(ICC) 2017 Annual Report

Irish Council of Churches 2017 Annual Report ANNUAL REPORT 2017 CONTENTS Core Reports President Report 04 .........................Rt Rev John McDowell Honorary Treasurer 06 .........................Jonathan Wilson General Secretary 07 .........................Dr Nicola Brady Programme Officer 14 .........................Dr Damian Jackson IICM 16 .........................Dr Nicola Brady European Affairs 18 .........................Dr Kenneth Milne Women's Link 19 .........................Joyce Bond Associated Organisations Churches Together in Britain and Ireland 20 .........................Bob Fyfe Christian Aid 23 .........................Rosamond Bennett 01 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ICC CONSTITUENT COMMUNIONS 2017 Year Joined ICC Church of Ireland 1923 Methodist Church in Ireland 1923 Moravian Church, Irish District 1923 Presbyterian Church in Ireland 1923 Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church 1923 Religious Society of Friends 1923 Salvation Army (Ireland Division) 1965 Lutheran Church in Ireland 1972 Greek Orthodox Church in Britain & Ireland 1997 Cherubim & Seraphim Church 2001 Russian Orthodox Church in Ireland 2003 Romanian Orthodox Church 2004 Antiochian Orthodox Church 2005 Redeemed Christian Church of God 2014 03 I C C of people in Ireland who have lost out over the past ten years. Tere are perhaps an even greater number for whom the system (particularly the economic system) doesn't work and never will work because it is not based on a clear moral principle at any point. To a degree govern- ments and other institutions are as much prisoners of this system as any citizen. Do the Churches have a vocation to say together that there are other values and principles on which a society can be based and then to play our part in doing the difcult task of frst thinking about how the foundations of that society can be freshly dug? Is it possible to work towards an Ireland that we dreamed of rather than an Ireland we were landed with? I am not talking about a utopia, or as TS Eliot once said “dreaming of systems so perfect that no one needs to be good”. I am thinking of a society clearly adumbrated by the Hebrew prophets as a living possibility. And grace has its place. PRESIDENT “And there shall be no poor among On St. Patrick’s Day 1943 Eamon you”. (Deuteronomy 14:5) de Valera made what became —Report known as the “comely maidens” You will see from the General speech which has been much WRITER Secretary’s Report just how busy derided since. In it he outlined Rt Rev John McDowell life has been for ICC since our the Ireland that “we dreamed of last AGM. It has been a chal- would be the home of a people lenge and of course a privilege who valued material wealth to have been involved in much only as a basis for right living, of that activity on behalf of the of a people who were satisfed ICC. with frugal comfort and devoted In last year’s report I spoke their lives to the things of the about trying to discern the role spirit – a land whose country- of churches working together side would be bright with cosy in a pluralist society; to ask the homesteads and whose felds and question “Where is our vocation villages would be joyous within to work together in modern the sounds of industry, with the Ireland, North and South?”. romping of sturdy children, the contests of athletic youth and In some instances this is very the laughter of comely maidens, clear. Tere are a large number Page 04 o the Churches have a vocation to say together that there are other values and principles on which a society can be based, and then to play our part in Ddoing the difcult task of frst thinking about how the foundations of that society can be freshly dug? whose fresides would be forums for subtle and not so subtle. In those cians in particular to race on ahead the wisdom of serene old age.” circumstances we have a continuing of where we want to be. A divided vocation as Churches to say clearly society is a political problem but not However in 1998, at a conference that Christ is not divided, and at the necessarily a problem for politicians. looking at the possibility of a society very least to continue to work hard at It is your problem and my problem. based on diferent values from those a religious pluralism which is based which were currently fuelling the For that reason it may be that local not only on mutual respect but on Celtic Tiger, Professor Joe Lee noted inter-church activity can come into mutual love. that (the archaisms in language and its own again by working as one the overly rural emphasis apart) what Late last year Professor Marianne element in local communities as we Dev dreamed of was a well populated Elliott publish a book Hearthlands begin again to open up the hard con- country, with full employment, good about the history of the White City versations which have been avoided housing, healthy children, an interest Estate on the outskirts of North for so long. And that local involve- in playing sport, respect for the Belfast where she grew up in the ment would begin with humility and elderly, inter-generational solidarity; 1950s. Te White City and the continue with the constant repent- where giving was as important as Housing Trust which administered ance which is the mark of a mature taking and where rights were bal- it was an early and serious attempt at Christian life. anced with responsibilities. integrated housing, the brainchild of an independently minded Union- In my view the frst place to begin ist Minister for Local Government with that re-thinking is in the area of (Billy Grant). However the real homelessness. Not just the homeless- actors in the drama were the people ness of rough sleepers which is only who lived there and who knew they the blood on the wound. But the had their part to play in making an many thousands who have nowhere integrated society work at the local that they can guarantee to lay their level. heads down for the night; they or their children. To do that we will Te experiment was swept away need to face up to the possibility that by the deluge which we call the homelessness is not caused simply Troubles. But the waters have now by a broken housing market or by receded and we have our continu- troublesome people but by a broken ing part to play in ensuring that our economic system in which home steeples are not now seen as dreary ownership plays such a large part. landmarks but as signs of hope and not of division. We cannot go on In Northern Ireland sectarianism blaming other people for our lack of remains endemic in many forms – cohesion or at least expecting politi- 05 I C C Henderson to conduct a review of our pension provision for staf in 2017, and provide ongoing support in the form of a core governance report and re-certifcation annually so that trustees can be confdent we are meeting our legal requirements while achieving value for money. ICC staf have undergone data protection training in preparation for the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation in May 2018, and an audit of paper and elec- tronic records is underway. Te JMC regularly reviews detailed reports on income and expenditure as part of its oversight function. Where appropriate, risks are covered by insurance and insurance coverage was renewed with the current broker in 2017. HONORARY Te operation of the fnancial overview depicts a robust control Te level of reserves remains in TREASURER environment with regard to fnancial compliance with the reserves policy —Report Year 2016 control. In response to requests detailed in our Internal Financial from member churches we have Procedures document and is subject adjusted our timeline for prepara- to annual review to ensure sufcient tion of the annual budget in order reserves are available for future WRITER plans. Investments are also reviewed Jonathan Wilson to give an earlier indication of the annual subscription amounts for annually by the JMC, ensuring Te accounts for 2017 show that the coming year. Due to underlying that we achieve the best available both income and expenditure have savings achieved in 2017, and in spite rate while adhering to the criteria been delivered in line with budget. of unavoidable rising costs in some stipulated in the Internal Financial Te presentation of the accounts areas, we have been able to hold the Procedures, namely appropri- continues to follow the same format member subscriptions for 2018 at the ate risk management with regard as last year when changes were intro- 2017 level. to ethical investment principles. duced to comply with the require- Careful management has resulted in For the past three years money has ments of the Charity Commission increased investment returns in 2017 been set aside in the annual budget for Northern Ireland. As agreed, and a similar return is foreseen for for an upgrade to the ICC website the current format of the accounts 2018 given the prevailing economic which would make it compat- includes the full activities of both the environment. ible with smartphones and tablets, Irish Council of Churches and the and support the core aims of the At the end of 2017 Karen Kelly lef Irish Inter-Church Meeting, repre- organisation to support and facilitate her role as ICC Finance Assistant sented as unrestricted and restricted inter-church engagement at regional afer many years’ dedicated service funds as appropriate. Te accounts and local levels. I am delighted to to the Council. I would like to pay for 2016 were submitted to the report that this work was completed personal tribute to the quality of Charity Commission for Northern within budget in 2017 and would Karen’s work during her time with Ireland.

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