If you live or worship in the Moravian settlements at Ockbrook in Derbyshire or Gracehill in Northern Ireland, or if you've visited and conscientiously read plaques and booklets, you'll know the name of Mrs Elizabeth Mary Bates.
On 11th April 2024, a significant and historic event took place at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Irish Council of Churches (ICC), held at the Gracehill Moravian Church in Ballymena. This AGM saw the election of Bishop Sarah Groves as President, marking a notable milestone in the ICC's centennial history. Bishop Groves succeeds Bishop Andrew Forster of th
A Handbook for a congregation's journey from welcome to belonging
How did this book come about?
In partnership with VOX Magazine and with the active support of Evangelical Alliance in both Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Irish Council of Churches conducted a survey in 2021 on the experiences of people from ethnic minorities in Irish churches and the attitudes of the majority ethnic group to increasing diversity in their churches and communities. Over 1,000 responses were collected. Stories and examples ranged from the painful...
Last year Gracehill Congregation was approached by Eve McMullan, the local Scripture Union Schools worker to see if we would host a Prayer Space for children at Gracehill Primary School. Like many schools Gracehill PS did not have enough spare room to host this in their own premises. Church Committee was happy for the Church to be used for this and we were intrigued to see how it would turn out.
On Monday 18th March, a wonderful service took place to celebrate the Armagh Agreement. The Armagh Agreement is a new and very special agreement between the Church of Ireland and the Moravian Church in Britain & Ireland, which was passed at the Synods of both churches in 2022, having been agreed in 2021. The agreement enables inter-changeability of ordained ministry between our two churches.