Mission
Team members from Ballynure and Ballyeaston (Ballyclare) with local young people in Tarragona in 2024.
Connor Council for Mission seeks to deepen a sense of mission throughout all parishes within the diocese. To assist people wanting to be more involved in mission both at home and overseas the Council launched the Connor Mission Support Fund in 2008.
Applications to the Mission Support Fund, which can be made on an annual basis, are welcome from any individual who seeks to become actively involved in mission either in Ireland or around the world. Applicants must be able to demonstrate active membership of the Church of Ireland and belong to a parish within the Diocese of Connor. You can now apply for a grant for 2025 – details below.
The Venerable Paul Dundas, Archdeacon of Dalriada and Chair of Connor Council for Mission, submitted the following report to the 2024 Connor Diocesan Synod.
The members of the Council have held several meetings in person, online and with Bishop George as we explored potential diocesan mission partnerships as well as engaging with mission agencies on what this would look like for us and a potential link diocese or project or programme. We ask for your prayers in seeking a way forward and for all the conversations that are currently taking place.
When the Council report was presented at Diocesan Synod in June 2023, there were many encouraging stories from people who are engaging in global mission. We are seeking to create a diocesan scope of global partnerships at a parish level in recognising the deep commitment across the world with mission agencies, dioceses, projects and people.
We also are seeking ways to explore the engagement that parishes have had with those who have come to our country from another nation. When we met with Bishop George, he encouraged us to think from a global perspective on ‘growing a healthy church’ as part of our role and witness as churches. A subcommittee has been asked by the Diocese to respond to a request from General Synod and the group have begun to meet. The wording of the request is noted:
‘That the General Synod acknowledges the impact of anti-refugee and migrant hatred in our communities and requests the Honorary Secretaries to write to Diocesan Councils on behalf of the Primate’s Ethnic Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Justice Reference Group seeking suggestions regarding ways in which the Church can counter the language of anti-refugee and migrant hatred at the local level and communicate a strong message of Christian welcome to all.’
The Mission Support Fund released funds for those travelling to be with global partners and their stories are linked and noted in this report. Please do read them and the Council is delighted to see the stories appear in Connor Connections and our Diocesan website. We welcome any enquiries from individuals and parishes or an organisation for this fund.
Council membership Archdeacon Paul Dundas, Dr Allison Campbell, Miss Johanne Martin, Mrs Jill Lester, Mr Roy Totten, Dean Stephen Forde, Dean Sam Wright.
Report from the Rev Jonny Campbell-Smyth
With the support from the Council for Mission, the Rev Jonny Campbell-Smyth of the parish of Ballynure & Ballyeaston (Ballyclare) had the opportunity to travel with CMS Ireland to their partners in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2023. The aim of the visit was to explore further this partnership with a Christian Community that provides feeding and educational programmes to children in a settlement. In addition, Rev Jonny was supported as he led a Youth Mission team through Exodus Northern Ireland to Tarragona, Spain where the team led a week-long kids’ holiday bible club and facilitated street outreach.
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