On 1st July the third annual ecumenical day meeting of Bishop, ministers and laity in leaderships roles in Ireland held in the Benedictine Abbey at Rostrevor in Northern Ireland. Churches represented were: from the Church of Ireland, the Eritrean Tehwahedo Orthodox Church, the Methodist Church,the Moravian Church, the Orthodox Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Tigrayan Tehwahedo Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
The theme was “Closeness – an antidote to many challenges of our times”. The keynote speakers were Rev Alex Wimberley a Presbyterian minister and leader of the Corrymeela ecumenical in Ballycastle and Rev Brian Anderson, director of the Methodist East Belfast Mission. In the context of the N.Ireland situation of the legacy of the “Troubles” and the recent violence in Belfast city these two inputs resonated with those present as who are all trying to find a way forward out of the recent violence against migrants, many of whom have fled from conflict zones.
Their dialogue encouraged them to continue together the Churches contribuition to integration through “closeness” and bringing Christ’s love to those who are looked upon as “foreigners”.