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General Synod 2001
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General Synod 2001
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MOTIONS

The following draft Motions will be debated during this year's General Synod. For further information on amendments and passage through General Synod please contact the General Synod Press Officer.

Motions 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Resolution (Consolidation of the Constitution)

Motions received by the Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod not less than one month before the day appointed for the opening of the session of the Synod at which the motion is to be moved (Standing Order 31).

  1. TIMETABLE
    THE HONORARY SECRETARIES

    2. A motion or motions to allocate the time available between the items listed on the agenda Paper (Standing Order 56). (See Timetable Motion on separate sheet.)

  2. MOTION ON PROCEDURE
    THE HONORARY SECRETARIES

    3. That the Reports of the Board of Education and the Secondary Education Committee be taken together, that the first part of the debate be confined to matters mainly concerning education in the Republic of Ireland, being introduced by two speeches, one on behalf of the Board of Education and one on behalf of the Secondary Education Committee; that the second part of the debate be confined to matters concerning education in Northern Ireland, being introduced by one speech, on behalf of the Board of Education, and that the time allotted to each part of the debate be at the discretion of the President, but not to exceed a total of one and a half hours.

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  3. CHURCH OF IRELAND/METHODIST CHURCH IN IRELAND - COVENANT
  1. The General Synod of the Church of Ireland receives the Report of the Joint Theological Working Party.
  2. The General Synod of the Church of Ireland resolves that the Church of Ireland enter into a covenant relationship with the Methodist Church in Ireland, as outlined in the revised draft Covenant (2001) appended.

COVENANT between The Methodist Church in Ireland and The Church of Ireland

  1. We acknowledge one another's churches as belonging to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ and as truly participating in the apostolic mission of the whole people of God.

  2. We acknowledge that in each of our churches the Word of God is authentically preached and the sacraments of baptism and holy communion authentically administered according to the command of Christ.

  3. We acknowledge that both our churches share in a common faith set forth in the scriptures and summarised in the historic creeds.

  4. We acknowledge our common inheritance in traditions of spirituality and liturgy. We rejoice in our diversity from which we may mutually benefit as we continue to develop varied forms of worship as appropriate to different situations.

  5. We acknowledge each other's ordained ministries as given by God and as instruments of his grace by which our churches are served and built up. As pilgrims together, we look forward to the time when our ministries can be fully interchangeable and our churches visibly united.

  6. We acknowledge that personal, collegial and communal oversight is embodied and practised in both churches, as each seeks to express continuity of apostolic life, mission and ministry.

Therefore:
We believe that God is calling our two churches to a fuller relationship in which we commit ourselves

  • to share a common life and mission.
  • to grow together so that unity may be visibly realized.

As the next steps towards that goal, we agree:

  1. to pray for and with one another and to avail of every opportunity to worship together;

  2. to welcome one another's members to receive Holy Communion and other ministries as appropriate;

  3. to share resources in order to strengthen the mission of the Church;

  4. to help our members to appreciate and draw out the gifts which each of our traditions has to offer the whole people of God;

  5. to encourage the invitation of authorised persons of each church to minister in the other church, as far as the current disciplines of both churches permit;

  6. (a) to encourage united Methodist/Church of Ireland congregations
    1. where there are joint church schemes,
    2. where new churches are to be planted,
    3. where local congregations wish to move in this direction;

    (b) to encourage united Methodist/Church of Ireland chaplaincy work;

  7. to enable a measure of joint training of candidates for ordained and lay ministries of our churches where possible and appropriate and to encourage mutual understanding at all levels in our churches;

  8. to establish appropriate forms of consultation on matters of faith and order, mission and service;

  9. to participate as observers by invitation in each other's forms of governance at every possible level;

  10. to learn more about the practice of oversight in each other's churches in order to achieve a fuller sharing of ministries at a later stage of our relationship.
  1. The General Synod of the Church of Ireland re-appoints its members to the Joint Theological Working Party for one further year in order to facilitate the initial implementation of the Covenant.

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  1. CHURCH OF IRELAND MARRIAGE COUNCIL
    REV ECJ WOODS AND DR J TURNER

    2. That paragraph C) of the terms of reference of the Marriage Council as adopted by General Synod 1996 be deleted, and the following substituted:

    The Marriage Council shall consist of 1 Bishop nominated by the House of Bishops and 12 other members.

    The Marriage Council may at its discretion, co-opt up to 5 additional members.

    No member shall be eligible for nomination, re-election or co-option if they have served for three consecutive biennial terms of membership.

    A member who has not attended any of the meetings during the previous year shall not be eligible for nomination, re-election or co-option to the Marriage Council for a period of two years.

  2. KILMORE DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION
    VERY REV DSG GODFREY

    3. That, in accordance with the resolution passed by the Kilmore Diocesan Synod on 13 October 2001, and in order to amend Scheme 108 governing Kilmore Diocesan Board of Education to facilitate the amalgamation of the Committee of Religious Education with the Diocesan Board of Education by increasing the number of co-opted Governors, and in accordance with section 7 of Scheme 108, section 6 of Scheme 108 be amended by deleting the word "four" in the second line and substituting the word "six".

  3. JOURNAL OF THE GENERAL SYNOD
    THE HONORARY SECRETARIES

    4. That the Honorary Secretaries be instructed to publish with as little delay as possible, the Journal of the Proceedings of the Synod during this session, with such appendices as they think expedient.

Motions 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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