ONGRESS REPORT
Report of a congress, not a conference - a coming together of people with much in common - to share vision, to share ideas, to worship, sing, learn, laugh and cry together.
Introduction
Christians from around the UK. as well as visitors from the USA. the Republic of Ireland and Germany. and those whose roots were in Sri Lanka, India or Pakistan, gathered together in Belfast. Meeting against a background of emerging peace between loyalist and nationalist communities, many stories were told of past conflicts; of individuals from both communities whose childhood memories were of masked men invading their houses. And yet abiding memories were of people throughout this time who had known Jesus. active in the City and present with his suffering people: of infectious humour and warm hospitality as those from across the water discovered again how much there was to be given by those who had often had their backs to the wall.
Saturday 26th September
The Civic Reception
All the troubles, however, seemed far away as the Congress marched from the Presbyterian Assembly Hall to the City Hall. There we were generously entertained by the Lord Mayor, Dr. David Alderdice, in beautiful surroundings hard to match in many other cities. The genuine warmth of the welcome from the Lord Mayor as he empathised so fully with the search for and experience of Jesus in the City was a great encouragement to delegates at the start of the Congress. His courteous willingness too to respond to seemingly endless photo opportunities and to engage in conversations with so wide a range of people was quite remarkable.
The Opening Service
From the City Hall the delegates marched to St. Anne's, the Anglican Cathedral. singing on their way and amidst the scaffolding, enjoyed for the first time worship led by the Revd. Douglas Gay: his sensitive style held together the different sessions of the Congress giving it a cohesiveness appreciated by many. The Revd. Dave Cave then addressed the Congress linking the roots of the Congress to the present call 10 stay in the city. After that delegates dispersed to their hosts in different parts of the city.
Sunday 27th September
On Sunday the Congress was introduced to the Vision of Ezekiel by Doug Gay - the extraordinary bitter sweet call of God. This moving time of worship was followed by times in small groups, where we talked about the sharing of painful visions and the times of shared silence when easy answers were absent .
In the afternoon Bishop Joe Aldred from the Black and White Partnership in Birmingham addressed the Congress. He spoke powerfully from Ephesians 2 on the challenges of diversity. The real experience of black Christians was of exclusion from leadership in mainline churches and so many young people had found their black identity outside the churches. There were, however, exciting times ahead as an indigenous black British theology emerged which would have much to offer the wider Christian community if it would listen to this voice. In small buzz groups delegates shared their very varied experiences and the questions that followed in the plenary revealed that much more work needed to be done if racial equality within the church was to be universally demonstrated.
In the evening there were many rich and varied experiences as delegates visited local churches. Stories abounded of Christian witness through visible working together of Christians from the two communities throughout the whole length of the Troubles.
Monday 28th September
There was lively debate following the morning session when Father Patnck MoCafferty and the Revd. Norman Hamilton spoke from their respective communities about their experience of church in Belfast. There was some frustration that a Biblical exposition rather than contextual wrestling with the issues had formed the basis of the first address, but this was more than rectified when Patrick McCafferty returned on the Wednesday afternoon to talk about his personal journey of faith from forced sectarian eviction from his house as a child to his strong call to the priesthood. This mirrored the struggles that Norman Hamilton described of a church that could all too often be perceived as irrelevant in the ongoing struggles of Belfast. Comments from the graffiti board and the evaluations reinforced appreciation of Norman's contribution.
Later in the day the buzz of activity reached crescendo as delegates dispersed to site visits and workshops, ranging from 3 P's and an Adventure to circle dancing. Nearly everyone returned enthused and invigorated.
One of the highlights of the Congress took place in the evening in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. During a welcome to the church we learnt that 88 people had been murdered in that one parish alone. That set the scene for a poignant service based on the Good Samaritan when we were invited to reflect on the many different victims - both obvious and hidden - in our societies. As we moved to light candles in four different parts of the nave, a deep sense of prayer filled the place. And yet the transition from the service to the shindig in the nearby St. Kevin's Hall seemed to reflect what we sensed all the time in Belfast - the ability to celebrate in the midst of suffering.
Tuesday 29th September
On Tuesday delegates were invited to continue their journey into the hope of newness for Gods people expressed in the second half of Ezekiel. "Even dead things, dry bones could be made to live when the God of Life breathes into them". In small groups we were encouraged to share signs of hope in and for the communities from which we came. In the dosing worship many were moved by the reading of 'The New Glasgow". After more site visits and workshops, and interest generated groups, delegates moved back to the Assembly Hall where Mary Anne Ure, Secretary of the Scottish Justice & Peace addressed the Congress on "Models of a Just Society". She gave positive and negative examples from the third and the developed world, interspersed with personal stories such as the intolerable treatment she received when seeking to enter Britain from the Far East when she appeared, through long exposure to the sun, not to be white. There were also memorable sentences such as "You cannot preach about justice unless you are yourself just in others' eyes"; "you are unjust when you are judgemental and have all the answers and when you 'Ignore the needs and concerns of others"; "you are unjust when you keep silence in the face of injustice".
Wednesday 30th September
During the Congress there had been opportunity for feedback through the graffiti board and through comments on the first draft of a congress statement. The final statement was woven into a morning of worship and conclusion. As the end of our time together the banner of the Congress was passed from Belfast to Leeds where the next Congress will take place in 2001. The giant jigsaw which was pieced together during the days of the Congress was on display. It depicted a cityscape with our title "Jesus in the City". Everyone from across the water wished to express their appreciation of and admiration for the Christians in Belfast who had worked so unstintingly to provide hospitality in their homes, their projects and their churches to so many people who will take away a lasting memory of warmth and humour from the time when they met Jesus in Belfast.
Jesus said: "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often have I longed to gather your children together" (Matthew 23 v 37).