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A major new initiate to deliver effective reconciliation programmes within the Presbyterian Church was launched by the Church's Youth Board at a special reception held at today Tuesday 5 June at 6.00pm in Church House as part of the General Assembly.
Called 'Preparing Youth for Peace' the main objective of the programme is to train Presbyterian Youth Leaders to deliver effective reconciliation programmes that envision, motivate and enable Presbyterian communities to actively engage in positive community relations.
'Some Presbyterians see peacemaking in society as a fundamental gospel principle, while other contend that peace and reconciliation will happen as a consequence of people first committing to the Christian faith,' explains Roz Stirling, Youth Officer with the Presbyterian Church. 'In some cases planned peacemaking or cross-community is seen as a distraction from the real issue of what it means to be a Christian and even a distortion of the gospel and a dilution of reformed principles.'
In response to these opinions the major benefit of 'Preparing Youth for Peace' is that it is initiated from within the denomination and therefore, will reflect a full and accurate understanding of the Church it is aimed at, addressing the particular mindset and sensibilities of those within the denomination.
The initial phase of the programme is already underway with an audit being done involving Presbyterian Ministers, Youth leaders and young people to assess Presbyterian mindset, attitude to and participation in existing peace and reconciliation initiatives and to give a baseline against which progress can be measured at the end of the first three years of the scheme and beyond.
A team of facilitators will be appointed later this month to begin training with regard to the political and community situation in Northern Ireland and their response, as Presbyterians, to this. From this, pilot programmes will be developed to use in different contexts with single identity (Presbyterian) groups.
The next step about this time next year will be to implement these pilot schemes in a number of selected groups reflecting a range of Presbyterian experience including border areas, Belfast, provincial towns and among students. Evaluation and development and wider implementation would follow on from these initial pilot schemes.
'The Project seeks to develop the capacity of Presbyterians in both urban and rural interface areas to address issues of conflict and division and to increase the capacity of these communities to develop strategies for tackling sectarianism at a local level,' says Rev David Montgomery, Chairman of the Reconciliation Working Group of the Youth Board
'Developing an approach to these issues which is created by Presbyterians for Presbyterians; which is thoroughly attuned to the nuances of Presbyterianism, can be adapted for use in a variety of contexts and be implemented over a period of time and at a pace whereby people can really explore the issues involved, are the major emphases of the project.'
For further information visit the General Assembly section
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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