The Annual National Ploughing Championships take place this week, Tuesday 20th - Thursday 22nd September in County Laois.

The Methodist Church in Ireland will again have a stand, so if you're going along, do pop by for a cuppa and a chat. 

The Methodist stand is in a corner of the Dome, Block 2, Row 37, Stand no. 593. 

Of course, many of our churches are earthed in rural settings and many of our members are from farming backgrounds. The social witness of our church is strengthened in Christians bringing their faith to bear in rural society and our care for the countryside. 

We also seek to be active in wider advocacy within agriculture. The present President of the Ulster Farmers Union is a committed Methodist leader. Many other Methodists are involved in groups seeking the welfare of rural society. 

Recently Gurteen College held a special gathering celebrating seventy-five years since the first students started there. The Methodist Church in Ireland through the then Council on Social Welfare, along with Methodists in central Ireland were concerned that young people would be able to sustain a living on the land, and so Gurteen was born.  

The Council on Social Responsibility continues to encourage church members to recognise the positive impact that they can have in rural society by seeking the welfare of all. Sometimes local expectations or limited expressions of community can prevent us from seeing the needs around us or acting to help. However, the lonely, the marginalised and the poor exist within rural areas as well as urban. How can we embody loving community in the countryside? 

As a church we also recognise our place in looking after our environment. Our actions have negatively affected our neighbours across the globe when we have put greed above loving responsibility. We must take seriously the present climate emergency and we must all play our part. We need to see sustainable approaches to our agriculture. Some decisions to care for our world may be costly in the short term but benefits will endure for future generations. Along with all sectors, agriculture must play its part.

This year the annual Irish Ploughing Championships will also be hosting the World Ploughing Championships, after it was relocated from its previously planned location, Russia. The World Ploughing Organisation has stated that, 'Russia's conduct towards Ukraine is in direct contradiction to the WPO's slogan' - 'Pax Arva Collat' - 'Let Peace Cultivate the Soil'.

Let the peace of Christ cultivate the soil of Ireland! 

The Council on Social Responsibility