Quieter Stories

We live in a noisy world. People are always interested in controversies and arguments. It’s the headlines that sell newspapers and no one is particularly interested if things are ticking along nicely.

There are voices that tend to have an opinion and want everyone to know what that opinion is and why we should pay attention to it. The news, where I live, has been dominated by headlines about the standoff at Drumcree between the Portadown District of the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road Residents. There are deeply held convictions about what should happen, or how the situation might be resolved, and I don’t pretend to have any easy answers or solutions, as I mentioned in last week’s blog.

It’s a very complex and challenging situation and, I guess, from an outsiders perspective, it’s one that makes people wonder about faith and religious traditions if these things are unimportant to them. I spoke to someone recently who has lived in Northern Ireland for over 30 years and who spent the first part of her life living in a communist regime where there was no religious element to society. She described to me her bewilderment at the levels of feeling about these things and how she has tried to navigate them with her family. She was such an interesting person to speak to and to hear about her experience.

As part of what I do in the church, I have the privilege of meeting a wide variety of people and, sometimes, the stories of what is happening on the ground in faith communities are really powerful.

I recently had the delightful experience of being invited to share at a service of Harvest Thanksgiving in the parish of Errigal Truagh in Co. Monaghan, in the Diocese of Clogher. The church, located in the country, was beautifully decorated for Harvest with displays of fruit, flowers and vegetables. There was a wonderful supper served in the local Roman Catholic parish hall as the Church of Ireland didn’t have a hall of its own. The parish priest read the Gospel, and the congregation was a mixture of members of the Church of Ireland, the Roman Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church .

As an outsider being welcomed in, I was heartened to see the way the small local Church of Ireland was embraced by its neighbours and supported so generously. Nobody thought this was remarkable in any way, and just observing how easy and relaxed everyone was in each others buildings and company and community. The Rector described how good these relationships have been over many years and how the respective faith communities do what they can to support one anothers events and initiatives, and to pray for each other.

It’s not the sort of stuff that makes headlines, and it’s as you would hope and expect things to be, but it was a powerful thing to see at first hand after such a challenging week for community relations.

Earlier this week, I was invited to take part in an interdenominational funeral service in the Roman Catholic Parish of Hannahstown with my colleague, Ryan, and the parish priest. The lady who died had come from a Protestant background and lived in our parish, and her husband and his family came from Hannahstown, where the family grave was situated. We did some prayers in the house before heading across town where we were welcomed and invited to share in the funeral service by the parish priest. Many people had never seen such a ceremony before and commented about how moving they found it to be.

At the heart of it was the importance of honouring the very special lady who had died, supporting her family and her husband’s family in their sorrow, and seeking the Lord’s presence. Working together with Father Patrick and Ryan was a joy as everyone shared the sense of what was important on this occasion.

What I have had the privilege and pleasure of being involved in has been replicated and repeated in many parts of the country, I have no doubt. I met a man at the funeral who was a neighbour of the lady who had died. He plays the organ in a church and sometimes has to travel as part of his work to different parts of the country. When he finds himself in the South of Ireland, he often emails the local rector, if he will be there on a Sunday, to see if they need anyone to play the organ? Many small parishes don’t have an organist, and he is often the first person to play the organ in many years, as they depend on recorded music most weeks. Again, it’s a small example of someone offering their skill and talent in the service of others and making a significant contribution to the worshipping life of a small local congregation.

It’s little stories like these ones which happen in so many and varied ways across the land which inspire me in communities of faith, no matter how big or small.

Could I ask you to hold in your prayers some families who have experienced loss in recent days. We think of the family of Heather Lavery, Joan Crossett and Chris Caddoo. Joan’s funeral will take place in St. Finnian’s on Thursday 15th October at 10.30am, and we await confirmation of the time of Chris’s funeral. It seems likely that it will be on the afternoon of 20th October.

Could I also warmly invite anyone who is interested to a course for those who are curious about the Christian faith beginning on Wednesday 14th October and running for about 6 weeks. It’s called ‘The Reason for God’ and will be held in the coffee bar at 7.30pm on Wednesdays. All are welcome.

Look forward to speaking again soon.

Much love to everyone,

Jono.

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