As you can imagine I am also excited to have been appointed to Blarney as the Associate Minister which is as far as I can see a unique parish position in the Church of Ireland. Written into the job description is so much of what I am passionate about.
The job description speaks about a mission post ... which anyone who has spoken to me at length in the past three years will know that this is something which is dear to my heart. Whether it be mission trips overseas, reaching out beyond the doors of the church, meeting people where they are or having life long ‘L’ plates up as disciples of Christ it is all part of call to mission. All of this was caught up in my decision to apply for the post.
This position offers me the chance to see a completely different experience in Church of Ireland ministry - I will be taking with me all the stuff I have learnt from St. Columba’s and applying it in new surroundings. It is a village location, it is in the Republic of Ireland, the styles of worship are different, the numbers in the congregations are considerably smaller, the layout of the church is different, the pace of life is different, it is quite far away from the bright lights of Belfast / Banbridge.
But until the end of October, as I have already said ... it is very much business as usual there is plenty to do.
