In a joint letter, under the auspices of the Church of Ireland Bishops' Appeal, the Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin have urged the Church to support those who are suffering civil war, invasion and, most recently, one of the harshest regimes in the world.
Afghanistan is barren after years of drought and millions of people are displaced. Even before the current hostilities, there was a prospect of widespread famine and starvation this winter.
Churches are encouraged to hold special collections on November 18th. An emergency grant of £20,000 has been made and the special collections will be added to this. Funds will be directed through Christian Aid, which has been working with local Afghan groups since the 1980s and has knowledgable workers inside and outside the country.
Parishes are asked to return collections to their diocesan office not later than November 30th to enable a swift response to the needs of Afghanistan and to avoid conflicting with the Christmas collections for the Bishops' Appeal, which take place in many parishes.
Tomorrow RT╔ will broadcast a Service of the Word from St Malachy's Church, Hillsborough, where the rector is the Very Rev John Dinneen. In St Bartholomew's and Leeson Park churches, Dublin, the Harvestide preacher will be the Theological College principal, Prof Adrian Empey.
At Evensong in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the Annual Swift Address will be given by Professor H. J. Real, University of Munster, which will be followed by a recital by Mr David Leigh, the Cathedral's acting organist, in aid of the Cathedral choir's tour to Wales at the end of this month.
In Belfast Cathedral, the Belfast City Youth Orchestra will take part in the evening service, which has been organised for the Road Safety Council.
On Tuesday, the lunchtime lecture in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, in the "2000 Years of Christianity" series will be given by Dr Catherine Swift, NUI Maynooth, on "Patrician and non-patrician missions to Ireland and the establishment of Armagh".
The annual general meeting of the Church Education Society will begin at 5.30 p.m. in the Church of Ireland College of Education. In the Theological College, Dr Alan McCormack, chaplain of Trinity College, will speak to the Narcissus March Society on "The epiphanous in Douglas Coupland and Gregg Araki".
The Irish School of Ecumenics (ISE) and the Debt and Development Coalition Ireland will host an evening meeting and one-day conference on Tuesday and Wednesday in Dublin.
The topic will be "Alternative economics: is debt cancellation enough?" Details may be obtained from the ISE at: 01-2601144.
On Wednesday, the Ferns Diocesan Synod will be held in Enniscorthy, while the Derry and Raphoe Diocesan Synod will take place in Derry. During the Derry and Raphoe Synod, the Duke of Abercorn will launch Living Stones: A Historical Survey of the Churches of the Dioceses of Derry and Raphoe by Canon David Crooks, Rector of Taughboyne.
The 40th anniversary of St John's Churchin Sligo becoming the cathedral of the Dioceses of Elphin and Ardagh will be celebrated on Thursday evening in St John's Cathedral, where the Bishop, the Rt Rev Ken Clarke, will preach.
In St George and St Thomas, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin, the final lunchtime talk in the "I believe" series will be given by Mr Trevor Sargent, TD.
As part of the Balbriggan Festival of the Arts, St George's Church will host an evening "Music, Words and Flowers" with the Cavetino Trio and a Flower Festival, which will continue until October 29th.