Answers to Prayer

1 A significant work of the Holy Spirit has gained momentum over the past 30 years

2 Effective inter-governmental cooperation began in the late 1990s bringing cautious hope for a lasting peace and democratic solutions to the problems of Northern Ireland

Challenges for Prayer

1 Ireland's ancient Celtic Church and its missionaries took the gospel to many nations in Europe one and a half millennia ago

a) The wounds and divisions in Irish society might be healed and the whole of Ireland be at peace

b) All Christians might work toward communal reconciliation

c) Ireland's ancient spiritual heritage might be restored for the blessing of the world

2 The Catholic Church was for centuries the preserver and defender of the Irish

3 Church attendances in non-Catholic denominations have declined from 10% in 1900 to 3.4% of the population in 2000 through emigration, nominalism and the Catholic Church's policy on mixed marriages

4 Evangelicals have grown most in both Pentecostal denominations and in more informal networks of fellowships across the country

5 Young people

6 Significant ministry challenges:

a) The Irish-speaking minority, who live mainly in the rural West, are more traditional, and born-again Christians are few

b) Muslims are mostly of Arabic origin

c) The 'Itinerants' (Gypsies) are growing in number and little has been done to specifically reach them

d) Migrant workers from Europe, the Middle East and Africa need specific ministry

7 Foreign missionaries are working in nearly all of the 26 counties

8 Ireland has long been one of the great missionary-sending countries of the world – from the early Celtic Church onwards

Geography

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Area 70,285 sq.km. Comprises 80% of the island of Ireland.

Population (2000) 3,730,239 +0.66%AGR

Capital Dublin 1,000,000.

Peoples

Irish 95%; Other 5%.

Literacy 99%. Official languages Irish, English. Irish spoken as first language by 5% and used by 13% of the population.

Economy

High-tech industries have replaced dairy farming and tourism as most important. HDI 0.900; 20^th/174. Public debt 73% of GNP. Income/person $17,110 (56.7% of USA).

Politics

Ireland was under British rule for over 700 years.

Religion

There is freedom of religion.

Churches in Ireland

Missionaries from Ireland

99 in 17 agencies to 27 countries.

Missionaries to Ireland

304 in 45 agencies from 12 countries

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