May 12, 2009

The Last Day!

We began this morning with Morning Prayer as we were to have a closing Eucharist at 4pm. The Bible Study focus was Mark 16: 1-8. One question was “If you were Mark, would you have ended with verse 8, or would you have ended the Gospel differently?” That was a nonstarter as some members refused to even think about tampering with the Gospel. The last question was “What will you be taking home to share in your churches about the Gospel of Mark or how Anglicans read the Scripture?” That discussion included the realization that Anglicans with different views of Scripture can read and share ideas together as long as no one thinks they have the only truth of the reading.

After coffee break we moved back to our Discernment Groups to consider what messages we would take home form ACC 14. In our group there was a general sense of hope – that we had listened to one another, that we were prepared to make room for each other, and that there is a future for the Anglican Communion in carrying out the mission of God in our world. We agreed that there is a huge amount of work that we do as the Anglican Communion and that what we share in common is much greater than what we disagree about! We also agreed that the vibrant worship we have shared together should be exported to all members of the Communion! We also had the first reading of the Parable of the Lifts (elevators for Canadians!) More to come on this at the time of Synod!

After lunch we boarded the buses to go to Spanish Town for the closing liturgy in the Cathedral. We had a police escort. At first we could not see why, because it did not seem to be far away. But as we began to move through the jammed up traffic, we could see that we would not have made it in the hour allowed without the police escort. I was really glad not to be at the front of the bus! Those who were, moved to the back on the return trip! The Archbishop of Canterbury was in the car right behind the police motorcycle and we were hoping he had nerves of steel or a blindfold!

The liturgy was marvelous. There were 4 different school choirs each with a different style of music that formed the prelude. The music of the service was the Mento Mass which we have been using at the morning Eucharist each day. I managed to get a copy of the music so I hope that some choir at home will be willing to learn it. John Paterson, the retiring Chair of the Council, preached and we all asked for his sermon to be out up on the web site. It was the much needed follow up to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s very cautious closing address. Archbishop Paterson sounded a clear word of hope for the future of the Anglican Communion.

The police cavalcade brought back to the hotel for the closing banquet which we shared with many people from the Diocese. Church musicians who have another life as club musicians provided amazing dinner music and had us up dancing and clapping. “One Heart, One Love” made another appearance, and everyone joined in singing. It was quite clear that God’s one heart and God’s great love had made this bunch of individuals from around the world into a communion. It will remain to be seen how we can move this out into the Church Provinces from which we come.

May 11

It’s Monday again! It is hard to believe that we have been here more than a week and we will soon be going home.

The Eucharist this morning was led by the Rev’d Stephen Andrews from Canada! It is a sign of some healing within the Communion that a Canadian was asked to preside.

Bible Study focused on Mark 14:22-52. The question on which we spent the most time was, “Are there ways in which the Eucharist can empower us for mission? Is there a specifically Anglican contribution that we can make to mission thinking through our understanding of the Eucharist?” The studies have been helpful in getting us to know one another and in raising different kinds of questions about being Anglican and about being in mission. There has been a suggestion that the material may be prepared in a booklet form for general use.

The next hour gave us a chance to share our parish visits with our Bible study group and with some visitors from the parishes in Jamaica where we visited. We were asked to come up with a common theme or common thread that the whole group could share. There were several including: hospitality - to us, within the congregation and with the community around the church; engaging youth – cross generational issues, different taste in music, meeting them outside the church; the Body of Christ – missing parts, call for mature leadership both lay and clergy, everyone playing a part, listening to one another; joy and faithfulness; wanting learn more about the Anglican Communion.

After coffee break we heard from Dr. Helen Wangusa, the Anglican Observer at the United Nations. It was the usual excellent presentation for which she has become known. She pointed out what has been accomplished as well as the gaps and challenges for the Anglican Church responding to United Nations initiatives. She reminded us about the many excellent UN resources for education on a variety of issues.

We did pass a resolution that calls us, among other things, to weigh the environmental costs of all church activities and to provide means for all people to develop competencies in environmental stewardship and theological reflection on the sustainability of creation and the appropriate use of science and technology.

I spent lunch with four other people working on developing a resolution on conflict zones which will reappear tomorrow sometime! Outdoors, it clouded up for part of today and indoors the afternoon seemed quite dreary! But after lunch we had a presentation on Church Growth and Evangelism which sparked renewed conversation!

After Tea we heard about a new focus for Mission in the Communion, and a new way of connecting Mission and Evangelism folks from within the parish to those outside the church who need support.

Our proposal for a sixth mark of mission was endorsed to include peace making, conflict transformation, and reconciliation. It will go now to the Staff at the Anglican Communion Office for specific wording and will return to ACC 15 for final adoption.

After tea we heard about the work of TEAC, the group working on the how’s and why’s of theological education. They pointed out the ways in which our groups like Teens Encounter Christ or Ask & Imagine can continue to mentor, nurture, resource young Christians while they move into their place of leadership in the church. There is a lot of other information on the Anglican Communion web site where you can check it out.

Evening Prayer was followed by an address from the Archbishop of Canterbury. The tone was cautiously hopeful. He spoke about small steps and recognizing failure as either dismal or glorious. I think that he concluded that the Anglican Communion is neither terminally ill nor a dismal failure. Hopefully his message will be posted on the Communion web site today.

At dinner thanks were given to the retiring Chair and the Vice Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, as well as former Anglican Communion office staff member, Gregory Cameron.

Most of us headed to our rooms to begin sorting the paper and the clothes in preparation for packing tomorrow.

+Sue

May 10

Today was an amazing day! We all went out to parishes in different parts of the Island, some so far away that folks left here yesterday afternoon! I went to All Saints Church, West Street. It is an inner city church that has gone from being called the “Cathedral of the west side", through gang warfare that gutted several buildings to a current stage of renewal and rebuilding. The rector has been there for more than 30 years and is clearly much loved and well known in the community. The liturgy began at 8:15 and ended about 11:15am! In between we had the regular lessons, a sermon, the prayers of the people, prayers for healing for about 2/3 of the congregation and Eucharist. Then everyone stayed for breakfast of wonderful Jamaican food. Then we gathered for a discussion about the mission of God in this place, the challenges they face. Would you believe, keeping youth in the church, supporting the Sunday School and supporting the provision of affordable housing in the community? They do have a large number of active teens which was lovely to see. The teens accompanied us on the walkabout the neighbourhood and were very articulate about the problems and some solutions as they saw them. The walk about took us through the market where we stopped several times to pray with people who requested prayer from Father and the Bishop! We visited three of the housing developments and the women took us in to see their houses of which they were very proud. People who move into the housing have to participate in a preparation course to help them understand some of the responsibilities of trying to buy a house, and to help them learn how to live as community sharing the care of the complex among them. We returned to the church about 3:30pm in time to help prepare and serve the “Sunday Supper”. So I helped by scooping vegetables! People bring their own containers, some with lids so they can take the food home, others come with a plate and a fork, and they sit down together in the church yard and share the meal and the news.

I hope that you had as good a Sunday as I did!

+Sue

May 8 and 9

May 9

The Internet service has been a bit iffy, so these may not appear exactly at set intervals!

The celebrant this morning was the Ven. Dr. Sarah Macneil from Australia. She explained some of the words in the Eucharistic Prayer before starting as they are particular to their culture.

Canon Mrs. Elizabeth Paver was elected Vie Chair of the ACC. Monday we elect the members of the Standing Committee which now becomes much more important in the life of the Communion due to the changes to the Constitution.

Bible Study was Mark 10:32-52. At the end of the study there was a dramatic reading called “He was going on a journey…” by John Bell of the Iona Community. It was excellent even though the readers had only one rehearsal. I was told that this one is part of group of readings called Peter and Jesus and that these are available from the Iona Community.

We had a lengthy discussion about a resolution on Israel and Palestine. It is a struggle to critique unacceptable Israeli government policy without being accused of being Anti-Semitic and without endangering carefully built up relationships in our Inter Faith Dialogue. I think we came up with a reasonable statement.

After coffee, we heard about two exciting new projects of the Communion. The first was a presentation by the interfaith folks on their book called “Generous Love”. I reported something on it at Lambeth. There is now a study guide being developed for online use. We had the opportunity to work with it in our groups. Some of us brought laptops to the session (There are banned otherwise!) so we could try it out. It has the potential to be very useful for those who might want to study on their own, or for a group to engage the material from their homes using one of the chat technologies. The address we used this morning was http://www.aco.org/_books, but this may have been just for the demonstration.

The second new project is called “The Bible in the Life of the Church”. This is a proposal currently being pilot tested in New Zealand to help Anglicans understand the many ways that Anglicans approach Scripture. The members from New Zealand certainly gave it great advance publicity. Apparently these study sessions are worked out with local Theological Colleges. Would Atlantic School of Theology be interested?

The last session today focused us on Mission Encounter. We are all going to be in parishes for tomorrow to worship and to hear about the Mission of God as we are trying to live it out in our own settings. Some folks left this after noon because they have a three to four hour drive to the ends of the island. I am here in Kingston at All Saints, West St. I will be able to tell you more about it tomorrow. I will be celebrating with the Jamaican liturgy and preaching. Pray for me. We will be praying for the Diocese of NS & PEI here tomorrow.

Easter Blessings.

+Sue

May 8

The Eucharist was celebrated by Bishop Kumara of Sri Lanka. There was quite a contrast between his quiet presence, the Eucharistic Prayer from his province and the Jamaican setting. Our Anglican diversity was evident!

Bible Study focused on Mark 8:31 to 9:8. We had a quote from Michael Ramsey’s book, “The Glory of God and the Transfiguration of God.”

The transfiguration “stands as a gateway to the saving events of the gospel, and is a mirror in which the Christian mystery is seen in its unity. Here we perceive that the living and the dead are one in Christ, that the old covenant and the new are inseparable, that the Cross and the glory are one, that the age to come is already here, that our human nature has a destiny of glory, that in Christ the final word is uttered and in him alone the Father is well pleased. Here the diverse elements in the theology of the New Testament meet.”

We had quite a discussion about the transfiguration as a mirror, of our lives as mirrors of the Christian mystery, about transfiguration as a living process not only a momentary event.

From there we went into a Plenary Decision making Session about the reports of the Windsor Continuation Group and the Anglican Covenant Group. It was a careful process taking parts of the big resolutions separately. Parliamentary process in English is not easy for those whose first language is not English, and whose style of working is not by resolution. At our table we have 3 of the Francophones (from the provinces of Congo and Indian Ocean). The translator was working hard to turn the words and meaning of the resolutions into French for them! The resolutions as finally passed are on the Anglican Communion web site under Anglican Consultative Council. This means there is no change in our situation in the Anglican Church of Canada or in our Diocese. The Covenant’s first three sections had approval from everyone, by Section 4 had not been seen by most people before arrival here, so it is being sent out to the provinces for feedback before a final text of the Covenant will be sent to provinces for consideration.

The Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga from Malawi was elected Chair of the ACC.

Our final session of the day looked at our many ecumenical relationships and affirmed ongoing work. There is a proposal for “Four Principles of Ecumenical Dialogue” that we could use to assess our ecumenical work, much as the Five Marks of Mission are used to guide and evaluate our Mission work. The proposed Four Principles are getting some more work before coming back for a decision.

We had a beautiful evening at the home of the Bishop of Jamaica and his wife.

+Sue

May 7

The Eucharist this morning was celebrated by Rev’d Peter Koon form Hong Kong. He is also part of the Network on Refugees and Migrants. The Hong Kong church to which he belongs has offered to host this network by giving it a home in their already existing refugee office. This is a great gift since the networks of the Communion do not receive any budget.

Bible Study today was Mark 7:24-30, 8:1-10. I am in a great group of folks from Australia, Bangladesh, the Congo, Wales and Canada. One of the questions was “How far do the words that Jesus speaks to the woman who asks for her daughter’s healing feel difficult or problematic to you, given your context?” Well there were a range of answers. Another question was “What is the meaning and importance of these stories of Jesus feeding the crowds for our Anglican Communion today – in particular the fact that the miracle is repeated for two different groups of people?”

We moved from Networks to Ecumenical work today. There was first a plenary session presented by Bishop Gregory Cameron, the former Director for Ecumenical Relations. He introduced a new book called, “The Vision Before Us”, edited by Sarah Rowland Jones and published by the Communion Office. It covers the work of the Inter Anglican Standing Committee on Ecumenical Relations over the past 6 years. It beings with a section called “Anglicans and Ecumenism” which includes four principles for Anglican Engagement in Ecumenism. We tried them out this morning by looking at ecumenical work in which members of the new discernment group are involved and seeing if the principles applied. Well it was a bit wooly, but there were certainly some interesting stories. I am facilitating a group that is asked to consider ecumenical work with protestant churches. The stories of trying to work with these churches produced stories of great cooperation on social issues, work in the face of being Christianity a minority religion in the face of persecution, stories of dead ends in discussions over the issue of bishops. We have another session with this tomorrow. Hopefully we will be able to clarify some of the terms before we have to consider any resolutions.

After lunch we went on tours of the area that showed us something of the history of the Anglican Church in Jamaica and some of the work the churches here. I went to see the Parish Church of Kingston, a church dating from the 1600’s. We went next to the Synagogue in Kingston. The spiritual leader met us and gave us a history of the Jewish people who came to Jamaica from Spain beginning with the persecution of the Inquisition. From there we went to the National Art Gallery, then to the Craft market at the port where several of did some shopping. We visited St. Andrew’s Parish Church, a church that includes a clinic, schools, and homes for girls, for boys, for assisted living and some other social outreach ministries. It is a very old church building and it is clearly much loved and well used by the people in the neighbourhood.

Tonight we have the evening off unless you are a member of a working group or the Resolutions Committee.

+Sue

May 6

The Eucharist was celebrated by Rev’d Rose Hudson-Wilkin currently in the Church of England but formerly of this diocese. She sang a different setting and it was very easy to learn. I wish I could get the music to go with the words I have.

Breakfast comes after Eucharist and I’m getting more daring. The first few days it was Raisin Bran and orange juice for me. Then I tried June Plum juice which is green and laced with ginger – lovely! Today it was pineapple juice. I have also tried jerk sausage, scrambled eggs with fish, and even a cooked cabbage mixture that seemed odd to me for breakfast, but it tasted good!

The Discernment Groups today were both about the Covenant and the Windsor Continuation Group recommendations. The conversations are good and a lot of misconceptions are being cleared away. There is a real sense that the Communion is worth having when we have considered all the amazing work that is being done. God’s mission is being worked on, in many parts of the world. The main question seems to be, “Will this mission be furthered by having a Covenant?” Most of us are agreed that the building of honest relationships is what is really important to rebuilding a sense of Communion among the members. Will the Covenant contribute to strengthening relationships?

At the morning coffee break, it was the photo op! We had our photos taken with the Archbishop of Canterbury. I think that we will get a paper copy of the photo before we leave. We are told that photos are being posted on the Anglican Communion web site daily, but I have not checked.

In the afternoon we had a business session. It included the report from the Chairman, John Paterson of New Zealand, the report from the General Secretary, Kenneth Kearns and the report about the finances. (It would not have got past our Budget Subcommittee!) We also heard that more than 2/3 of the Provinces in the Communion did approve the changes to the Constitution of the Anglican Consultative Council, so the new Constitution goes into effect at the end of this meeting. There was a fine presentation on the Compass Rose Society by Canadian Bishop Philip Poole who is the current President.

We were told about the election procedures which are similar to our elections at General Synod in that people are elected to positions in steps. So Friday we will elect the Chair, then Saturday the Vice Chair and Monday, the four Standing Committee members.

Then we went out for the evening. The Governor General invited us and the clergy from the parishes where we will be worshiping on Sunday to come to the King’s House, the home of the Governor General. We were treated to Jamaican food, music by Jamaican singers, a puppet show by one of the church groups (complete with a Bishop puppet!), and two readings by a very fine Jamaican actress. It was warm enough to sit outside in short sleeves and there was a full moon. It was a wonderful evening! It was again for me, a time of reflecting on the diversity within our Anglican Church and of giving thanks for it.

+Sue

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

May 4 Blog

Today marked the start of a series of “regular working days”. Morning Prayer began at 7am and was followed by Holy Eucharist. The Celebrant was Thabo Makoba the Primate of Southern Africa, so we had a Eucharistic Prayer from South Africa and liturgical music from Jamaica. (The musicians decided we had to have a choir practice tonight to get the rhythms corrected!) After breakfast, we had Bible Study in our small groups. The passage this morning was Mark 1:1-15. The presenter focused on the “immediately” phrases and asked, “What do you have to do immediately for the sake of the Gospel?” The other focus question was “What do you think is the connection between the two points in the Gospel where Mark uses the word ‘torn’? What does this mean to you?” (Check out Mark 15:38)

There was a prayer at the end of the Bible Study.

“God of passion and power,

Insistent and immediate,

Challenging, compelling us with your story’s breathless beginning,

Walk with us into the wilderness

To hear your voice where silence reigns.

Give us insight, the wisdom beyond all seeing.

So may we look upon heavens torn open

And know that the time of good news for all creation

Is always now.”

Following Bible Study, we had a plenary presentation on An Anglican Covenant. Retired Archbishop Drexel Gomez made a very clear presentation on how the Covenant idea came to be and how the Covenant Design Group has worked through several drafts to arrive at the current Ridley Cambridge draft. (www.anglicancommunion.org) that was followed by a discussion in our discernment group where many questions, as well as positive comments, were received.

After lunch, we had two opportunities to learn more about the work of the Anglican Networks. I chose the Inter Anglican Youth Network first. I learned that our very part-time national youth networker is not on their list! How can that be!? People in many parts of the world are interested to learn more about Ask & Imagine. The Diocese of Recife in Brazil has a program called Youth Encounter Christ which is the twin of our Teens Encounter Christ. This could be the basis for a brilliant exchange if we could learn some Portuguese!!!

After Tea, I attended the Anglican Refugee and Migrants Network presentation. I heard about millions of refugees stranded in various parts of Africa and how church congregations are trying to minister to them. I heard about developed countries, like ours; steadily make it more difficult for refugees to come in. I heard about the awful working conditions for migrant workers. I know that we have migrant workers in NS and I hope that they are not treated as ‘less than human”-a phrase heard this afternoon. We joined together for Evening Prayer at 6pm. Following supper, we broke into groups – lay, clergy, bishops-to talk among ourselves. It is a joy to sit and talk with so many people, lay and ordained, who love God and love our Anglican Church.

So what is your Good news Story about Jesus of Nazareth?

I pray that your week will go well.

+Sue

May 3 Blog

What an amazing morning! We got on the buses at 8:30am to go to the National arena, similar in size in size to Exhibition Park in Nova Scotia. We had a photo taken of the whole group of us seated in bleachers. Hopefully Tess or Paul will post one somewhere! We lined up behind the banner for our church province. It was good for all of us to be in the procession this time. At 10am it was 28 degrees and I was really glad we did not have to wear vestments! We entered the arena which had been transformed into a worship space with beautiful sculptures, flowers and hangings. We almost danced in as the calypso music surrounded us! Drummers, a steel band, a massed choir, a choir singing heritage Jamaican songs, incense, a full arena – it was an amazing experience of worship. Archbishop Rowan’s homily focused on the Acts Chapter 4 reading and the phrase in verse 34 “there were no needy persons among them”. He asked in many ways how our Anglican church is providing for those who are “needy” in any way. He asked how we are working to build the Kingdom so that there will be no “needy” people. I hope that the text of the sermon will appear on the Communion web site. I was amazed to find myself singing a Bob Marley tune “One Love, One Heart” during the passing of the Peace! The Liturgical music was a mixture of Merbecke and contemporary Jamaican composers! Somehow it all worked together.

This afternoon we had the opportunity to learn about the work of the networks of the Anglican Communion. They cover a wide range of topics – Refugees and Migrant Workers, Peace and Justice, Indigenous Peoples, Interfaith Relations, Women’s Issues, Youth, Family Life, Health, Urban Issues, Environment and Theological Education. Each network will be presenting workshops over the next two days, so we had a chance to sign up for three only. The three Canadians tried to be strategic about spreading ourselves among them.

Homework is required for tomorrow to prepare for Bible Study as I am one of the facilitators, and for the discussion of an Anglican covenant. The latest version is called the Ridley Cambridge draft and can be found on the Anglican Communion web site www.anglicancommunion.org . There will be a presentation first and then discussion in our Discernment groups. These groups should give everyone who wants to speak a chance to ask questions and speak about the views from their province. Later in the schedule there will a decision making session where we will need to decide whether this draft is ready to go to Provinces for their consideration.

Dinner is an outdoor barbecue tonight. It is a great end to a wonderful Sunday.

+Sue

May 2

We began with a Quiet Morning focused on listening for God’s voice in the words of Scripture from Matthew 13: 44 -46. Archbishop Rowan talked about the two small parables from the point of view of the Hebrew Wisdom language. He asked us to consider what it means for God’s Wisdom to take hold of us, to change our lives. After about 90 minutes of silence for us individually we gathered for another reflection and some silent time together. Archbishop Rowan has a gift for being able to draw people into the Scripture and into reflection. He was the Presider at the Eucharist that followed.

The liturgical music was distinctively Jamaican and the hymns great Anglican favourites.

After lunch we gathered for “Orientation to ACC” in our Discernment Groups (made up of three Bible study groups, each of which has 5 to 7 members). It was an opportunity to meet each other and learn about the settings from which we come. It was surprising to hear that population migration from rural areas to urban (of the sort we experience in our diocese) is happening in many countries, and churches are trying to determine whether to keep church buildings open in the depopulated areas or not. The considerations for young adults, how to pass on the Gospel stories in relation to their lives and how to engage them in the decision making of the church are similar in many parts of the world as well. One of the most entertaining parts of this session was remembering the groups who might be wondering about the Anglican Consultative Council by creating a post card that they might have sent to us here at the meeting. My group had the card from the Diocesan Youth Group. The card said, “Dear ACC: Are there youth delegates at ACC? What do they do? Do you listen to the voices of youth and young clergy? How many women are there?”

Later in the afternoon, we heard more about the how the meetings would be arranged to cover much information in interesting ways. Tomorrow there is a big service in the national arena so that we clearly being in worship. The churches in Jamaica are not having services in the morning and they are all coming to the arena. It will be a grand event.

When we begin with regular days on Monday I will describe them. We watched a DVD about the history of the church in Jamaica. In it, there was mention of St. Monica’s Orphanage, which is one of the outreach missions supported by St. Peter’s Church in Charlottetown. I hope to be able to visit there while I am here.

As various leaders welcomed us, it became very clear that the visit of an international body of Anglicans is incredibly important. There will be receptions with a variety of government and church leaders while we are here. (As I am writing this, the steel drums are playing outside my window, which is open because it is still lovely and warm.)

Tomorrow will be a great day. We were told to eat a good breakfast before the 10am liturgy because lunch will be late! The afternoon session will be about Mission in the Communion and I am looking forward to that.

Have wonderful services tomorrow.

Blessings.

+Sue

May 1, 2009 From Jamaica

May 1, 2009

Well I am here in Kingston, Jamaica! I am reminded of the Dr Seuss book “O the Places You’ll Go!”

I met up with other Canadians in the Toronto airport. Suzanne Lawson is our lay delegate, Marites Sison is with Anglican Journal and Alice Medcoff is with the Inter Anglican Women’s Network. We also traveled from Toronto with the Rev’d Laurence Minabe from Japan.

Here in Kingston, Jamaica, it is 29 degrees and overcast. But in the hotel, the sun is shining. The welcome is friendly from all those I have met so far. On arrival, I met Jolly Babiramaku, a lay woman from Uganda whom I met at these meetings three years ago. She tells me my hair has changed! The Joint Standing Committee had been meeting so Archbishop Rowan came by as I was checking in. I had tea with Bishop Cathy Roskam from New York and Professor Ian Douglas from Episcopal Divinity School. Professor Douglas spoke about a course that they offer at EDS in the years when The Episcopal Church General Convention meets. It lasts one week and the students learn about the workings of the convention, both formal and informal. The course can be taken by distance education, so some dioceses sign up their delegates for orientation.

In talking with Bishop Kumara from Ceylon, I was reminded how difficult life is there, so please remember the Church in Ceylon in your prayers. At dinner, I renewed my acquaintance with Christina, now a priest in Cuba. Her love for God and her willingness to serve God’s people are an inspiration. Retired professor George Koshy is the Vice Chair of the Council and he has a son in Canada. A Canadian, the Rev’d Douglas Fenton, is here as the connection to the Inter Anglican Youth Network.

Tomorrow is a quiet morning with Archbishop Rowan. I am looking forward to it.

+Sue

The bishop blog is back

I am off to the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Jamaica May 1. I am looking forward to this meeting as the Canadians will be participating fully in the meeting this time. I will see some Bishops again who I met at Lambeth. I have practised my French in order to be able to better converse with some of them. I am looking forward to connecting with the Anglican women I met in New York at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2008. More tomorrow. +Sue

August 6, 2008

Home at last! I arrived home Monday night actually, but my brain was completely fuddled so I did not try to write.

Sunday morning there was a Morning Prayer service led by the Chaplaincy Team. I was not there as I was reading the final draft of the reflections Document. Bible Study gathered for the final time in this format. The study provided a time for each of us to identify one task at home that we wanted the group to “commission us” to carry out and for which they would pray. It was a very moving time of prayer.

The last Indaba Group gave us time to think about trying to translate our process for others on arrival home. There is a certain amount of “you had to be there to understand”. I think that those who have been to any Christian community building program like Cursillo, Alpha, TEC, Mission program, can begin to understand the intensity with which relationships build. The work that has been done has equipped new bishops for their ministry, both with personal support networks and with practical skills. There was an air of hope as we moved into the afternoon plenary session.

There were the usual thank you’s to those who had planned and run the Conferences for bishops and spouses. Then we had ++Rowan’s closing address. I expect that the text either is already, or will be published on the Communion web site. The main disappointment for me is that he is going to call a Primates’ meeting soon. There were many criticisms of the Primates’ meeting as an instrument of unity in the written notes from the Indaba Groups and I had hoped that they would stay quiet until after the Anglican Consultative Council meeting next May. However, if their meeting can be planned to rebuild relations among them, and not turn into another bullying session, it could be helpful. Unfortunately, if they meet, some other work won’t happen because the Communion budget has very limited money.

The closing Eucharist in the Cathedral in Canterbury was much more relaxed than the opening one, and just as impressive. Bishop Ellison Pogo from the province of Melanesia celebrated and ++Rowan preached. After communion, ++Rowan read out the names of the seven Melanesian brothers killed when they tried to intervene to make peace in the Solomon Islands. Then the Melanesia Brothers and the Sisters of the Church from the Solomon Islands knelt in the center of the Cathedral and chanted their Litany for Martyrs. They rose and continued to chant the litany while they carried the list of names to the Chapel of Martyrs on the side of the Cathedral. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place!

After the service, the Cathedral provided a great buffet dinner with wine or a Brew called Bishop’s Finger! There was a Big Band playing dance music so soon there were several purple dancers up enjoying the music!

Packing the suitcases with the many books and papers that I had collected was a challenge, since I did not want to have to pay the charges for overweight suitcases!

Morning came early enough and I loaded the suitcases down the stairs and across to the bus stop. The young Stewards who have been helping with everything were there to help with the heavy stuff. They got us onto to the coaches and off to Heathrow. The one on the coach phoned ahead as we arrived at each terminal so there were volunteers there with carts for us and helped us find our way to the Air Canada space in terminal 3. They were wonderful! However, Air Canada has not automated anything there! I did pass the weight test though and, having sent the luggage through, was free to roam the shops in the airport. Despite it being Duty Free, there were no bargains! A kind person at home had given me a pass to the Air Canada lounge, so I was able to get some breakfast and read in comfort until the flight was called.

On the plane, the flight attendant came by with newspapers. The one I picked had a front page article on the Lambeth Conference. I had a hard time recognizing where I had been from the description in that article! I traded with the person beside me and found it had a front page article with a photo of ++Rowan saying, ‘Same sex Blessings must stop!’, alongside an article on a Church England Clergyman who had just celebrated his marriage to his male gardener who wore a pink veil saying, ‘I am the Bride’! Go figure!!!

Across the aisle from me was a potential candidate for ordination in our Diocese who was coming to NS for the month of August, and who had been praying for the Conference throughout. I had spoken to her in the Check In line and she joked that she would probably end up sitting beside me!

Today I have watched the DVD that they sent home with us from Lambeth. It has lots of interviews and photos and footage of the Conference. I have given it to the Resource Room so folks can borrow it.

I have been astonished how many people from wide spread places have followed my reflections for the Diocese. To those of you who prayed, thank you. As I continue to reflect, I will from time to time post a message here again. A notice will appear on the web site whenever that happens.

+Sue

August 3, 2008

Sunday morning some people sleep in! I don’t know when I last did that! The Listeners were at work at 7 am reading the last version of the Reflections document. By the end of last night we were quite silly and thought “Capturing the Indaba” was a good title for it. We have a cartoonist in residence and we thought he would have fun with it! There was a big sigh of relief when we gave it to the photocopy folks for reproduction.

There was Morning Prayer this morning with the Chaplains group but I missed it reading the final draft of the Reflections document.

Bible study was focused on John 20:19-31. One of the questions was “What does being sent mean in your setting?” One bishop told us that being sent meant the bishop had chosen you so you would be pleased that the bishop thinks you are a good person to do the job. It also means that you might die because you go. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jesus was sent and died. If the prospect of death accompanying priesthood were a reality in our Diocese, how many people would offer for ordination? The end of Bible Study was ‘commissioning’ those in our group who wished it for work back in their Diocese.

After the morning coffee/tea break, we moved on to our last Indaba group. There has been an ongoing joke about how to pronounce Indaba. It is actually In DAH ba, but some have been using something like In da Bar! Some were apparently in da bar last evening so they were AWOL this morning. We spent some time doing the inevitable evaluation form. We considered what had surprised us about the conference. We had another go round for those who wanted resolutions and now don’t have any to take home. We talked about what we are taking home with us. You will hear more about this when I am home.

There has been a clear change of atmosphere from fear to hope. People spoke of their fear when they arrived and their hope as they prepare to return home. As one said, “++Rowan has a brilliant mind and he chose to have us use a process that is not intellectual but builds relationships.” Another said, “When we meet together we begin to know each other. As we get to know each other better, we become even more open in our disagreements because we are able to, in a solid relationship. We become frustrated when we do not have the time to work things through because we care about each other.”

After the many Thank you’s to the folks who kept things running, we had ++Rowan’s closing address. It was beautifully crafted. The only news that nearly caused a groan aloud was that he is going to call a Primates’ meeting in the fall. Having read 16 sets of notes about the “Instruments of Communion”, I know that there is little support for the Primates’ as currently structured. However, there were people who said this Lambeth wouldn’t work either and it has worked very well, so as the Holy Spirit is at work here, maybe it will also bring life to the primates’ meeting.

The closing liturgy was less formal and quite lovely in the Cathedral in Canterbury. As we were boarding the coaches to get there, another group of youth pilgrims were arriving. Someone should consider how a group from our Diocese could do the pilgrimage at Canterbury. I would be happy to chaperone! The Cathedral provided dinner after the liturgy. Unfortunately it began to rain so we couldn’t eat out doors in the Cathedral grounds, so we walked around and around to a huge hall that easily held 600 people. There was a band playing big band dance music so some of the folks took up dancing – it was a purple dance floor!

So now I am packing things up to return home. Would you believe that I have books?

See you soon.

+Sue

AUgust 2, 2008

The Listeners started early this morning, but we were sharp with our computers and soon had the document ready to go to press for the first Hearing. The Eucharist at 7:15am was excellent. It was led by the Church of Kenya with their liturgy with has some wonderful symbolic actions and the following opening to the Eucharistic Prayer.
“Is the Father with us? He is!
Is Christ among us? He is!
Is the Spirit here? The Spirit is here!
This is our God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We are God’s people. We are redeemed.
Lift up your hearts……..”
You will probably see the rest at some point in a service when I get home.

The Bible Study focus was John 18:1-18, “For whom are you looking? I am…I am…I am…” One question was “What does it mean for you that the last ‘I am’ is spoken in this scene?” We heard stories of priests quietly and with self control stepping forward to say ‘I am the pastor’ as they were arrested, knowing they were going to their death, but believing that the Christ walked beside them. Arrest and torture for priests as the known leader in the village, unheard of in our country, is a fact of life for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Please remember them in your prayers and remember that the Risen Christ also walks with you in the trials of your life. The second question was “What might the kind of leadership that Jesus shows in the garden mean for your own ministry?” There was an analysis of the 1998 Lambeth conference by a bishop who was there, as people fighting over Jesus who is calmly standing in the middle saying, “I am” and waiting for His voice to be heard. That spirit of fighting is not in this meeting and it seems that many times we have heard the voice of God in the voices of our fellow bishops and their stories. It will be difficult to leave this group behind tomorrow when we have our last session.

The Indaba Group continued on with the discussion of the Covenant and the Continuation Group’s proposals. There is a request from them that there be a moratorium on ordinations of bishops in same gendered partnership, the blessings of same sex unions and cross Provincial interventions by uninvited bishops. The big issue is ordination. I have learned a lot about the perceptions around the world of what happened in New Hampshire. There is clearly a different standard of behaviour expected of clergy and bishops in particular. I have learned that in the eyes of most of our Anglican brothers and sisters, homosexual activity is clearly understood as sin. So it makes no sense to them that a ‘sinful’ person could be ordained to be a leader whose life is supposed to model that of Jesus. I have learned that their treatment of polygamy is to call it a sin, and to bar those, who for reasons of continuing to care for their wives (who would be destitute if they were divorced), have continued in polygamy, from being church layleaders or clergy and in some places they can not receive communion. They do not understand why we do not do the same.

The Listeners met and wrote beginning with lunch in order to have the next version of the Reflections document for the hearing at 5 pm. This is a different Lambeth from the past, where resolutions were passed, highly polished texts (prepared ahead of time and voted on, were taken home as “Law”. The anxiety about having a Reflections document to take home with them is beginning to come out especially among a small group. The Hearing was quite lively and I remembered the analysis from the Bible Study as I listened. I am very glad that this Lambeth was not using resolutions!

The Church of Ireland led Evening Worship with their wonderful rolling “r’s”! We had a break for supper and I actually caught up with some of the Canadian bishops. I had a glimpse of our Suffragan Bishop across the campus as I returned to the Listening Group.
We have finished as much as we can of our Reflection document.

Tomorrow we will hear from ++Rowan once more and begin to pack our bags for home.

Have wonderful Sunday services. I am looking forward to celebrating in Canadian when I get home! +Sue

August 1, 2008

The Eucharist this morning was led by the Church in Pakistan. Part of the gathering time, we see a DVD of life in the church for those who are leading. Pakistan is a beautiful land with beautiful people and they live with daily threats. Next time you are tempted to just stay home from worship for a trivial reason, think of those who persevere in going out to worship in the face of daily persecution.

The Bible Study was John 15:1-17. We started by asking how the passage is translated in other languages. We learned there are no grape vines in Myanmar, but they have mango trees. In Congo, they have banana trees. We are of course reading the Scriptures in the context of this meeting, so we tried to imagine the Anglican Communion as a bunch of grapes! There was a terrible pun about whining in the Communion. We spent some time with verse 11. In what ways does Jesus make our joy complete? Do we let people know about that joy?

The Indaba group focused on the “The Bishop, the Anglican Covenant, and the Windsor Process”. There are two important groups at work that many people seem to have been unaware of – the Covenant Design Group and the Windsor Continuation Group. The Covenant Group has written a proposed covenant (which you can find on the Anglican Communion web site under St. Andrew’s Draft of the Covenant). In it, they make some proposals about our life as a Communion rather than a loose federation of churches. What is outlined in the opening part seems to have a level of support from the Bishops. The third part and the Appendix have very little support. This became clear as our Listening Group read through the various Indaba group reports. We will find out more on Saturday when we feed this back to the Plenary Session. The Windsor Continuation Group has been developing plans for the time between now and the Covenant coming into effect. (There is a HUGE assumption that it will do so!) Part of this is a moratorium on three things: the ordination of any more active gay/lesbian bishops, the blessings of same sex relationships, uninvited cross border invasions by outside bishops. It seems that his moratorium is proposed to last until the covenant comes into effect. There is uneven support for this idea. I will know more tomorrow when we see the Indaba group reports.
There are many concerns about all of these proposals. More concerning to me is the lack of accurate information about our church. I seem to be repeating myself explaining that we currently have a moratorium on these from our end, but we are still visited by unwelcome primates. (It makes for some carefully chosen words in my Indaba group, since one of the “Invaders” is in my group!)

The afternoon session was the next hearing of our reflections. Most people can identify with the comments in our reports. There some bishops who are clearly used to having the last word and seem quite annoyed when we say, “But that was not the opinion of the Indaba groups.” This process is quite difficult for those who want parliamentary procedure and debates on resolutions. Most of the Bishops are very much enjoying this time for listening and sharing concerns. Late in the afternoon we had an extra Indaba Group to allow more time for processing the ideas of the Covenant.

Evening worship was led by the Churches of South East Asia. They had wonderful photos of some of their congregations gathered for Baptism in the nearest rivers. They have a serious strategy for making disciples, bringing adults, youth and children to Christ.

The other Canadians went off to party tonight. The Listening Group got quite silly after 10pm so we quit!

(I think I was so tired I didn’t realize until today that I wrote this and didn’t post it! Sorry!)

July 31, 2008

Listening to God and to Each Other: The Bishop and Human Sexuality

It has been a long day!!! Some of the Listeners began at 6am to prepare the documents for today!

The Eucharist was led by the Province of Burundi – some English, some French, and a native language which I could not determine. How great Thou Art in 3 languages at the same time was great, as was Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah!

Bible Study was John 13:31-14:17. We very dutifully did the first question, “How has John’s radical paradox, that God’s glory is most visible at moments of apparent weakness and vulnerability, been part of your church’s story?” There were some profound examples. However the Indaba coming up would be “The Bishop and Human Sexuality”. We agreed that it would be easier to speak among ourselves about our views than in the bigger group of 40 people. As you might expect, among the nine of us there was the usual range of views on sexuality, but there was no bitterness or any accusations. There was agreement that spreading of misinformation had caused damage to the Communion. Campaigns on behalf of one party or another were not appreciated by anyone and mainly create backlash. (There is a constant barrage of information on Gay and Lesbian people here including a demonstration as we exited from the hearing on the Scripture.)

The Indaba Group was also very honest. The biggest concern is about the ordination of actively homosexual people, with the blessings of same sex couples a long way behind. It is clear that sexual sins (which were listed by many to include divorce, promiscuity, adultery, same sex unions) are far more important to people than any other sins (like violence within family, greed, unethical business practice). In many places, a divorced person can not be ordained or be a catechist. Those in polygamous relationships can not receive communion. The punishment for sexual deviation is severe in many places in our Communion. Many people feel that the ordination of a gay bishop been has forced on them and has created the great rift in the Communion. The Episcopal Church has been almost silent in response so far.

The second Hearing on the Conference Reflections that the Listeners are creating was this afternoon. Although we thought it might be acrimonious, it went very well. The Indaba focus about an Anglican interpretation of Scripture produced some very harmonious results for us to report. For your consideration, these are some of the points included:
- The Cranmer Collect that includes “…hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest…”
- The Canon of Scripture is upheld by us. It is our way of ‘testing’ novelties.
- The Scriptures contain all things necessary to salvation. (Who would have guessed?)
- Jesus Christ is the Word of God.
- The Bible was and is the standard way for Christians to be in and on the Way of God in Jesus Christ.
- We affirm different models of interpreting Scripture within our tradition.
- And several others…Further developments of the text are happening tonight for review tomorrow.
- There were conflicting comments on the purpose of the report, so we had the opportunity to meet with Archbishop Rowan late this afternoon. He is making himself very available to listen to people and to interact with them. As a result we missed Evening Prayer by the Province of New Zealand, Aotearoa and Polynesia.

There were some receptions this evening, but I opted to stay home and read!

July 30, 2008

The Eucharist this morning was lead by the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui with beautiful simplicity and a dramatic reading of the Gospel in Japanese. The Bible Study focus was John 11:1-44. We had been asked to write a 300 word interpretation of the text for this morning’s session which we would share with the group. Then the question was “In what ways are these Anglican interpretations?” In the Indaba groups we considered further these possible principles and there was remarkable agreement. After the Listeners put the list together, I will post them for your consideration.

The Listeners made our first presentation this afternoon to a full house. There was a general acceptance of the work with helpful additions suggested. Then we went off to continue our work. Unfortunately the technology was slow so the morning’s work by the groups was not yet available, so we had the evening free. I went then to the group of Anglican Schools in which King’s University is included. Fortunately I am having an early evening as the Listeners must start at 7am tomorrow to have the work ready for the next presentation in the afternoon.

Blessings.
+Sue

JUly 29, 2008

Safeguarding Creation – The Bishop and the Environment

The fifth mark of mission is: “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and renew the life of the earth.” So far this is the mark of mission least universally owned by the churches of the communion. Ignorance of the issues is a priority that must be addressed around the Communion. Stories shared from bishops around the Communion give a picture of a global crisis. There are many examples including water pollution, dumping of toxic waste, air pollution, deforestation, irresponsible disposal of garbage. It is clear that the personal level exchange of issues being faced (with first hand knowledge) has a greater impact on us than Western media reports. Environment is the top priority for some provinces and must be a high priority for all of us. In the Global South, safeguarding creation is a day to day activity, not an intellectual exercise. The Communion Bishops could take a leading role through example, such as a carbon offset target for meeting travel.

While many agencies can engage with environmental issues, the church must do so from the starting point of Scripture and a credible theology. One particularly difficult Scripture reference has been Genesis 1:28 where the words ‘have dominion over’ or ‘subdue’ have been misinterpreted as ‘Do whatever you want with the earth.’ If humanity is made in the image of God, who saw that creation was good, then humanity needs to learn to care for God’s creation. Theologies of creation, Sabbath, stewardship and “enough” need to be developed for general use. Creation did not fall, humanity did, and this has led to the destruction of creation. Some of the symptoms of this human sin include selfishness, greed, consumerism and overindulgence. The destruction of the environment is a spiritual issue and the church can suggest taking actions in terms of spiritual disciplines, including repentance of ingrained habits that are ecologically irresponsible.

Many examples of destruction focused on water. Water is central to baptism, the sacrament of new life. This is a reminder that we have a responsibility for those yet to be born to ensure conditions for their potential life and flourishing. The Communion, Provinces and Dioceses could focus on one major campaign - the human right to water.

There is only one instrument for sustaining God’s creation – humanity. To get people moving requires moral leadership and this is the role of the church together with other aware bodies, e.g. the United Nations. The Anglican churches must engage with other agencies with sound knowledge and experience to impact church members, various levels of government and the business communities.

What can the church do?
Education: Engage with scientists to have accurate and credible information. Scriptural and theological education should be available for seminary students to produce knowledgeable clergy and lay leaders to engage congregations. We need educational materials to encourage children and youth to engage with programs for change. Adult education materials for parishioners would be helpful. Every Anglican must understand that it is their personal responsibility to live a rule of life that sustains and restores God’s creation. A primary task for bishops is to raise the consciousness of church members as well as the public. The Communion/Province should position itself to be a symbol for ecological commitment to sustaining and renewing God’s creation. Dioceses and parishes provide opportunities for learning and action. People respond well to specific, simple actions, e.g. plant one tree each year, use no plastic in the churches, walk whenever you can instead of using a car. Bishops can also have specific actions, e.g. plant a tree on each parish visit, focus sermons for one season on the Environment. “Green Awards” are also incentives to dioceses and parishes to decrease the damage they do to creation and improve the ways they contribute to renewing the earth.

Liturgy/Worship: The Communion and/or Diocesan worship committees can develop worship resources on creation and environmental themes, and use the liturgical seasons for environmental awareness, e.g. planting time and harvest thanksgiving, the memorial of St. Francis, a Lenten fast from energy consumption.

Empowerment for Action: Think globally, act locally and globally. Work ecumenically and with other faith groups to lobby governments for laws and implementation of international agreements, e.g. Kyoto. The bishops could also have a reconciling role for brokering conversations between business, government and environmentalists. We must be aware of the political and economic aspects of caring for creation. Ecology and economics are connected. The desire for economic development can start a vicious cycle of damage to the environment. Damage to the environment creates conditions that impact developing nations and those living in poverty (women and children) first. Economic improvements for one group may bring environmental disaster to another. Bishops need to learn how to exert pressure on governments in regard to environmental issues and this means they have to be correctly informed and have credibility with governments.

Additional thoughts:
Environmental destruction is connected to internal displacement of people and to migration. Sometimes the creation is deliberately destroyed by companies seeking access to resources such as oil, and the local people are driven away. Sometimes, when the land is devastated by natural disaster, the people migrate seeking safety and a livelihood.

Considered use of technology: Just because we can do it, doesn’t mean we should.

Care of God’s creation should take prominent place in any Covenant for the Communion.

The Anglican Environmental network could be a better resource to the provinces of the Communion.

Green Conference: The next Lambeth Conference should be a green conference where the host institution under clear direction from the Design Group, providing recycling facilities. The Design Group could still direct the host institution to provide more recycling facilities, publicize existing facilities and greatly reduce the use of disposable cups and paper towels by providing alternatives.

One group discussed environment and human sexuality.
Another group discussed responses to the Windsor Report and interprovincial relationships.
Another group discussed the covenant.

July 28, 2008

The sun continues to shine and the local folks are amazed. Sun is not their usual weather!

The Eucharist was led by the Province of the Indian Ocean this morning so parts were in French, Creole, Malagasy and English. They invited Barry Clarke the Bishop of Montreal to join them as they have a Companion link. The wife of one of the bishops is a priest so she joined them for the celebration.

Bible Study today was on John 10:1-10. We talked about what this passage means to each of us. Gates have very different roles – keep animals or people in, or out; with a gate keeper or not; to provide security for those inside or those outside. One of the questions was, “What does it mean for us to think of Jesus as the gate the both invites the world into the church and urges the sheep to follow Jesus trustingly into the world?” There was a story from the Middle East about traveling on a narrow pathway when two shepherds with flocks of sheep met. As they approached each other, the shepherds began talking and singing and whistling, and kept it up while the sheep passed by each other and the shepherds went on their way without losing any sheep. Do you know the voice of your Shepherd?

The Indaba group focused on Engaging in a Multi-faith World: the Bishop, Christian witness and other faiths. There were stories from many parts of the world where Christians are a minority and what they do to build relations with the majority religion. There stories from places, like ours, where the various religions are developing working relationships. Anglicans in minority situations rely heavily on the Communion for strength and a voice with governments. The question was raised, “What is the purpose of Interfaith Dialogue?”

The afternoon session was a Hearing on the Windsor Continuation Group proposals. We were handed the material as we entered the room which miffed several bishops as there was no time to think before being asked to speak. Most of the time was used up by TEC bishops arguing with each other. Others are not taking the initiative to speak. ++Fred asked for time to present the story of what ahs happened in the Canadian Church as there are major misunderstandings about what the situation is in Canada. The UK Bishops are being very quiet and nobody is raising the siutation here where civil same sex partnerships are permitted for C of E clergy!

At lunch, the Listeners met to get our next assignment. My group of three received the environment indaba reports to summarize and we completed that over supper. I missed evening worship because I was typing our report. The local WATCH group (Women and the Church) hosted a lovely supper reception at the home of the Archdeacon of Canterbury, Sheila Watson. We could not stay too long as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks was speaking this evening at 8pm on The Relationship between the People and God: the Covenant. This was a lead in to our discussions about Covenant.

After that the Listeners met again to go over the material that had been prepared. We have to be ready for a Hearing on our material by Wednesday. Off to bed for me!

+Sue