I’ve been having a great time continuing to live out the Shared Medley recently – visiting churches, groups, services and events which are (sometimes) unexpected and outside my comfort zone, but are (almost always) welcoming, inspiring and encouraging in their variety.

Two events over the past weekend stick out in my memory.  The first was an invitation from Fr Martin (who you might remember from the Mass in the woods last summer) to a gathering at St Oliver Plunkett parish in West Belfast.  I didn’t really know what to expect; it turned out that the parish had invited author Patrick Ryan to lead a community gathering looking at ways to deal with the difficult issue of teen suicide.

A very serious issue, and everyone at the meeting was committed to giving it their full attention and energy.  But what struck me was how much warmth, welcome, joy and even laughter there was in the room, even while dealing with such an emotive subject.  It seems strange to say that it was a great night – but it was!

And while I don’t want to get a reputation for relating everything I hear and experience back to Dock-world, one story Patrick shared seemed to apply very directly.  In his work, he was responsible for co-ordinating the response to a series of teen suicides in Limerick; arriving in the area, he asked how many charities, agencies and counselling bodies were active in dealing with the problem.  The answer was twenty-six – but they were all working separately, some of them drawing significant government funding to replicate and duplicate the work being done by other groups.  Patrick’s first job was to form an ‘umbrella’ which allowed all these groups to communicate and co-operate.

I wonder how many of the resources of the church get squandered by our tendency to work in silos.  As Patrick soon found, the shared recognition of the importance of their common goal allowed these groups to work in unity.  As we seek to bring hope to the Titanic Quarter, let’s pray that the same will be true of us.

The second memorable meeting of the weekend took place in Newtownards last night.  ‘In Joyful Hope’ is an initiative fronted by clergy from Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodist traditions.  They take it in turns to celebrate Communion in each others’ churches, according to the practice of each others’ denominations.

Tragically, communion (for so many the deepest act of Christian worship) is one of the things that most painfully divides us.  The service recognised honestly that much is still unresolved – it was left to each person’s discretion whether they participated fully in receiving communion.  But it was also an expression of unity, friendship and fellowship that is already shared – as well as an anticipation of the greater unity we hope for in the future.

Some parts of the service were truly powerful.  Everyone joined in saying the Nicene Creed – an ancient formulation of faith which all denominations hold as foundational; speaking it out together, we stood together on shared, essential things.  At the end of the service, the blessing was spoken in unison by ministers from all the denominations.  Shared faith, shared blessing.  Great stuff.

The next service run by the group will be in Newtownbreda Presbyterian on Thursday 12th May at 8.  The Dock will be there!