Methodist leader vows to adopt all-island role
THE incoming president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Rev Paul Kingston, is a Co Cork man and a pastoral minister in Limerick.
However, Mr Kingston has given a firm pledge to make himself available to Methodists in all parts of the island, particularly in Northern Ireland where the overwhelming majority of the Church's 52,000 membership resides.
The 64-year-old cleric has served in both parts of Ireland and he will take a year out from his church in Adare and Ballingran.
He has also served as district superintendent in the Methodist heartlands of Portadown and Enniskillen, the latter during the Troubles.
"I lost some good friends who died in the Troubles during my time in Fermanagh and I am very familiar with the situation in Northern Ireland where happily today there is a much better climate at community level," said Mr Kingston.
"Economically, there are acute problems for people in the two parts of Ireland and the Church is conscious of the difficulties faced at a personal and spiritual level."
Mr Kingston's theme for his presidential year will be "To serve the present age" and he said he will continue to develop the close rapport and engagement with the other main church leaders (Presbyterian, Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic).
He was reluctant to comment on the position of Cardinal Sean Brady, who plans to remain in office despite criticism over his handling of sex abuse allegations within the Roman Catholic Church, other than to say he was looking forward to meeting the cardinal.
Mr Kingston will pursue the Communion parish link which Methodism has with the Church of Ireland, where joint pastoral work operates in Monkstown (Newtownabbey), Newtownards and at Queen's University.
"This, of course, does not affect our position as two totally separate denominations," he said.
"Our Methodist Church is always reforming and changing and we continue to try to live by our founder John Wesley's dictum 'friends of all, enemies of none'."
The president's role will be complemented by a new lay leader, Gillian Kingston, who is no relation.
The Rev Kingston will be the first Methodist president in Ireland to also be the president of the Church conference. Up until last year, this position was held by the president of the British conference and had been from the days of Methodist founder the Rev John Wesley.
Mrs Kingston, currently a chaplain to University College, Dublin and actively involved in ecumenical work, is the first to become Methodist lay leader in Ireland, effectively a chairperson and advisory post which she will hold for three years. This will not interfere with the president’s traditional role.
The Rev Kingston, who succeeds the Rev Donald Ker as president, plans to visit the Methodist Church in Ghana, identifying with local congregations and attending the conference of the Ghanaian Methodist Church.
l The installation of the new president and lay leader-designate takes place in St Mark’s Parish Church, Dundela, east Belfast on Thursday, June 10.
The Methodist conference will be held in Sydenham Methodist Church on June 10 to 13. The service of ordination takes place in Bloomfield Presbyterian Church, Belfast, on Sunday, June 13 at 7pm.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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