Church-wide ‘Census’ of the Church of Ireland Population to take place in November; Ancient biblical manuscripts being digitised in Dublin; Irish for Beginners at St George’s, Belfast; Support for rural LGBT people; Six traditions on Dock chaplaincy team; Noise complaint silences church bells after 130 years
Church-wide ‘Census’ of the Church of Ireland Population to take place in November
In November, the Church of Ireland will be undertaking a ‘census’ of the worshiping Church of Ireland population for the first time in many years.
On three Sundays in November (3rd, 17th and 24th) clergy and parish officials will be attempting to ascertain the age profile and gender profile of those attending services in Church of Ireland Churches throughout Ireland. Worshippers on those Sundays will receive a card on which they will be asked to indicate their gender and age. The card will be completely anonymous.
The objective of the census is to provide information on the worshiping Church of Ireland population and to enable parishes, dioceses and the Church at an island-wide level to make decisions for the future based on an up to date analysis of the Church of Ireland’s population.
It is anticipated that the 2013 census will be repeated every three years in order to enable the Church to examine trends in worship attendance and ministry throughout Ireland.
The census allows for parishes and dioceses to collect their own more detailed figures if they wish.
It is anticipated that a summary of the figures will be printed in the Book of Reports for the General Synod in 2014.
Ancient biblical manuscripts being digitised in Dublin
Some of the oldest and most important known biblical manuscripts have been digitally photographed to preserve them for future generations. The Chester Beatty Papyri include the oldest known manuscript of Paul’s letters, dated to around AD 200, the oldest manuscript of Mark’s Gospel and portions of the other Gospels and Acts dating to the third century AD, as well as the oldest manuscript of Revelation, also dating to the third century. At least one of the Old Testament document in the collection dates back to the second century AD.
The manuscripts are housed at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin and were digitalised over the summer by the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM), an organisation devoted to preserving ancient biblical texts for future generations.
Dr Daniel B Wallace, Executive Director of CSNTM, headed the six-man team that worked at the library over four weeks in July and August to produce 5,100 digital images, including all of the Greek New Testament manuscripts at the library and some early texts that theologians do not consider divinely inspired, such as the Book of Enoch.
The painstaking work included using specially designed equipment to cradle the manuscripts while they were being digitised in order not to damage them.
“The photographs, made with state-of-the-art digital equipment, reveal some text that has not been seen since ancient times,” said Dr Wallace.
CSNTM will post the images on its website later this year.
Dr Wallace offered a special thanks to the staff at the Chester Beatty Library.
“This kind of collaboration is needed for the preservation of biblical manuscripts and their accessibility by scholars,” he said.
Irish for Beginners at St George’s, Belfast
Classes in Irish for beginners get underway in St George’s Parish Church, High Street, Belfast, on Wednesday September 25.
The classes run for 10 weeks, from 6–7pm each Wednesday evening.
The tutor is Niall MacLochlainn and the classes are sponsored by the Ultach Trust
They are aimed at those with no knowledge of the Irish Language and those with a very limited vocabulary. Classes are also suitable for previous learners who have been unable to practice their skills. Just turn up on night, and there is no charge.
St George’s holds an Irish Service on the first Sunday of every month at 3pm according to Leabhar na hUrnaí Coitinne ( the Book of Common Prayer).
The parish is supporting Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise (the Church of Ireland’s Irish Guild of the Church).
Support for rural LGBT people
Irish Times – Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney launched initiative supporting rural LGBT people. A campaign to support people in rural areas who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender was unveiled at the National Ploughing Championships.
The initiative, which was launched by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney, came from young farmers’ group Macra na Feirme and the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (Glen). They have produced a booklet highlighting the community and support services for LGBT people living in rural areas.
Glen director Brian Sheehan said this was the first time a gay organisation had attended the National Ploughing Championships and his members had received a very warm and positive reception. “I think it is kind of a landmark moment. We are part of all of Ireland and this is a symbol of that,” he said.
“We know that there’s been huge progress in Ireland, even in the last 10 years, and we see it in civil partnerships in every single county yet we also know that it can be quite difficult being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in a rural environment,” he added.
“We know many people leave their rural environments to go to a city in order to be openly lesbian or gay and we don’t think they should have to do that.”
Macra na Feirme president Kieran O’Dowd said the young farmers’ group was delighted to develop its work in the area of positive mental health. “Macra is an open and inclusive rural organisation and we hope that the wider rural community will reflect this ethos.”
Mr Coveney said he was very pleased to launch the campaign and be a part of a landmark moment. “This is about equality and modernisation of our thinking across rural Ireland so that people feel accepted and can live the lives they’re comfortable with.”
Mr Coveney said there was an isolation problem in rural Ireland because of the solitary nature of the work of a farmer and the fact that some lived alone.
He said the same percentage of people are gay in rural Ireland as in urban Ireland and they needed the same mental health supports, social outlets and networks to help them enjoy a relatively stress-free life.
Six traditions on Dock chaplaincy team
Revd Chris Bennett recently shared some good news on the Chaplaincy front…“I am profoundly thankful to be able to report that as of this month, The Dock now involves Chaplains from six different traditions – even more than I might have dared to dream.
“Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Congregational, Nazarene – or as they prefer to be known (because who boxes people up like that any more?), Chris, Karen, Finian, Brian, Wesley and Richard. Call into Dock Cafe any day and you will bump into one of them, serving your coffee, lurking back at Doris the Dock Dishwasher, or just mooching around the tables enjoying the craic. The Dock is open 11–7 Mon–Fri and 11–5 on Saturdays. It’s the most chilled out cup of coffee in Belfast.
Noise complaint silences church bells after 130 years
Irish Times – The bells of St Bartholomew’s Church, which have rung out over Ballsbridge in Dublin for more than 130 years, have been silenced following a complaint about noise pollution to Dublin City Council.
The clock and “carillon”, a multiple musical bell mechanism, at the Church of Ireland parish church on Clyde Road were installed in 1881 and are protected structures.
The bells, which are controlled by the clock, chimed every 15 minutes. The church was warned by the council that it faced fines of €3,000 if it did not stop them ringing at night.
Following a complaint to the council in 2009 the church installed a mechanism to silence the bells between 11pm and 7am. However, the mechanism failed on two occasions.
Following further complaints to the council, the church was warned to either fix the mechanism or turn off the bells permanently, Vicar Andrew McCroskery said. The decision was taken recently to stop the clock and silence the bells.
“The mechanism to hold back the clappers has failed twice and we can’t risk it failing again because we can’t afford to pay a fine of €3,000, so the only solution, with great sadness, was to stop the clock and the bells.”
In years before the complaint to the council, the church had received the occasional “inquiry” from new residents to the area about the chimes.
“We always asked them to see if they could live with them for a week and to come back to us if they couldn’t. No one ever came back.”
In addition to failing, the mechanism that stopped the clappers was putting a strain on the clock and bells, which could cause permanent damage, according to a specialist horologist engaged by the church.
“We have a duty of care to these historic protected architectural features so we can’t install something which might cause damage, but at the same time the nature of these structures is they go into decline if they’re not used,” the Rev McCroskery said.
The UK-based horologist will return next month to see if a solution can be found, but any solution is likely to be costly, the vicar warned.
“We want the bells to be part of the historic soundscape of Ballsbridge again but the cost might leave us with no choice but to keep them silent.”
The council said it had agreed not to take legal action on the undertaking the bells would not ring at night and it is awaiting the outcome of the review by the church’s expert.
St Bartholomew’s is known for its High Anglican liturgical tradition and its outstanding church music.