WHATS HAPPENING AT GENERAL SYNOD 2000?
By Canon Des Harman

This year the General Synod meets at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast from Monday to Wednesday 15th-17th May. The availability of the Hall has determined a Monday start instead of the usual Tuesday. The pre-synod Service has had a falling attendance in recent years and there have also been calls for a more spiritual synod. With the Synod Service on Monday at 7.15 pm in St Anne's Cathedral there will be an opportunity for every representative to be present. The preacher will be the Bishop of Down and Dromore, Rt Revd Harold Miller.

BILLS ON LITURGY

Three of the four bills deal with liturgical matters and are part of the revision of the Prayer Book due to be completed by 2004. Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, The Litany, the Late Evening Office, Compline and outlines for a Service of the Word will be considered. The hope is that the Synod will not get bogged down in details and that the opportunity to table amendments at the General Synod last year will have satisfied most people.

The new Hymnal is due for publication this autumn so parishes will start a new wave of liturgical renewal with this resource.

Continuing the revision of liturgies, there will be five Liturgical Resolutions which will lead to Bills in 2001. These will deal with Calendar and Collects and Post-Communion Prayers in another and also Canticles.

The fourth Bill allows the Commission on Church Building to give grants to make safe ruins and redundant buildings.

WIDE-RANGING REPORTS

A wide range of topics comes to the Synod through the reports of its various committees. Some have additional material which will get special attention.

The Report from the Synodical Working Group will bring suggestions which include the reduction of the size of the Synod. This is always controversial as sparsely populated areas feel they need to be well represented and high density parishes often have a large number of nominal members.

The Commission on Ministry Report include a White Paper on Pastoral Breakdown which proposed legislation at next year's synod. This will have to deal with everything from incompatibility to incompetence.

The Select Committee on the Provision for Married Students at the Theological College is submitting its final report and recommendations after two years work. There is also a motion concerning the Theological College and its relationship with the House of Bishops, the Standing Committee, the Representative Church Body and the new Theological College Council. These items will provide an opportunity for those who have concerns about aspects of student training to test the mind of the synod as well as giving those responsible for this an opportunity to explain their approach.

The Representative Church Body Report givens the state if the church's finances and will set the context for decisions on allocations. Concerns about the fall in the Euro, the rise in inflation and the need to maintain capital are discussed. There is also an explanation of the rules for the regulation of Part-time Stipendary Ministers.

The Role of the Church Committee Report will given an opportunity to discuss many topics ranging from environmental issues to surrogacy, the withdrawal of feeding and hydration, abortion and even the reform of the House of Lords.

The Council for the Church Overseas and the Council for Mission will report on the appointment of a Mission Resource Person as well as the Joint Pre-Millennium Conference.

Church of Ireland approval for the Reuilly Common Statement will be sought by the Committee on Christian Unity and their report will also contain a response to 'One Bread One Body' produced by the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference. There is also a draft covenant between the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland.

Educational concerns both North and South will come before the synod and the Church care for children under Safeguarding Trust will show how the policy has been updated in recent months.

A motion calling for support for the Jubilee 2000 Campaign asks for Third World debt to be cancelled and this message is to be sent to world leaders meeting in Japan in July.