23.09.2026

Grounded in Faithfulness – Hearing God’s Voice in Uncertain Times

Ecumenical Bible Week 2026

Today’s world can feel chaotic at times and this year’s Ecumenical Bible Week aimed to guide participants to focus on God’s design for humanity through creation and his covenant promises. Exploring the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch), the theme of the week was ‘Grounded in Faithfulness: Hearing God’s voice in Creation and covenant when the world feels unsteady’.

With events throughout the week from September 13 to 18, a range of speakers examined and reflected on how God speaks through creation and the covenant.

This was the 11th Ecumenical Bible Week. It was tinged with sadness as one of the co–founders of the event and a great champion of ecumenism, Fr Kieran O’Mahony OSA, died during the summer. His contributions were missed by all during the week.

Opening Service

The 2026 event opened on Sunday September 13 with Vespers in the College Chapel at the All Hallows Campus of Dublin City University. The chapel is currently serving as the temporary home of St Mary’s Cathedral during the cathedral’s renovation over the next two years. The Very Revd Kieran McDermott, Administrator of the Cathedral, presided, assisted by current and former members of the Ecumenical Bible Week committee.

The opening service included a thanksgiving for the life and ministry of Fr Kieran O’Mahony.

St Matthew’s Irishtown

On Monday September 14, the programme moved to St Matthew’s Church, Irishtown, where Dr Katie Heffelfinger, Deputy Director of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute and Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Hermeneutics, led an exploration of the Book of Exodus. Her presentation encouraged participants to engage with some of the more challenging and unsettling aspects of the biblical text and to consider what they might have to say to us today.

St Saviour’s Church Arklow

On Tuesday September 15, Ecumenical Bible Week travelled south to St Saviour’s Church, Arklow. Dr Brad Anderson of Dublin City University took a broader approach, offering an overview of the books of the Pentateuch. This was followed by a lively discussion on how the stories and themes of these foundational books of Scripture might speak to people seeking to live faithfully in an increasingly unsteady world.

 

Abbey Presbyterian Church

On Wednesday September 16, the programme returned to Dublin city centre, with Abbey Presbyterian Church hosting the evening’s event. The speaker was the Revd Alan Boal, who continued the week’s exploration of what faithful Christian living might mean in an unsteady world.

Thinking Allowed

Thursday September 17 saw the highlight of the week with ‘Thinking Allowed’, hosted by the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook. This distinctive event invites representatives of different faith traditions to offer a personal five minute reflection on the theme of the week. This year, the organisers were particularly pleased to welcome for the first time a speaker from the Dublin Jewish Community, Judith Charry. The evening was expertly facilitated by Eileen Dunne, former RTÉ News presenter, who acted as MC.

The first reflection was given by the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Archbishop Dermot Farrell who noted that the Old Testament brings out the relationship between humanity and the earth. He spoke of the devastation that follows in the wake of war and in the wake of the heat experienced this summer.  “The Bible makes it very clear that we come from the earth and when it comes to the time to die, we return to the earth. Human beings are not above nature,” he said. The Bible says that humans have dominion over the world and are meant to mind it and enjoy it and the Pentateuch contains instructions on how to look after the land, he added.

The Revd Dr Chris MacBruithin, Lecturer in Systematic Theology at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, examined the structure of faithfulness and suggested that there are two overlapping economies of faithfulness in the Bible, particularly in the Pentateuch. In the beginning, he said, there is cosmic chaos and it is only when the spirit broods over the chaos that creation comes to be. Dr MacBruithin explained that faithfulness is not just one moment but a continuing of creation. But there is also covenant in which God breaks in at points – such as with Noah and Abraham. So he is a personal God with personal agency and a God who speaks with human beings, he said.

Gillian Kingston of the Methodist Church in Ireland and President of the National Bible Society observed that the themes of covenant and creation came together in the story of Noah and his ark. She said that the agreement between God and Noah was an honour agreement between two sides. “God has kept his side but humankind has not,” she said. “The Bible references God’s voice heard in natural disasters… God speaks through nature. Is it too much to ask that God still speaks through creation particularly in this world? What is God saying to us today in drought and famine and in the appalling situation in Nepal and Tibet, and this summer of fires?… So hearing God’s voice in creation – Do you year what I hear?”

The Revd Nick Park, Pastor at the Solid Rock Church and Chair of the Evangelical Alliance, said that God’s covenant care leads us through to the beginning of the Book of Romans and Psalm 19. Paul tells the Romans that God is a God of order because he is a God of covenant and speaks through the order of creation. Paul speaking to the Gentiles and the Jewish community in Rome said that they both come through different expressions of God’s covenant but those different routes lead to the same place – to meet Christ. “This is part of God’s plan. It is God’s voice in creation, God’s care, God’s covenant. Even in turmoil he is working out his plan and it brings us to him,” he said.

The Revd Alan Boal, Minister in Abbey Presbyterian Church in Dublin, said that after a life long faith and 30 years in ordained ministry he asked himself “why so few people hear the Good News as news that is good”. He suggested that this was because they are hearing a version that is truncated. This version starts too late with the fall and Adam and Eve and ends with people going to heaven when they die. “These can both be seen as fairy tales. It is better to begin with creation in Genesis and end with life after death in Revelation. God has covenanted himself to this new creationist agenda – that is how we know we are humans and our humanity is divine intention. We are to steward creation’s order and gather up creation’s praise,” he stated.

The Revd Florian von Issendorff of the Lutheran Church in Ireland recalled a Latin phrase meaning ‘The Cross stands firm while the world turns’. He asked how he could hear God’s voice in this fallen world. “It happens in the preaching of the Gospels and in the faith of others. If I want to hear God’s love I must look to Christ. From him, through him and to him are all things,” he said. He added that creation and covenant are two sides of the same thing – God’s promise to the world and to us. “When the world is thrown into turmoil it is not our ability to recognise God’s world but his covenant. We hear God’s voice in the world which leads us to Christ and assures us of his faithfulness,” he stated.

Judith Charry of the Dublin Jewish Community explored the Jewish idea of covenant and faithfulness looking at the end of the Pentateuch. She turned to Deuteronomy and said that Moses reminded the people of all the things that had happened to them and reminded them of their commitment to God and their reward, which would be God’s blessing. She said that the covenant was a blueprint for living life as outlined in Deuteronomy. This blueprint was made accessible to all humanity, not just the elite. It is a dynamic system which is responsive to change, she said, but can help give a feeling of stability because we know that we have the covenant of God.

St George and St Thomas’s

The week concluded on Friday 18 September with Evening Prayer at St George and St Thomas’ Church in the city centre, led by the Revd Laurance Graham.

Once again, Ecumenical Bible Week demonstrated the value of bringing Christians from different traditions, together with our Jewish friends, to read Scripture, listen to one another and reflect on the challenges of faithful living in the world today.

The committee wishes to express its sincere thanks to all the speakers, clergy, congregations and volunteers who hosted the various events throughout the week and provided such generous hospitality. Their welcome and support are an important part of what makes Ecumenical Bible Week possible and contribute greatly to its continuing success.

With thanks to the Revd Kevin Conroy (on behalf of the committee) for additional reporting.