TUESDAY'S NEWS

Covenant Council goes forward in trust

Proposing the first report of the Covenant Council, the Rev Dr Maurice J Elliott of the Diocese of Connor welcomed the increased involvement between the Methodist Church and the Church of Ireland on central committees and urged the Church of Ireland to continue to seek active development of the relationship at parish level.

He noted that reactions to the Covenant within both churches varied, ranging from enthusiasm to rancour, and, while progress would be slow as trusting relationships were not built overnight, there was “huge potential for growth”. The Covenant Council had met four times during the last seven months to further its objective of developing an agenda that would facilitate “the real possibility of bringing change and enabling mission,” said Dr Elliott.

The importance of working through the Covenant at local level was emphasised during discussion of the report. The Rev Canon John McKegney from Armagh Diocese recommended that parishes kept a copy of the Covenant framed in their churches as a reminder of the relationship between the two churches, and other contributors to the debate spoke of the benefits of local links between Methodist and Church of Ireland congregations, offering their encouragement to the Council in its wish that the relationship between the two churches be deepened.