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The General Board of the Presbyterian Church has called upon members of the Presbyterian Church to bring what it describes as 'the paralysed implementation of the Good Friday Agreement' to God in faith and prayer.
Meeting in Belfast today, Thursday 14 October, the Board spoke its mind on the importance of the Good Friday Agreement in two resolutions believing 'that the pursuit of peace is one in which all of us need to be involved through reaching out to our enemies, seeking to meet their genuine concerns as well as being aware of our own.'
In its call to prayer the Board expressed the desire that God in his mercy would deliver us from the legacy of past sins and bitterness so that we may 'treat one another with the grace and generosity which He has shown to us so that we, erstwhile enemies, may walk into the future together.'
In another resolution on the Patten Report the Board records its appreciation of the service and sacrifice of members of the RUC and their families requesting the Government , in implementing any recommendations of Patten to bear in mind the sensitivities of both sections of our community.
The full text of the resolutions is as follows:
The Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement
In the spirit of the gospel, which declares that it was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us, the General Board believes that the pursuit of peace is one in which all of us need to be involved through reaching out to our enemies, seeking to meet their genuine concerns as well as being aware of our own. The General Board calls upon the congregations and members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland to bring the matter of the paralysed implementation of the Good Friday Agreement to God in faith and prayer, so that God in His mercy may deliver us from the legacy of past sins and bitterness, that we may treat one another with the grace and generosity which He has shown to us so that we, erstwhile enemies, may walk into the future together. The Patten Report
The General Board records its appreciation of the service and the sacrifice of members of the RUC and their families and requests the Government, in implementing any recommendations of the Patten Commission, to bear in mind the sensitivities of both sections of our community, of the continuing need for adequate security and the goal of developing a modern and well trained policing body. The challenge to create a police service capable of attracting and sustaining support from the community as a whole, is one faced by us all and not only by the Government.
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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