May 5 Blog

There is a ¼ km walking trail around the hotel here and I did 5 laps this morning before breakfast! I keep waking up on NS time which is two hours earlier than here. The flowers are gorgeous and it is warm even at that hour!

The Eucharist this was celebrated by Mwita Akiri a priest from Tanzania, so part of the Eucharistic Prayer and the Blessing was his in his home language. Bible Study focused on Mark 1:32-45. Our group member from the Congo arrived last night so he joined us this morning. The presenter talked about these verses as the Galilean Principles of Mission (like our Five Marks of Mission) – contemplative listening, addressing society, pointing out the Kingdom, calling for personal response, and working in a team. How does that describe your parish’s approach to mission? One of the focus questions was, “How important is it for us to nurture an alternative consciousness to the dominant culture around us?

After Bible Study there was a presentation on the work of the Windsor Continuation Group. This included an explanation of their work and their recommendations. We moved into our discernment groups for discussion. Here we talked about honesty in relationships, willingness to walk side by side respecting diversity, seeking God’s truth together, studying Scripture together and working on communion for the sake of the mission God in a broken world. It was not an easy discussion and it will continue over the days ahead.

After Lunch, we had another opportunity to hear about one of the networks of the Communion. I went to the Anglican Peace and Justice Network presentation. It focused on the Israel/Palestine situation. What does peace with justice look like there? When is a critique of Israel not anti Semitic? Do Christians have a place in Jerusalem or Bethlehem? After tea, we heard the summary reports from the Networks and considered the resolutions they were proposing. I expect a list of those passed will appear on the Communion website shortly. For me the main outcome of these two days has been a great appreciation of the mission work we can do as a Communion with members around the world.

The day ended with Evening Prayer in the Chapel led by one of the Chaplains. These are local clergy from the Diocese of Jamaica who are doing a great job organizing worship and being available for conversations with anyone who wishes.

Blessings for a good week.

+Sue