Well, that's it over for another year. Resolutions have been written, presented and largely passed. Work has been recognised and people thanked. Worship has been offered and time has been spent in prayer. We have heard about the church in Ireland and the church around the globe...and we have drunk a fair amount of coffee!
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is always interesting even when, as this year, it's quiet and pretty uncontroversial. Perhaps being quieter allows us to hear more clearly the voices that are not always heard in years with more controversy. The quiet but impressive voices of our brothers and sisters from Malawi, Latvia, Pakistan and Syria and Lebanon were humbling as they demonstrated what it means to offer a prophetic voice in countries where threats range from endemic malaria to very real persecution.
The quiet but persistently prophetic voice of our young people has been heard through the SPUD youth assembly and this year they were given their own slot. Once again they brought their own challenge to us and brought it with eloquence and grace.
Perhaps one of the lessons we need to learn from this assembly is that we ALL need to listen to God and to each other more if we are going to be the prophetic voice this assembly is calling us to be. We need to listen to God to hear what he is saying to our church in a post-Christian world. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali helped us begin the process of that listening on a great but poorly attended Wednesday celebration.
We need to listen to each other if we are going to present an effective and united voice in congregations, presbyteries and as a denomination. When we don't listen to each other we risk divisions that can only damage the message we need to bring and the world needs to hear.
My lasting memory will probably be the way our church said thank you to someone who has served our young people and children over twenty years. Roz Stirling has had an impact which will last a long long time in the work of our denomination. The church which she has served and sometimes provoked (sorry Roz!)stood together to recognise her contribution as she stood down from her post as Director of Youth and Children's Ministry. Thank you Roz, you will leave great foundations on which we need to build.
So that's it - a quiet year but one where, if you were really listening, you could sometimes hear a still, small voice renewing our ministries and leading us on to discover the plans God has for us today and tomorrow.
