The recent meeting of the Synod of the Enniskillen and Sligo District expressed deep concern about the plight of farming families in Northern Ireland, and the growing sense of helplessness among them. It asked the church's council on social responsibility to seek an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State to suggest ways in which their distress might be alleviated.
The Enniskillen and Sligo Synod was not only concerned about people living on this island, but also about those overseas. Several ministers and lay people associated with the Synod and now serving in other countries as mission partners have recently visited Uganda as part of a short-term help project. The Synod received a report that a container had recently gone from Methodists in this country to Mozambique containing medical supplies, 1,000 blankets and 400 aquaboxes. The aquaboxes have a potential of delivering 12 million litres of safe drinking water.
Ministers' spouses are meeting at Coonagreine in Greystones, Co Wicklow, from April 7th to 9th. The theme of their conference is "Greater Health - God's Way". The conference will be addressed by the Rev Rosemary Lindsay of Lucan, and Ms Grace Percy of Dublin. The Young Women's Association is organising a celebration at Coleraine on Saturday, April 15th. It will be held in the Methodist church there, and will be addressed by Mrs Andrea Siegrist of Austria. Mrs Siegrist is president of the European continental area of the World Federation of Methodist and United Church Women.
The Rev Asiri Perera of Sri Lanka has been spending six weeks in Ireland as guest of the Rev Dr and Mrs Norman Taggart. During his visit he addressed a number of meetings and conferences in Northern Ireland, and participated in the life of the Coleraine circuit, of which Dr Taggart is now minister. Mr Perera has just completed a term as minister of the church at Kollupitya in Colombo, where Dr Taggart was minister some years ago.
Today members of the Association of Church Archivists of Ireland are visiting the archives of the Irish Methodist Church, which are in the care of the Wesley Historical Society at Aldersgate House in Belfast.
One of the strong features of Methodist worship has always been the singing of hymns. Indeed, the early Methodists learned their faith by singing the hymns written for them by Charles Wesley. Such a tradition is not maintained without some care, and the Methodist Recorder has this month reported the launch of a new training course, "Leading Music in Worship". It was launched in Manchester by the Methodist Church Music Society. Inquiries for the course are being handled by the Methodist Publishing House at Peterborough.
The President of the church, the Rev Dr Kenneth Wilson, has returned from his tour of the Caribbean. Tomorrow he will preach at the morning services in the Methodist churches at Sutton and Clontarf in Dublin. He will preach that evening in the church at Ardara in Co Donegal. On Sunday, April 9th, he will preach at Larne in Co Antrim.
RTE 1 will broadcast morning worship from the television studio on Sunday, April 9th, led by the Rev Lawrence Graham and members of the churches in the Longford circuit.