Bishop Miller's Presidential Address

Below is the full text of Bishop Harold Miller's Presidential Address to the Down and Dromore Diocesan Synod held on 23rd June 2009.

"It would be possible to have a pretty depressing Synod in this year of our Lord 2009. Indeed, it might even be thought that a depressing synod would be a real engagement with the prevailing issues which we, as a society, have been facing over the last twelve months. The very foundations of our society, and in some cases, of the world, have been shaken. Many key areas of our lives have been challenged, and trust in key institutions has taken a battering.

I hardly need to give the most obvious of examples: The world of banking and high finance, with the credit crunch The world of politics and politicians, with the expenses scandals The world of religion and institutional church, with the Ryan report and other subsequent reports on abuse of children in the Republic.

If we add to that the uncertainties we face in this province about the future of our education system, the appalling spectre of racism, the adequacy of policing numbers, and even a winter of potential swine ‘flu, we could be considered to be living in the most uncertain of times. We hardly need to be reminded of the words of Psalm 146 v2 (in the old Prayer Book version!)

O put not your trust in princes, nor in any child of man: for there is no help in them.

We live in a time when trust in authority figures, institutions and systems is at a very low ebb, and times like that historically can be both dangerous and creative.

Into the midst of that, I want to speak words of encouragement and hope, not least because we are Resurrection people, who understand that the Lord uses the most devastating and traumatic of times to reveal his glory and reaffirm his love. And I want to do that by reminding us of three celebrations which take place this year which profoundly impact us in the Diocese of Down and Dromore.

The first is The 400th Anniversary of the Charter of Down and Dromore Cathedrals.

Our celebrations began in Down with a wonderful St Patrick's Day. The place is always packed, but it amazes me to meet many people in the diocese who still hardly know that the celebrations happen each year. We meet at Saul for Holy Communion, and then take part in the Pilgrimage from Saul to Downpatrick, where a Celebration Service takes place at the Cathedral, the wreath is laid on the grave of St Patrick, and then there is a great lunch together in the marquee. I truly think we do not realize what we have historically in our cathedrals, and would like you to have a look at this video taken on 17 March 2009, to get something of the atmosphere of the day which began the 400th Celebrations. This is the first time it has been seen.

St Patrick's Day video which will be available online close to St Patrick's Day 2010.

Dean Henry Hull has put the history of the Cathedral something like this:

‘400 years since the Charter, 800 years since the Benedictines built their monastery on the site, and 1600 years since St Patrick'. That is am amazing history of the faithfulness of God, one which we should and do rejoice in, and one which has planted a DNA of mission to the world in this diocese. There isn't the time to show any other video footage, but I would have loved everyone in this Synod to have been at another of the 400th Anniversary Occasions, the Spirit of Patrick celebration with the New Irish Orchestra, on the Friday before Pentecost. I think all who were present would agree that this was one of the most amazing events they have ever participated in. It was not a concert, though the music was brilliant, not a service, though the presence of God and spirit of worship were palpable. It was really a celebration of five people connected with this diocese, who, in giving their lives to the mission of Christ, were amazing and inspirational examples for a new generation. The video clips about these people, and the interviews with Mark Simpson of the BBC, will be on the website over the next few weeks for you all to see. www.downanddromore.org!

But it is not only Down Cathedral which is celebrating; James I (as I have often said, and will promise not to mention again), in between giving his seal of approval to Bushmills whiskey and authorizing the ‘King James Version' of the Bible, gave a charter to Dromore Cathedral, (which later became particularly famous for its association with Bishop Jeremy Taylor, who is buried there) and I think to another Cathedral in another nearby diocese as well!

That is our heritage, and we say with some passion Deo gracias.

All of that leads me to make a request of the parishes of the diocese in relation to our two cathedrals. Those of you who have worshipped in Down Cathedral or Dromore Cathedral, will know that both buildings have had a great deal of work done on the superstructure, and indeed on other aspects of the buildings, over recent years. However, there is the rather more attractive work which still needs to be done in both on the interior, to make them vibrant places, which serve our worship needs in the 21st Century. I know that both Cathedrals are in the process of developing plans for interior re-ordering, which will include, for example, in Down, better seating arrangements, relighting, redecoration, good up to date sound and audio visual systems, and better arrangements for tourists. It is very important that we support and own our cathedrals, not least because our financial support in some cases releases the possibility of other funding.

So I am making a big ask. I don't think I have ever done so before in the diocese, and I hope I won't have to ever again, though that's a dangerous thing to say! I am asking the parishes of the diocese to give 1% of their total income for the next five years to a 1% fund for our cathedrals. I realize, as I am sure you do also, that this is a sacrificial ask, in these stringent financial times. Indeed, I thought of holding it off for that reason, but I reckoned that the 401st year was not quite the same as the 400th. And you will also realize that, if the decisions expected at this Synod are made, there will be no increase in the assessment this year, and there will also be no increase in clergy stipends. If we all participated in this, it would be such a blessing to our Cathedrals. Two thirds would be given to Down and one third to Dromore. If all participated, this would bring in, over five years, around £250,000 for Down Cathedral, and around £125,000 for Dromore. A sign of our investment in the future. This, I add, is not another levy, it is what I think some call, a target of honour. I will personally write to all parishes about the 1% Cathedral Fund in the autumn of the year, and would ask members of this Synod to please help by both explaining and promoting the idea.

The second celebration this year is The 150th Anniversary of the Ulster Revival.

A celebration of a revival a hundred and fifty years ago carries with it certain attendant dangers. There is the danger of romanticism, of seeing everything through rose-tinted spectacles; the danger of expecting God simply to repeat a formula when we pray for revival in our generation; the danger of discouragement because we do not see the vigour and life in the church of our day which was seen then. It is also true that some of the most secularized parts of Wales, for example, are parts which were centres of revival in the early 20th Century, and where everything appears to have gone dead: the chapels have closed and become offices or warehouses, and the vibrant faith appears to have gone.

And it is true that not everyone welcomed the 1859 Revival, not least in the established church of the day. Some saw it as over-emotional, creating spiritual second-class citizens, and causing mental and marital breakdowns.

But, having said that, we are holding our Synod, quirkily, today, in a parish which was utterly transformed by the 1859 Revival. Lurgan was the first town in Co Armagh to receive the outpouring. The rector of the town, Thomas Knox, tells us of the immediate results of the revival:

‘First, congregations, both in church and at cottage lectures, greatly increased. The increase is composed in great measure of young men and women who were formerly indifferent in spiritual matters.

Secondly,the communicants nearly doubled, and from the same class of persons.

Thirdly, adult classes have sprung up of persons anxious for instruction...

...I may also add, that a more religious tone pervades the entire neighbourhood. Drunkenness has declined, and we have observed no case of relapse in those who had really been affected at the period of the revival..' Shankill Parish Church is an ongoing symbol of the 1859 Revival. You may wonder why a church was built to hold more than a thousand in the congregation, and the answer is simple: so many people's faith came alive around the time of the 1859 Revival, that there simply wasn't room to accommodate them in the former church, and a new one needed to be built.

It was none other than Dr Ian R.K.Paisley, in a radio interview on Sunday Sequence a few months ago, who made me aware of the strength of support in the established church for the revival, not least in our own diocese. It was my predecessor, Bishop Robert Knox, who led the prayer meetings for the revival in the old Music Hall in Belfast.

There are a few other things I would like us to note with regard to the Ulster Revival:

It happened after the traumatic time of the Famine. Times were not easy. It warmed up a largely Calvinistic Ulster with a more personal and warm understanding of faith. It has expressions (weeping, falling to the ground, laughing, etc) which we would possibly consider frightening if they were to happen today. It transformed many people ethically and morally, and sometimes the least likely people. It brought the protestant churches together ecumenically long before the ecumenical movement. It did not deal with the Catholic/Protestant divide. It has left a very strong inheritance of faith.

Diocesan Synods can be very much business-like affairs, dealing with the practicalities of church life. This year we have integrated more younger members onto our Synod, and one thing I can tell you for sure is this: they want church and the Christian faith to be palpably real. We need to know that our business is not separated from our faith: we do our practical business as people of faith. This is a meeting of the church in the diocese. And we desperately need to reintegrate, with the anointing of God, the spiritual aspects of our life. That's why our Bishop's Bible Week is there. That's why I invite all the leaders of our churches and diocese as a priority to it, and will do so again from 24-27August this year with Archbishop Ben Kwashi. You will not be disappointed. The testimony of Archbishop Kwashi and his wife are wonderful, and he is a deeply gifted teacher of the faith. If we are not rooted in the Word of God in our parishes and diocese as we begin our year's work, what is it then all about?

That's also why we need to look at our Children's ministry, which we will be doing this afternoon in the report of the scoping survey. Not to keep an institution up and running, but to pass on the baton of the Christian faith, which is our salvation, to the next generation. That's why the cathedral deans and area deans are thinking through the possibilty of inviting the diocese to 24/7 prayer for the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit for a new generation this coming autumn.

I wax lyrical, and am in danger of turning a presidential address into a sermon, but this demands passion. One of our Pentecost hymns puts it like this:

Lord God, the Holy Ghost, In this accepted hour,

As on the day of Pentecost

Descend with all thy power.

And the people of God said ‘Amen!'.

The third anniversary is one about which I have heard very little mentioned. Indeed, I wonder has anyone noticed: This year, 2009, is The Fortieth Anniversary of the beginning of the recent Troubles.

I remember it so well, because I had just gone to university in Dublin. Coming back to Great Victoria Street station uncertain as to how I would get home, because my parents had no car. Returning to Belfast not knowing which building would be there and which would have gone. Listening at night from out house in North Belfast to ten or twelve bombs exploding, seeing the place become a ghost town, and feeling that there was no future here.

Many of you have lived through the entire Troubles in Northern Ireland, and some of you don't even remember the Troubles. This fortieth anniversary is really important. It is important for several reasons:

We need to remember that we must not go back there. The time before 1969 was not, in my memory, a bad time. Indeed, it was a time when things political were opening up, but other issues were not being dealt with. The troubles, in my memory, came suddenly and unexpectedly, and we can be thrown back to the fears and divisions which caused them very quickly indeed. We need to celebrate the changes which have taken place. We live in a different world. New political institutions are up and running. Thankfully, the loyalist paramilitary groups are in a process of decommissioning, and there is a respect and place for all strand in the community, though from time to time, a hark-back to ways of domination. We need to deal with some of the issues of hurt from those forty years. I have found the lack of debate and discussion on the Eames-Bradley Report profoundly depressing, and have probably colluded with it. The £12,000 payment issue froze people into a fear of response, lest that might be thought to be letting their community down. Our problem is this: If we don't deal with the hurts, but rather freeze them into numbness, they will come back to haunt us. We, that is Protestants, need to unilaterally look at our own faults, failings and sins, state them and confess them, because we still are inclined to see ourselves, as a community, as entirely the victims in the Troubles. What can we agree to say together in repentance and apology for where we as a community went wrong?

I used that wonderful passage from 2 Chronicles at the recent St Patrick's Day celebrations: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.

Brothers and sisters, there is a humbling of ourselves which has to take place if our land is to be healed.

Forty years is an important time-frame in the scriptures. It is a generation. It is a long period of time, like that in the wilderness, and it brings a sense of completeness. Now something fully new begins. This is an anniversary to celebrate by determining to deal with our issues fully and fearlessly, so that we can walk into a future in a new kind of land.

Encouragement

I began this presidential address on the theme of ‘encouragement', and I want to finish it on the same theme. By encouragement, we can literally build one another up, pour courage into each other's lives, and bless one another in the work of God's kingdom. When we are discouraged, on the other hand, we become exhausted, wizened, backward-looking and hopeless. St Paul, standing up in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, in Acts 13, declares to the people:

Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak!

One of the ways we can exercise the ministry of encouragement at our Diocesan Synod, is in the Conversation on the Work of God. This, as you will probably know by now, is a Methodist tradition we use from time to time in the diocese, which allows us, in the midst of our business, to speak more personally and passionately about the ways in which we see the Spirit of God at work in our churches. I invite all of us to think, over the next hour or two, of what we might say, in that Conversation on the Work of God, which will be truly upbuilding and encouraging, and I promise to give preferential treatment to any younger person who may wish to share with us during that time.

Staff

One of the other great encouragements in a diocese like this, is the way in which God has blessed us in our staff. There is a convention that the bishop, at this point in his address, thanks those who have worked for him in the diocesan office. But I want to do much more than what is conventional. I want to thank from the bottom of my heart, all those who have served the diocese faithfully, humbly and well over many years in the Diocesan Office. It was a surprise for me to discover that Neill Wilson became our Diocesan Secretary on 16 September 1974 -dare I say, just as the Troubles were hotting up. That means Neill will celebrate 35 years of his ‘ministry' in this place later in 2009. Neill will be stepping down from his role as Diocesan Secretary later this year, and there will be an opportunity at that point to thank him properly. But I did not want this Synod to pass without saying publically and personally how grateful I am to him for all the work he has done, in the name of the Lord and for the good of the Diocese of Down and Dromore. And with him I thank our Diocesan accountant David Cromie and all the staff of the Diocesan Office. I want also to add to that, and certainly not as a P.S., those who serve in my personal office, and in other diocesan roles. Margaret, my secretary, and Mary our administrator who are always efficient and always helpful, Brandy our Youth Development Officer , and Annette our Diocesan Communications Officer. We are an extremely happy and I believe effective team.

Add to that our archdeacons, Philip Patterson in Down, who has to suffer my closer presence in the office two days a week, and John Scott in Dromore, the cathedral deans and area deans, and all the clergy of the diocese. The value of their work and ministry is incalculable. And as I mention the clergy of the diocese, may we welcome the two new deacons (Mike Dornan and Robert Ferris) and the two new presbyters (Adrian Green and Gary Mc Murray) who were ordained over the past two Sundays.

St Paul speaks of his particular encouragement by the Christians in Corinth, even in the midst of times of great testing, in 2 Corinthians 7:3-4, and I would like to make this a personal word, expressing some of my own feeling on my 13th Synod in the wonderful Diocese of Down and Dromore:

I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you.

I have great confidence in you;

I take great pride in you,

I am greatly encouraged.

In all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds.

Greetings:

At this point in the Synod, we normally send some greetings. May I say that I will be sending my own personal greetings to Bishop Bob Duncan, who will tomorrow be installed as Archbishop in the Anglican Church in North America. Bob preached for us on a St Patrick's Day many years ago, and is a wonderful and courageous leader. It is good to see many disparate strands coming together in this new church, and I personally wish God's blessing on it.

As a diocese, we usually send our greetings to former bishops of the diocese: Lord and Lady Eames, and Bishop Gordon McMullan;

Also we send our greetings to our link dioceses, to Bishop Bill Love, whose fellowship we greatly appreciate in the Diocese of Albany; to Bishop Justin Badi in Maridi, and to

The Diocese of Northern Argentina, and Archbishop Greg Venables, as they await the consecration of their new bishop in October."