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.
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