Anglican
WORLD MAGAZINE OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION • ISSUE 138 AUGUST 2015
Welcoming the Stranger We are all migrants on this earth Bridge-builder for the Lord Meet the new Secretary General of the Anglican Communion
What’s in a name? On (compass) roses, koinonia and communion
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e d i to r i a l
Practicing ‘costly communion’
“WELCOME THE STRANGER.” The call to offer hospitality and a living witness to the gift of communion is at the centre of the Gospel. As this issue of Anglican World shows, the “stranger” may be someone from afar, such as Rakin from Afghanistan arriving at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Centre in Rome, or seafarers anchoring thousands of kilometres from home in Hong Kong harbour, or a fellow camp ministry worker and bowling fan on the other side of the USA. The stranger may be from closer to home: someone from our community or the next parish or even the pew beside us. Someone of a different faith in Nigeria. Someone unchurched, engaged by murals in Scotland or a Lego model in England. Someone with whom The call to offer hospitality and a living we pray together in song using a new hymnal in Ireland, with whom we share a meal at a diocesan restaurant witness to the gift of communion is at the or in Uganda. A child led to Christ by a newly-trained youth centre of the Gospel. evangelist in South Sudan. Children with special needs participating in worship in Australia. As our Anglican Communion representative to the UN points out, we may find ourselves as both those who welcome and those who arrive, like members of the Episcopal Church in South Sudan in ministry with people displaced by conflict, or the Episcopal Anglican Church in Brazil whose people bring an alternative vision of being church and minister to those on the margins of society. Or it may be a “known stranger” – an Anglican/Episcopalian who reads the Bible very differently than we do, or thinks the Church should be giving priority to other areas of mission, or someone with whom we disagree on a specific issue. This edition of Anglican World takes up the call to practice the “costly communion” of koinonia – that we welcome the stranger from afar and in our midst as a sign of our choice to build bridges and live out the God-given gift of communion.
Terri Miller Interim Editor
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contents
Anglican
world Inside this issue ISSUE 138 AUGUST 2015
Produced by The Anglican Communion Office St Andrew’s House 16 Tavistock Crescent London W11 1AP United Kingdom Registered Charity 7311767 Tel +44 (0)20 7313 3900 Fax +44 (0)20 7313 3999 E-mail aco@anglicancommunion.org Web www.anglicancommunion.org Serving the Instruments of Communion: The Archbishop of Canterbury The Lambeth Conference The Anglican Consultative Council The Primates’ Meeting And approximately 85 million Anglicans and Episcopalians in more than 165 countries President The Archbishop of Canterbury Secretary General The Most Revd Josiah Idowu-Fearon Interim Editor Terri Miller Any comments, questions or contributions should be sent to The Editor at news@anglicancommunion.org Advertising Michael Ade Tel +44 (0)20 7313 3915 Fax +44 (0)20 7313 3999 Subscriptions: E-mail aw.subscriptions@ anglicancommunion.org UK £2.50 / US$4 / €3.50 for one issue. UK £10 / US$16 / €14 for four issues. See the subscription form at the back of this issue or visit http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ resources/shop.aspx Design and Layout Marcus Thomas e-mail info@marcusthomas.co.nz Printed by CPO, Garcia Estate, Canterbury Road, Worthing, W. Sussex BN13 1BW
¢ EDITORIAL
Practicing ‘costly communion’ 2 ¢ COMMUNION NEWS
The latest from around the Anglican world 4 ¢ COVER FEATURE
We are all migrants on this earth 6 A home within the walls of Rome 8 ¢ FEATURE
Cover photo
Where two or three are bowling in His name… 11
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A woman from Bor, South Sudan, and her child find refuge at Lologo 2 camp on the outskirts of Juba.
¢ PROFILE
CREDIT: EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT
Bridge-builder for the Lord 12 ¢ WORLD VIEW
The Communion at a glance 14
¢ FEATURE
On tour with the new Church of Ireland hymnal supplement 22
¢ ANGLICAN YOUTH
A year as chaplain’s assistant with Mission to Seafarers 16 ¢ PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
The Episcopal Anglican Church in Brazil at 125 18 Building the Kingdom one chapati at a time 20 Course of study: Evangelist-in-training 21
¢ THE LAST WORD
On (compass) roses, koinonia, and the gift of communion 23
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Evangelistin-training
All original material may be reproduced by Member Churches without further permission of the Anglican Consultative Council. Acknowledgement and a copy of the publications are requested. Permission to reproduce copyrighted work should be sought from the owner. ANGLICAN WORLD IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION OFFICE
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communion news
global
CALL FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION Anglican leaders were among those making an inspirational call for decisive action on climate change during a remarkable week in June. The Archbishop of Canterbury, together with other faith leaders signed the Lambeth Declaration, launched on 17 June, which calls on faith communities to take concrete steps to shrink society’s carbon footprint. Anglican bishops for ecojustice and others in the Anglican Communion Environmental Network welcomed Pope Francis’s 18 June landmark encyclical on
ecology. On 22 June Archbishop Welby spoke out with the Ecumenical Patriarch on the moral responsibility to act now. Archbishop Welby and other leaders have rightly identified the disproportionate impact of climate change on the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world, said the Anglican Alliance. At the core of the recent call is an appeal to the world’s governments to sign an ambitious agreement at the UN climate summit (COP 21) in Paris in December.
KEITH BLUNDY/AEGIES ASSOCIATES
Climate change was high on the Church of England General Synod agenda.
melanesia
VANUATU REBUILDS FOLLOWING CYCLONE PAM The Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACoM) has been assisting remote island communities across the Vanuatu archipelago in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Pam. Half of the country’s population were affected when the category 5 storm struck on 13 March, destroying homes, schools, health clinics, churches, water tanks and basic livelihoods. Using its flagship MV Southern Cross, ACoM delivered emergency assistance such as rice, tinned fish, tents, building supplies, water tanks and planting materials to affected communities, and provided pastoral support. ACoM teams encountered communities who were getting on
Emergency assistance to Merig Island
with rebuilding their lives and looking for food, together. This communal self-reliance extended to disaster preparedness as well, reported Tagolyn Kabekabe, Anglican Alliance Facilitator for the Pacific. “In all affected areas located in
ANGLICAN CHURCH OF MELANESIA-VANUATU
Anglican parishes, [we] saw [clergy] working tirelessly alongside the people,” Kabekabe said. Together with Anglican partners ACoM is exploring longer-term support to affected communities.
canada
PLEDGE TO ACT ON TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION RECOMMENDATIONS
ART BABYCH
Archbishop Fred Hiltz reads the ecumenical TRC response
The Anglican Church of Canada together with other churches, has agreed that it needs to go beyond apologies for the harm caused
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to Indigenous peoples by Indian Residential Schools. In response to the findings and calls to action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United church leaders together pledged in early June to take further concrete steps in a continuing commitment to reconciliation. One of these steps is a promise
to respect Indigenous spiritual traditions as having equal value as their own in order to address what was named as “spiritual violence” committed in the schools. The churches also vowed to continue to raise awareness about residential schools and their legacy and to educate about ways to move forward, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
peru
FIRST EVER PERUVIAN ANGLICAN BISHOPS CONSECRATED IN LIMA Three new bishops have been consecrated by the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church of South America, the Most Revd Hector Zavala Muñoz, as part of plans for the Diocese of Peru to become its own province. The new bishops, Alejandro Mesco, Juan Carlos Revilla, and Jorge Luis Aguilar, will work alongside the Bishop of Peru, the Rt Revd William Godfrey, in newly carved out missionary areas, which will soon become dioceses: Arequipa, Chiclayo, Huancayo and Lima. The Diocese of Peru’s roots reach back to 1846 when the then-
ACO
Consecration at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in Lima
Minister of Foreign Affairs gave permission for an Anglican mission to be established in Callao. The church was created to serve an English-speaking expatriate
community but is now strongly committed to all of Peruvian society. Since 1998 the Diocese has grown from eight churches and four clergy to 50 clergy and communities. .
pa k i s ta n
DIOCESE OF PESHAWAR OPENS NEW MARTYRS OF ALL SAINTS CHURCH CENTRE
DIOCESE OF PESHAWAR
Ribbon cutting by Bishop Peters
The Diocese of Peshawar has inaugurated a new community and worship building at Christian Colony, Ring Road, Peshawar, in memory of those killed in the terrorist attack on All Saints Anglican Church on 22 September 2013. Over 125 people died and some 170 were injured when two suicide bombers attacked the church at the end of a Sunday worship service. The Diocese views the new
building as an example of the way the church is growing and expanding its places of worship. At the dedication service Bishop of Peshawar Humphrey Peters thanked God for moving the authorities to provide land for the centre. Referring to the prayer of King Solomon, he asked that the Lord hear the cry of His people and that “the cloud of your presence [would] remain always on this church and make it your dwelling place”.
global
ANGLICANS CO-LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL FAITH MOVEMENT FOR GENDER JUSTICE Representatives from the Anglican Communion and the Anglican Alliance have joined forces with other Churches, Christian networks and agencies to launch an international faith movement for gender justice. The movement intends to look at the theological imperative for gender justice and begin working towards a shared vision, commitment and action plan for moving forward together. Building the capacity of faith leaders to tackle gender inequality
is one of the Faith Gender Justice Movement’s priorities. A series of regional workshops and national consultations over the next two years will provide space for clergy and lay leaders to discuss gender issues, seek a coordinated approach in their region and take a lead in acting on gender justice at every level from the household to global. The Faith Gender Justice Movement plans to gather practical tools and theological resources and build on existing initiatives around the world.
FAITH MOVEMENT FOR GENDER JUSTICE
Launch workshop in London anglican world issue 138 august 2015
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A woman forced to flee fighting in Bor, South Sudan, at Lologo 2 camp.
EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT
We are all migrants on this earth A core value of my faith is to welcome the stranger, the refugee, the internally displaced, the other. I shall treat him or her as I would like to be treated. I will challenge others, even leaders in my faith community, to do the same. From Welcoming the Stranger: Affirmations for Faith Leaders
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by flora winfield
Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. (Matthew 25) THE UNITED NATIONS High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported in June 2015 that there are, in our world, approximately 59.5 million refugees and displaced people. Our common calling as communities of faith, acting together in the service of humanity, is to respond to each of those almost 60 million people not as a component of a terrifying statistic, but as 60 million individual people, created and loved by God. As 60 million stories we can help
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to change from death to life, from fear to hope, from desperation to dignity as, together, we “welcome the stranger”. Our Christian tradition challenges us to receive each new person as if he or she were Christ himself. In December 2012 the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, drew together religious leaders from around the world, as well as faith-based humanitarian organisations, academics and government representatives to discuss the topic of “Faith and Protection”. The Anglican Communion was represented by Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul Yak of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan. Guterres noted in his opening remarks: “All major religious value systems embrace humanity, caring and respect, and the tradition of granting protection to those in danger. The principles of modern refugee law have their oldest roots in
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SUDRA
Coordinating relief distribution in Malakal, Upper Nile.
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these ancient texts and traditions.” The leaders searched the scriptures of their religious traditions and found therein a rich spiritual resource and a profound shared understanding of the responsibility not only to feed the hungry and clothe the naked but to uphold human dignity. This landmark event concluded with the recommendation to develop a Code of Conduct for faith leaders to welcome migrants, refugees and other forcibly displaced people, and to stand together against xenophobia. Between February and April 2013, a coalition drafted a series of Affirmations, which aim to inspire leaders of all faiths to “welcome the stranger” with dignity, respect and loving support, and to be a practical resource to foster support for refugees and other displaced people in their communities. The call to “welcome the
EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT
The Revd Joseph El Hag, Manager of Episcopal Sudanese Development & Relief Agency (SUDRA)
UNHCR Dialogue on Faith and Protection.
One of every 122 people in the world has been forced to flee their home or country. More than half are children. Source: UNHCR
stranger,” through protection and hospitality, and to honour the stranger, or those of other faiths, with respect and equality, is deeply rooted in all major religions. Our faith demands that we remember we are all migrants on this earth, journeying together in hope. The Affirmations have been translated into Arabic, Chinese, French, Hebrew, Russian and Spanish for use by faith communities around the world. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, signed the Affirmations at the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Busan, South Korea. The Welcoming the Stranger initiative is one of two mandated priorities for the Anglican Communion’s Mission to the United Nations Institutions.
UNHCR/JEAN-MARC FERRÉ
HOSPITALITY IN SOUTH SUDAN ANGLICANS AND EPISCOPALIANS around the world are committed to Welcoming the Stranger in our life, witness and in loving service. In some places we find ourselves as both those who welcome and as those who arrive. The Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan is playing a key role in responding to humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. UNHCR estimates that 4.6 million people in South Sudan are facing critical food insecurity and over 2 million people have been displaced from their homes since civil war erupted in December 2013. In this continuing emergency the church has spoken with a strong voice against tribal divisions which continue to exacerbate the conflict. The church has welcomed, protected, fed and provided hope for thousands who have fled their villages with nothing.
The Revd Canon Flora Winfield is Anglican Communion Representative to the United Nations institutions in Geneva. Welcoming the Stranger: Affirmations for Faith Leaders: http://www.unhcr. org/51b6de419.html
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ILLUSTRATION BY TAUFIQ, ARTIST AND REFUGEE GUEST FROM AFGHANISTAN
c ov e r f e at u r e
‘I was a Stranger, and I was Welcomed’ A home within the walls of Rome Based on a JNRC blog post by Rakin and an Episcopal News Service story by Matthew Davies.
JNRC
Rakin
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MY NAME IS RAKIN and I am a refugee. It is difficult for me to share my story, but I feel it’s important because I want others to understand my reality. We are not secure and there is no peace for millions of people like me. Before I left Afghanistan, I was appreciated by my family, friends, community. I had a comfortable life, a beautiful house. I had hopes of becoming a psychologist. I published books condemning the acts of the Taliban, and I was interviewed on the radio and television. Then my life changed drastically. I was kidnapped. The kidnappers threatened to kill me if my
“When my kidnappers heard this, they threatened me by phone. My mother was so panicked she had a heart attack.” family did not pay a ransom. The kidnappers beat and tortured me and sent pictures to my family. After four months, I managed to escape and I went to the police. When my kidnappers heard this, they threatened me by phone. My mother was so panicked she had a heart attack. While I was visiting her in the hospital, the kidnappers went to my home and killed my father, brothers, and sisters. Æ
Migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, Sicily, Italy. UNHCR/FRANCESCO MALAVOLTA
World Refugee Sunday at St Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church. JNRC
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My mother and I went into hiding. Eventually she asked me to leave Afghanistan to find a safe place to live. We agreed I would send for her once I was settled in Europe, in safety.
The refugee experience is a fundamental part of the Christian story and “by welcoming a stranger, we are welcoming the very Christ and God that we proclaim,” says the Revd Austin Rios, rector of St Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome, Italy. The crypt of St Paul’s is home to the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JNRC), a ministry of radical hospitality in the heart of Rome where hundreds of refugees can find a meal and a host of other resources to survive and to rebuild their lives. Because of the sheer numbers of Africans migrating across the Mediterranean Sea to escape persecution, many drowning en route, Italy is at the centre of the most current migrant crisis in Europe. I had always thought of Europe as supporting human rights and equality. When I first arrived in Rome, I had to sleep in a tent outside in the park for three months. It was winter. There was no good food to eat and it was cold. Before I came here I thought of Rome as a holy city. As an
asylum seeker, I have discovered a different reality. I feel looked upon as an unwelcome stranger, I am misunderstood and mistreated. When I’m on the bus the people next to me secure their wallets and close their purses. I don’t know how to behave to prove that I am not a thief. Instead of asking about me, my education, my skills, people only ask where I am from. This is what defines me. It creates a barrier to forming friendships and feeling welcome in the community.
“My work with [Artisans Together] has restored my sense of belonging. We practice respect for humanity and equality even though we are from different countries.”
“We need to change the dynamic and lives of refugees [and] change the attitudes of people towards them,” says Will Bryant, who is serving at JNRC with The Episcopal Church’s Young Adult Service Corps. At JNRC the refugees are known as “guests” by the many volunteers from different faith communities. “It’s about inspiring people to welcome the stranger rather than push them away,” says Bryant.
and when my mother died alone, in a faraway land. Their kindness lessened my suffering. I know that this centre is my home and these people are my family. I no longer feel alone. In this centre, Muslims and Christians eat, play and work together. Everyone welcomes newcomers as human beings, not according to their religion, race, or ethnicity. It feels very different from the situation out on the streets of Rome.
Fortunately I arrived at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center and I met some wonderful people. They listened to me. They helped me solve problems with documents. They invited me into their homes and cooked for me. They even celebrated my birthday – for the first time in 8 years. They were with me during my formal interview for protection
“Christians follow and worship a Lord who only days after his birth was forced to flee to a foreign land because of a governmental campaign of infanticide,” says Rios. “Jesus experienced both welcome – from Mary and Joseph, shepherds, magi, animals – and rejection – from Herod – from his birth.” Æ
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c ov e r f e at u r e
“Before coming to the JNRC, I was like a dead person. But when I found this church and centre that welcomed me as a stranger, I was given life again. Still a practicing Muslim, I underwent nothing short of a miracle, to find myself again.”
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Now, I am part of the JNRC’s Artisans Together project. We produce handicrafts, for a suggested donation, in order to heal from our trauma and rebuild our lives in Rome. We advocate and educate about the reality of refugees. My work with this group has restored my sense of belonging. We practice respect for humanity and equality amongst brothers even though we are from different countries and continents. I am surrounded by a community of support that gives back by welcoming other strangers who make their way to this centre.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
“Jesus commissioned his earliest disciples to carry out his mission when in Matthew 10.40 he said:
‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me,’” Rios explained. Members of St Paul’s invest much time and energy in the JNRC’s ministry of hospitality, teaching English or volunteering in other capacities. Some refugee guests have found a church home at the parish. Before coming to the JNRC, I was like a dead person. But when I found this church and centre that welcomed me as a stranger, I was given life again. Still a practicing Muslim, I underwent nothing short of a miracle, to find myself again. I am hopeful that one day I will start my writings again, continue with a psychology career and feel like a respected human being. All refugees that experience this kind of trauma need to be welcomed, especially when they don’t have any family to support or protect them. No one can go through life without family and supporters to lead us out of the darkness and toward our goals and dreams.
“As inheritors of [Jesus’] commission, and its attending responsibilities to both receive and extend the hospitality that God has offered us, we are called to offer this welcome as well, especially as it relates to those who are vulnerable because of itinerancy or forced migration,” said Rios, “not only because welcoming is a proper human response to suffering, but because it is an essential part of our faith DNA.” I don’t want to be identified as a refugee forever. I hope that someday I will be treated as I was treated before the living nightmare of losing my family, my country, and my life. The human spirit is strong and I am learning to dream again – and this is the gift that I have been given, because I was a stranger, and I was welcomed. JNRC
A refugee guest makes Artisans Together handicrafts.
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Read the Episcopal News Service story in full at http://bit.ly/1FuQE1m. Æ
f e at u r e
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Where two or three are bowling in His name… ECCC BOWLING SOCIETY
Bowling after Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers (ECCC) Annual Conference 2014.
IT ALL BEGAN when two Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers (ECCC) colleagues decided to go bowling one night before a churchrelated board meeting. Why bowling? It is one activity that almost anyone can do, from young children to adults in their 80’s; even most people with disabilities can play. It is not expensive, and is available year round. It’s an activity you can do with family, friends, work colleagues, or people from your church. You can bowl with two or three people, or in larger groups. Any skill level can play, from beginner to expert. The sport of bowling gained popularity in the late 1800s-early 1900s and has its roots in the European lawn sports of skittles (England), Kegel (Germany), and bocce (Italy). European immigrants to the United States of America brought the game with them. Basically, the aim of tenpin bowling is to roll an 8-16 pound ball down a 60-foot lane and knock down ten pins. Each player has ten
frames, and two throws per frame. You can play as individuals or as a team, and you can play one game, or as many as time allows. Though it’s a sport of skill and precision, it’s also a chance to have fun and fellowship. Four months after their first Episcopal bowling night, the two friends, Van Beers and Bill Slocumb, joined three other colleagues down at the lanes following another Episcopal gathering and the ECCC Bowling Society was born. The Society aims to give church bowling enthusiasts a chance to bowl, at gatherings during Episcopal functions or visits to church camps and conference centres. And it promotes bowling as a fun way to deepen fellowship among Episcopalians. To become a card-carrying member of the ECCC Bowling Society, you need to bowl with someone who works or has worked for any of the 85 Episcopal camps and conference centres around the US. The membership card lists all 50 US states to encourage members to link up and bowl with people at other camps.
Six years on, the ECCC Bowling Society has over 300 members and over 100 bowling gatherings have been held. The Society plans to keep bowling and promoting bowling as an Episcopal fellowship activity around the USA. And looking forward to the future, it will be adding another goal: to share its mission throughout the whole Anglican Communion. Bill Slocumb is co-founder and cardcarrying member of the ECCC Bowling Society.
SHUTTERSTOCK
by bill slocumb
Bill and Van. ECCC BOWLING SOCIETY
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p ro f i l e
ACO
Called to be a bridge-builder for the Lord Meet the Most Revd Josiah Idowu-Fearon, new Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Anglican World: When were you ordained and what led you to the vocation of ordained ministry? Josiah Idowu-Fearon: I was ordained deacon in December 1971 and priest a year later, and consecrated as bishop in 1990. I was elected as the first Archbishop of the ecclesiastical Province of Kaduna in 2003 and served for five years. I intended to become an air force officer. However, in my third year at military school, I felt the Lord was calling me to be a padre and look after the spiritual well being of soldiers and their families. AW: How would you describe the Josiah Idowu-Fearon as a young deacon in comparison to the bishop and secretary general that 12
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you are today? JIF: I had my first experience of the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” as a young priest. This experience continues to inform my ministry as bishop, and I believe it will in my new calling as Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.
AW: How have post-theology graduate studies affected your ministry? JIF: I have just finished a postgraduate course in Conflict Skills from Coventry University. This has given me tools to help individuals and groups find solutions to complex situations, avoid the escalation of conflicts and, in some cases, prevent them.
AW: What was a defining moment in your ministry up until now? What were the particular moments of grace? JIF: The defining moment in my ministry of building bridges between Christians and Muslims was the day I broke down weeping while presenting my essay on “The Status of a Non-Muslim in an Islamic State” to my class in Birmingham in 1981. It was crystal clear to me that the Lord was calling me to the ministry of promoting a culture of respect and understanding between these two religious communities. A particular moment of grace was when the Lord stopped two Christian youth who had planned to murder me and tell the world that the Muslims did it, because they felt I was compromising the Gospel by
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PROCMURA
SUBMITTED PHOTO
LAMBETH PALACE
L to R: Christian-Muslim reconciliation conference, Kaduna. With Wycliff College (Toronto) post-graduate students, “Islam and the West” course. Embracing the Archbishop of Canterbury after receiving the Cross of St Augustine.
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promoting dialogue between the two faith communities.
AW: In addition to your faith, what are other guiding poles in your life? JIF: A strong conviction in the inviolability of the Communion in spite of the many internal difficulties. AW: What do you bring uniquely as a Nigerian to this leadership role of a global Christian communion? JIF: As a Nigerian I hope to bring to this new role the ability to maintain highly productive, positive relationships with a range of stakeholders and partners in a multi-cultural, international framework of complex relationships and policy. In my twenty-five years as bishop, I’ve learned a culture of respect for people with different opinions and the promotion of peaceful coexistence through the discipline of dialogue. AW: Some have sounded the death knell for the Communion due to disparate understandings of certain biblical teachings. Is unity in diversity possible, can the Communion encompass all who call themselves Anglican/ Episcopalian? A major problem in the Communion is that we have lost the Anglican theological understanding of the Church as explained by Richard Hooker, William Palmer and other [classical] Anglican [theologians]. There is therefore a need to re-think: are we willing to be committed to this specific
ecclesiological understanding or do we desire to leave and join other groups with a different theology of the Church? I think we should stay within and fight for what will bring glory to the Lord and not divisions. If, on the other hand, Anglicans – lay, clergy and bishops – believe it is time to change this specific way of being church, a forum for well-informed debate should be provided for the three houses.
AW: How do you see your experience in Christian-Muslim reconciliation informing your bridge-building role between different streams in the Anglican Communion? JIF: My expectancy level with regard to bridge-building is very high, having been an active player in creating, promoting and sustaining a culture of respect for differences, peace and peaceful coexistence between two major religious communities. If we have been able to keep together as a country with such diversity, it is my hope that as a Communion based on a foundation that cannot be destroyed we will outlive our present divisions by learning to love as He loves those who are unable to reciprocate love. AW: What do you see as the biggest growing edge for the Anglican Communion in the next five years? JIF: The biggest area of potential of the Communion lies in the 70% of Anglicans who represent the Anglican via media, or “middle way”, as expounded by Richard Hooker. I would like to improve networking, focusing on this group, and at the same time encourage every Anglican to be an agent
of change in whatever part of the Communion the Lord has placed her or him. Debating issues is a characteristic of Anglicanism. We need to promote this culture among all so that the bishops play their role better as leaders who listen and take decisions on issues based on what their members have had the opportunity to contribute.
AW: What do you think will be the steepest learning curve for you personally? JIF: Achieving consensus and seeing each other as members of the same family, [providing checks and balances for] each other and preventing arrogance and condemnatory spirits. This will certainly be tough but not unachievable. AW: What excites you about this new ministry? JIF: We do not know each other in this Communion. I am excited to promote inter-diocesan and provincial visits to synods and conventions, and local ways of making the Gospel relevant. I believe the Communion will become healthier if there is a growing understanding of our diversity. AW: What are you looking forward to about living and working in London? JIF: My wife and I are both looking forward to getting to know our colleagues at the Anglican Communion Office and learning from their experiences. My ministry has always been built around a worshipping community. I very much look forward to serving the Communion in the grace given by the Lord. anglican world issue 138 august 2015
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world view
The Communion at a glance Sensory worship for children with special needs A parishioner at St Mary’s North Melbourne is spearheading Light Up!, a monthly ecumenical service for children with sensory and related challenges including autism. The service centres around less verbal formats like gospel stories in cartoon format, painting pictures of prayers, dancing and washing of feet by parents and carers to engage and include children with disabilities in worship. ST MARY’S NORTH MELBOURNE
Ministry through murals
ST JOHN’S CHURCH, EDINBURGH/ARTISTS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE
St John the Evangelist Church in Edinburgh has a 30-year tradition of using murals to provoke thought and debate. A mural unveiled during the UK election season invited passers-by to contemplate the biblical call to treat immigrants fairly. Rector Markus Dünzkofer says the artwork aims to “refocus attention and encourage the opening of ears, eyes, and hearts of the many people who see [the] mural”.
The biggest mini-adventure in 1000 years
CHESTER CATHEDRAL
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Chester Cathedral is retelling its 1000year history brick by brick in an effort to reach people outside the Church. Volunteer “bricklayers” are constructing a scale 2m by 4m, interactive model of the whole monastic complex using Lego. Some 350,000 of the plastic interlocking blocks will be used to trace the church’s history and engage more visitors under the age of 35.
Alexandria School of Theology confers first MA degrees
DIOCESE OF EGYPT
Ten years after its founding, the Anglican Alexandria School of Theology (AST) has conferred its first Masters of Arts degrees in theology. The four postgraduates joined commencement exercises with students receiving Bachelors degrees in Theology. The new theologians were urged to continue addressing challenges Egypt is facing following the Arab Spring and to serve both church and society.
Commemorative stamp for Costa Rican church’s 150th anniversary
Learning to mediate church conflict
DIOCESE OF COSTA RICA
The Costa Rican Post Office (Correos de Costa Rica) has issued a special stamp to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the country’s Episcopal Church. The souvenir features an illustration of the Good Shepherd parish, the first non-Roman Catholic church established in Costa Rica, in 1865. The Diocese looks forward to leaving its stamped Mark of Mission through the delivery of letters throughout the global Anglican Communion. TRINITY THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
Thirty leaders from different churches learned practical skills to mediate and manage conflict in the Church through a workshop at Trinity Theological College in Singapore. The Christian Mediation Workshop was organised by the Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia as part of its faith and society initiative, with the aim to encourage exchanges across denominational lines.
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a n g l i c a n yo u t h
THE MISSION TO SEAFARERS WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Insert: Justin with crew members.
Bringing light to the darkness YASC volunteer Justin Davis tells about his life-changing service as a Mission to Seafarers chaplain’s assistance in Hong Kong harbour Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Justin Davis and I am currently serving the Mission as a chaplain’s assistant. I am 22, from Richmond, Virginia, in the USA, and I can honestly say that The Mission to Seafarers has changed my life.
How did you end up in Hong Kong? I am volunteering for a [missionary] program of The Episcopal Church called the Young Adult Service Corps, or YASC for short. They send people all over the world and by the grace of God I ended up in Hong Kong. Were you familiar with the shipping industry?
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Before coming to work for the Mission I didn’t even know that the shipping industry existed. I just assumed that all the goods we have came by plane and magically appeared in stores. What a mistake that was. I have not only been humbled by the shear exposure to the shipping industry but also the friends I have
made who work on ships, and God’s place within this enormous and fairly unknown business. What have you been doing since you arrived? I have helped with fundraising for the new launch boat, Dayspring, in Hong Kong, stuffed and delivered bags with Christmas presents for seafarers, and on a daily basis visited ships in the port of Hong Kong. Ship visiting has helped me gain a deeper understanding of God and has helped me develop friendships that will last a lifetime. One ship stands out. These guys are in Hong Kong every two or three weeks so I have had the opportunity Æ to develop a close relationship
Æ with them. [They are] all from the Philippines. Are you able to communicate well with the seafarers? At first it was just small talk, but as we got to know each other it turned to the Bible. We have discussed our views for an hour and a half before. Even though our ideas on interpretation are different, we often walk away from the conversation having learned something new but agreeing to disagree. The conversation is not always religious though. Sometimes I hear the struggles of guys from Ukraine and how they feel about what is going on in their country. [Recently] there was a big buzz about the Manny Pacquio vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match. I believe that regardless of what the conversation is about, the most important thing [for the crew] is contact with a new face that is not there for business. The seafarers see ship agents, owners, port state control, etc all the time. The Mission is the only organisation that is solely there to say hello and care for their pastoral and spiritual wellbeing. How else do you help the seafarers? When a ship comes into Hong Kong, [it] is only there for 24 hours [at
Inaugurating the new sea-going motor launch Dayspring.
most]. If a ship [arrives] at 1am, the seafarer has virtually no time to come ashore. That is where the Mission comes in. I bring newspapers and phone cards to the guys. I have had seafarers tell me it’s like Christmas when I come on board. Considering very few ships have reliable wi-fi, the Internet cards are essential for being able to contact their families at home. Can you tell us about Dayspring? In February the Mission in Hong Kong launched a new boat named Dayspring. The name is very symbolic for the work of the Mission. Luke 1.78-79 talks about the dayspring
THE MISSION TO SEAFARERS
Bringing fellowship and light to seafarers today.
THE MISSION TO SEAFARERS
The Mission in Hong Kong has been providing a launch to visit ships at anchor since 1891 Source: The Mission to Seafarers
from on high bringing light to the darkness. I believe that this truly sums up what the Mission does and stands for. Dayspring is much faster than the previous launch and lets us get to more ships in the anchorage, and to ships that are anchored further out. What are your lasting impressions of The Mission to Seafarers? The Mission to Seafarers has transformed my life, and I see it transform the lives of those at sea on a daily basis. I am forever grateful to the Mission and especially to the Revd Canon Stephen Miller and the rest of The Mission to Seafarers staff here in Hong Kong. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to experience everything that I have over the past year – and those at sea who need support in Hong Kong would have a much harder time. Volunteering for the Mission was one of the best decisions I have made and I hope there are many that follow in my footsteps. Interview by The Mission to Seafarers. This article first appeared in Flying Angels News.
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past , present and future
LYNETTE WILSON/ENS
The Brazilian Book of Common Prayer is introduced during IEAB’s 125th anniversary celebrations in June.
When the mission-ees become the mission-ers The Episcopal Anglican Church in Brazil at 125 is bringing an alternative vision for being church in South America’s largest country by lynette wilson
FOR 125 YEARS the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil has been rooted in mission. What began as a mission church of US-based The Episcopal Church (TEC) has expanded over
“We understand the gospel shouldn’t be proclaimed just as salvation of the soul, but as the whole being.” 18
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a century and a quarter into indigenous mission fields in the remote corners of the largest country in South America. For Archbishop Francisco de Assis da Silva, it is important to celebrate this milestone. “It is imperative that the history and memories of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil are kept alive. [We want to] give thanksgivings for the dedication and devotion of many generations and to make visible the Anglican presence in Brazil.” In 1890, two missionaries from Virginia Theological Seminary, Lucien Lee Kinsolving and James
Watson Morris, felt called to establish a church presence in Brazil in the southern city of Porto Alegre, where today the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity is located. Three additional Episcopal missionaries came to Brazil in 1891 and established new missions in Santa Rita do Rio dos Sinos, Rio Grande and Pelotas, says da Silva, who has been the Church’s Primate since 2013. The Church of England had established expatriate chaplaincies in 1810, when Brazil was still a Portuguese colony. Later, after independence and the official separation of church and Æ
IEAB
Æ
state in 1889, it sent missionaries. Still, the bonds of affection are strongest with TEC since the mission field established in 1890 by Kinsolving and Watson remained part of the US-based church until the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil - Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil (IEAB) - became an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion in 1965. “These missionaries came to work with the Brazilians, unlike the British that came to work with their own,” says the Revd Arthur Cavalcante, the Church’s Provincial Secretary. Following autonomy, IEAB began to feel isolated despite its strong connection to TEC, so in 1990, at the time of IEAB’s centennial celebration, its Primate and TEC’s Presiding Bishop agreed to work at re-connecting and encouraging partnerships and companion relationships between the two churches. “No Church lives in isolation,” says the Revd Glenda McQueen, officer for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (the corporate and legal entity of TEC), adding that IEAB presents an opportunity for partnerships. Being a young province of the Anglican Communion, IEAB’s energy and abundant life serve not only as an example for others, but as an opportunity to be reenergized, to learn and to grow, and to share that energy, she says. TEC continues to send
IEAB National Congress in 1960.
Laying the cathedral cornerstone, 1906
IEAB
missionaries to Brazil through church appointments and the Young Adult Service Corps. There are a number of diocesan companion links as well. In addition to seeking partnerships with TEC, IEAB has been a driving force behind the emergence of a Lusophone network bringing together Portuguese-speaking churches in the Anglican Communion, including those from Angola, Mozambique and Portugal, as well as IEAB. “One hundred and twenty-five years after the missionaries came, Brazil is still very much a land of mission,” says Cavalcante. The country is enormous, he says, and missionaries are needed in areas like remote Amazonia where the church is underrepresented. Despite having one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade, Brazil
IEAB
has one of the highest rates of income inequality globally. IEAB sees this as an opportunity for mission as well. It preaches a social gospel aimed at engaging congregations and communities in conversations still considered taboo in certain circles. Access to land and affordable housing; high levels of domestic violence, racism and homophobia; discrimination and exploitation of migrants working in the informal economy: these are all issues not necessarily talked about in polite company, but are problems that the church is addressing. “We understand that the gospel shouldn’t be proclaimed just as salvation of the soul, but as the whole being,” says Rio de Janeiro Bishop Filadelfo Oliveira Neto. The church is initiating conversations aimed at addressing the epidemic problem of violence against women and is standing with indigenous people and the landless rural workers movement, for example. Cavalcante says IEAB is a minority church that has developed its own identity. “The Anglican Church is a place where you can have an alternative vision for how to be and what is church.” This story appeared in expanded format in the Episcopal News Service. Lynette Wilson is an editor and reporter for ENS.
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Indigenous ministry in Guaraní village
past , present and future
DIOCESE OF NAMIREMBE
Maama Faith at Kanani’s grand opening. Diners in Kanani Restaurant.
DIOCESE OF NAMIREMBE
Feeding people God’s way ANYONE LIVING, WORKING or visiting Namirembe Hill in Kampala, Uganda – home of the Anglican Provincial, Diocesan and Mothers’ Union offices, St Paul’s Cathedral, and the Anglican Church of Congo office, to name just a few – now has a new lunch spot: Kanani Restaurant. The eatery is the brainchild of Maama Faith Luwalira, wife of Bishop of Namirembe Wilberforce Luwalira. Situated on the roof of the Namirembe Diocesan offices
DIOCESE OF NAMIREMBE
Business evangelism.
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in previously unused space the restaurant offers pleasant surroundings and delicious food – with a difference. Maama Faith’s aim is to provide not only good food but also a place where people can relax and find space in their busy lives to take time out to be still and to pray. And she wants the restaurant to be a place where groups, from the Church or elsewhere, can meet to share a meal together. Kanani Restaurant has a further ministry. It is giving unemployed young people and senior high school students a chance to gain valuable work experience in the hospitality industry. With youth unemployment in Uganda running at over 50%, to be able to provide employment experience for youth is a very important contribution by the Church. This is “business evangelism”, according to Bishop Wilberforce. For him Kanani Restaurant is part of the Diocese’s efforts to fulfil the Great Commission to “make disciples of all nations”. “In the Gospel of Mark Jesus used seven loaves and some fish
to feed 5000 people. In Namirembe Diocese God has given us this space which Maama Faith and others are using in ministry,” he announced at the restaurant’s grand opening. Bishop Wilberforce says that the restaurant is feeding people God’s way by feeding the body and ministering to the soul. He hopes that people will be drawn to Christ through the services the restaurant offers. Maama Faith sees the restaurant as one way to support her ministry as the wife of the bishop and in particular to ensure a sustainable basis for this work both now and into the future. “We pray that it will provide income to enable the extension of women’s work in the diocese, particularly that which is expected from the wife of the bishop.” At present, this work has no budgeted support, so Maama Faith and the women of the diocese are praying that God will bless them as they go forward in faith in this “business evangelism” venture as they build the Kingdom, one chapati at a time. SHUTTERSTOCK
by namirembe diocese staff
past , present and future
Course of study:
Evangelist-in-training Evangelist-in-training Beatrice Kiden Alex (front right).
DIOCESE OF KAJO-KEJI
How South Sudanese youth are preparing to lead the youngest members of their communities to Christ by beatrice kiden alex
WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED as a child, you will keep with you and remember. I was only 11–12 years old when I was already leading Sunday School in Khartoum (Sudan), where I lived at that time. It is so important that we share the Good News with young children because when you are young, you can still change easily. That is why I like the training courses of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in South Sudan so much. For three years now I have attended the Christian Youth In Action training (CYIA) and next year I will do the last level and graduate. This training helps teenagers to do children’s evangelism and I have learned so much through CYIA. This training changes the lives of teenagers. It has changed my
lifestyle; I see a great difference in me. CYIA challenges teenagers to join so that we can impact the lives of the children in South Sudan. During and after CYIA I have been involved in children’s rallies, children’s camps and the 5-dayclubs for children. Through CYIA I know how to communicate with children, how to run the clubs and how to lead them to Christ. I have also learned more about how to be a leader. This has made me stronger. I like that CEF is an organisation that works with a lot of different churches. It doesn’t matter which church we belong to, we share together and work in unity. Whether you are Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal or Catholic; during CYIA we become one body. We as Episcopal Church in South Sudan can learn a lot from the ministry of CEF. I see that in many parishes children are neglected.
Children’s club.
DIOCESE OF KAJO-KEJI
When it is time for preaching, they chase the children outside to play by themselves. As if the Gospel is not for them! Jesus taught us differently. He called the children to himself and blessed them. We should do the same. In the parishes where they have Sunday School, the teachers often don’t know very well how to teach. That is why the CYIA training is so important. There is still so much work to be done in our country. CEF South Sudan is still small and my dream is to help build up the children’s ministry in our church and in our country. CEF is an independent organisation but works closely with the Diocese of Kajo-Keji.
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f e at u r e
CHURCH OF IRELAND
“Come and Sing” roadshow in the Diocese of Derry.
The power of song On tour with the new Church of Ireland hymnal supplement by peter thompson
SHUTTERSTOCK
AUGUSTINE IS OFTEN quoted as saying, “He who sings prays twice”. I think this is true for two reasons. Firstly, singing is deliberate and intentional, and involves not just the mind and the lips, but the whole body through posture, breath control and so on. Secondly, singing has a power to impart words to the mind and soul, which, to quote St Paul, allows the word of Christ to dwell in us richly. To put it rather bluntly, while it is not uncommon to hear worshippers humming a hymn tune as they leave church, it is much less common to hear them quoting the sermon – unless there was something controversial said with which they disagree! Through music, words become embedded into our minds and hearts, and create a repository of devotion for us to draw on. I would almost be afraid to speculate how much of our doctrine and theology is imbibed through the hymns we sing. It certainly places an immense responsibility on the person
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Through music, words become embedded into our minds and hearts, and create a repository of devotion for us to draw on.
responsible for choosing the hymns. It is now 20 years since a committee was called together to produce a new edition of the Church [of Ireland] Hymnal. During that time many new hymns have been written and popularised, and some older hymns have returned to regular use. Now there is Thanks & Praise, a hymnal supplement that looks to bridge this musical gap. The collection of 227 hymns, songs and liturgical settings gives parishes and congregations another resource
they can use to offer the best they can in worship to God through song. Some songs are new compositions which deserve to become more popular. Some have been written by members of the Church of Ireland to continue a tradition of hymn-writing which began in the days of St Patrick. There is a special emphasis on music for children and young people. A Companion gives the stories behind the hymns, and there is an enlarged Sing to the Word, a guide to choosing appropriate hymns for each Sunday. Thanks & Praise has gone on tour during May, June and July with “Come and Sing” roadshows offering local parishes and congregations a sneak peek, listen and sing before the hymnal supplement launches officially in September. The Revd Dr Peter Thompson is Secretary to the Church of Ireland Liturgical Advisory Committee’s ‘Thanks and Praise’ sub-committee. Visit www.ireland.anglican.org/ hymnalsupplement to sample the new worship resource.
the last word
What’s in a name? On (compass) roses, koinonia, and the gift of communion ACO
Anglican Consultative Council 15 in Auckland, New Zealand.
b y j o h n g i b au t
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”? Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare WOULD THE ANGLICAN Communion—and our Compass Rose—smell as sweet if we were a “Federation” or “Association”? What is in the name “Communion” that shapes who we are, and informs our mission as a global church? First, it lies deep within the biblical vision of the Church as koinonia, the Greek for communion. Since koinonia is translated by several words, its significance is easy to miss. When Paul speaks of “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor 13.13), the Greek says koinonia. The sign of reconciliation, the “right hand of fellowship” (Gal 2.7-10) is also koinonia. Paul’s “collection” for the poor in Jerusalem is a koinonia (1 Cor 16.1). The Lord’s Supper as a “sharing” in the body and the blood of Christ (1 Cor 10.16-17) is again koinonia.
Anglicans around the world are studying the World Council of Churches’ report, The Church: Towards a Common Vision, a fresh expression of the Church as koinonia. It begins, “Communion, whose source is the very life of the Holy Trinity, is both the gift by which the Church lives and, at the same time, the gift that God calls the Church to offer to a wounded and divided humanity in hope of reconciliation and healing.” Overflowing from the communion of love within the Trinity, this communion is irreversibly restored in the paschal mystery of Christ. The sign and the servant of communion is the Church, as we engage together in mission, reconciliation, justice and peace, and mutual accountability, and as we pray for one another, support one another in times of need, and receive Holy Communion together. Most of us are drawn to communities of similar language, culture, politics, or education. In the Church those similarities can be theological conviction,
liturgical practice, piety, or moral discernment. The Church, however, is to be more than a community of similarity; in the New Testament it is a koinonia, a communion in unity, diversity and even disagreement. Whenever Christians are unable to agree with one another, yet choose communion, refusing to say “I have no need of you” (1 Cor 12.21), we proclaim that what binds us together is unshakeable. Costly communion witnesses to the One through whom God was pleased to reconcile all things by making peace through the blood of his cross (Col 1.20). Canon John Gibaut is Director for Unity, Faith and Order of the Anglican Communion. The Church: Towards a Common Vision is available at http://bit.ly/1MkpFwW.
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