Agr., B.D., Dip. Ed The Rev. Kenneth Lindsay (65) is a native of Ballyhinney, Newtownards. Educated at Regent House, Newtownards and Methodist College, Belfast, he attended Queen's University (1967-72) during which time he graduated with Degrees in Science and Agriculture. He also obtained a Diploma in Education. Following his university education Mr. Lindsay went as a teacher of Science, Agriculture and Economics to the Methodist Secondary School, Kailahun in Sierra Leone (1972-76) and then for one year he taught General Science and Biology in Glenlola Collegiate Grammar School, Bangor. Discerning a call into the Ministry of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Mr. Lindsay entered Edgehill Theological College where he was a student from 1977-80. He obtained a further degree from Queen's University as a Bachelor of Divinity in 1980 - the same year he was ordained. A large portion of the President-Designate's ministry has been in the Republic of Ireland, serving in the Dublin Central Mission and also as Chaplain of Methodist Students in all the Dublin Universities and Colleges. He was the first non-Roman Catholic to be appointed a full-time chaplain by University College Dublin. In Northern Ireland he has served at Carnalea (Bangor) and currently is Superintendent minister of the Ballinamallard and Trillick Circuit, Co. Fermanagh. Seen as a "good training minister", Mr. Lindsay currently has responsibility for three ministers in training – known in Methodism as Probationers. He has served the Methodist Church in Ireland as Secretary of two District Synods and the Budget Committee. In the educational world he has served on the Board of Governors of Bangor Academy, Sixth Form College and Ballinamallard Primary School of which he is currently Chairman. Mr. Lindsay is married to Patricia and they have two adult children – Jane and Robert. He is to be installed as President of the Methodist Church in Ireland in St. Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen on Thursday 7th June 2012 at 7.30pm.

joanyoung

Typewritten Text

joanyoung

Typewritten Text

joanyoung

Typewritten Text

joanyoung

Typewritten Text

PRESIDENT 2012

METHODIST CHURCH IN IRELAND PRESIDENT’S INAUGURAL ADDRESS AT THE 2012 CONFERENCE HELD IN ENNISKILLEN THE REV. R. KENNETH LINDSAY B.Sc., B.Agr., B.D., Dip. Ed Ephesians 3:14-21: A prayer for the Ephesians

1

Paul begins his prayer recognising that we are one family throughout the earth—every man, woman and child has one God and Father by creation and all can be adopted into His family through salvation. How much we need to hear this message today in such a divided world, and even a divided church. I gather there are 42 places of worship on one Belfast street, and there are over 34,000 different sects and denominations in the world; so much for the prayer of Jesus that they may all be one. I am aware that many of them are one in Spirit through Councils of Churches but, even so, division proliferates and many deep divisions and animosities remain. Paul’s prayer is extremely relevant for us all. He reminds us also of the fact that we are also one family in heaven. We celebrate this in the communion service when we say “with angels and arch-angels and all the company of heaven.” The late Donald English told of once, when he ministered in Nigeria, he had planned an early morning village Communion service. Unfortunately, due to a break down in communication, no one turned up. He celebrated on his own in the hope that some might come late. It was when he got to that phrase that for the first time he really saw the significance of those words. Maybe we often need the accidental or the unexpected to make us aware of what we say we believe. That’s the back drop to Paul’s prayer. Now we look at what he prays for his readers under three headings. 1. The need for faith in our hearts. 2. The way in which that faith should grow and develop and 3. The unlimited potential for the Christian. In this passage we are led to see the “bigger picture.” These words are mind stretching. 1.The riches of God are glorious and infinite, and available to every child of man. This is at the root of Methodist Theology. John Wesley said that all needed salvation, all could have it, all could know they had it and all could mature towards Christian holiness. Charles Wesley repeatedly said that the gospel was for ALL the world. O that the world would taste and see, the riches of his grace, the arms of love that compass me, would ALL mankind embrace. For ALL my Lord was crucified, for ALL, for ALL, my Saviour died. Making people children of God in Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit. Many times in the life of the church we give too little place to the Spirit. Often we are, as Paul describes the church, ignorant or uninformed about Him, or we choose to leave Him out of our reckoning. Recently, I was leading a Bible Study on John’s Gospel. When we came to the section where Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, one person had the courage to ask “Who is the Holy Spirit?” No in the group seemed very sure. Often when folk are working their way through the Alpha course, it is at that point that they begin to flounder in deep water. We know the reason—many have done and said strange things in the name of the Holy Spirit, and this has caused a genuine fear in the lives of others. But Paul said, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except through the Holy


2

Spirit!” (1 Corinthians 12:3). In other words, if the Holy Spirit does not have a place in our lives, we cannot claim to be Christians at all. In Acts 19, we read that the Ephesian church had never even heard of the Holy Spirit. Paul explained that the water baptism of John was one of repentance—very necessary of course—but that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was what connected them to Jesus. When Paul baptised them into the name of Jesus and laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they became active witnesses in the church. It is the Holy Spirit who gives the knowledge that we belong to Christ. Romans 8:16 says “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirits that we are God’s children.” John Wesley was repeatedly asked by the Moravian, Spangenberg, “Do you know this for yourself?” For long enough he answered with evasive words, which later he admitted were “vain” words. Where are you today in answer to this question? Are you in a personal relationship through the Holy Spirit, or are you existing as a Christian on some sort of association with the church based on the formality of the sacraments and other means of grace? I feel this question must be asked before we look at the following issues. Otherwise we might be building on an unsafe foundation. 2. We look now at the main section of our passage, growth and development of faith. “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep in the love of Christ.” Paul uses some very vivid illustrations in this passage which we need to unpack. Sometimes we might think he is repeating himself, but each word is hugely significant. When he speaks about being rooted and established in love, he is using a horticultural analogy. In mid-summer, when the weather is hot and dry, the farmer or gardener transplants various plants—cabbage, sprouts, cauliflowers or whatever. It’s wise to put a good quantity of water down with them, but even so, when the soil is dry, the sun is hot and the days are long, one might wonder will they ever take root. They have been grown in a seed bed, and they have formed roots—they are fully formed plants to all appearances. For several days afterwards they lie flat on the surface of the ground and it looks like all is lost. But then suddenly, even though it doesn’t rain, they stand up again. The roots have taken hold in their new place. They have become established. It’s little short of a miracle to see. There’s surely a message for us here. We may be properly formed as Christians through our acceptance of Christ, but have we become established in our faith; are we standing up strong in Christ, and showing his life through ours? Then Paul prays that his readers will be able to grasp, or understand, how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. We live in a three dimensional world, but Paul has four dimensions here. Yes, it can be said that depth and height are the same dimension in different directions, but Paul is so struck by the love of Christ that he can’t stop with 3 dimensions. That reminds us that, as Christians, we DO live in a four dimensional world. Faith is the fourth dimension. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.” He was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5, but he added the 4th dimension—the word mind. It is very important that we apply the mind which God has given us to the issues of faith. This is not to say that we can work it all out with our intellect; indeed the opposite—if we


3

reason too much we will lose faith. But we must bring reason with us in balance with tradition and experience. The Wesleyan quadrilateral links 4 elements: Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience. Some scholars give them equal weight while others, which I think is preferable, give the most prominent position to Scripture and an equal and subservient position to the other three. Paul’s next phrase is a seeming contradiction, but worth noting. He prays that we may know the love which is beyond knowledge. The hymn writer, Mary Shekleton, caught the flavour of that thought when she wrote that God’s love is beyond knowledge, beyond telling and beyond our ability to praise, and yet her desire was to know more, tell more and praise more. 3. The final phrase in this section gives us the purpose behind it all. It is that we may be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” The imagery here is superb but it is largely lost in today’s pre-packaged age. In Paul’s day, and in the memory of some of us, many commodities were sold by measure. The nearest we can approach it today is the containers at the “pick and mix” counter in the supermarket. Each container has a scoop which is used to lift the sweets into a bag. The bag still gets weighed at the end, but in former days each scoop was made to hold just the right quantity of the commodity being purchased—be it flour, sugar tea or whatever. But to get the right weight, the scoop—the measure—had to be filled to the top so that it was flowing over on all sides. Now we see the image. We should be so full of God’s love that we can’t old it all in—it must spill out of our lives into the world around us, so that others may be brought to the knowledge of God in Christ. Billy Bray, the converted, alcoholic, Cornish tin miner, known as the Glory Man, was so full of Christ’s love that he had to shout it all the time. Someone threatened to put him in a barrel and he said if they did he would shout the message out of the bung hole! The prayer ends with a doxology and, once again, Paul enlarges the picture for us. We can’t fathom fully God’s love. We struggle to come to terms with his power, but we surrender ourselves to one who can do more than we can ask or imagine. What can you think of that you would like to see God do? He can do more. Then we go beyond what we might think of asking for—to the world of dreams or imagination. We often say things are beyond our wildest dreams, beyond what we can imagine. God can do that too. Paul wants us to get the “bigger picture!” This prayer is comprehensive in its content and in its order. We need personal faith in our own lives—the only foundation. We need to be firm in that faith and we need to grow in knowledge of God and of his love. We need to be so full of it that we can’t contain it, but must share it with the world. And all that in the knowledge that God is beyond all that we can begin to contemplate.

PRESIDENT DESIGNATE

The President Designate is Rev Dr Heather Morris.

Dr Morris is the first female president to be elected by the Methodist Church in Ireland. The 47-year-old is the director of ministry at Edgehill Theological College in Belfast. Dr Morris is married with two teenage children. Both her father and her grandfather were also Methodist ministers. She will serve a year as "president designate" and will be installed as president in June 2013.

joanyoung

Typewritten Text

joanyoung

Typewritten Text

LAY LEADER’S MESSAGE Mrs. Gillian Kingston, BA (Mod), made history at last year's 2011 Annual Methodist Conference when she became the first person to hold the newly created position of Lay Leader of the Conference. The post lasts for a three year period. Further Loiterings of the Lay Leader 2011-2012 This has been another fascinating and enriching year! It has been very good to work alongside the Revd Ian Henderson, the President. We ‘go back a long way’ to days in Trinity College, Dublin, and on the Dublin Methodist scene. And then Ian and Ros were friends to my parents when appointed to the West Cork Circuit some time ago. This year has been a delight – thank you, Ian! Along with co-Chairing the Conference and the General Committee with the President, I have enjoyed the experience of sitting in on other committees of the Church: it would be invidious to single out any in particular! Other important happenings have included…

• Attending the World Methodist Council and Conference in Durban, South Africa, including significant time with the Open Schools International staff in Durban and Johannesburg;

• Participating in the celebrations at the Methodist Church, Knock, on the opening of the new hall;

• Attending the National Ploughing Championships in Athy; • Sharing with the President in the annual RTE broadcast of the Covenant service from the

Methodist Church, Donegal; • Sharing with the President in reflecting with the Connexion on the decade of anniversaries on

which we have now embarked; • Co-leading one of the Midlands and Southern District’s Prayer Summits with Heidi Good in

Kilkenny; • Welcoming the President to University College, Dublin; • Sharing in worship and reflection in Cookstown and Carlow, Braniel and Ballymena, among

other places; • Welcoming Prospery Raymond of Christian Aid, Haiti, to Gurteen Agricultural College; • Speaking at the Midlands and Southern District Synod; • Attending the Midlands and Southern MWI Conference in Killarney; • Participating, with Brian Dobson of RTE, in the walk co-ordinated by the Dublin MWI in aid

of Scripture Union, Alpha and the DCM ‘s work with the homeless; • Enjoying the Flower Festival at Cloughjordan Methodist Church.

Thank you for allowing me to share in these and other events – it has been a great privilege! Blessings, Gillian

09.15 Prayers, Welcomes and Conference Administration

10.00 MISSION IN THE WORLD - Methodist Missionary Society,

World Development & Relief, Methodist Women in Ireland

10.45 Break

11.15 MISSION WITH OTHERS Covenant Council, Inter-Church Relations Committee 11.45 GREETINGS FROM THE BRITISH CONFERENCE AND OTHER CHURCHES

12.15 WORSHIP AND BIBLE STUDY - Dom Mark-Ephrem Nolan

12.45 Lunch

14.00 WHERE IS THE GOD OF MISSION LEADING US? 15.15 RESOURCES AND PLANNING MISSION Connexional Finance Committee, Church Development Board 16.30 Election of President Designate Election of Lay Leader Designate Election of District Superintendents

16.45 Tea

17.30 Administration for Mission 1 - Stipends and Allowances Board, Ministerial Stipends, Retirement Funds, Children's Funds, Minister's Medical Fund, Trustees of the Methodist Church in Ireland, General Committee

19.00 Adjourn

20.00 Mission Night - Enniskillen Methodist Church: A Pilgrimage of Faith, celebrating ten years of the Church of Ireland/Methodist Covenant - We will be: giving praise to God; hearing stories of God’s presence in unity; commissioning people for mission in Ireland and Belize

Thursday 7th June 19.30 Constitution of the Conference

Election and Installation of the new President of

The Methodist Church in Ireland,

Rev Ken Lindsay

St Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen

Friday 8th June

The Methodist Church in Ireland

The programme for the Representative Session and other events are included below. Members of the public are welcome to observe Conference proceedings at any stage during the Representative Session.

The main Conference venue is Enniskillen Methodist Church, Darling Street, Enniskillen

Rev Ken Lindsay

Enniskillen Methodist Church

Conference 2012 - Enniskillen “Strength through Prayer”


Saturday 9th June 09.15 Prayers &

Administration: Daily Record; Elections to the British Conference

09.45 FAITH AND ORDER - Faith & Order Committee, Authorisations Committee

10.15 MISSION ALONGSIDE YOUNG PEOPLE

Department of Youth & Children’s Work

10.45 Break

11.15 MISSION THROUGH EDUCATION

Edgehill College, Accompanied Self Appraisal,

Board of Education,

12.15 WORSHIP AND BIBLE STUDY - Dom Mark-Ephrem Nolan

12.45 Lunch

14.00 MISSION IN SOCIETY

Council on Social Responsibility

15.00 MISSION STRATEGY

Home Mission Forum

15.30 SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE FOR DECEASED MINISTERS

16.15 Tea

17.00 Elections - Election of District Secretaries;

Elections to the General Committee

18.30 Administration for Mission 2 - General Committee;

Items removed from ‘en bloc' – Memorials

Business to be taken ‘en bloc': Sabbatical Committee, Local Preachers' Committee, Church

Membership Statistics, Communications Committee, Ministry of Healing, Prison and Health

Care Chaplaincy, City Missions, Gurteen College, Methodist College, Wesley College,

Methodist Widows' Home - Eastwell, Methodist Historical Society of Ireland

Appointment of Boards and Committees;

Other Uncompleted Business

19.30 Youth Night - Fivemiletown Methodist Church Hall

11.00 Conference Worship Celebration - Enniskillen Methodist Church

12.45 Lunch

14.15 Administration and Daily Record

RECEPTION INTO FULL CONNEXION

14.30 TRIBUTES TO MINISTERS PERMITTED TO RETIRE

14.50 MISSION IN SOCIETY - Londonderry City Mission 15.15 CONVERSATION ON THE WORK OF GOD 16.15 EXPRESSIONS OF THANKS AND SIGNING OF THE JOURNAL 16.30 SERVICE OF COMMISSIONING FOR FIRST YEAR PROBATIONBERS

16.45 Tea 19.00 ORDINATION SERVICE - St Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen

Sunday 10th June

St Macartin’s Cathedral

The venue for the Installation

and Ordination services


Conference Preaching Plan 10th June 2012 METHODIST CHURCHES CIRCUIT TIME OF

SERVICE PREACHER

Brookeborough Upper Erne 10.45am Rev Peter Murray

Lisnaskea Upper Erne 11am

(Change of time for Conference Sunday)

Rev Alan Wardlow

Newtownbutler Upper Erne 10.45am Rev Margaret Ferguson

Drumady Upper Erne 9.30am Rev Andrew Kingston

Fivemiletown Fivemiletown 10.45am Rev Ross Harte

Clabby Fivemiletown 11am Rev William Newell

Creagh Fivemiletown 11am Rev Ruth Craig

Longford Cavan & Longford 11 am Rev Andrew Dougherty

Corlespratten Cavan & Longford 10.15am Rev Julian Hamilton

Tullyboy Cavan & Longford 10.15am Rev Maureen Hassard

Lisbellaw Lisbellaw, Maguiresbridge & Tempo

10.30am Rev Alan Bradley

(British Representative)

Tempo Lisbellaw, Maguiresbridge & Tempo

11am


Rev Jeremy Nicoll

Maguiresbridge Lisbellaw, Maguiresbridge & Tempo

10.30am Rev Clive Webster

Trillick Ballinmallard /Trillick 10.15am Rev John Beacom

Ballinamallard Ballinamallard/Trillick 11.30am Mrs Ruth Pickles

(British Vice-President)

Irvinestown Pettigo & Irvinestown 11 am Rev Robin McKibben

Methodist Conference 2012 – Lakelands District


Pettigo Pettigo & Irvinestown 11am


Rev Louise Donald

Enniskillen Enniskillen Conference Morning Service

11am

Rev Lionel E. Osborn

(British President)

Sligo North Connacht 10.15am Rev Colin Duncan

Manorhamilton North Connacht 11am (Change of time for Conference Sunday)

Rev Colin Milligan

Derrygonnelly Springfield & Churchill United Circuit Service at 10.30am in Derrygonnelly

Rev Ruth Patterson

PARISH CHURCHES DIOCESE TIME OF SERVICE

PREACHER

St Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen

Clogher 11am Rev Aian Ferguson

(Former President MCI)

Killeshandra Kilmore 10.30am Rev Brian Anderson

Derrylane Kilmore 12 noon Rev Brian Anderson

Clooncumber Chapel Elphin & Ardagh 9.45am Rev Nick McKnight

St Paul’s, Newtownforbes Elphin & Ardagh 11am Rev Nick McKnight

Edgeworthstown Elphin & Ardagh 10am Rev Denis Maguire

Granard Elphin & Ardagh 11.30 Rev Denis Maguire

Colebrooke Clogher 10.45am Rev Karen Spence

Cooneen Clogher 12.15pm Rev Karen Spence

Lisbellaw Clogher 11am Rev. William Davison


Contact telephone numbers, maps and links to church websites are available on the Lakelands District Church listings page here

www.irishmethodist.org/find-‐a-‐church/index.php?page=district&did=3

Other Churches:

Diocese of Clogher: http://clogher.anglican.org/

Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin & Ardagh: http://kilmore.anglican.org/parishes/parishes.html

welcome to the methodist church in ireland conference 2012 ... · we are grateful to the members of...

Documents