The Ordination by Bishop Ken Clarke of Samuel Geoffrey Wilson taking place in St Peter’s Church Templeport on June 19th 2005

Bishop Ken Clarke	St Peter's Church Templeport	Revd Geoff Wilson
A personal reflection on Ordination By the time you read this it will all be over bar the shouting as the saying goes. But as I write these notes I am very much in the middle of a period of reflection and preparation for my forthcoming ordination to the presbyterate/priesthood. As I do so I am drawn to reflect upon all of the preparations for the service itself. I am astounded by the amount of people who have come together to prepare St Peter’s for the day. I am amazed by the way in which people from different Parishes within our group have come together for this occasion and have set aside Parish “loyalties” in favour of working together for this special day. And I am humbled by the amount of good wishes which have been expressed throughout our group and from the wider community as Sunday approaches. But these thoughts are not the mere ramblings of a nerve-stricken curate! but rather I believe that they are closely related to what this service of ordination really means to me. As it approaches I cannot help but look back at the last year and even in that short space of time I praise God for the way in which I have seen Him at work in each of our lives. I praise God for the way in which Parish boundaries, important as they are, are not seen as the be all and end all but rather seeing ourselves as part of a larger flock, bought through the shedding of Jesus’ own blood on the cross. These words are not my own but the words which will be used by Bishop Ken at the end of the service of ordination as he charges me as follows; Remember always with thanksgiving that the treasure now entrusted to you is Christ’s own flock, bought through the shedding of his own blood on the cross. The Church and the congregation among whom you will minister are one with him; they are his body. Go forth to serve them with joy, build them up in faith, and do all in your power to bring them to loving obedience to Christ. This service of ordination is not about power and authority, it is not about status and privilege in the sense of rights, and it is not even about me and what I can now do. But it is about responsibility and leadership; it is about humility and courage and it is about my relationship with God and what He seeks to do through me. The words which Bishop Ken will utter also remind me that I am entrusted with a treasure, something of value , something which Christ shed his own blood for. It has been an absolute joy to minister this past year as God’s servant in the Swanlinbar Group. As leader of this treasured flock I pray that I will be faithful to the declarations which I will make and that together we might grow in faith and move forward in the strength of God’s Holy Spirit.                   Photographs and other information about the Ordination may be found by clicking on this link

Ordination Today

Perhaps the best place to start to answer our question is the ordination service in the prayer book. The service lays out for us the key elements of what it means to be ordained. It tells us that they are to be ‘servants and shepherds among the people to whom they are sent.’ I believe that the essence of what it means to be ordained can be summed up by these two words: servant and shepherd. To live out these two fundamentals of ministry the ordained person has the most wonderful example to follow. As the ordination service puts it they ‘must always set the Good Shepherd before them as the pattern of their calling.’

Christ is the model of all ministry. We see in his servanthood the one who humbly washes the disciple’s feet. His example is one of self-sacrifice, always putting the needs of others above himself. The supreme pastor. In Jesus we see the Good Shepherd constantly leading and guiding his flock. His teaching stands today as the most majestic and powerful words ever spoken. The supreme teacher.

To be ordained in the Church of Christ as servant and shepherd, pastor and teacher is both an immense privilege and a huge responsibility. During Sunday’s service the Bishop will say ‘Because none of us can bear the weight of this ministry in our own strength, but only by the grace and power of God, let us pray earnestly for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this person.’ Prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit and the wonderful grace of God becomes the very life blood of the ordained person. Without that life blood, ministry becomes anaemic and sterile.

All of us know that many of the foundation blocks that our society has based itself upon for centuries have changed and in some cases disappeared. To do the work of ministry today is not easy, yet people’s need and hunger for God is unchanged. Ministry is for all the people of God whether ordained or not. Those who are ordained exercise their leadership in pastoring and teaching and as such equip Gods people for His service. As we all play our part, God’s kingdom will be extended and those both inside and outside the church will be blessed.

Pray with thanksgiving to God that he has brought Geoff Wilson to Swanlinbar group as your servant and shepherd.

Archdeacon Andrew Forster       

  Sunday at the Slieve Russell Hotel

Last Sunday was an extraordinary event in the history of our Diocese as 1260 people came together to celebrate the fact that we are family. For many of us that phrase will not be unfamiliar, but the reality of being part of such a massive service of worship and praise was that many were prompted to make statements like "I never knew there were so many of us" and "This is just the greatest thing and we must do it again!" Not everyone could make it to this service so for those who weren't there I have reproduced the Bishop's address to our Diocesan family that day.

It is so good to see so many here today. What an exciting day for the Diocese of Kilmore Elphin and Ardagh! This has been called Forward Sunday and it is another step forward in God's plans for us. In the next few minutes let us catch a fresh vision together of God's purpose for us.

On Thursday of this past week it was St. Columba's Day and yesterday was St. Barnabas's Day. Surely here are 2 reminders of God's vision for His people. He calls us to be an ME Church.

Now what do we first think of when we see the letters ME?
ME?
ME?... the illness which results in tiredness, lethargy, absence of energy. Our eldest daughter Ali suffered from something like this in her teenage years. It went on for several years and it was so distressing to see how weak she was. Sometimes we can be like that in the church. But that is not the kind of church God wants us to be.

So what does ME stand for? Columba and Barnabas help us...

Mission-shaped
• Following the example of Jesus and St. Columba
• A church that looks out
• A church that looks beyond itself
• A church that thinks of others
• A church that shares Good News in word and action
• A church that sees the harvest Jesus sees and cares enough to work in it.

Encouraging
• It is easy to be negative
• It is easy to criticize ... anybody can do that.
• Barnabas is famous for being an encourager
• What are we known for? Being encouragers or discouragers?
• I have seen encouragers in this Diocese. One person wrote to another recently... "Thank you for all your encouragement and love. " Another person made a card, sent it to someone and wrote on it "Thank you so much for all the effort you put into... Take care of yourself, you are very special to us all... "
What do you think that does to someone? A kind comment, a thoughtful gesture, an encouraging word.
How different when we are ungrateful, hurtful in our words, discouraging in our attitudes, initiators of loveless and harmful gossip. God calls us to be encouragers. He calls us all to move forward in a ministry of encouragement.

The secret of Barnabas and Columba and 1000's of others is that there was someone they were living for and there was a cause they were willing to die for.

Someone To Live For ... Jesus
• At our confirmation services in the past few months I have been speaking about those words of the apostle Paul
"For me To Live is Christ." "Be Thou my vision."
• One of our priorities in this Diocese is to be Christ-centred and Christ focussed.
• There is no greater privilege than to know Jesus Christ and to serve Him.
• 'Just wait till you see Jesus!'

Something to Die For ... His Kingdom
Which prayer have we prayed more often than any other?
The Lord's Prayer ... and what do we pray? Thy Kingdom Come. This is our cause ... His Kingdom.
What do we mean when we pray these words?
That God will rule and reign in people's lives ... that He will be recognized and worshipped as King of Kings and Lord of lords.

What are some of the marks of people living for Him and His Kingdom?
• Forgiving people ... its hard isn't it?
• Generous people ... an elderly man in his 90's has paid for the hire of this room. Someone who has had a powerful influence on my life wrote in his journal... "I want to be a contributing member to my generation, giving more to people than I take from them... "
• Encouraging people
• Different values, different convictions ... Ralph Showers
• Christlike people ... more like the King!

Helen and I called in here last night to have a final look before today. Like today 100's and 100's of people were here. The car parks were full. The rooms were buzzing with people. There were 2 wedding receptions, banquets.

20 years ago I am quite sure there were people who said... "You couldn't build a luxury hotel in Ballyconnell and make a success of it." I'm sure there were those who said "it won't happen!" I have no doubt some remarked "it cannot be done!" But one local man had the vision... Sean Quinn... and it has happened. He saw the potential. He grasped the opportunity. A Church of Ireland Rectory used to be on this site and green fields behind it. Cattle were in the fields. Now 1000's of people come here. 100's and 100's find employment. One man had the vision. Using the language of Jesus he saw the harvest when others didn't!

We heard in our Gospel ... Jesus saw the crowds, not buildings hotels or conference centres, but people, a harvest of people. He had compassion on them. He loved them. He gave His life for them ... we are called to do the same!

I have a vision of another wedding reception, a banquet, not in the Slieve Russell Hotel but a wedding celebration where 1000's, yes, millions of people will gather, It is what the Bible calls the wedding supper of the Lamb. You and I have been called by Jesus to ensure that others know they are invited.,, people in Co.. Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo, Longford, Roscommon, Fermanagh,.. the old, the young, the sick the well the lonely, the lost, the rich, the poor, the farmers, the secretaries, the teachers, the pupils, the nationals and the non-nationals, those of the old Ireland and those of the new Ireland! Forward is not just about us, it is about all the people of this Diocese and area and indeed beyond. It is about the harvest Jesus sees and loves.
Forward is about you and I living for Christ, ..100% committed to his cause, the Kingdom of God. It is about you and I being a vital part of growing healthy parishes which are ME churches... not tired and weary but mission minded, mission shaped and marked by encouragement and generosity. Only through the help and inspiration of Jesus Christ can we do this. .. and we can only do it together. Are you willing? Are we willing to be the answers to our own prayers? Jeus people,.. Kingdom builders?