VOX October 2019

ISSUE 44 / OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2019

FREE BREAKING THE CHAINS

Releasing children from slavery in Ghana

NIGHT WATCH

Dublin Street Pastors take to the streets on Saturday nights

, to Drogheda n o o S g in Com y nd Killarne a y n n e k r e t Let

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EDITORIAL

Project Hope have a confession to make. One of my favourite websites is called despair.com. While I may be prone to occasional pessimistic tendencies, this site appeals more to my quirky sense of humour than to any hidden anxiety by offering a range of “demotivational” resources - a parody of the trite motivational posters that adorn the walls of offices and public buildings.

Some of my favourite “demotivationals” include the definition of meetings (“Because none of us is as dumb as all of us”) and teamwork (“a few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction”) - sound familiar? But I digress.

Pondering the current social and political turmoil brought on

by Brexit (it is hard to avoid when I live 12 km from Donegal’s border with Northern Ireland) and recent disturbing new reports of gang violence in Dublin, Drogheda and even Longford, I was reminded of another offering from despair.com: Hope - may not be warranted at this point.

From a human perspective, that seems a remarkably accurate description of our reality, even if “Project Fear” were as much of a fiction as some people suggest. And yet, to quote Brian Synnott, “Of all the people on earth, we should be people of hope!”

I

They are bringing practical help and spiritual hope into some of the darkest of situations Reading through story after story in this issue of VOX magazine, I see evidence of that. In the face of severe challenges, both here and in other parts of the world, Christians in Ireland have got on their bikes (both figuratively and literally) to put their faith, hope and love into action.

They are bringing practical help and spiritual hope into some of the darkest of situations - from the shores of Lake Volta, Ghana (Breaking the Chains page 12) to the streets of inner-city Dublin (Night Watch page 24).

Inspired by their example, let’s be people of hope, even in the face of injustice, violence and pain. And then... “whatever happens...” we will be conducting ourselves in a manner “worthy of the Gospel of Christ”.

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www.vox.ie Ruth Garvey-Williams Editor (editor@vox.ie)

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CONTENTS Cover Stories

Breaking the Chains - Releasing children from slavery in Ghana Night Watch - Dublin Street Pastors take to the streets on Saturday nights

Features and Interviews

Behind the scenes - Meeting the team behind Team Hope’s shoebox appeal Identity, Inclusion and Intersectionality - Rubicon cuts to the heart of faith and culture in modern Ireland My Story - Meet Tania Chirka The Wellspring of Life - Plans for a faith-based women’s refuge in Ireland A Tale of Two Harvests - the inspiring story of Fields of Life A Good Life Explored - A conference exploring possibilities in the life of a person with intellectual disabilities – now and in the future Christianity and Economics - part four of our thought-provoking series An Unhurried Life - Ana Mullan continues her series with life lessons from a loaf of bread So Much More Than A Conference - New Wine Ireland’s vision for our island.

Is it all rubbish? Getting real about plastic waste Down With This Sort Of Thing - Praxis Press launches with a new book on mission in contemporary Ireland The Message of Love - Patrick Mitchell shares about his new book

Regular Features VOX: Shorts

Music Reviews

VOX: World News

Event Listing

Musings with Patrick Mitchell

Book Reviews

Confessions of a Feint Saint

VOX: PS with Seán Mullan

October - December 2019 Issue 44 ISSN: 2009-2253

EDITOR Ruth Garvey-Williams editor@vox.ie LAYOUT, ADVERTISING & DISTRIBUTION Jonny Lindsay jonny@vox.ie SUBSCRIPTIONS Ireland & UK: Min. €12 for four issues Overseas: Min. €20 for four issues Subscribe online at www.vox.ie.

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At the ARC Conference, our goal is for pastors, leaders, and future church planters to build relationships with one another and receive resources that will help the local church thrive. We always say, “Don't do ministry alone.” We don't want anyone to feel isolated in ministry. The ARC Conference is an opportunity for you to worship and learn, but also a time to connect with others in this big family. The ARC Family is made up of every type of church style, size, location, and vibe. Each person brings something different to the table. Our hope is that you build new relationships and leave more encouraged and excited about your calling than ever before.

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VOX SHORTS

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAISE: 31 OCTOBER

Each December, ancient Rome was disrupted by a festival of drunkenness and immorality devoted to the god Saturn. As Christianity began to spread, believers prayed about how to protect themselves and their children from the harmful influences associated with Saturnalia. Their solution was a stunningly bold vision – they decided to redeem the date for Jesus. Even though they knew Jesus wasn’t born in December, they decided to take a date at the end of Saturnalia, 25 December, and use it to celebrate the Incarnation of Christ. And that’s how Christmas was created.

Evangelical Alliance Ireland is teaming up with a number of churches and intercessory prayer groups to do something similar with 31 October. As Halloween becomes more prevalent, and trick-ortreating becomes more aggressive, there is a bold new vision to redeem the date for Jesus. So 31 October has been designated National Praise Day, with concerts and worship events taking place across Ireland, and a 12-hour (9am – 9pm) non-stop prayer and praise gathering in the Maldron Hotel in Tallaght.

EAI Executive Director Nick Park comments, “It’s time for Christians to stop sitting at home in the dark with the lights off pretending there’s nobody at home. We want to redeem this day, so it will be associated with praise, rather than the celebration of occultism and witchcraft. Starting from 2019, 31 October becomes an annual opportunity for Christians across Ireland to celebrate Jesus and lift up their voices in worship.”

Why not see if your local church can hold a praise event on 31 October? Or check out www.evangelical.ie for a list of events.

YOUNITY DRAWS THE CROWDS

Started in 2017, “Younity” is a youth and family outreach in Carlow. This year’s Younity event in Carlow’s Hanover Park (a place previously known as the haunt of drug dealers) attracted over 600 people for a BBQ, refreshments, worship, sports and games, face painting, a prayer tent, testimony sharing and much more. “Inspired by the love of Christ Jesus, we want to bring hope and unity to our community. Our desire is for a safer and better-functioning society,” shared organiser Jolly Orock. Special guests included the deputy mayor of Carlow and members of An Garda Síochána.

ON YER BIKE

Cyclists around Ireland have been pedalling against poverty this summer, raising funds for Tearfund Ireland by taking on a cycling challenge. Whether providing education for Syrian refugee children with a 145km cycle, supporting self-help groups in Ethiopia by pedalling 750km, or caring for families and children in Cambodia with an epic 1,000km route, “Pedal against Poverty” has shone a spotlight on some of Tearfund Ireland’s most innovative projects.

Tim Gaston from Donabate Presbyterian Church said, “Donabate early morning cycling group enjoying cycling with a purpose over this summer.

Tearfund supports valuable projects so it’s easy to get support for such meaningful work.”

And Ingrid Brennan from Holy Trinity Rathmines added, “Pedal Against Poverty was an enjoyable challenge. Setting the personal goals was a great incentive. I couldn’t commit to an overseas venture but this allowed me to participate and bring awareness to Tearfund’s campaigns.”

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VOICELESS PROTEST AT STORMONT

In September, an estimated 20,000 protestors of all ages, religions and political persuasions from across Northern Ireland stood in silence at Stormont to protest plans to liberalise abortion.

Westminster MPs voted in July to allow abortion for any reason until at least 24 weeks if the Northern Ireland Executive is not reinstated by 21 October. Sarah Crutchley, spokesperson for NI Voiceless said, “It is heartening to know that so many in Northern Ireland care passionately about the value of human life and long to see society be life-affirming. The people of Northern Ireland were not asked about this undemocratic change. The unborn cannot speak in defence of their own right to life so we had to stand up for them.

[We] urge every concerned citizen to translate this momentum into action by: supporting organisations that are campaigning for protection of the unborn; by speaking into public and professional discourse about the value of human life; and by serving women and families through charity and community groups. Together we can be a society where every human life is valued and no human death is chosen.” For more information on NI Voiceless go to @ NIVoiceless on social media.

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ALPHA IRELAND CONFERENCE: 18 - 19 OCTOBER 2019

Over 4,000 people participated in 169 Alpha Courses in the Republic of Ireland in 2018 - people of all ages, backgrounds and denominations. They joined millions around the world who attended Alpha Courses to explore the meaning of life and engage with questions about faith. Dominic Perrem is the National Director and Alpha Ireland’s staff numbers have more than doubled in the past 18 months in an effort to keep up with the growing number of courses. The Northern Ireland office, run by Jonny Campbell and Laura Winnery, supports many churches running Alpha and reports a growing number of Alpha courses across all denominations. Youth Alpha has become a popular resource in Irish schools, especially during Transition Year. One student commented, “Since Alpha classes I now consider God as a close friend, someone who is close to me and will always be there for me.”

This year’s Alpha Ireland Conference AIC19:DISCOVER will take place in Abbeyleix (18 - 19 October) featuring keynote speaker Ron Huntley from the Divine Renovation Network. The two-day conference will allow church leaders to hear how Alpha can be an excellent start in the process of rebuilding communities of faith. Many retain a spiritual hunger and a desire to reconnect with their Christian faith even after disillusionment. Others want to ask hard questions without fear of judgement. The Alpha offices in NI and ROI are delighted to support anyone wanting to start and run courses. Find out more at alphaireland.org.

PODCAST GIVES CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES ON CURRENT EVENTS Evangelical Alliance Ireland has launched a new weekly podcast to highlight churches, ministries, events, projects and individuals across the land. The Evangelical Seanchaí Podcast looks at the week’s headlines from a Christian perspective and each week David Turner, from Church in Chains, also focuses on the Persecuted Church in a different nation. The Evangelical Seanchaí is available through major podcast stores, or via a link on www.evangelical.ie.

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VOX SHORTS

ONE DAY COURSE FROM LIVING OUT

On Thursday 17 October, UK organisation “Living Out” is holding a one-day course in the centre of Dublin. Living Out aims to offer a biblical vision and practical steps forward to model both grace and truth in Christ-like love for all those who experience same-sex attraction. Registration for the Dublin course is available at www.livingout.org/local-dublin “Church leaders in Ireland are aware that societal attitudes to sexuality are changing at a breathtaking pace. Many thoughtful pastors and leaders recognise that the Church has not always responded with love and compassion to those who struggle with their sexual identity, with their gender, or experience same-sex attraction,” commented Nick Park from Evangelical Alliance of Ireland.

“Most evangelical believers, myself included, understand the Bible as teaching that sexual intimacy is a gift to be enjoyed solely within a marriage between one man and one woman. The challenge is how to be faithful to that biblical truth while still displaying the compassion of Jesus. The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). If our truth is not gracious, then it is not the truth of Christ. And if our grace is not faithful to biblical truth, then it is not the grace of Christ. My prayer is that the ‘Living Out’ course can help us be people of grace and truth.”

OPPORTUNITY FOR IRISH CHRISTIAN SONGWRITERS

Vincent Hughes from UCB Ireland Radio writes: “There are some amazing things happening this side of the Atlantic in terms of Christian music. UK-based producer Andy Baker has set up the Homegrown Worship music platform and is providing songwriters, singers and groups the opportunity to have their music widely accessible through the Homegrown Worship video channels, playlists, website and social media sites.

“I am extremely impressed with the quality of the recordings and production, as well as the quality of the songwriting. Homegrown Worship welcomes submissions from Irish singers and songwriters. This is a huge opportunity to develop an Irish Christian songwriting community, and if you, your group or your church are writing your own songs please visit the website www. homegrownworship.com and see for yourself.

“I will be featuring a different artist from Homegrown Worship every Saturday at 12 noon on UCB Ireland (www. ucbireland.ie) as my artist of the week. This hour-long programme has already featured such well-known artists as Matt Redman, Dave Bilborough, Rend Collective, and many more. Now it’s being given over to a new wave of Christian talent. Contact me vincent@ucbradio.ie or Andy Baker directly through the Homegrown Worship website.”

FACEBOOK GROUP ENCOURAGES CHRISTIANS TO STAND FOR PROLIFE

Ruth Foley and Suzanne Cummins are the admins of Irish Prolife Christian. They write, “Would you like to find out about the Biblical basis for protecting the lives of children in the womb, look into ways to get involved with prolife work, or link with others who share your concerns about abortion? Please look up our Facebook group, Irish Prolife Christian. This is a space for Christians in Ireland from all traditions to find resources for being informed and engaged with the pro-life message. We’re convinced Christians are called to be pro-life as a response to God’s amazing love, value and purpose for every unique person made in His image.

“You’ll find pro-life related material with biblical, Christian and church perspectives; Irish organisations and events; resources for pro-life prayer for Ireland; and personal stories, for example, testimonies of women who have found God’s forgiveness and restoration after abortion. We hope the group will encourage Christians and churches in Ireland to hold a pro-life position within church communities, and to be salt and light in the place and time we are in.”

AGAPE LEADERSHIP CHANGE

After serving as National Directors of Agape Ireland for eight years, David and Pam Wilson have stepped down to pursue a ministry of personal evangelism and discipling in Dublin. The Agape board has now established a national leadership team made up of Cormac Shaw (board chairman) Chloe Hanan as the National Campus Director and David Wilson as Agapé’s City Coordinator. Agape is a Christian movement, which is passionately committed to making Jesus known in Ireland, and beyond, with a focus on student ministry and leadership development.

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT DUBLIN: 11 - 12 OCTOBER

The Redeemed Christian Church of God will host this year’s Global Leadership Summit in Dublin. First developed at Willow Creek Community Church, GLS provides world-class leadership training via videocast talks to help Christian leaders in all walks of life gain fresh, practical and inspiring perspectives on their leadership. This year’s speakers include entrepreneur and leadership coach Jo Saxton, adventurer and writer Bear Grylls, Home for Good founder Krish Kandiah and author and pastor Danielle Strickland.

The two-day leadership conference will take place on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 October at The Jesus Centre, Bluebell Avenue, Dublin 12. Tickets are available from www.eventbrite.co.uk (€80 per person for two days).

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WORLD NEWS

The Sinicisation of China’s Church Sinicisation is a policy promoted by President Xi Jinping to align religion with Communist Party ideals. It was formalised by the introduction (in February 2018) of new Regulations for Religious Affairs setting out strict rules for Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and Taoists. The government has long sought to control Christianity by encouraging churches to register with one of the two government-approved Chinese church organisations (the “Three-Self Patriotic Movement” for Protestants and the “Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association” for Catholics). Many choose not to register and, until recently, these “house churches” have been largely tolerated. Now, however, the government insists that they register or face closure.

Thousands have been closed and many leaders have been arrested.

Under the Sinicisation policy, the national anthem must be sung at services and the meeting room must display a picture of President Xi, fly the national flag and have surveillance cameras installed. Children are not allowed in church and crosses have been removed from many church buildings.

One large house church experiencing persecution is Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu city. When Pastor Wang Yi, a former law professor, refused to register the church, police raided the building where the church meets, closed it and arrested more than 150 members.

Most have been released but Pastor Wang and two other leaders remain in prison.

Keep up to date with news of the persecuted church with Irish charity Church in Chains - www.churchinchains. ie.

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Alternative Orphan Care: The Importance of Family

Murder of Bible Translator A Cameroonian man who worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators was murdered in his home in August. Angus Abraham Fung was one of seven people killed in the village of Wum. His wife, Eveline, had a hand cut off. Wum is in the northwest of the country, a region that has been at the heart of the conflict between Cameroon’s government and separatist guerillas.

Angus Fung had helped to translate the New Testament into the Aghem language, and was a Literacy Coordinator on the Aghem Bible translation project.

The translation was completed in 2016 and over 3,000 copies were printed.

However, the conflict in the region has prevented distribution.

Efi Tembon, who was previously Director of the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL) comments: “Angus was one of the key community leaders in the whole tribe. He was a huge part of the literacy work because their language had never been written before. Many people now can read and write the language as a result of Angus’ work.” Despite the disruption caused by the war, the Aghem translation team are doing what they can to bring the New Testament to the Aghem people.

Katie Lynch visited Tearfund Ireland’s partner organisation M’Lup Russey to find out for herself the alternative to institutional care for children and young people: Looking around the yard, I stop counting when I reach 20 children. I glance at the parents of this foster family and before I can ask, Chanda tells me with a laugh they don’t all belong to him [some are neighbours]. We’re in the home of Pen Chanda and Kea Thol. They have three children of their own, and are currently fostering two sisters aged 14 and 9. Chanda talks about the power of simply being in a family. These parents know they can’t take trauma away with a magic wand. They can’t change the past.

But they can offer a solid, secure and safe place, where the message is clear: this is what family should look like.

Peppered through our conversation, Chanda makes comments like, “In this family, we don’t shout at each other,” or “In this family, we don’t use physical violence,” or “In this family, we help out in the kitchen”.

There are institutions where children are cared for, educated, and taught “life skills”. However, many orphanages do not have the necessary time or resources and so children arrive in foster families not knowing how to keep themselves clean or carry out basic chores.

Chanda highlights how important these skills have been for their foster daughters. They now wash dishes and clothes, and have learnt how to clean themselves. And their communication skills have improved. They can ask for what they need and express their emotions verbally when they are upset.

Find out more at www.tearfund.ie.

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REALITY

BREAKING THE CHAINS A Belfast pastor sees for himself how IJM is releasing children from slavery in Ghana

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ast October, Belfast pastor David Varney joined other church leaders from the UK and Ireland on a visit to the International Justice Mission (IJM) field office in Ghana to see for himself how the world’s largest anti-slavery organisation is bringing justice, freedom and restoration to hundreds of children who have been trafficked into modern day slavery. David spoke to VOX magazine about the lasting impact of his trip and the lessons for churches in Ireland.

Five hours journey from Accra, the capital city of Ghana, Cape Coast is an old fort or “slave castle.” At the height of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, thousands of slaves were kept in dark, airless holding cells underneath Cape Coast before being shipped off to the Americas. To this day, the smell of death lingers, a legacy of horrendous injustice perpetrated on human beings made in the image of God. Cape Coast is now a visitor centre and David Varney describes the poignant

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experience of being shut into a slave cell in such pitch darkness that it was impossible to see his hand in front of his face.

But for David, one of the most disturbing discoveries came after leaving the cells. Directly above those dungeons, separated by a few feet of stone, is a beautiful, bright and airy chapel overlooking the sea. In bygone days, people were worshipping God and listening to His word being preached while literally beneath their feet people were being held captive, treated like animals and bought and sold as commodities.

Struck by the proximity between the sacred and the evil, David said, “As the church, we can very easily condition ourselves and shut ourselves off from injustice, even if it is just a few feet away. We can turn a blind eye. At first, I was slightly puzzled as to why IJM took us to see [Cape Coast]. It was moving and terrible but that was years ago. We

have a reaction against that form of oppression and we are angry at what our forefathers did. But do we have the same righteous anger about what is happening in our world today? If we are oblivious and uncaring, are we not just like our ancestors?”

A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY?

Ghana is home to the world’s largest man-made lake. Lake Volta occupies over 8,500 square kilometres (larger than County Cork). It was created to

VOX MAGAZINE

Do we have the same righteous anger about what is happening in our world today?

provide electricity and is home to a thriving fishing industry, but there is a dark side. Children as young as four are being trafficked into slavery to work on the fishing boats. They are treated like animals - working unpaid, without breaks or days off, in dangerous conditions and suffering severe malnutrition and neglect.

And yet Ghana is considered a Christian country with 75% of the

population regularly attending church.

“An estimated 5,000 children have been trafficked into the fishing industry on Lake Volta and it is bewildering

because many of the boat owners claim to be Christians and attend church,” David explained. “They are not skulking around in the shadows.

This is considered to be part of their culture. Parents are sometimes even complicit in trafficking their own children, motivated by desperate poverty or greed.”

But it is in this challenging context that IJM has begun to make significant OCT - DEC 2019 VOX.IE

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in-roads. From its field office in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, the IJM team is working at every level to eradicate the stain of slavery in the fishing industry on Lake Volta.

The IJM team recognises that it is not enough simply to rescue children from slavery (all too soon, they are replaced by other children who are trafficked and abused). Instead they are working at all levels to investigate and to successfully prosecute those responsible, alongside local authorities and law enforcement, to rescue and rehabilitate the children and to re-educate the local communities and churches to reject trafficking and slavery.

“Another of my stand-out memories from the trip was visiting a church (made out of breeze blocks) in a little village in the Volta region,” David said. “Suddenly a dancing band appeared with drums and colourful cultural dances. Local church leaders began to arrive from miles around. IJM’s church engagement team has been working with around 25 local pastors to study the Scriptures and start to understand what the Bible says about justice, and Bible study materials have been translated into the local languages.

“After the dancing, these church leaders began sharing how they have been gripped by what God says in the Bible about justice. It is as if they have

heard the message of justice for the first time and a massive shift is taking place.

Once these leaders understand what the Bible says about the injustice and oppression taking place around them, they begin to question what role the church needs to play in response.”

REHABILITATION

IJM partners with other organisations to provide aftercare for children rescued from slavery. Visiting one of these

as they grow to physical maturity they are then treated as ‘prizes’ for the boys.

It is a horrible pit of darkness, especially for the girls. At the rehab, there was a 13-year-old girl with a baby.”

Thankfully, the work of IJM has rescued these children and helped them to begin the long journey to recovery and restoration. The process can take many years, depending on how long the child has been held.

One boy - a 12-year-old who looked as if he was five - smiled for the first time in six months while David and the other church leaders were visiting.

These children have learned to mistrust any adult and it takes a long time to earn their trust and support them towards healing.

The legal process is also lengthy. IJM works to build a case and to gather sufficient evidence so that when an arrest takes place, there is a high degree of likelihood that the slave owner will be convicted. It might take several years, and during that time the child will remain in the rehab facility while it is determined who was to blame for the trafficking (a child will not be sent back to an unsafe environment). Trained social workers, counsellors, educators and child advocates work in partnership to bring about lasting rehabilitation for the children.

Lack of safety, rest, nutrition and a nurturing environment stunts the growth of boys used as slaves in the fishing industry.

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rehabilitation facilities, David saw for himself the impact of years of neglect and mistreatment. “There were boys up to the age of 16 and the youngest was a five-year-old who looked like a twoyear-old,” he said. “Lack of safety, rest, nutrition and a nurturing environment stunts the growth of boys used as slaves in the fishing industry. Girls who are trafficked end up working on shore, but

VOX MAGAZINE

HOPE IN THE FACE OF OPPRESSION

“The trip was emotional and, at times, seeing and experiencing oppression up close was traumatic. But as a pastor from the west, I realise how incredibly fortunate we are. I came home highly motivated to do something about what I had seen,” David shared.

The trip brought home the reality of oppression. “Some of the blinders have come off, exposed to the reality of darkness. Because of our privileged position in the western church, we believe that bad things exist but until you see it, you don’t fully realise how vast and radically opposed to God’s purposes it is.

“But I also came back with a new sense of hope. We talk all the time about making a difference. When it comes to seeking God’s justice, I have seen that it does work. The IJM field office director in Ghana believes it is possible to eradicate slavery on Lake Volta as more and more people wake up to the reality of what is happening and work to bring about justice. They have that vision and they believe that with God’s help it can happen.”

The Gospel is always more radical than we allow it to be and more challenging than I want it to be.

GOD’S KINGDOM IN ACTION

David and his family have been IJM supporters for many years but after returning home, he has a new sense of determination.

“We are a small church plant and it is very easy to develop a complex assuming we can’t do anything. That is something we are pushing against.

We can contribute to bringing God’s kingdom even though we are small in number. That is God’s kingdom ethics at play - insignificant numbers but exponential difference.

“IJM make it so easy. From a church leader’s point of view, the resources they provide are so helpful. During Lent, each of us gave up a product that is associated with the slave chain (chocolate, coffee or make up) and IJM gave us suggestions of tasks we could do - posting on social media, writing to our politicians or contacting manufacturers to ask questions about where their products come from.

“We pray every Sunday and contribute a portion of all our fundraising to the work of IJM. As a church planter reaching out to Millennials, I’ve found that this generation are deeply concerned about justice. But because of what the Bible teaches, surely as Christians we should be more concerned about justice than those outside our churches? We should

be more motivated than anybody to see an end to slavery and injustice.

“The Gospel is always more radical than we allow it to be and more challenging than I want it to be. Let us not be like the people in that Cape Coast chapel - singing hymns while there are slaves held captive beneath our feet!”

To find out more about the work of International Justice Mission visit the website at www.ijmuk.org.

David Varney is a medical doctor and bivocational pastor of Foundation Church Belfast, part of the Advance Movement of churches. He is married to Marion and they have a daughter called Eliza. You can follow him @drvarney in all the usual places.

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REALITY

Behind the Scenes

Meeting the Team Behind Team Hope’s Shoebox Appeal Jonathan Douglas joined the Team Hope staff in June 2019, having previously worked with The Mission to End Leprosy based in Sandyford and as Youth and Children’s Worker of Kill O’ The Grange Parish in Deansgrange. He shares his first impressions of the Christmas Shoebox Appeal in Ireland:

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joined Team Hope just a few months ago to work on the Christmas Shoebox Appeal. In that short time, I’ve already had the privilege to meet many of our 51 volunteer coordinators across the country. Through our chats, I’ve heard and felt their passion for the Shoebox Appeal; for some that passion has been going on for decades! Last year their dedication helped bring gift-filled shoeboxes to 259,079 children.

I’ve been so inspired by the volunteers and their stories.

They give so much of their time all year round! During the year, volunteers collect shoebox fillers like handmade knitted teddy bears, copy books, toothbrushes and tennis balls. They search for bargains and share where to find treasures for the boxes. They fill their attics with goodies.

One lady fills one box a month throughout the year. She was introduced to the appeal by her father who was raised in an orphanage in Ireland. He knew first-hand how much it would have meant to receive a box and so he encouraged as many people as possible to get involved.

Every year in November the shoeboxes are collected from our official drop-off points by volunteers and brought to local centres for checking. Groups like the Army, Civil Defence and the Connaught Rugby Team help collect shoeboxes. In Dublin, a bus from Dublin Bus helps collect the shoeboxes from schools and businesses. One driver, Paul,

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has been helping for over 15 years! Last year he was lost for words when he was able to see for himself the boxes being given out to children in Romania. “It’s mesmerising!” he said.

(See our video at www.teamhope.ie ) It’s all hands on deck in November and the checking centres are a sight to see. Thousands of boxes are carefully and lovingly checked both for customs purposes and to make sure the items are suitable for a child. Many of those involved are family members that stretch three or even four generations!

Volunteers come from all kinds of backgrounds - some are teenagers and others in their 90’s; there is even a dog that helps out in County Clare!

By the end of November, the boxes are sent off to children affected by poverty in Africa and Eastern Europe. Many of these children have never received a present before and the reports back from our partners show the joy on the children’s faces as they open their shoebox gifts.

Simple gifts of toys and sweets means so much but the children also receive important items like clothes, pens and copy books, which they can use in school.

It is a privilege and a joy to serve God in this way and I am so excited to begin the campaign this year and be a part of the Christmas Shoebox Appeal family. Every box counts! If you would like to take part in the Christmas Shoebox Appeal as a volunteer find out more on www.teamhope.ie.

Musings...

VOX MAGAZINE

on Richard Rohr’s Universal Christ With Patrick Mitchel

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est-selling author and teacher Richard Rohr’s latest book is The Universal Christ: how a forgotten reality can change everything we see, hope for and believe (SPCK, 2019). This is not a book review.

Here I consider Rohr’s beliefs and ponder his popularity.

Rohr says he represents an ‘alternative orthodoxy.’ His understanding of Jesus sure is alternative. The ‘forgotten reality’ – that Rohr uniquely seems to have access to – is that Jesus and Christ are not the same.

‘Christ’ is, for Rohr, not a ‘him’ at all, but a ‘universal principle of truth’ and a ‘cosmic, but deeply personal energy field’. According to Rohr, since it is Christ, not Jesus, who says, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6) this verse is not a call to belief in one person but “a mystery of Incarnation that can be experienced by all, and in a million different ways.”

For Rohr, Jesus is a historical person in whom God is seen to be personal and individual. We need Jesus to show us what love and forgiveness looks like.

‘If Christ is like the kite, Jesus is the little boy flying the kite and keeping it from escaping away into invisibility … If Jesus is the little boy holding the kite string, Christ is the great banner in the sky, from whom all can draw life – even if they do not recognise the boy.’

That’s a taste of Rohr’s Universal Christ. If you are struggling to pin down what he means, you are not alone.

No serious biblical scholar would recognise his views of the Gospels. If a theology student was submitting The Universal Christ as a piece of academic research, any reputable college would (or should) give it a fail.

Ironically, for someone who champions inclusion, those that do not agree are caricatured as ‘primitive, exclusionary and fear-based’. In The Universal Christ, sin is reduced to recognising that ‘I have never been separate from God nor can I be, except in my mind.’ The cross is reinterpreted as our ‘negative experiences’ and the gospel is psychologised as self-acceptance. In other words, it is hard to read Rohr as a Christian author at all.

However, it would, I think, be too easy to dismiss Rohr as a false teacher telling people what their itching

ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). His massive popularity should make us ask what challenges he poses to orthodox Christianity.

Rohr typifies the search to be ‘spiritual but not religious’. A challenge here is for churches to live up to their God-given calling to be Spirit-filled communities of love and justice.

Rohr rejects themes like sin and repentance as negative and judgemental. A challenge here is for Christians to show joyfully that the Gospel is good news that leads to a life of human flourishing – what we are for rather than what we are against.

Rohr displays a kindness, welcome, compassion and inclusion for everyone, yet at the cost of ignoring the power of sin within ourselves and our broken world. A challenge for the church is to hold these two things together.

Rohr wants to make the Bible story beautiful and attractive, yet at the cost of rewriting the script. The challenge is for Christians to know and communicate the Bible faithfully in ways that speak to people’s everyday lives.

And if Rohr’s success lies in how he taps into our culture’s obsession with self-acceptance and inclusion, a challenge for the church is to preach Jesus Christ crucified – however “foolish” that message may seem.

It is hard to read Rohr as a Christian author at all.

Dr. Patrick Mitchel is Senior Lecturer in Theology at the Irish Bible Institute. You can follow his blog at www.faithinireland.wordpress.com.

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FAITH

Identity, Inclusion and Intersectionality Rubicon cuts to the heart of faith and culture in modern Ireland

BY SCOTT EVANS

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very once in a while, you stumble upon a photo that feels like more than a photo. It transcends colours and shapes. Looking at it vividly and tangibly transports you back to a season of your life long past — to all that was different and all that has stayed the same. This particular photo is a favourite of mine.

In the years that have passed since it was taken, my hair has been cut short while my beard has grown long but I still wear that hat and the woman who was once my girlfriend is now my wife and she still looks at me like she has no idea what I am talking about.

But my favourite thing about this photo is that, eight years after it was taken, I still remember the thrill and terror of being at a conference where I was able to ask the tough questions that I had never previously dared to speak aloud to a speaker who had blown my mind.

The speaker was the late Phyllis Tickle and it was at the first

ever Rubicon Conference in 2011. For me, it was the beginning of a journey towards a deeper, more authentic faith and Rubicon has been a central part of my annual calendar ever since.

Rubicon is a one-day faith and culture conference that invites those who attend to wrestle with the deepest questions facing us today. What does it mean to be a Christian in modern Ireland? What does it mean to be Irish and part of a global church? What does it mean to be human in a world that is so often inhumane? And how do we open our hearts and minds to the issues of our day?

For the last eight years, Rubicon has created space for these conversations and invited the insight and input of crucial international and local voices who have challenged and inspired us. From the teaching of Phyllis Tickle, Scot McKnight and Os Guinness to the activism of Shane Claiborne and Jarrod McKenna to the poetry of Pádraig Ó Tuama and FeliSpeaks, Rubicon has been at the cutting edge of our cultural moment.

They haven’t been easy conversations, but they have been crucial to hundreds of Christians trying to figure out who God has called them to be.

And this year’s conference may be the most important Rubicon yet.

All you have to do is turn on the news to see how fear and hatred are increasingly shaping the world in which we live. They have led to cries of ‘Build the Wall’ and ‘Send her home’ and contributed to the imprisonment of over a million Uighur Muslims in China and to the genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar.

Fear and hatred have led to mass shootings, to children in cages and to the rise of dictators and demagogues around

the world. On the island of Ireland, growing fear and hatred of the other has led to violence against mosques, to online and community harassment, to bonfires, riots, racism and stabbings against our neighbours and kin.

We wish it wasn’t real. We wish it was exceptional. The truth is, it’s a tale as old as time. Throughout history, we have always had a tendency to fear what we do not know ... and, more importantly, who we do not know.

This year at Rubicon we want to confront how the realities of identity and inclusion intersect with a world of increasing fear and hatred, and to explore together who we are and who we are called to be.

This year’s speakers include activist Lisa Sharon Harper, author of the critically acclaimed book The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong can be Made Right, which explores God’s intent for the wholeness of all relationships in the light of today’s headlines and Race Relations consultant and social justice advocate Dr. Ebun Joseph who is a lecturer and coordinator of the first black studies module in UCD. As Christians, we believe in a Kingdom of God that is for everyone, no exceptions, and yet we live in a world that thrives on building and maintaining systems and structures that keep others out. Join us at Rubicon as we dream together about a future where everyone has a seat at the table.

Rubicon 2019: Identity, Inclusion and Intersectionality will take place at the Sugar Club, Dublin on Saturday 12 October (9.30am to 4.30pm). Book tickets or find out more at www.wearerubicon. com. Follow Rubicon on Insta and Twitter: @wearerubicon.

CONFESSIONS OF A FEINT SAINT

VOX MAGAZINE

Strong-armed

By Annmarie Miles

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friend of mine became a grandfather for the first time recently. He is completely in love with this tiny person who has burst into his life, bringing untold joy with her. He loves to talk about her and when he goes to see her, or her parents bring her to see him and Grandma, he wants to hold her all the time. We were chatting about it the other day and Grandma mentioned that he’s only too delighted to hold the baby, until his arm gets tired. Then, reluctantly, he has to hand her over for a bit.

Another friend has been a Grandpa for about a year now. I’ve had similar conversations with him about his granddaughter who, by coincidence is also the most beautiful little girl in the world. Funny that :) This Grandad or Bampi as they are called in Wales, also loves to have his granddaughter around. She’s walking now and is always on the go. She loves nothing more than tackling stairs and would, hand-in-hand with Bampi, go up and down the same three steps all day, if only he had the energy.

The love these grandfathers have for their granddaughters is bigger than either of them could have imagined. Their devotion has no limits and is increasing over time. I can’t see it ever running out. What they don’t have endless supplies of, however, is energy.

Whether it’s holding the newborn, or trotting around with the toddler, eventually Bampi’s arms get tired and they need to rest.

I often worry that God must tire of my endless need to lean against Him for spiritual, emotional and sometimes physical restoration. You’ve probably asked the question yourself. How does God put up with us weak and wandering followers?

Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

The context of this verse is not as far from doting granddads as you might think. Moses says this as part of his blessing to the tribes of Israel before he died, much like Jacob had done for his sons in Genesis 49. He praises God and prays for the people, that God will make them prosper and make them strong.

But if their own energies and abilities fail them, they do not need to worry. And nor do we. Underneath us is eternal security, a God who verse 26 tells us, “rides across the heavens to help you.”

He has an arm that will not tire, a hand that will not let go.

I like that. After 25 years of walking with God, I still want Him to hold my hand while I walk up and down the same three steps again and again. I’m no baby. I just like to put childlike faith into practise.

So much so, I’m hoping my ‘mansion’ is a bouncy castle!

“I often worry that God must tire of my endless need to lean against Him.”

Annmarie Miles is originally from Tallaght and now lives in her husband Richard’s homeland, Wales. As well as VOX articles, she writes short stories, and is working on a book about her journey with food, weight gain, weight loss and God. Visit her blog at www.auntyamo.com. On Twitter she is @amowriting.

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MY STORY “My Story” is an opportunity for ordinary people living in Ireland to talk about their journey to faith or the impact God has in their daily lives.

MEET TANIA CHIRKA Born in the Ukraine under communist rule, Tania Chirka felt like there was something missing in her life. But it wasn’t until she moved to Ireland that she found what she had been looking for.

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was born in the Ukraine when it was still part of the Soviet Union and we did not have our own name as a country. At that time, people believed the government and were against religion. I did not have a Christian family. My auntie became a Christian and for 20 years, she was praying for us. It shows that prayer works. I really believe that if it wasn’t for her prayers, I would not be who I am or where I am today.

I always felt there was a protection over my life (on several occasions I had accidents that could have killed me). Now I understand that it was because of what she was doing behind the scenes, praying for us.

My journey to finding God was a long one. My auntie kept inviting us to church and so my whole family went a few times. I attended Sunday School and it wasn’t a great experience. It felt like just another day of school - very formal and sitting at desks. During that time, they taught us how to pray. I started praying without understanding who I was praying to or why I was doing it. Eventually I lost interest. I lost connection with church and with God.

there was something missing. Even if work was going well and I had good relationships, it was never enough. I felt this dissatisfaction with life.

My thought life was a disaster.

Negative thoughts were really bringing me down and I became a really unhappy person. I started reading psychology books to try and understand why I was feeling like this. Over time, these books helped me a bit but there was still a big part missing.

By this time I was living in Russia and a friend invited me to church again.

I started going to a small group - they were great people who were really helping others and they worshipped together. I felt there was something right about these Christians. But I had all these questions. I did not know who Jesus was.

Then lots of things in my life went wrong at the same time. I experienced a relationship break up and the political situation was difficult for me as a Ukrainian living in Russia. A lot of things came together for me to come to Ireland because my family lives here. But it wasn’t an easy process.

SOMETHING MISSING

I had so much hurt inside me because of everything that had happened. I felt overwhelmed. But my sister started

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO HAVE LOVE AND TO KNOW JESUS; EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY.

As a teenager, I started struggling with depression. For years, I felt like 20

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OVERWHELMED WITH PAIN

going to church and because I didn’t have a job (I wasn’t allowed to work because of my visa situation), I started going.

There were lots of things that I didn’t understand or seemed funny to me. I had so much pain that I could not hear the message. Sunday after Sunday, I sat in the church crying. Gradually, I felt something in me was changing, especially when people were worshipping. I could feel the presence of God. I know that God was healing me.

I don’t know the actual moment that it happened. They would invite us to pray if we wanted to give our lives to Jesus so I prayed that prayer a few times.

And at some point, I just knew that I was saved and I wanted to get baptised.

CHANGING

My life began to change. When I was reading the psychology books, things changed a little bit but now everything was happening quite fast without me doing anything. When I met Jesus it was completely different. Even my thoughts started changing. It was a gift from God and He helped me so much. Looking back, I’m so happy I went through what I did.

I wanted to live in a way to please God. God spoke to me about doing the SALT course (leadership training) with Christian Churches Ireland (CCI). But I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t want

to be a leader. Eventually I said, “God, if you want me to go, you have to provide for me.”

With my visa situation, I could not work and there was no way I could pay for the course. But the day before the closing date for application, somebody came to me out of the blue and gave me the money for the first term. I submitted my application the next day and went for an interview. Later they told me that I didn’t really pass the interview but they prayed and God told them they should accept me!

SALT was an amazing experience.

I learnt so much and met so many amazing people. After that, I did an internship with CCI until my documents came through and I was able to find a job in an office.

I was on a temporary contract and I kept praying for it to be made permanent. I wanted security but more than that I wanted to know what God wanted for me. So when they ended my

contract, I asked God, “What is next?”

My family are all Christians now and we were all praying.

WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

When God spoke to me about going to Africa, I didn’t want to go. But God told me to go to Mozambique [on a short term missions trip] so I went straight away to get my vaccinations even before my application was accepted! Arriving in Mozambique, I remember thinking, “What am I doing here?”

I was afraid of Africa. I’m a very emotional person, and when I see somebody in need, it breaks my heart. In the end, though I was so happy I went.

I saw poverty but I also saw how much God is doing. I saw missionaries from all over the world who are serving and laying their lives down to be there.

I discovered that children are just children everywhere. Some are broken by poverty but kids here in Ireland can be broken as well even though they

have everything. The most important thing is to have love and to know Jesus; everything else is secondary.

Since that trip, I have realised that what God is doing is more important than other things. Even poverty is not such a big deal. Now if God is sending me I am happy to go. I know why He sent me to Africa. I realise that something I was afraid of is not actually so scary.

Back in Ireland now, I’m learning to wait and trust God for what comes next.

He is still doing so much in my life. I know God sent me here. I absolutely love this country. God has given me a peace that I never knew. I’ve discovered that Christianity is real. People don’t know that because they haven’t experienced it!

Life is difficult for everyone and many of us have had difficult things that happened to us but the reality is that Jesus gives us a new life; the old one is gone. You have to let go of the past. You have to forgive yourself and others. I know I am a new creation.

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REALITY

The Wellspring of Life Plans for a faith-based women’s refuge in Ireland KEEP ME SAFE, MY GOD, FOR IN YOU I TAKE REFUGE. PSALM 16:1 “One evening during a time of prayer, a lady came up to me rather hesitantly. She told me, ‘I have a message for you. God has told me that He asked you to do something and you haven’t done it.’ I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry but I did both.”

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welve years ago, Martha McGee recalls the moment during a worship service when she first had the vision for a women’s refuge. “I knew it was no ordinary daydream. I left the church with an understanding that I was meant to set up a refuge for women in abusive domestic situations. The scripture of the woman at the well was burning in my heart and I had a sense of how much love Jesus has for all women, and particularly women who have been subject to physical, emotional or sexual abuse in the privacy of their own homes.”

Within days, the vision had faded and Martha went on with her life, working in a bank and raising her two daughters. But two months later, she woke up in the middle of the night with a clear picture of how such a refuge should be run, providing community but also allowing women dignity and privacy. She went downstairs and wrote it all down.

The journey to see her vision become a reality has been slow and filled with opportunities for learning and growth. In addition to her professional work in banking and compliance, Martha developed leadership skills heading up women’s ministry and prayer ministry in her church, and more recently studying for her MA in Transformational Leadership at the Irish Bible Institute. “Through all of that, my vision never went away,” Martha said.

Challenged by what had been said to her at that prayer meeting, Martha received another confirmation at a women’s conference. Artist Karen McSweeney handed Martha a painting she had created. “It was a picture of a woman with a veiled face. I was blown away by it. We were not created to hide and I knew that I was to come out of hiding and do what I had been asked to do. I knew I was being called deeper, to experience life-giving waters not just for me but for all the women, their healing and their growth in the refuge.”

Martha began work to form a faith-based charity named (unsurprisingly) “The Wellspring of Life” with the aim to create a new women’s refuge. Launching a book of poetry illustrated by Karen called Not Created To Hide last autumn to raise funds, Martha and her small team began the process of registering the charity and ensuring all of the legal requirements were in place.

“I underestimated the length of time it would take but finally we have been approved by the Charity Regulator [RCN 20204565] and we have launched a massive online fundraising campaign in order to purchase a building and refurbish it as a refuge. People’s interest has really encouraged us. As more and more people join up to support the vision, it will become a reality. This

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was never my idea. It is very much God’s refuge. We long for a safe, peaceful and loving refuge where women and children of any faith or none can find a welcome.

“I find it hard to imagine myself being the CEO because I’m such an ordinary person. I’m learning as I go along and while we would like to see things moving faster, we want to do everything with excellence.”

Wellspring would like to partner with other organisations such as Women’s Aid and Safe Ireland and Martha and her team are looking for individuals and churches who will journey with them to see the women’s refuge becoming a reality.

NO ROOM AT THE REFUGE “This is a journey of In 2016, 10,101 individual hope. We want members women received support of the public to journey from Domestic Violence with us and to donate €1 Support Services in Ireland. each and to encourage This included 1,460 women family members and who were accommodated in friends to do the same. refuges around the country People are asked for along with 2,206 children. money all the time but On 3,981 occasions in 2016, we believe even the services were unable to smallest amount can make accommodate women and a difference and there is their children because refuges great excitement as people were full or there was no become part of the project. refuge in their area. (Safe That one euro can be the Ireland Review 2017/2018). beginning of the rest of somebody’s life.

“Although [for obvious reasons] we won’t be able to show people the outside of the building or its exact location, they can keep up-to-date with what goes on right up until we have the refuge fit for purpose.”

Through personal experience, Martha understands what women go through and how it can take time to find healing and restoration. Her vision is for the refuge to be a place of peace away from the chaos, shouting, violence and aggression that the women and their children have known.

And as the project moves forward, The Wellspring of Life Women’s Refuge will also need people who will volunteer their time and skills, and churches that will commit to partnering long term with the vision.

To find out more, to purchase Martha’s book of poetry Not Created To Hide (all proceeds to Wellspring) or to donate to the project, visit www. thewellspringoflife.ie.

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FAITH

NIGHTWATCH Dublin Street Pastors take to the streets on Saturday nights

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ith 17 volunteers from different churches across the city, Street Pastors has been “on duty” from 11pm to 4am every Saturday night since the Dublin group was launched. VOX magazine spoke to Tomás Jenkinson, Coordinator of Dublin Street Pastors to find out more: First pioneered in London in 2003, Street Pastors groups operate all over the UK, providing a compassionate response to the problems of inner-city nightlife.

In Ireland, the award-winning Cork Street Pastors launched in 2012 and after several years of planning and prayer, Dublin Street Pastors was launched in May 2019.

“We meet at 10.30pm for prayer and then head out with a team of three or four people at 11pm. In the early part of the evening, we might be in Temple Bar

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or around Grafton Street,” Tomás said.

After a tea break at 1.30am, the team goes out again between 2am and 4am, patrolling the area around Clarendon Street and checking in alleyways and back streets.

Dublin Street Pastors was set up in consultation with An Garda Síochána and there is a positive relationship with guards on the beat. The team is trained to understand the role of the Gardaí so that they can support and complement the emergency services.

Sweeping up broken glass and picking up over 200 glass bottles a night is a small but important service to protect people in the city centre. The team takes care of people who have become sick or vulnerable through substances misuse, sitting with them and finding help either by calling a friend, alerting the emergency services or helping them to return home safely.

They also carry supplies of flip-flops and bottles of water.

“Sometimes, we find ourselves nearby when a fight is brewing and stop to pray. We’ve seen scenes beginning to calm down and people dispersing without further incident,” Tomás shared.

The team has helped avert potentially dangerous situations. Street Pastors were walking past when a young lady fell out of a taxi she was sharing with a man. She appeared to be intoxicated. The team asked where she was going and she replied, “Drumcondra.” This alerted the attention of the taxi driver because the man had told him to drive to Rathmines.

Once “caught out” the man took off at a run and the Street Pastors were able to call an ambulance and the Gardaí. The woman had been drugged.

“We’ve met people who are depressed and some who are contemplating

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“WE’VE MET PEOPLE WHO ARE DEPRESSED AND SOME WHO ARE CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE.” suicide,” Tomás added. “Our volunteers are all trained in “safeTALK” (suicide alertness) and we are able to put people in contact with services in the city where they can find help.”

It has also been exciting to find opportunities to talk about faith and to pray with people on the street.

“People ask, ‘Why are you out here?’ and it is very natural to reply that we are volunteers from churches in the city and we are on the street to care, listen and help,” Tomás said.

“One Saturday night, we were coming back from our break when four young people called out called us, ‘Who are you and what are you doing?’ We ended up having great conversations.

“I spoke with Yusuf* who said he was an agnostic. I shared my testimony.

I told him how I had asked God to show me if He was real and I met Him in an amazing way while I was in Rome. Yusuf said, ‘I would need a bigger experience than that.’ So I told him, ‘Your heart needs to be open.’ He replied, ‘My heart is open, it is wide open.’”

While Tomás was talking and praying with Yusuf, other members of the team

were chatting with three Brazilian young people. Fernanda* had a series of tattoos showing a caterpillar, a leaf, a cocoon and the blank outline of a butterfly. She noticed that Carissa, one of the Street Pastors’ team, had a beautiful, colourful tattoo of a butterfly in flight on her wrist.

“I always wondered what was the end of my tattoo. It felt incomplete,” shared Fernanda. Carissa began to share her story that through coming to Christ, she has found who she was created to be and is on an adventure with God. As Carissa was sharing with Fernanda and the other Brazilians, Yusuf came over to the group and said to Carissa, “Pray for us! You must pray for us!”

Carissa asked, “What do you want me to pray? You need to be specific.”

So Fernanda said, “I want this love and hope that you have. I know that is what I’m looking for.”

Yusuf added, “I want more of whatever you have. I’m ready for it.”

And another of the Brazilians added, “I have been struggling. You were talking about the butterfly; it is fragile. Often people think of girls as sensitive but we [men] are fragile too. I have a lot of fear.

Please pray that I will have no more fear but love instead.”

This was just one incident of many that the teams have encountered as they go out onto the streets every Saturday night. For Tomás, it is an example of how God has placed eternity in the hearts of every individual.

“What attracted me to Street Pastors was seeing churches working together and the priority it places on prayer. Our unity is so crucial to being effective and the whole area of prayer and intercession is something that God has been developing in my own life. We have Prayer Pastors working with us. The goal is that every time we go out, they will stay and pray. We can then send back updates during the night.”

If you are interested in getting involved in Street Pastors or Prayer Pastors (full training available) or would like to support the work financially, find out more on Facebook @DublinStreetPastors or email dublin@ streetpastors.org. (*Names changed)

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LIFE

A Tale of Two Harvests The inspiring story of Fields of Life

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dairy farmer from County Dublin, Rev Trevor Stephenson is the founder of Christian development agency “Fields of Life” and minister at Crinken Church, in Bray, Co. Wicklow. Here he shares a little of his remarkable journey - a story that is told in full in his new book due out by the end of the year (see www. fieldsoflife.org for details).

In Uganda, mango trees can produce two harvests at the same time. While the first harvest is almost ripe, the second harvest has already begun to flower. At the beginning of 2018, we saw the obvious harvest of 25 years of

I HAD FELT ENOUGH OF HIS HEART FOR UGANDA THAT I OPENED MYSELF TO THE CRAZY POSSIBILITY THAT I WOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Fields Of Life: flourishing schools, wells providing fresh water and individual lives transformed. Yet, we also saw the flowers of a second harvest.

It was interesting thinking back to the first school. Josephine was one of the very first children to walk through the gates of Fields of Life Academy.

Now, she has a design business and looks after nine children that she found homeless on the streets.

Moses could not afford school but after receiving sponsorship to attend, he is now an Assistant Health Inspector in Wakiso District Local Government.

Solomon, who is lecturing in Gulu University, said, “I invite myself to schools and rural communities, to inspire the young people to keep going after their dreams. I tell them, ‘If Solomon Olum, from an obscure parish in a little-known village in a formerly 26

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war-torn region could make it, anyone can, given the opportunity.’”

I wonder, “What if Fields of Life had not turned up in their lives?” God loves these children. He wanted to give them a chance. Back in 1993, I had no idea what God had in mind, but I had felt enough of His heart for Uganda that I opened myself to the crazy possibility that I would do something about it.

HE COULD NEVER USE ME...

I grew up on a dairy farm in Co. Dublin.

Apart from farming, St James’ Church, Crinken, in Bray, was where our family spent most of our time. I had heard the Gospel but it was not until I was around 20 that I took it seriously and committed my life to Jesus.

My parents would take me, kicking and screaming, to missionary conferences at Carraig Eden. Listening to the missionaries, I thought, “They must be something special that God could use them in such work. He’d never use me like that.”

When Ken (Fanta) Clarke arrived as the new minister in Crinken, things really took off in my spiritual life. Rev. Ken was down to earth with bags of energy. After some time, he asked me to teach in Sunday School. I never felt I could teach but there was no one else to do it. By the age of 23, I was Sunday School Superintendent.

I remember one day on the farm, leaning against a hay bale with my father. A bit like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, I was suggesting to my father that I might want more than being a farmer all my life. I had no idea what seeds were being sown in me that day.

Eventually, I looked at my options with Fanta. I could become a lay reader but with summer Saturday nights cutting silage on the farm, that would make it unfeasible for a service on a Sunday morning! Eventually, with reservations about the academic study, I opted for ordination.

During my training for the Church

of Ireland, I undertook a month-long placement in Coleraine, where Fanta and his wife, Helen, were then ministering.

The night I arrived, they told me we were all going to New Horizon.

“I’LL GO ANYWHERE FOR YOU, LORD!”

I can remember it vividly. Charles Price was preaching about the staff in Moses’ hand. When God asked him to throw it down, it turned into a snake. Then God asked him to pick it up again. It became God’s staff. Charles challenged us to look at what we were holding in our hands - was it our job or family, finances or even a ministry?

The Holy Spirit went for my jugular.

I felt that I was the only one there.

Charles seemed to be talking to me. He said, “Maybe you think you have given up everything for God (yes - I had left farming and I was training for ministry) but are you prepared to go anywhere for Him?” Charles challenged us to stand if we knew that God had asked us to surrender our ministry to Him. Before I knew it, I was on my feet. I told the Lord, I was prepared to go anywhere. I suppose I had a get-out clause. I thought there was no way I would be leaving Ireland, as I had to fulfil my curacy.

The notion that God might send us to somewhere else seemed remote.

During my curacy in Magheralin, Co. Down, the African Children’s Choir came to sing in our church. Hearing my background was in farming, the guy in charge asked if I would come to Uganda and give advice. I said, “Sure.” I meant it but I didn’t really mean it. The choir left and I put it out of my head. But then he called and invited me to visit Uganda. So off I went [to an area that had become known as “the killing fields” of Africa because of its grim history].

A SUN-SCORCHED LAND

I’d never seen poverty like that! They had a school and they wanted to develop a farm to provide an income for the

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school. On the way home, God spoke to me, “What are you going to do about what you have seen?” I knew I needed to say, “Yes, Lord” to whatever He wanted me to do. I shared the story with my wife, Ruth, but we didn’t know where we could get the money to buy the land, equipment and livestock needed for the farm.

Our church got right behind the vision. Our first fundraising slogan was, “From killing fields to fields of life.”

That is how Fields of Life was born in 1993. After six months, we had raised £126,000. I was convinced God was in this.

They needed someone to go to Uganda to oversee the project but the penny still hadn’t dropped. We’d been asked to read through Isaiah 58 for Lent.

I was reading verse 11; “God will guide you continually in a sun scorched land.”

Ruth was reading the same verse and it jumped out at her.

With confirmation from Isaiah 58, God led us to Uganda for three years. It was an exciting journey with plenty of struggles. We set up the farm and built a school on the land. Today, they have a Ugandan farm manager and a Ugandan head teacher with 500 kids in the school.

Going to Uganda was the hardest decision because at the time we were hoping to adopt. We risked losing the opportunity. But after returning home, God made it possible for us to adopt two boys!

Back in Ireland, I started looking at C of I parishes without success. Either they thought I was cracked in the head or I felt the parish was too inward looking.

During that time, God was speaking to us that Fields of Life wasn’t finished. There was a board meeting and we knew that if they offered me the job as CEO, I would take it.

The way God provided over all those years has been staggering. Fields of Life has helped build 126 schools, drill 700 wells, develop health care and invest in Christian discipleship programmes across East Africa.

FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT By 2009, I was thinking about succession planning inspired by the Global Leadership Summit. When Richard Spratt joined Fields of Life, I knew he was the one to take over from me. Richard became CEO at the end of 2010, and my wife asked, “What are you going to do?”

There was a vacancy in Crinken Church so I agreed to look after the parish. Eventually they asked me to stay on as the minister so I have come full circle to where all this began.

In a similar way, the Fields of Life alumni came together to start fundraising for a new school. They felt they had received so much that they now wanted to give something back.

They chose Karamoja, one of the most needy regions in Uganda. For me the pinnacle of the second harvest was when the school opened in January 2019.

Champions of Hope, the young children in Crinken Church, paid for the desks for the new school!

The whole way through this wonderful God-given vocation, I have had no idea where it would lead. What I am sure of, is that no farmer could ever dream of the kind of harvest I experienced at the Fields of Life 25th Celebrations, or the alumni-funded school when it opened in Karamoja.

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A Good Life – Explored

A Conference exploring possibilities in the life of a person with intellectual disabilities – now and in the future.

BY IAN DICKSON

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he question, ‘What is a good life?’ is universal. Every human generation asks it, in some form or other. How we answer it, of course, will vary depending on our personal values and expectations, our cultural setting and our societal conventions. Whatever way we answer, it has enormous implications for how we live our lives, how we structure our society, how we value every human person and how we look after each other.

This one-day conference is a unique and rare opportunity to explore this question together, in the context of the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. How do people with intellectual disabilities answer this question themselves? Can we say with any certainty what ‘a good life’ looks like for a person with intellectual disabilities - and their family?

And what of the future? The term ‘sustainability’ has multi-layered meanings. This conference will explore two

of them: sustainability as caring about tomorrow today, and sustainability as improvement – making a difference. What needs to be in place to attain and ensure the sustainability of ‘a good life’ for a person with intellectual disabilities? It is a radical and just vision - that by our living today we ensure that 28

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the people who live 50 years from now live as good a life as we do or even better!

The conference day on 12 October centres on four elements of ‘a good life’ – dignity, belonging, spirituality and opportunity, with speakers from Tiō and from local churches.

Key themes include: • Who God is and how He communicates with us • Meaningful inclusion in the life of the church • Human dignity in ever-changing technological and moral times • Church life, faith and parenthood in a context of autism • Pastoral Care for individuals, families and carers • Understanding and responding to behaviours that challenge us • Discipling teenagers with intellectual disabilities in your youth group Sessions for adults with intellectual disabilities are all part of the extensive programme – designed around the themes of music, art, story and drama and led by an experienced team.

A Good Life Explored is an initiative of Tiō Associates (www. tioassociates.org) and the event is organised locally by a team representing churches, families and care professionals. Tiō Associates is a pioneer network of professionals using theology, story and the arts to “sing a new song” about intellectual disabilities. Tiō is a classical Greek word meaning to honour, respect, lift up or advance. Used within the biblical imagery of the body (1 Corinthians 12), it conveys the importance and place of the weakest and most vulnerable people within church life, faith communities and wider society. Tiō Associates’ objective is to provide and promote Christian perspectives on intellectual disabilities with a vision ‘to see a world valuing the personal and spiritual contribution of people with intellectual disabilities’.

This important gathering for churches, families and professionals wil take place on Saturday, 12 October (9am-4pm) at YWCA Coolnagreina, Greystones, Co. Wicklow. Book your place at – www.yourevent.ie.

FAITH

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Christianity&Economics Part Four: Measures: how our definition of economic success can blind us to real economic problems and priorities

BY AARON HANSON

S

ome of us may remember waking up one morning in July 2016 to the news that Ireland’s economy had grown by an astounding 26% in the previous year. Those who did not notice could easily be forgiven: it had more to do with the profits of multinational corporations than tangible improvements to people’s lives. And yet – on paper – Ireland prospered in 2015. If prosperity had been measured in some other way, the numbers might have told a less flattering tale.

The way we define economic success makes a big difference to what sort of world we are heading for. It matters that our understanding of success is shaped by Christian principles. Economist Joseph Stiglitz says, ‘If we use the wrong measures we will strive for the wrong things.’ There is strong evidence that prevalent conceptions of success are moving the world in a questionable direction.

In particular, we need to question the importance placed on abstracted ‘economic production’ and growth. This emphasis is seen as indisputable despite the scepticism with which previous generations of economists (e.g. J.S. Mill) regarded limitless economic growth. Consider, for example, the debate surrounding the UK’s 2016 EU referendum.

Such a conclusion only begins to make sense if ‘the economy’, as measured by statistics such as GDP, really measures prosperity for ordinary people. And yet ‘growth’ and ‘wealth’ are fickle concepts. If two friends who look after one another’s children decide to monetise their arrangement and pay one another, the economy grows on paper while the real world remains entirely unchanged.

And even where growth of economic production does indicate genuine improvements, there may be strings attached. For example, the greater per capita wealth of the USA compared to many European countries should be considered alongside the fact that Americans tend to have fewer holidays and to work more.

What is the alternative? What other measures of prosperity may be used to supplement ‘wealth’? ‘God measures a society, Jesus says, not by the size of its GNP or by the efficiency of its markets, but by the quality of its relationships’. So writes Michael Schluter, founder of the Jubilee Centre, which advocates for theologically robust indicators such as how generous we are to others with our time. Other indicators include the level of indebtedness as a measure of whether we are living within our means or burdening future generations. A final group of indicators might focus on environmental wellbeing, lest we forget the ‘birds of the air’ or disregard the natural economic boundaries of living on a finite planet.

At Jubilee Farm, County Antrim, we seek to put these principles into action, by using farming practices that work with nature rather than against it, and by paying all staff an equal living wage to reflect the equal value we place on different contributions. To paraphrase Managing Director Jonny Hanson, we are aiming for a world where the economy serves people and places, rather than the other way around.

“THE GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN, THE QUALITY OF THEIR EDUCATION OR THE JOY OF THEIR PLAY. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE BEAUTY OF OUR POETRY OR THE STRENGTH OF OUR MARRIAGES, THE INTELLIGENCE OF OUR PUBLIC DEBATE OR THE INTEGRITY OF OUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS. … IT MEASURES EVERYTHING IN SHORT, EXCEPT THAT WHICH MAKES LIFE WORTHWHILE.” – ROBERT F. KENNEDY

This article was written by Aaron Hanson, with input from Matt Williams and Jonny Hanson; they are founding directors of Jubilee, an agri-environmental organisation based in Larne, Co. Antrim.

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an unhurried life

BY ANA MULLAN

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The

sense of smell has the power to transport us back in time.

Maybe for a few seconds, we go back to being children and remember an event, an outing or something nice that we used to eat.

Our sense of smell can also give us a feeling of coziness, of welcome. It is lovely to arrive to a place and smell the aroma of baked goods.

Personally, I love the smell of freshly baked bread. Back home in Buenos Aires, it was my father’s task to buy fresh bread each day at the nearby bakery so we would have bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

As much as I love bread and love cooking, I am not a good baker and for a long time, the idea of making my own bread was very daunting to me. But one day I discovered a simple way of making bread that suits me perfectly; it is called “no knead bread.” It only takes four ingredients, flour, salt, yeast and water. You mix the ingredients in a bowl, cover it and there you are!

Now the next part is what makes it work: time. And we are not talking about one or two hours, but between 12 to 18 hours! Then eventually it will be ready to bake.

All of the above made me think about how we live our lives in the 21st Century and what yeast has to teach me about it. It made me think about hurry and busyness.

My observation is that most of us tend to live in a hurry. We never seem to have enough time for all the things we think we have to do.

For me, hurry implies panic. It might help us to accomplish what we want to do but it can leave us with the feeling of been absent from the task in front of us.

Even in our heads, we can be in a hurry. Have you ever had a conversation while your mind was already thinking about the next task? We can fail to be present to the person in front of us or to the task at hand. But most importantly, we can fail to be present to ourselves; to how we really are. We accomplish many things while constantly being ruled by anxiety, worry and fear.

Being in a hurry and being busy are not the same thing. The yeast is extremely busy for 12 to 18 hours; it is working with the flour, salt and water to bring about the growth in the dough that will then transform it into bread. However, the yeast is not in a hurry; if it were it would not produce the bread that it is

JESUS WAS BUSY BUT FULLY PRESENT TO EACH PERSON THAT HE MET.

supposed to. My job is to leave it to work and not to interrupt the process, to trust the method and to be surprised at the end.

JESUS WAS NOT IN A HURRY

Jesus, the master of life, whom I have been following for many years, compared the kingdom of God to yeast. He was trying to teach His disciples and us, how God works in a way that is totally countercultural. He is never in a hurry or panic. Jesus was busy but fully present to each person that He met.

When the leader of a synagogue pleaded with Him to go to see His daughter because she was extremely sick, Jesus agreed. But on His way, He realised that somebody had touched His garment and He stopped, asking who it was.

Like most of us, I think I would be saying, “Jesus, there is a girl who is sick, probably dying.

We have no time to ask who touched you.” The disciples seemed to be following the same train of thought as I; Jesus was not prioritising things in the right way.

But Jesus acknowledged the person who touched Him. He found out who she was and took the time to call her “daughter.” He told her, “Your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

In the meantime, the little girl had died. So what now? He should have been in a hurry. He should have gone faster. None of that seemed to affect Him. Within Jesus there was the deep assurance that He and the Father were working together. There was no need to panic or to be anxious. The timing was right, He brought the girl back to life and those in the room were astonished.

The more we allow Jesus to teach us to live life as God intended, the more we will become people who will live with a rhythm that is inviting to others. We will not be perfect but we will be people who will discern when our hearts are rushing or frantic. We will go back to Jesus and allow Him to teach us how to live well.

We will know how much to do and when to do it; we will find that God has given us enough time to accomplish what we need to do each day.

We will be present to others and value people by doing that. We will know that God is going to give us what we need for each task. We will be like the yeast, busy but never in a hurry.

We will be like the warm and welcoming aroma of freshly baked bread.

Ana Mullan is from Argentina but has lived in Ireland for 35 years, the last 18 in Dublin. She is an artist, a spiritual director, retreat facilitator and an enthusiastic grandmother.

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So Much More Than a A VISION FOR OUR ISLAND

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ew Wine Ireland’s annual summer conference attracts hundreds of Christians from across Ireland, north and south. The six-day gathering in Sligo IT provides an opportunity for individual Christians and church groups to come together for Bible teaching, worship, prayer ministry and fellowship. There is something for all ages with dynamic children’s and youth programmes, and a strong focus on valuing and including those with additional needs.

But the vision of New Wine Ireland goes far beyond this event. “New Wine Ireland (NWI) exists to enthuse, equip and resource the local church across Ireland for radical mission that will change this nation,” explains NWI leader David McClay.

Coming from a small community in west Cork, Ruth Kingston values the opportunity to gather with so many people, “I feel the unity of the body from every denomination and church, everybody who loves the name of Jesus, and there is an awesome feeling of worship, love and unity that impacts and changes how I view church at home.

Now I long for unity in my own town.”

Ruth is also inspired by New Wine Ireland’s emphasis on mission. “I always come away with a renewed sense that...

I want to see lives restored to Jesus and people come to faith. That is at the core of New Wine. It is not only just about people gathering but it is about the impact in our society and Ireland as a whole.”

HIGHLIGHTS OF SLIGO19

Throughout this year’s conference, two strong themes emerged:

COURAGEOUS FAITH THAT OVERCOMES FEAR

Invited by Open Doors, one speaker shared powerfully about the challenges facing Christian brothers and sisters around the world: 32

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“I bring you greetings from a church that is not a victim church... People are meeting Jesus and they choose to follow Him. They lay their lives down and receive new life. And with that new life comes sacrifice: brother against brother, parent against child, friends turning away, people betraying them to the authorities. And yet they offer their entire being as a living sacrifice and they receive His promise that He will be with them even unto the end.

“Persecution is a privilege.

Persecution is a promise. And Jesus does not leave us alone on that journey. The privilege is that He walks with us. We were created to give glory to God. In the midst of some of the most severe persecution, there is a song being raised. In the midst of chaos, in the midst of trauma and tragedy, there is the sound of His stillness.

“Persecution... ushers in the work of the kingdom of God. Will we allow our prayers to strengthen others who are in the midst of persecution? Are we willing to offer ourselves up?”

Speaking from the book of Esther, Dr Amy Orr-Ewing, the Director of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, considered how we can resist powerful enemies: “The enemy seeks to make God’s people afraid. How do we live in a context in which we face threat, intimidation and fear? The story of Esther shows us the keys: prayer and fasting, unity and an important reminder - Don’t be afraid, remember the Lord.

Remember who you are because you know whose you are.

“PERSECUTION IS A PRIVILEGE. AND JESUS DOES NOT LEAVE US ALONE ON THAT JOURNEY.”

Leading the morning Bible Teaching from the early chapters of Acts, Gavin and Anne Calver echoed the call for boldness.

“We sing about a Saviour who can move the mountains but we make God too small, too tame and too safe. We need to overcome our fears to be bold, in the same way that Stephen was bold. You can lose many things in this life but you will never lose Jesus.” Gavin shared.

“Stephen was the first martyr of the early church. Stephen was more concerned with serving the Lord than anything else. We are in a battle but the Lord is victorious,” Anne added. “Boldness means stepping out in whatever context you are in, remembering that He is with you and you will be radiant. Church be bold! Not just when you are in the building.”

“Is there a God-given opportunity for you to speak up in this dark context?

Even courageous preachers of the Gospel sometimes need to hear the words, ‘Be braver.’ We trust a God who is able to fight for us.”

CHALLENGED TO SERVE - LIVING UP TO OUR CALLING

Charlie Cleverly leads St. Aldate’s, Oxford with his wife and a vibrant staff team. His message from the book of Jonah was to heed God’s voice: “The word of the Lord comes to Jonah and says, ‘Arise, get up.’ In Hebrew, it means ‘become powerful.’ Ireland has been the place of divided people groups.

I believe the word of the Lord is calling people here to go to the difficult places, to go to people groups that they fear. Are we listening? We often go in the opposite direction. God specialises in moving into areas which are apparently impossible.”

Christian Churches Ireland leader, Seán Mullarkey added, “Too often, modern-day Christians want easy street but God wants us straining towards what is ahead.”

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Conference And Assistant New Wine Ireland leader Simon Genoe said, “We need to be wearing hard hats of faith. The enemy wants to tell us that God is not there, God is not able and that God does not love us. Zephaniah reminds us that God is present, He is powerful and He is passionate!”

Krish Kandiah is the founding director of Home for Good, a charity seeking to find loving homes for vulnerable children in the care system.

“We are not saved by our good deeds but Ephesians 2:10 says we are created for good works. God wanted to pick you up, save you, redeem you and restore you so you might be an agent of grace. The mark that you are in the kingdom is how you have responded to the most vulnerable. The grace He has poured into you needs to pour out of you to those around.

“I think we need to be pro-life as a church but pro-life does not mean we only care for the unborn. Every single human being is precious and that means we have to care for five yearolds [or 13 year-olds] in the foster care system as well as unborn babies.

“There are 6,000 children in care in ROI and over 3,000 in NI. When we look at these children, we know that God’s heart is broken and He wants to set them in loving families.”

In the final message of Sligo19, New Wine Ireland leader David McClay summed up the challenge: “In Colossians chapter one, Paul is concerned to present all Christians as mature men and women in Christ. Christians are called to live radically and uncompromisingly. To follow Jesus. To become more like Jesus. To live our lives for Jesus. And then to go and make disciples.”

To find out more about New Wine Ireland or book for Sligo20 visit www. newwineireland.org.

“TOO OFTEN, MODERN-DAY CHRISTIANS WANT EASY STREET BUT GOD WANTS US STRAINING TOWARDS WHAT IS AHEAD.” OCT - DEC 2019 VOX.IE

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Is It All Rubbish?

Getting real about plastic waste

BY RUTH GARVEY-WILLIAMS

A

few years ago, we did a project about plastic waste with our youth group. We investigated the problem of single-use plastic and created giant sculptures out of plastic bottles we had collected in our local area. But what started out as an art project, led to some dramatic changes in our own lifestyle. Once we realised that the choices we make can cause lasting damage to other people, to animals and to the environment, we knew we could not shrug our shoulders and ignore the problem. Here’s a little of what we’ve been finding out (and our journey is not over yet).

Plastic is all around us. It is in our supermarkets, in our fridges and in our bins. Everything appears to be wrapped in plastic. It is convenient and “cheap”. But wildlife programmes and social media posts continually warn us that it is costing the earth!

In one day in Ireland we throw away around: • One million nappies • 500,000 disposable coffee cups • 220,000 plastic water bottles But throwing things away doesn’t make them go away!

It is estimated that a single nappy takes between 200 and 500 years to break down and a plastic water bottle could last for over 400 years! What an unpleasant legacy to be leaving for future generations.

Even when plastic does “break down” it becomes micro-plastic particles that pass into the water supply and eventually end up in the food chain. Nearly 80% of all the plastic ever produced has ended up in landfill sites or loose in the natural environment (most especially in our oceans as seen in documentaries like The Blue Planet 2).

Of course, many of us are diligently recycling our plastic but the reality is, a large percentage of this “recycling” also ends up in landfill or in incinerators polluting the atmosphere. This is partly because of the high level of contamination in recycle bins but also because there is insufficient demand for recycled plastic - it is more expensive and lower in quality than “virgin” plastic. According to 2017 figures, only 9% of plastic produced worldwide is recycled.

The problem of waste management and recycling is often considered a personal choice - a luxury for the eco warriors and middle-class campaigners who can afford a “green” lifestyle but an optional extra for the rest of us. After all, reducing waste, especially plastic waste, is expensive, time-consuming, inconvenient and frustrating.

ACCORDING TO 2017 FIGURES, ONLY 9% OF PLASTIC PRODUCED WORLDWIDE IS RECYCLED.

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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY?

Our individual efforts can also feel pointless when we know that the large corporations, responsible for producing so much plastic waste, are in fact increasing production.

In recent years, there has been massive new investment (an estimated $180bn) by fossil fuel companies in plastic plants in the US that could lead to a 40% increase in plastic production over the next decade. Huge global corporations such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever have done little to ensure the reduction or recycling of plastic waste.

Government action is also needed, and when it happens significant changes take place. When the plastic

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bag levy was introduced in 2002, it led to a 90% drop in the use of plastic bags.

However, until recently the Irish government was reluctant to introduce a bottle deposit scheme similar to countries such as Sweden and Germany where over 90% of plastic bottles are recycled. In January 2019, Environment Minister Richard Bruton announced a review to see how such a scheme could operate here.

Britain is already starting to bring in pilot bottle deposit schemes (especially in supermarkets like Iceland) but so far, many Northern Ireland supermarkets have opposed the idea.

Christians have differing views on environmental issues. “Creation care” can be seen as a low priority, especially when considered alongside “spiritual” matters.

However, increasingly Christian agencies such as Tearfund have been highlighting the negative impact of waste on the poorest people in the world. This is not simply a matter of taking care of the environment, important as that is. This is at the heart of what Jesus has commanded us to do. If He tells us to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves, we cannot ignore the way our consumer lifestyles are causing harm to people created in His image!

If human beings, animals and the beautiful world that God created (and declared to be “good”) are suffering because of our (often selfish) choices, then it is time to make a change.

So let’s get practical. How can you and your church respond?

PERSONAL CHOICE

3. Swapping shower gel and liquid hand soap for bars of soap 4. Choosing “loose” vegetables at the local supermarket and bringing our own bag to put them in - there is no need to take a plastic one!

5. Avoiding plastic coffee pods (several years ago, we started using a cafetière and composting the coffee grounds).

There are loads more “swaps” to do - a quick Google search will give you other ideas - and we are still on the journey to discover more. Going it alone is often difficult, so we are exploring ways we can form a co-operative with others to buy and share zero waste products like wax wrappers (instead of cling film), shampoo bars and bamboo toothbrushes.

CHURCH POLICY

The choices you make as a church can set a great example. Churches can easily produce bag-loads of waste every week, without stopping to consider the consequences.

Ditch the disposables - Let’s stop choosing disposable cups, plates and cutlery, especially those made of plastic or Styrofoam, for church events. It may be “convenient” for the short term, but at what cost?

Washing up china cups or mugs and encouraging people to bring their own reusable cups (some have even provided a handy church version for people to purchase) can make a big difference.

Share ideas: The church is home to creative people, so why not ask your congregation for ideas of what you can do together to reduce waste and care for the world in which we live? Many ideas may also save money!

WE CANNOT IGNORE THE WAY OUR CONSUMER LIFESTYLES ARE CAUSING HARM TO PEOPLE CREATED IN HIS IMAGE.

Even if it might seem like a “drop in the ocean”, making small changes to reduce the amount of plastic we use individually, as families and as a Christian community still contributes to being part of the solution rather than part of the problem (see Romans 8: 19 -22). Some changes are easier than others. Here are five of the simplest changes that we have made in our family. In many cases, these have also saved us money!

1. Carrying reusable coffee cups (instead of using and discarding disposable coffee cups and their plastic lids) 2. Using a re-fillable water bottle (many cafes are now willing to fill up your water bottle for free)

CAMPAIGNING FOR CHANGE

As local parishes and congregations, we can raise our voice to campaign for change. Writing letters to suppliers, speaking to our TDs or MPs, lobbying our local politicians and challenging our supermarkets and stores to cut down on plastic packaging are small ways we can care for God’s creation. And when we do it together, the impact is greater.

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DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING Praxis Press launches with a new book on mission in contemporary Ireland

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Christian publishing house for Ireland has been a long time coming but that is set to change as Praxis Press launches its first book this autumn. In “DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING” Fraser Hosford explores the seismic changes that have taken place in Ireland and considers how our unique context needs to shape our vocabulary and our approaches as we seek to introduce people to Jesus. Fraser spoke to VOX magazine about this new venture and his new book:

TELLS US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF:

I serve as pastor of Dublin West Community Church which is based in the greater Blanchardstown area of Dublin. In addition, I still work part-time as an economist. I am married to Ruth.

We have three children and are being lobbied to add a dog into the mix.

WHAT IS ‘PRAXIS’?

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WHAT IS ‘PRAXIS PRESS’ AND HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?

Praxis Press is a startup Christian publishing house for Ireland. Our vision is to be ‘publishing Irish voices for the Irish church’. And our core values are investing in Irish writers, mission, contemporary practice and excellence.

We have a clear focus on Ireland and seek to serve the Irish church.

Ireland has its own distinctive history and culture. This means that mission in Ireland is different. We need our own vocabulary and approaches to talking about Jesus. Theologies and practices from England, America and beyond, while meaningful, will never be exactly right for Ireland.

As you know, Ireland is an increasingly secular culture but its form of secularism is different from that of the UK or indeed Europe. So we need to release Irish writers, people who are living and ministering in Ireland, to speak into this culture. These people are out there, although they may not know it yet! They just need the encouragement to write and a visible pathway to publication, such as Praxis Press. Thoughts and ideas directed at the Irish church may not be of interest to traditional publishers because of the size of our market. We hope that Praxis Press will fill this gap in order to serve the wider Irish church. We seek to share the ideas, explore the theological reflections and tell the stories of ordinary yet brave Irish Christians who are searching and finding God on the frontier of mission.

WE HAVE FLIPPED FROM BEING A COUNTRY WHERE FAITH SPEAKS DOWN TO SECULAR CULTURE TO ONE WHERE SECULAR CULTURE SPEAKS DOWN TO FAITH.

Praxis is a group of Christian leaders from small grassroots communities in Dublin and beyond who desire to see God building His Kingdom. Over the past two years, we have been sharing stories and ideas of what this mission can look like in contemporary Ireland.

Praxis means action, exercise or practice and that is our focus. We want to see ordinary people released to be part of God’s mission wherever they are. By learning from each other’s experiences in diverse ministries, our hope is that we may be united and enabled to see movement happen across the country.

You may know us from the Praxis Conference that we have run for the last two years. We have listened to international leaders with experience of helping small 36

communities turn theory into missional action and also from local Irish leaders. We have also sought to create space for Christians in Ireland to engage with each other on what mission looks like in Ireland today.

YOUR OWN BOOK WILL BE THE FIRST TO BE PUBLISHED BY PRAXIS PRESS. TELL US ABOUT THAT:

Yes, I have a book coming out this Autumn, hopefully any day now! It’s called DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING drawing on

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WHAT OTHERS HAD TO SAY ABOUT “DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING” “It is so good to see an Irish pastor writing about theology, culture and mission for our contemporary Irish context! Fraser Hosford asks an important question – how is the gospel good news in Ireland today? What is so fresh about this book is that he answers this question by engaging thoughtfully and graciously with what real people in Ireland today actually think, believe and hope for. It is from this foundation of careful listening that Hosford unpacks how the gospel is good news for all of life. Peppered with stories and illustrations, the result is a very readable account of how the gospel leads to a flourishing life. Anyone writing about such a great theme has my attention, I suggest that he should have yours as well.”

Dr. Patrick Mitchel Director of Learning, Irish Bible Institute

a cult reference from Father Ted. We have flipped from being a country where faith speaks down to secular culture, as in the days immortalised by Father Ted, to one where secular culture speaks down to faith.

As Ireland has modernised and developed in recent decades, Christian faith and practice has seemed to be on the decline. Responding to this changed culture, the book asks how is the Christian Gospel good news in contemporary Ireland? It seeks to identify strands of today’s secular Irish culture, some of which are a reaction to the faith experience of the past, and relate Jesus and His teachings to these new values and ethos. In this cultural upheaval, where is the place for Christian faith? How can the Jesus of the Scriptures interact with this culture and bring hope to it?

There is no one simple answer. Culture is so multifaceted, with its different intersecting layers, and people are individually unique. Different aspects of Jesus will attract different people to Him. What the book tries to do is to listen to our contemporary Irish culture, to hear its concerns, ideas and values, and then to respond with some reflection from the Scriptures. I hope some of the themes addressed, and the approach used, will both help and inspire ordinary followers of Jesus like you and me.

“This is a well researched reflection on the nature of mission in Ireland today. It offers a detailed insight on the most significant issues in contemporary society and how the church might respond to them. The biblical insights are refreshing and challenging. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone passionate about sharing their faith in their everyday lives.”

Rev. John Alderdice, Arrow Ireland Programme Director & Director of Ministry, Methodist Church in Ireland

Buy the book to find out more! “DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING” is available from www.downwiththisbook.com.

Follow @praxismovement on twitter and check our website www.praxisireland.ie for details of the book launch and upcoming projects from Praxis.

WHAT THEMES ARE SOME OF THE THEMES THAT YOU COVER IN THE BOOK?

The chapter titles provide a taste - exploring themes such as ‘faith in a post religious culture’, ‘true freedom in a liberal culture’ and ‘Jesus in a progressive culture’.

The first chapter explores how we relate to a culture where faith was previously experienced under the ‘Christendom’ model, including the negative extremes of abuse. I use the Pharisees as a example of the ‘religious’ stereotype. It has struck me, in my own everyday interactions, how surprised people are to hear that Jesus wasn’t religious, and that in fact He had ongoing confrontations with the religious throughout His life and ministry. In John 10, for example, Jesus clearly defines Himself in opposition to the Pharisees.

To talk of the anti-religious Jesus today puts you on the same side as many people in our society, avoiding a more defensive approach. If that surprise intrigues your conversation partners, it opens up further gospel conversations as to why and how Jesus and His followers were different.

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FAITH

THE MES SAGE OF VOX columnist Patrick Mitchell’s new book “The Message of Love” is out NOW! Here Patrick, who is Director of Learning and a lecturer in theology at the Irish Bible Institute shares more about his book, which Scot McKnight describes as a “sparklingly clear and faithful exposition”.

P

retty well all of us are interested in love and I am no different. We all want to love and be loved and this book explores what Christian love looks like in day to day life: God’s love for us; our love for God; and our love for others.

Love is an important topic for theology since it is a subject our culture is endlessly fascinated by, whether in books, art or film. Today ‘God is love’ has been reversed to ‘love is god’ – love is what gives our lives ultimate purpose in an uncertain world, love is worshipped, pursued and individualised.

Christians can have two unhelpful responses to this - and I am talking generally here.

One is cultural conformity. God’s love is sentimentalised, judgement is rarely talked about, we are uncomfortable with sexual ethics, we

radically counter-cultural nature of the Bible’s teaching on love. God calls us to be authentic communities of love – this is our mission.

In reading and teaching the Bible, it kept hitting me how love ties together the character of God, His covenant relationship with His people, the motive behind the incarnation and cross of Jesus Christ, the heart of Christian discipleship, the ministry of the Spirit, the mission of the church and the nature of our future hope. And yet love is a strangely neglected topic in theology and biblical studies. So, my prayer is that this book can help, even a little bit, to put love back where it belongs, at the centre of Christian teaching, preaching and experience.

This book is for anyone interested in what the Bible says about love! Each chapter is a stand-alone exposition of a particular Bible passage, so you can dip

of the law. Love is therefore far more than a ‘nice’ idea, it is actually God’s goal for His people and His ‘weapon’ in a spiritual war with forces opposed to His will. Christians are to fight with love, not with the weapons of the world.

IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD DIFFERENT TO THE OLD?

in and out without feeling you have to read it all from start to finish. I hope it is particularly helpful to preachers and teachers and Bible study groups – there is a Study Guide for groups at the back of the book.

Many people think the God of the Old Testament is somehow different to the God of Love we see revealed in Jesus.

This is a question that comes up quite a bit in the book and not only in the Old Testament chapters. Behind the question, I think, is the relationship between love and judgement – is one incompatible with the other? The Bible’s consistent answer is “no”. Take Exodus 34:6-7. Verse 6 celebrates God as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and generous in forgiveness. While we might be tempted to stop there, verse 7 goes on to rejoice that He also does not leave the guilty unpunished. This is good news because God would not be loving if He were not also a judge. Even we are outraged at injustice, how much more God who created all things ‘very good’? God’s wrath is a consequence of His love – He acts against all that seeks to destroy His loving purposes.

LOVE IS GOD’S PRIME AGENDA

MY OWN “TAKE-AWAYS”

GOD’S PRIME AGENDA IN SENDING HIS SON IS TO CREATE COMMUNITIES OF RADICAL LOVE. sing cringe-worthy romantic worship songs and much of the Old Testament is quietly ignored.

The other is when the church fails to give love the priority it deserves.

We tolerate the scandal of Christian lovelessness, are blind to how deeply our hearts have been captured by the love of money, we push justice for the poor to the margins and treat love as an optional ‘add on’ to believing ‘sound’ doctrine. So, I think an urgent missional challenge facing the church today is to hear afresh, and put into practice, the 38

VOX.IE OCT - DEC 2019

The core message is that love is the primary weapon in God’s war. This idea comes out again and again - God’s prime agenda in sending His Son is to create communities of radical love. Paul says that such love fulfils the purpose

I guess one big take-away is that we are first and foremost lovers. What we love shows who we truly are and what we really believe. This is why Jesus, Paul and John all have so much to say about the heart.

VOX MAGAZINE

LOV E

Some other points that really challenged and encouraged me include: God’s love is not unconditional – it calls for our response of obedience and love in return.

Love is not as easy or instant as our culture likes to think – in the Bible it is a virtue that takes commitment, patience and practice.

If we don’t read 1 Corinthians 13 as the most searching chapter in the Bible, we are reading it wrong!

We need bodies to love – biblical love is earthy and practical, not abstract and theoretical. And when it comes to sexual love, the Song of Songs beautifully celebrates it.

Love costs - wholehearted love for Jesus can cost disciples their lives. It is inconvenient to defend the weak and marginalised. It seems absurd to love our enemies. Christian husbands are repeatedly told to love their wives as themselves (Ephesians 5) because they had status and power.

Biblical love is communal; the vast majority of the love language in the New Testament is about the church.

And the best news of all is that God is utterly good and utterly loving – without His steadfast love there would be no Abraham, no Israel, no church, no gospel, no cross, no forgiveness, no hope.

HOW CAN PEOPLE GET HOLD OF A COPY? The Message of Love is available on the IVP UK website www.ivpbooks.com/the-message-oflove and through online retailers. Look out for the Dublin book launch on October 14.

WHAT OTHERS HAD TO SAY ABOUT IT “For close to two decades I have studied both how the Bible presents love and how Bible scholars have expressed that presentation.

Luminaries such as James Moffatt and Leon Morris, from two considerably different traditions, have become standard treatments but I found both coming up short for different reasons. No one will ever offer the final word on what the Bible says about love, but I know of no volume that is as thorough, and sensitive to context and contour, as Patrick Mitchel’s sparklingly clear and faithful exposition of how the Bible presents love, how in fact the God of love loves the world and the people of God in Christ. This will become a standard text for my classes on New Testament theology.”

Scot McKnight, Professor of New Testament, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lombard, Illinois, USA “The Bible Speaks Today [series] has set a high standard over the years of biblical exposition with relevant application, abreast of scholarship but written in language that laypersons can appreciate. As the series has moved from biblical books to biblical themes that cut across the canon, that high standard has been retained.

Patrick Mitchel’s volume may be the best of the ‘Themes’ part of the series to emerge thus far.

How can one begin to hope to do justice to a topic as broad and misunderstood as ‘love’?

Read this book for the answer. Mitchel has not only done it justice but has charted the way Christian thinking on the topic should proceed in our troubled world for the foreseeable future.”

Craig L. Blomberg, Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary, USA

OCT - DEC 2019 VOX.IE

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LIFEÂ in 3D A safe space to be when life feels as if it has lost its pulse

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Sligo Summer Conference

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Bible Teaching, Worship and Ministry for all ages

Booking available from 19th July at newwineireland.org

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Honour - Shame - Redemption and the Irish Story One day event at Irish Bible Institute OCTOBER 26TH, SATURDAY | 10.30 – 16.00

Honour and shame are becoming increasingly prominent in Western culture and theology.

Failure to adhere to society’s conventions coupled with public media forums can subject a person to public shaming. How does the gospel address this aspect of the human condition and behaviour?

This event explores the nature of honour-shame in Scripture, culture, relationships, and ministry pertinent to the Irish story.

For more information and booking ibi.ie/events

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MUSIC REVIEWS

VOX MAGAZINE

The Tapestry LAURA THOMPSON

Image: Michal Braciszewski

It is always nice to showcase some Irish songwriting talent.

Laura Thompson a Westport based singer/songwriter has been ploughing a lonely furrow for the past few years, but now her talent is starting to be recognised. I think we’ll be hearing a lot more from her now that she has signed up to release a number of songs through Homegrown Worship. Her new single is called The Tapestry, and it is quite stunning. Laura says about the song, “The Tapestry was written to speak to the heart of the suffering Christian; it’s a song of empathy, and of hope. In the dark valleys, it’s easy to feel like there’s something wrong with us or with our faith, and that God has forgotten us. My prayer through this song is that it would minister fresh hope and healing to the heart that needs to know that the Father sees, knows and loves them”.

You can find The Tapestry by Laura Thompson on Spotify and connect with Laura on facebook.com/laurathompsonsongs.

This Is Love

Hello, My Name Is

Canvas and Clay

Any one of you who has been reading my reviews here will know that I tend to avoid the loud anthemic (the hallmark of US and Australian mega praise and worship groups) in preference for a more authentic sound.

I need not have had any forebodings about the latest release from New Wine Worship. Their new album “This is Love” was recorded live at New Wine’s conferences held in three UK Cities this year and features songs led by the New Wine Worship team of Chris Lawson Jones, Nick Herbert, Lauren Harris, Tom Read, Abi Johnson and Alfred Nygren.

The title track This is Love, is a beautiful ballad that revisits the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice. It flows into a spontaneous rendition of And Can It be, which had me breaking out in goosebumps. The entire set is pretty flawless but for me the stand out song is Until You Do - a song that exhorts us to trust God even when there are no answers. This a superb album. Full marks to New Wine Worship.

Matthew West’s new album is a collection of 14 songs written during a musical ministry that spans almost 18 years. I have always been impressed with Matthew West songs, but many have slipped by unnoticed over the years. Having listened to this greatest hits album I realise how much I have missed out on. His songwriting is first class.

Individually, each song is a powerhouse, but collectively they show his in-depth dealing with tough issues such as forgiveness, regret and doubt.

If any song epitomises Matthew West’s life, it is his 2015 autobiographical “Grace Wins”. When events conspired to destroy his career, most notably almost bleeding to death following a domestic accident and then having to stop singing with polyps on his vocal cords, grace won the day. I have added For God So Loved, with its spine tingling Billy Graham intro, to my Matthew West Spotify playlist. This is my first 10/10 album of 2019.

Housefires formed in Georgia, USA, back in 2014. Not unlike our own Rend Collective, Housefires pioneered a live, raw, unplugged sound. So it is no surprise that when founder member Pat Barrett embarked on some solo work, minimalism was a key component. His latest album is a live recording of eight new songs along with a reprise of two earlier compositions. No booming guitars and drums here, just the gentle strumming of a guitar, some light percussion and some beautiful piano complementing Barrett’s prayerful, meditative delivery. Each song flows seamlessly into the next, so the album begs to be listened to in one continuous hearing. I would suggest that this is the perfect album to share at a small group meeting or gathering in your home.

NEW WINE WORSHIP

MATTHEW WEST

PAT BARRETT

Albums reviewed by UCB Ireland Radio producer/presenter Vincent Hughes. Listen to his programme 12-3pm Monday to Friday and 11am-3pm on Saturdays on Virgin Media Channel 918, on Sky Channel 0214 or via the smartphone app. You can contact Vincent at vhughes@ucbireland.ie | www.ucbireland.com.

OCT - DEC 2019 VOX.IE

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WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND IRELAND?

EVENTS

Fearless Women’s Event 11 - 12 October The Helix, Dublin www.fearlesswomen.ie

Global Leadership Summit Dublin 11 - 12 October The Jesus Centre, Dublin 12 www.eventbrite.co.uk

Rubicon Saturday, 12 October The Sugar Club, Dublin 2 www.wearerubicon.com

Tio Conference Saturday, 12 October YWCA Coolnagreina, Greystones, Co. Wicklow www.yourevent.ie

Living Out Course Thursday, 17 October Dublin www.livingout.org/ local-dublin

Alpha Ireland Conference 18 - 19 October Abbeyleix, Co. Laois www. alphaireland.org

St. Marks Conference 18 - 20 October St. Marks Church, Dublin 2 www.stmarks.ie

Live Worship with Jason Upton Friday, 25 October The Exchange, Dublin 1 www.trinity.ie

RCCG Holy Ghost Rally Friday, 25 October Castleknock, Dublin 15 www.rccgireland.org

Honour - Shame Redemption and the Irish Story Saturday, 26 October Irish Bible Institute, Dublin 1 www.ibi.ie

Better Together ARC Conference 31 October 1 November Crowne Plaza Hotel Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 www.arcireland.org

For all event details and how your event can be listed here: www.vox.ie/events

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church Sunday 17 November Join churches all over Ireland to pray for Eritrea during your worship service. We will pray for the church and for prisoners such as Pastor Kidane Weldou, in prison since 2005.

Order resources for your church Bookmark with Prayer Points for each person in church Information Sheet for those leading prayers PowerPoint two minute presentation CHURCH IN CHAINS PO Box 10447, Glenageary, Co. Dublin, Ireland T 01-282 5393 E info@churchinchains.ie W www.churchinchains.ie Charity No: CHY15443

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BOOK REVIEWS

Deepest Darkness Denise Hayward

Abi suffers from terrible nightmares and her life is ruled by fear. But away on holiday, she makes a new friend who shows her that true light shines, even in the deepest darkness. Facing her fears one by one, Abi opens up her life to the light and finds a freedom she never thought possible. This book is especially for fearful 8 – 11 year olds. Here are a few brief extracts: I had been having nightmares since I was a young child. I could never remember a time when I had not had them … Every night my parents were woken by my screaming … They had taken me to the family doctor who had referred me to a child psychiatrist. But no one could find a reason …

Dad sighed my Mum’s name and sat on the end of my bed. “What is to be done with our little girl? … He began to stroke my hair softly. “Why don’t we go away for a break?” he asked. “There’s no point,” Mum said. “You know how holidays only add to Abi’s fear and stress …

My nightmares intensified. I did not want to go, I could not go. I wanted to cry and stamp my feet. I wanted everything to stay just the way it was. Looking back, it wasn’t much of a life, but I could manage it. It was like living in a square with thick black lines marking it out. This holiday would mean stepping out of my clearly marked square...

Book reviews by Julie Carvill of christianbooks.ie, from where you can order these and other inspiring titles: info@christianbooks. ie or +353 (0)86 839 1870

VOX MAGAZINE

Kisses From A Good God Paul Manwaring

“I was asked recently what I do first when I get a headache. Do I reach for the painkillers? This becomes a very important question when it’s cancer rather than a headache.” On diagnosis with aggressive prostate cancer, Paul Manwaring, a nurse and church leader faced this question.

Through the prayers of believing friends and family, and his choice to undergo surgery, he got through. He describes kisses from God as follows: “When it can feel that no one around you can quite understand what you are experiencing, there is One who knows.

And He sends messages, if you are looking for them - sweet messages, good messages, messages from the heart of a good God, pearls dropping from heaven just for you and for me.”

He throws light on the relationship between the medical world and the supernatural encounters and interventions of God. He redefines victory through the eyes of a cancer survivor saved by God through modern medicine. He particularly deals with the shame that can accompany illness, a shame particularly felt by those whose healing doesn’t come through prayer alone.

If you are now walking, or you have walked through a life-threatening illness or circumstance, or if you have watched a loved one endure such a challenge, this story will walk with you through your journey.

“Paul’s profound discovery of the goodness of God and His perfect love, even in the midst of adversity, puts this wonderful story into a context that everyone can follow.” Bill Johnson

Home at Last Mark Stibbe

At eight years old, the author watched his parents drive away, leaving him standing with his trunk and teddy bear.

Confused and frightened, that night he received the first of many beatings at boarding school. This abandonment and abuse scarred his life until his fifties, when divorce forced him to deal with his wounded heart. He argues that there are many wounded people like him, who suffer throughout their lives. This often leads to them being driven to succeed in their work while failing to engage emotionally at home.

He provides psychological insights, but also shows how we can only truly find healing in the perfect Father’s love. He looks first at four deep impacts on the soul from abandonment and abuse: desertion, deprivation, disengagement and dependency. But the four stages of the healing journey exactly correspond to these four deep impacts: revelation, restoration, reconnection and recovery.

They are four steps towards the Father’s house. They must be experienced if former victims are to enjoy the longawaited end to their spiritual winter.

While written from the point of view of the author’s own time at boarding school, this book has much wider relevance to all who have felt abandoned by parents or abused in any way.

“Many of you, like me, may have experienced and caused some pain as a result of your wounded heart. Whilst I believe we cannot change the way our story has progressed thus far, we can dictate the way it goes from here.” Mark Stibbe

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VOX PS

“WHO D O YOU THINK YOU ARE?”

BY SEÁN MULLAN

I

f I were given the gift of meeting in real life one character from the world of fiction, I would choose the redoubtable Mrs Ruby Turpin.

Chances are that you have never heard of her. She is the central character in a fine short story called “Revelation”

by Flannery O’Connor. If I might be bold enough to offer advice to the discerning readers of this column, then I recommend that you put your magazine down right now and search online for the text of that story. Nothing you read on the rest of this page will match that experience. For those who choose to continue reading here, be aware of spoilers ahead.

O’Connor wrote “Revelation” shortly before she died at the sadly young age of 39 in 1964. She was a Catholic writer in the Bible belt of the USA in the era when Jim Crow laws of racial discrimination were still in force. Her brilliant short stories are set in that place and time.

“Revelation” begins in the waiting room of a doctor’s surgery where Mrs Turpin and her husband Claud have gone to get Claud’s leg seen to. They are hard working middle-aged farmers, living and working in an area and an era when life is tough. But Mrs Turpin believes she has overcome these challenges and done well for herself and she is not shy in telling others about it, including her audience in the crowded waiting room. She is, however, willing to give the Lord some credit also. People with bad dispositions are “more to be pitied that anyone on earth”* but she thanks the Lord that He has blessed her with a good one.

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Sitting across the table in the packed room is a girl of 18 or 19 called Mary Grace who is reading a book. She looks up occasionally at Mrs Turpin and scowls. She clearly can’t stand her.

Undimmed, Mrs Turpin continues to proclaim the qualities that have made her who she is and how thankful she is to Jesus for making her just as she is.

The book flung by Mary Grace hits Ruby above her eye and is followed up with a serious attempt to throttle her. The others in the room pull Mary off and the doctor rushes in with a sedative injection for the violent girl. A glutton for punishment, Mrs Turpin goes over to her and, with the sedative about to take effect, challenges Mary Grace if she has something to say to her. “Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog,” comes the whispered reply, before the sedative finally kicks in.

Ruby spends the rest of the day in bewildered conversation with Claud and others about what has happened.

Everyone agrees that the girl is deranged.

But Ruby believes there is more to it. She is convinced that the Lord has given her a revelation, and she doesn’t like it.

“What do you send me a message like that for?” she whispers fiercely as she hoses down the pigs in the pen with the sun going down. She protests all the good that she has done for all kinds of people. “How am I a hog and me both,” she asks. “How am I saved and from hell too?”

She continues with her questions and then with her fury at its peak she roars to the heavens, “Who do you think you are?”

Ruby’s day ends with a second revelation. She looks up from the pigs to see a vision in the sky of a bridge swinging up from the earth to the heavens. On it is “a vast horde of souls.”

She recognises in the procession tribes of the various kinds of people she has always helped out, her racial and social inferiors.

And bringing up the rear of the procession are the people she recognises as her own tribe, good people like her and Claud.

While the others are “shouting and clapping and leaping like frogs” her tribe march with dignity and respect while singing on key. But she can see “by their shocked and altered faces that even their virtues were being burned away.” With the sun gone and the night falling Ruby eventually turns to head for home with the Hallelujahs from the eclectic procession ringing in her ears.

I’ve read this story many times and wonder what draws me back to it.

Perhaps it’s the knowledge that there’s quite a lot of Ruby Turpin in me. There’s also the thought that when I get together with others of like mind, we are always in danger of creating little “Turpin Communities” - groups that simply know better than everyone else and only wish that others could see that too.

MRS TURPIN BELIEVES SHE HAS OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES AND DONE WELL FOR HERSELF AND SHE IS NOT SHY IN TELLING OTHERS ABOUT IT.

*All quotes from “Revelation” in “The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor” published by Faber and Faber, London, 1990

Seán Mullan has been working in church leadership for many years. He has developed a project in Dublin City Centre called “Third Space”.

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