Diocesan Synod

Yesterday was the Diocesan Synod, held in Moira. It was an interesting enough day, when about 300 people from the parishes of the Diocese came together to hear reports of the work of the Diocese, and to make decisions about the future. Well, no real decisions were made this year, but that's what normally happens!

The particular highlight was the book launched at the Synod, called 'Build Your Church, Lord', which is the report of the Episcopal Visitation carried out by the Bishop in the first half of this year. Basically, he went round every church, finding out how the previous five years had went, the growth or decline, the successes and weaknesses, and compared and contrasted strategies with those used in other parishes. The book will be an interesting read, and includes maps of each parish boundary, as well as diagrams and charts showing attendances, Sunday School numbers, and an age profile of worshippers at an 'average' service.

However, the day seemed to consist of a lot of eating! After the Communion service, there was a tea break, then a session of 2 hours, then lunch, then another session of an hour and a half or so, then another tea break, then the closing session. But I suppose those times gave us the chance to meet up with and talk to people we knew, and also those we didn't.

Oh, and I was also elected to the General Synod for the next three years, which should be interesting enough...