Iona Community

The Iona Community ( Community of Iona, Iona community ) (later Rt Rev. Lord MacLeod of Fuinary ) founded in Govan (Glasgow ) 1938 by George MacLeod, minister of the Church of Scotland. Objective of the Community work is " to find new ways to reach the hearts of all " and it involved the confession of religion in the responsibility for the environment and society to live. The Community does this primarily through youth work, new songs, forms of worship and service modules as well as the commitment to justice and peace in many forms.

The Community is an ecumenical community.

Outsiders often mistakenly assume that the community would lead a movement for the revival of a celtic embossed form of Christianity, the Church Iroschottische. Rather, members and friends of the Iona Community belong to different denominations. They bring very different religious traditions, which are taken as inspiration for a Christianity lived in a timely manner, and provide impetus from the community in their denominations and churches continue.

  • 2.1 Warden of Iona Abbey
  • 2.2 Known members of the Iona Community

Development

George MacLeod originally wanted to offer the people of his community the opportunity to develop more self-esteem. He sought and found in the ruins of the Abbey of Iona a worthwhile reconstruction project. In 1938 he moved with artisans from Govan and students of theology for three months to Iona to work together on the reconstruction. The construction work was completed in 1967. In personal encounters and theological discussions between the artisans and the theological students and pastors the Community Profile developed.

The community has five rules

  • Daily prayer and Bible study
  • Responsible for handling the money
  • Responsible use of time
  • Use for the Integrity of Creation, Justice and Peace
  • Regular meetings with each other and accountable to each other

The community now recognizes three different forms of belonging

  • Members (full members and new members, 260 ). These undertake annually for all five rules. New members go through a two year program to learn about the community (see novitiate ). The members are organized regionally in so-called family groups and meet regularly ( about once a month ). The members live in the Dispersion ( Diaspora ) in different parts of Scotland, England, Wales as well as in Germany, Switzerland, the U.S., Australia, Canada, South Africa and Malaysia.
  • Associates ( Associate members, around 1,700 ). These commitments for the first rule and may participate at the request of the economic discipline of members.
  • Friends (friends, around 1,500 ). They support the community financially and ideologically.

Under the economic discipline, the community understands that the Members ( and Associates ) 10% of their income available exits. Disposable income is the income after deduction of taxes, and all necessary expenses ( such as insurance and rent). The 10% ( tithe ) split up in 6% (Work of the Church and for Justice and Peace ), 2% ( community work ), 1% (working the family group ), 2 times 0.5 % (the Common Fund and travel money)

The Community has three centers: the Abbey of Iona, the MacLeod Centre on Iona, and Camas, An Adventure Centre on the neighboring island of Mull. In these centers, the goal is to live community, along with the guests who usually come for a week.

The Coracle magazine is published quarterly and reports from the life of the community and of issues that are addressed by the rule. Her name means, a small boat ', as it was used to Columbanus times, and which of those 563 came to the island to establish the first community of Iona.

Leaders and managers

Warden of the Abbey of Iona

Known members of the Iona Community

  • William Montgomery Watt
  • John L. Bell

Iona Community in Continental Europe

The Iona Community has in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands are some (new ) members and around 100 associates and as many friends and people who support the work of the Iona Community (2004 ). Also, in some other parts of Europe there are a few associates and friends, but only in the former countries, families and Associated groups have emerged. In Germany, Norway and Sweden, worship materials and songs have already appeared in the national languages ​​.

Others

Other well-known communities are the Corrymeela Community in Ireland, the Communauté de Grandchamp in Switzerland and the Taizé Community in France. However, the latter two are celibate religious communities.

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