Parishes urged to attend Overseas Mission Conference

Friday June 17th 2016

Every parish in the Church of Ireland is urged to send a representative to one of the two conferences on overseas mission.

The Church of Ireland Council for Mission has announced two one-day conferences to raise awareness of overseas mission within the Church of Ireland.

The title – ‘Global Shaping Local: Two-way Mission’ – reflects the Council’s hope of increasing the Church’s understanding of its calling to assist the developing world, while also acknowledging that there is much to learn from the developing world in its experience and approach to faith and mission.

The conferences will be held in two locations in November 2016:

St. Columba’s Parish Centre, Omagh – Saturday November 5 2016, 10am-4pm. Facilitated by the Rt Rev Kenneth Good, Bishop of Derry and Raphoe.
The Charleville Centre, Tullamore – Saturday November 12 2016, 10am-4pm. Facilitated by the Rt Rev Kenneth Kearon, Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert.

The keynote speaker at both events will be the Rev Dr Mark Welsh, Mission Development Officer with the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. There will be an interview with a mission partner and a choice of five workshops, facilitated by the Association of Missionary Societies (AMS).

The Council for Mission is inviting every parish in the country to send a representative, to inform themselves of the current challenges in overseas mission and how the Church can better address mission in a local context. Participants will have the opportunity to attend two of the following workshops: Engaging Youth in Mission; Helping without Hurting; The Bible as a Key to Mission; The Five Marks of Mission; and Two-way Mission: When Global Shapes Local.

There will be a small charge £8/€10 to help to cover costs. Places can be booked by Friday September 30 by contacting Mrs Brigid Barrett on 00 353 (0)74 9145226 or by email at: brigid.missionbookings@gmail.com

In advance of the conference, the Council for Mission is also encouraging as many members of the Church of Ireland as possible to complete the following survey to determine the level of involvement in global mission: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016GMS