The need for church planting in Ireland

 Acts 13:1-3

1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 

Times have changed in modern day Ireland.  Figures from the 2006 census in the Republic of Ireland show that after Catholicism, the second largest ‘faith’ group in the Republic are those who have ‘no religion’.  Recently, ‘Atheist Ireland’ celebrated this with an international conference in Dublin where the High Priest of atheism, Richard Dawkins was the guest speaker.  Gone are the days when Catholic priest and nuns roamed the streets being greeted with respect, people went to church in their droves, and what church authorities said was law!  Modern Irish people are not interested and are not listening.  

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Thinking again about church in the Church of Ireland

Once upon a time in Ireland, we lived in a church-going era.  Sunday mornings and evenings witnessed people walking and driving to church in crowds - at least in far larger numbers than we are generally seeing today. A brief look through our preaching books with their record of numbers in attendance at services would, by and large, reveal a decline over the years.  This sad fact is also reflected in the growing number of churches that are no longer offering evening services.

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The Patrick of St. Patrick's Day

One of the greatest achievements of the tourist board in the Republic of Ireland is the annual St. Patrick’s Festival. Begun in 1996, the Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to what is by far Ireland’s biggest annual celebration. The five day-celebration turns Dublin city-centre into a colourful, open-air circus, with carnivals, cavalcades, giant computer screens, and Ireland’s biggest firework display. Streets, cafés, pubs, decked in green bunting and ‘Paddy’s Day’ paraphernalia, are thronged as Dublin is packed to capacity with revellers.