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Editorial
Alwyn Thomson
Comment:
Failed Politics?
Norman Hamilton
From
the Director: Words and Deeds
David W Porter
Loyalism
and Me
Philip Rankin
Real
Life
David Campton
Policing
Matters
Sam Pollock
The
Crisis Within
Eddie
Kinner
Loyalism
- The Issues
Mervyn Gibson
Scapegoating
Billy Mitchell
Review...Beyond
Retribution
Stephen Graham
Down
to Basics
Malachy
O'Doherty
Faith
in the Future
David
W Porter
For
God and His Glory Alone:
Study 1: Love
SUMMER SCHOOL
Four days of transformation at Greenmount
The Transformation Summer School continues to be a significant event in people's lives and we are grateful to God for another successful event in July. Its success lies as much in the process as in the content of each of the three strands – we don't just talk about the issues but seek to bring the experiences that make transformation a reality for those who attend.
The Summer School remains a central event in ECONI's overall programme. It is an event, which brings together research, programme and learning as it challenges assumptions and offers opportunities for reflection and personal growth.
We were excited by the change of venue for the Summer School. In previous years we have used the excellent facilities at Belfast Bible College. However, growing numbers meant we needed to look for larger facilities. Greenmount College, situated two miles from Antrim on the shores of Lough Neagh, provided an ideal location giving us the opportunity to further develop our programme and better cater for all the participants.
Heather Morrow from Evangelical Alliance joined us this year to co-facilitate the 'Faith and Politics' strand with Alwyn Thomson. Heather's interest in the world of politics and her role as Public Affairs Officer with EA have been a valuable resource.
We are also grateful to David Campton for his contribution. His exploration of the book of Amos brought scripture to life. For many this was a time to find new connections between the Old Testament prophet and the reality of a living faith in this time and place.
Summer School attracts people from all parts of the world, and this year was no exception. 50 participants came from Canada, USA, Japan, Northern Ireland, England and the Republic of Ireland.
TRANSFORMATION truly is an experience that can alter your life. Plan to join us in 2003.
"I am going
home with a desire to share Northern Ireland and this experience with
others from home in order to strengthen positive understandings of Protestantism,
Evangelical Protestantism, and to begin to RECLAIM Protestantism in light
of our tradition – Christian and cultural."
STRAND 1 participant
STRAND 1:
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Lynda Gould & Emily Stanton
NO ONE living in Northern Ireland can be in any doubt about the importance of the summer marching season. For many in the Protestant community, it is the public expression of their religious, cultural and political identity. With the peace agreement still in the forefront of political and social life in Northern Ireland, the need to examine the issues around Protestant identity remains paramount. Responding to this, this strand set out to examine the essence of Protestant culture.
'Back to the Future' was a chalenging and interactive exploration of the nature of political, religious and cultural identity. Over the four days we considered the positive and negative aspects of the relationship between Protestant faith and culture in the context of Northern Ireland. Facilitating, in essence, the telling of a story, as the narrative unfolded we heard many voices exploring what it means to be Protestant. Participants' own voices together with the personal experience of an Orangeman, a sociologist and a loyalist began to uncover the many layers of identity in Northern Ireland. These conversations happened against the backdrop of bonfires, parades and the field; together they created a rich tapestry of ideas, questions and insights.
STRAND 1 participants
said:
"Learning
more about Northern Ireland has enriched my identity of being in the U.S.
It helped me get outside my assumptions."
STRAND 2:
A SPIRITUALITY FOR SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
Derek Poole & Glenn Jordan
TWENTY PARTICIPANTS signed up for strand 2 this year and from the post-event emails, letters and phone calls they were not disappointed. The increase in numbers choosing this strand is indicative of a new awareness of the relationship between spiritual values, practice, vision and motivation. Many of this year's participants are already actively engaged in some form of social compassion as an expression of their Christian witness and they expressed the need to cultivate a deeper spiritual life to sustain a long-term commitment to their work. We believe that the comprehensive programme of teaching, practical workshops, field trips and discussion was a genuine help for those seeking to root their social involvement in a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
ECONI exists to nurture and resource Christian involvement in the wider community. In the context of Northern Ireland we are particularly concerned to see the church at the cutting edge of peace and reconciliation initiatives and we are committed to supporting this vocation. If you are interested in a concentrated and experiential event designed to help you nurture your spiritual life as you care for the hurts of our world, why not consider booking for next year's Summer School?
STRAND 2 participants
said:
"I will be encouraging friends to go next year."
"I am so grateful to all at ECONI for a superb summer school. As a participant in the spirituality strand I was keen to strengthen the relationship between my life in God and my commitment to social justice. I was not disappointed."
"I want to say a very big thank you to everyone at ECONI for quite simply the best run and most refreshing conference I have been to in over 30 years of being a Christian. I particularly appreciated the spirituality strand, which far exceeded my expectations."
STRAND 3:
FAITH AND POLITICS
Alwyn Thomson & Heather Morrow
A MIXED GROUP of participants from Ireland – North and South – the USA and Canada took part in the Faith and Politics strand at this year's Summer School facilitated by Alwyn Thomson and Heather Morrow from Evangelical Alliance.
When people think of faith and politics together they often think of it in the context of Northern Ireland and generally perceive it to be a 'bad thing', but as well as tackling these issues this strand aimed to look more broadly at the relationship between the two. So we asked three basic questions: Is there a relationship between faith and politics? Should there be a relationship between them? How should that relationship work out in practice? In trying to answer these questions we dealt not only with the politics of identity that lies at the heart of many conflicts around the world, but also with the politics of social engagement. How do we bring a faith perspective to bear on issues around education, healthcare, criminal justice – areas that actually affect our lives more deeply than any others? We also looked at questions of economics, of globalisation, of wealth and poverty, asking what role faith has in helping us shape responses to these big issues.
Of course it was far too much for one week, but those who took part were challenged to make some of these questions their own and to continue to bring faith into a critical and constructive engagement with politics.
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