Limerick ,Killaloe& Ardfert Diocesan Council For Mission
A meeting of the above Committee was held on Thursday 13th. June 2019 at 7.45 p.m. in the Woodlands Hotel, Adare.
The first item on the agenda was Tearfund Project for Mission Sunday 24th November 2019
Tearfund presentation by Ms Emma Lynch. Having given the meeting a brief history of Tearfund Ireland, and the range of projects which they are supporting, Emma described in some detail our joint Mission Sunday project for 2019.
The population of Lebanon is similar to Ireland, yet 25% of them are classified as refugees, mostly due to the civil war in neighbouring Syria. In the Bekaa valley alone 70 % of the Syrian refugee children aged between 6 & 14 are not in school, largely due to the lack of facilities and pressure of numbers. An initiative was taken by the local Christian Churches to try to rectify this problem, and with the aid of Tearfund , have established a number of schools in the Bekaa Valley using very limited resources. Emma went on to describe the design, objectives and goals of the project which will be our Mission Project for this year, including the methods of monitoring progress and a budget summary.
It was agreed to have a Mission Evening on Wed 2nd October when further particulars of the Mission Sunday Project will be presented in more detail.
1st May Report on Mission Evening held in Moneygall Parish Hall
The topic was Youth Mission Experience and some of our young people from the United Dioceses told of their mission experience, working abroad during the past year.
In spite of a poor attendance, we had an enjoyable and informative evening .
(i) Eva Wallace from Our Lady’s School in Templemore told of her experience as a ‘short term’ volunteer working in a school in ‘down town’ Calcutta. In spite of the open sewers, dirty and cramped working conditions, Eva found her time in Calcutta very rewarding, especially her time with the disabled schoolchildren , who were very appreciative of her time spent with them. Eva was sponsored by the Hope Foundation, which is a charity helping children with special needs in developing countries. When asked would she like to go back again, Eva informed us that when she raised sufficient funds to cover flights and ‘keep’ ,she planned to return in at least three years time, if not sooner.
(ii) Laura Williams & Ema Mooney from Villiers School Community Group told of their experience while visiting the Jean Carley Hospital for children in Kumi, central Uganda. Laura , Ema and twenty eight other pupils from Villiers School, had been sponsored by the Dublin based charity for children in developing countries, Zest4Kidz, under the guidance of Jackie McNair. Laura & Ema were struck by the difference to western culture citing an example of club foot which is a very common ailment with young people in rural Uganda; disability is treated as a curse with the result that the child is often rejected by the community. Under such conditions, simple operations and basic medical procedures can result in a change of life for a young person.
In both India and in Uganda, the girls said that their volunteer work had given them a different view of life, especially with regards to the manner in which western culture now takes so much for granted with little appreciation of the cost both to other human beings ,to the environment and the consumption of natural resources.
Their commitment and enthusiasm about the projects is truly inspiring. Also we would like to express our appreciation and thanks to all involved in organising the hall and lovely refreshments afterwards.
25th. May Seminar on Creating a Vision and Developing Youth Ministry in Parish/Local Level in South Court Hotel Limerick.
It was facilitated by Steve Grasham who is Youth Ministry Development Officer (South) with Church of Ireland Youth Department
Attendance was disappointing, in spite of all the publicity and work put into it by Ed Hardy.
However Steve gave excellent presentations and activities which covered a wide range of topics, were informative and generated lively discussions. He also had a great variety of useful resources available.
He said that our VISION is to EQUIP, ENGAGE AND EMPOWER the Church of Ireland, young people and adult youth leaders and workers, with the right skills, knowledge and understanding to facilitate progressive youth ministry.
Core Aims
- To reflect on why we work with children or young people.
- To think about our vision for Youth Ministry
- To explore how we listen to the voices of children and young people.
- To encourage us in our ministry.
- To explore some resources available.
He emphasised the importance of listening to young people and allowing them to participate in planning and decision making.
He quoted Article 12 UN Convention of the rights of a child:
“Every child has the right to say what they think in all matters affecting them, and to have their views taken seriously”.
We also discussed the roles of volunteers and issues around recruiting and supporting them.
Following the above report at the Committee Meeting a discussion then took place of the various ways in which we could improve communication of our various activities throughout the diocese and the possible reasons for lack of interest and support at parish level.
Portumna Church: Rev Charles McCartney reported on work being done in the graveyard at Portumna Church in line with recommendations from Rev Andrew Orr’s Mission Evening presentation in Oct 2018.
Safeguarding Trust: Ed presented documentation filled out in the name of the DCM; he also agreed to draw up a ‘safeguarding poster’ which would be visible at all our events especially whenever children/youth were involved.
Diary Dates:
- Saturday 29th June DCM will have a stand at the forthcoming Diocesan Synod in Villiers School
- Sunday 29th September A Family Fun Day will be held in West Limerick. Ed agreed to draw up a programme for the day which will be circulated soon.
- Thursday12th September 7.45pm DCM Committee Meeting in the Woodlands Hotel, Adare
- Wednesday 2nd October Mission Evening re Mission Sunday Tearfund Project 2019
- Wednesday 6th November 8pm Mission Evening (CelticSpirituality) in St Michael’s Parish Church Hall, Killorglin
- Sunday 24th November Mission Sunday