The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has launched a new resource for its congregations as part of its continuing work on peace and reconciliation through its ‘Considering Grace’ project.

The project, which is based around themes emerging from PCI’s book ‘Considering Grace – Presbyterians and the Troubles’, involved interviews with 120 people from across Northern Ireland and the border counties who told their stories of how they coped with trauma and tests of faith. Published last year, the book captures a range of experiences of the Troubles of people from a Presbyterian background including ministers, victims, members of the security forces, emergency responders, healthcare works and ‘critical friends’ of the Presbyterian tradition.

In the next chapter of the project, an accompanying study resource to support and encourage discussion around the book was launched during an online conference entitled, ‘Considering Grace – unpacking the impact.’ Its author, the writer and facilitator, Dave Thompson, said, “The aim of the whole project was never just to create a book. The aim has been the promotion of healing and forgiveness within congregations and to assist the denomination to contribute to wider societal discussion beyond its pews about the legacy of the past, so that the future is better.”

Mr Thompson, who is an elder in Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in south Belfast, explained that the study resource is not a ‘one size fits all resource’. “Every congregation or small group is different in geography, in size and involvement in the community, and has a different starting point. The resource aims to help congregations consider the content of the book’s stories, but in their own context.”

He suggested it could be used by individuals, different small groups and leadership teams within the Church. “Firstly, the resource is to help local congregations create a safe space to reflect on and respond to the experience of the people who shared their stories in the book. Secondly, it is to share and compare the experiences of those in the group, and also to consider what these experiences mean in a local church context.”

The study resource was developed through six focus groups in different locations in Northern Ireland. At their conclusion, Mr Thompson began to draft the resource looking at key themes of lamenting, remembering, ministering, praying, seeking a more reconciled society and taking action.

“These can be difficult conversation topics to talk about; so we often we avoid them. But we need to ask ourselves, are the experiences in Considering Grace worth hearing? Are the experiences of the Troubles still affecting us? Does our denomination have anything to say about how we live, in the shadow of the Troubles? If the answer to all of those questions is ‘yes’, then we need to create space to consider what action we need to take, which is what I hope this study resource will facilitate.”

In welcoming the resource as ‘valuable, sensitive and potentially impactful’ for congregations, along with its accompanying guide for ministers, Presbyterian Moderator, Rt Rev Dr David Bruce said, “Every congregation is a small fragment of society, and every part of our society lives in the context of what has happened in the past. It may be many years until we will see the Considering Grace project bear fruit, as understanding, healing and forgiveness is a process and takes time.”

Dr Bruce continued, “This is a valuable, sensitive and potentially impactful resource, and I would like to thank Dave and everyone involved in producing it, including those who took part in the focus groups. I hope and pray that it will not only be used, but blessed in a process of both personal and collective healing and forgiveness.”

Talking about the resource for ministers, its author, Dave Thompson said, “The importance of this resource is that it encourages ministers, particularly those in the early years of their ministry, to consider their unique role. Not only in caring pastorally for people who have directly, or generationally, experienced loss and trauma, but also in leading their congregation to think compassionately and critically about the effect of living in a divided society and on the Church’s calling to pursue peace and justice. I hope that it is a helpful aid to thinking about the environment in which ministers serve, how it has been shaped by the Troubles, as well as the needs of a congregation and people in their locality.”

Mr Thompson concluded by saying, “At the heart of the kingdom of God, is his desire for healing, and for all people everywhere to display his glory through his life, life to the full. My hope for the resource we’re launching today is that it helps people reflect on what arises from the book and through that process, the Holy Spirit leads us in ways that encourage the slow process of healing, and in ways to be peacemakers and to be the children of God.”

You can find more information on the Considering Grace project and order copies of the Considering Grace study resource here.

Photos (1) Dave Thompson, the author of the study resource, with Presbyterian Moderator, Rt Rev Dr David Bruce with the study resource in the Weir Chapel in Assembly Buildings before the online conference (2) the front cover of the resource.