January each year focuses the minds of many people on the subject of Christian unity. The Week of Prayer runs from January 18th to 25th. In a growing number of places churches are beginning to move beyond this annual event, and have developed programmes of commercial activity throughout the year. At least one Methodist church, in Sutton, Dublin, was a participant this year in an exchange of New Year greetings. Representatives from the local Catholic church came to the Methodist Covenant Service to express greetings from their parish and Methodist representatives made a reciprocal visit to one of the morning Masses.
The theme of the Greenhills Ecumenical Conference has been announced. It takes place on January 24th and will be addressed by the Rev Dr J.C. McCullough on "An Ecumenical Spirituality". Dr McCullough is the principal of Union Theological College, Belfast, in which Irish Presbyterian ministers are trained.
On the following two days the Joint Theological Working Party will hold its first two-day session. Established several years ago by the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland, the working party has been meeting about three times a year to consider matters of theological concern to both churches, and to relate to Ireland the deliberation of international commissions in which both are interested. The Archbishop of Armagh and the president of the Methodist Church will visit the meeting this month.
As part of its millennium celebrations, the British Methodist Church has announced a project to erect a statue, larger than lifesize, of the Rev John Wesley. This will be located at Epworth in Lincolnshire and a site has been chosen between the Market Place and the Old Rectory. It was in the Old Rectory that Wesley spent his childhood, having been born in an even older building which was destroyed by a fire in which he nearly lost his life at the age of six. The statue and its plinth will cost about £25,000 and a trust has been established to receive contributions towards this. It is hoped to hold the unveiling in May.
The president of the church, the Rev Dr Kenneth Wilson, will visit some of the churches of the Portadown Circuit tomorrow, and on January 16th he will preach at Ballynafeigh in Belfast.
ECONI has announced its programme for 2000. They are developing a number of events under the heading "Thinking Biblically, Building Place". As part of this they are developing a Centre for Contemporary Christianity, in which courses and conferences will seek to assist people in coping with changes in culture and community, and making a Christian response to them.