THE COVENANT relationship between the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland continues to develop in various places, often without a great deal of publicity. In some places this takes a practical form.
In Markethill, Co Armagh, the little Methodist church has long felt a need to add some facilities to its hall. Recently the neighbouring St John’s parish in Mullabrack organised a songs of praise and worship evening, to which the Portadown Male Voice Choir contributed. The purpose of this event was to raise money for the Methodist building fund.
In Belfast, the dean, the Very Rev Houston McKelvey, has announced the appointment of the Rev Ivan McElhinney as an ecumenical canon of St Anne’s Cathedral. At the same time, the Rev Wilfred Orr, minister of the Presbyterian church at Newtownbreda, is to be installed as an ecumenical canon of the cathedral.
Choirs and groups from about a dozen local churches will gather at Sutton Methodist church on Saturday next for a musical marathon. It is expected to get under way at 11am and to last nine hours. Each choir will sing for about 30 minutes and the intervals between choirs will be filled with other musical items.
People are invited to come and go as they wish. An admission charge of €10 will go to the St Francis Hospice.
Over the past two days in Glengormley, north Belfast, children from local primary schools have attended two performances of Rolled Away, an interactive dramatic presentation of the story of Holy Week and Easter. It is hoped that this sort of presentation will become an annual event and will take place in a number of other districts.
During the past week the president of the church, the Rev Donald P Ker, has been touring the circuits and institutions of the church’s northeast district, which covers most of Co Antrim. He will complete that tour tomorrow.
On the four days after that, he will attend a series of Methodist and ecumenical business meetings: the Retirement Benefit Scheme Trustees (Monday); the Mission Partnership Forum and the Home Mission Forum (Tuesday); the Irish Council of Churches executive (Wednesday); and the ICC annual general meeting (Thursday).
On Friday Mr Ker will visit Edgehill College, Belfast, to meet those in training for the church’s ministry. On Sunday, March 28th, he will preach at the morning service in the church in Finaghy, and in the evening in Portadown.
On April 1st, Mr Ker will visit the Belfast south circuit at Lisburn Road to lead a united evening service for Maundy Thursday.