POWER TO CHANGE
ECUMENICAL
OR
NOT
ECUMENICAL?
At a meeting I attended last Saturday evening it was
reported to me that at the recent New Horizon event,
‘Power To Change’
stated publicly words to the effect that
‘Power To
Change is not an ecumenical ploy’.
with these
words
‘The
latest ploy to involve ‘Evangelical Catholics’ as full
‘partners’ and ‘participants’ in mainstream so-called
Evangelical Mission efforts is being progressively launched over the next
months’
‘Ecumenism’ in the professing Christian world has always been understood as being ‘co-operative effort’ to promote Christianity.
Historically
faithful ‘evangelicals’ did not get involved in such ‘co-operation’ when the
Roman Catholic church was involved for the simple reason that Rome does not
preach Biblical Christianity.
So, when
it comes to ‘Power To Change’ is there
‘ecumenical
co-operation’? – Mr Cave apparently says ‘No’.
1. When the various committees [comprised of Protestants and Roman Catholics] met together to plan for ‘Power To Change’, did they also pray together for ‘Power To Change’?
2.
When various churches [Protestant and Roman Catholic]
registered for ‘Power To Change’ and contributed the £100.00 [or more]
requested by ‘Power To Change’ were their financial contributions lodged
to separate ‘Protestant’ and ‘Roman Catholic’ ‘Power To Change’ bank
accounts?
3.
When the prayers prayed for and then submitted to ‘Power
To Change’ were being added to the running total – was there a separate
‘Protestant’ total and a separate ‘Roman Catholic’ total or were they all just
tabulated together?
4.
When ‘Protestant’ churches are handing out the ‘Power
To Change’ booklet do they first remove the ‘Roman Catholic’ testimonies
from it and when the ‘Roman Catholic’ churches hand out the ‘Power To
Change’ booklet do they first remove the ‘Protestant’ testimonies or
do both groups simply hand out the booklet in its entirety?
The
answers to these questions are I believe obvious and show clearly that ‘Power
To Change’ is ‘ecumenical’ as understood in the historical sense of the
word.
Then
secondly and lastly I am setting out below a number of ‘events’ listed on the ‘Power
To Change’ web site on 24th September 2002. It really baffles me
how anyone can state that this initiative is not ‘ecumenical’ in the light of
these details
Cecil
Andrews
“Take
Heed” Ministries
|
Alpha course |
Larne and district are having their 4th
interchurch Alpha course. Participating churches include Presbyterian
Methodist Church of Ireland Elim Pentecostal Roman Catholic Seventh Day
Adventist Christian Fellowship and others. |
Highways Hotel |
Robert Alexander |
|
Cross-Community Alpha Course |
A cross-community Alpha course for people
from all denominations or |
Lisburn Leisureplex, Lisburn City |
Kerry Nicholson |
|
Ecumenical Endeavour |
A joint ecumenical endeavour run by Fr
Vincent Dempsey (Crookstown), Fr Thomas Coughlan (Moone) and Canon Ginny
Kennerly (Timolin & Narraghmore). |
Bolton Abbey, Moone, Co. Kildare |
. |
|
Tres Dias for Women |
"Tres Dias" is Spanish for
"Three Days"; a very special three days when |
Glenada Conferencce Centre, Newcastle, Co.
Down |
John O'Loughlin Kennedy |
|
Ceili |
Come and hear life changing stories from Michael McGoldrick
& Archie McClean. |
Methodist Church Hall, Dun Laoghaire, Co.
Dublin. (Beside Methodist Church, just up from Dunnes Stores on
Northumberland Ave.) |
Tickets avaliable from Scripture Union,
Lr. George's Street, Dun Laoghaire |
|
Power to Change Alpha Conference |
Power to Change Alpha conference with Holy
Trinity Brompton |
The Prayer Centre, |
Sr Bridget Dunne |
|
Event Title |
Description |
Location |
Contact |
Date & Time |
|
Newtownabbey |
29/09/02 St.
Mary's Roman Catholic Church Greencastle - Speaker: Alf McCreary 06/10/02 St Ninian's
Church of Ireland - Harvest Praise Speaker: David Jardine 13/10/02 Whitehouse
Presbyterian Church - Speaker: Maura Kiely 20/10/02 Newtownabbey Methodist
Mission - Speaker: Desmond Curran |
Co. Antrim |
Liz Hughes / Betty Morris |
|
[basically
an update by email]
issued by
Michael Fitch of Power to Change
on 30
September 2002
Finances
We still need approximately £30,000. (In the overall context of this
campaign this is encouragingly small, yet is still a lot of money!) We have
received gifts from less than 10 churches but are aware many plan to give. If
50% of the churches, parishes and organisations that have supported this
initiative gave £200 we would easily meet the need. Can you help? Please
encourage your church or parish to give this week.
Let me quote again what I wrote in my document
concerning what Basil Good
Chairman of the Power to Change Republic of Ireland
Committee
said on RTE TV in the January broadcast to promote
Power to Change
Mr Good was keen to emphasise that Churches would not be asked to contribute
financially to the advertising campaign and stressed that
‘POWER TO CHANGE’
would
not interfere in the area of ‘doctrine’ but would leave that
entirely
to the discretion of the ‘participating churches’.
In view of the vast sums of money that are being
talked about in relation to this initiative and where conflicting messages
appear to be being put out by those in positions of leadership about whether
money was/is needed or not from participating churches I wonder is it the
intention of
to put full details of all the financial arrangements
concerning this venture into the public arena
[without of course infringing any ‘anonymity’
where that has been requested by donors].
Personally, if I were supportive of this campaign,
I would be asking for such information to be sent to
me.
‘Take Heed’ Ministries
3 October 2002
|
Longford Ecum. Group |
3rd Oct. 8pm -
Methodist Church, Longford Speaker Rev Warren Nelson |
Co. Longford |
. |
|
'Our Lady Mother of Divine Grace' Raheny,
Power to Change Events |
Sun. 6th - 11.30am Mass, Speaker: John Lonergan (Governor of Mountjoy)
- 5.00pm Mass, Speaker: Fr. Chris Miley. |
Co. Dublin |
. |
|
P2C Prayer Meeting |
Songs of worship, Eucharistic adoration,
Rosary, Scripture, talk on P2C Gospel message. |
Co. Galway |
Fr. Hugh Clifford |
|
The Person, The Problem, The Power |
Today many people are asking questions and sometimes not
receiving answers that make sense, or that are confusing |
Co. Cork |
. |
|
Bishop Martin Drennan & Bishop Ken
Clarke |
Speakers: Bishop Martin Drennan, Catholic
Auxiliary Bishop. |
Co. Dublin |
|
Ecumenical Prayer Workshop |
An afternoon of reflection, worship,
prayer and fellowship culminating in a Service of Thanksgiving for Harvest. |
Co. Galway |
Claire Besnyoe |
|
Halloween Fancy Dress |
Theme: Saints & Scholars. No Cost.
(Youth 2000) |
DUBLIN |
Ray O'Connor |
‘Power to
Change’
as the
following extracts from their web site show –
Advertise your Power
to Change Event:
If you are running an event under the Power to Change theme, and you would like
to have it advertised on this web-site and possibly in various printed
materials, please fill out the form below as fully as you can.
We
would like to advertise on this web-site
We
would like to advertise (if possible) in some printed material
I
understood that the advertising of my event is subject to approval.
‘Take Heed’ Ministries
7 October 2002