|TOP|The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Rev. Dr. Robin Eames, is to commission a new project by the Church of Ireland at the end of the month that will work to transform the Church’s ability to deal constructively with sectarianism and community conflict.

The new leaders of the Hard Gospel Project will be commissioned by Archbishop Eames at a special service to take place in St. John’s Parish Church in Newcastle on Feb 27.

Dr Eames, president of the Church of Ireland initiative, said: “The Hard Gospel Project is one of the most important ventures that the Church of Ireland has embarked upon in my years as Primate.

“It represents a realistic approach to the Church’s understanding and confrontation of sectarianism and difference at every level.”

The project team will implement structures over a period of three years aimed at healing divisions and developing more open and inclusive communities both within the Church of Ireland and society at large.

|QUOTE|A special Hard Gospel Committee chaired by the Archdeacon of Dalriade, the Ven. Patrick Rooke, will oversee the developments of the project.

The new director of the project, the Rev. Earl Storey, said: “The team and I are very pleased to be commissioned by the Archbishop at this special service. We recognise it is an acknowledgement of the Church’s ownership of and commitment to the Hard Gospel Project.

“We see it as marking a launch of the work we’re setting out to do over the next three years.”

Two project officers will also be commissioned at the Newcastle service, Philip McKinley and Stephen Dallas.