Anglican World issue 149 (August 2018) by Anglican Communion Office

Anglican

WORLD MAGAZINE OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION • ISSUE 149 • AUGUST 2018

A message of love How Presiding Bishop Michael Curry stole the show at Britain’s royal wedding

Extended short-term mission The one-year mission placement that led to 25 years of service

Structural changes Chile set to become 40th Province of the Anglican Communion anglican world issue 149 AUGUST 2018

e d i to r i a l

Growth, service and authority in our international family I am working on a new publication about polity across the Anglican Communion. It is instructive to see how authority is expressed and understood in different ways across our 39 Provinces. I believe it is vital for Anglicans and Episcopalians to be more informed about this issue because where there is less understanding, there is more suspicion. These differences should not be something that divide us because, for all of the variety that exists at every level of our global family, there are key truths that are universal: truths such as the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the Holy Trinity; the grace of Jesus which offers a new life to those who put their faith in Him and the sovereignty of God the Father, to name just a few. As I write, I am preparing to travel to Chile. It is a trip I am very excited about. I am part of a fact-finding delegation led by the chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, Archbishop Paul Kwong. We will be examining the Anglican Church there and consider whether it is ready to become a separate Province. It is currently part of the Province of South America. It is my second visit to Chile. It has been wonderful to see how the Church is thriving in this beautiful land and I am looking forward to meeting clergy and laity and hearing how God is blessing them. If Chile is given the go-ahead, it will become our 40th Province. You can read more about Chile in this edition of Anglican World. There will be also be information about the visit on our daily news service, ACNS, at anglicannews.org. The Communion was well represented when the Commonwealth Heads of Government met in London earlier this year and we have Our lives as Christians can take details of events that took place in the margins as well as an interesting assessment of the two organisations from the former BBC Religious us in unexpected directions Affairs correspondent, Mike Wooldridge. We also have a different and unlikely places. take on another international event: the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and how it caused our computer system to crash! And there’s the more personal story of a young woman who went on a short term mission trip to Brazil and ended up staying 25 years. Ruth de Barros reflects how her life hasn’t run quite how she expected – but she’s very happy with how God led her. Our lives as Christians can take us in unexpected directions and unlikely places. But we can be sure that the Lord God has his hand on us whether we are preaching at wedding watched by tens of millions or quietly ministering to the destitute. You will see from the Last Word column, written by our Director for Communications, Adrian Butcher, that changes are planned for Anglican World. The next edition, due out in October, will be last as a quarterly, paid-for publication. Next year it will be re-launched as an online, annual report which will be free to download from the Anglican Communion and Anglican News websites. I want to thank you for your continued support for the magazine over the years and to assure you that any outstanding subscriptions will be returned. I look forward to seeing the new Anglican World when it emerges in mid-2019.

Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon Secretary General of the Anglican Communion PS: We’re very sorry that technical issues delayed this edition of Anglican World. 2

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contents

Anglican

world Inside this issue ISSUE 149 AUGUST 2018

Published by The Anglican Consultative Council St Andrew’s House 16 Tavistock Crescent London W11 1AP United Kingdom Registered Charity 7311767 Tel +44 20 7313 3900 Fax +44 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 Anglicans and Episcopalians in 39 provinces and more than 165 countries President The Archbishop of Canterbury Secretary General The Most Revd Josiah Idowu-Fearon Editor Gavin Drake Executive Editor Adrian Butcher Editorial Assistant Amelia Brown Any comments, questions or contributions should be sent to the editor: news@anglicancommunion.org Design and Layout Marcus Thomas e-mail marcust@orcon.net.nz Printed by CPO, Garcia Estate, Canterbury Road, Worthing, W. Sussex BN13 1BW 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.

¢ EDITORIAL

Archbishop Josiah on changes in the Communion 2

Anglican

WORLD MAGAZINE OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION • ISSUE 149 • JULY 2018

¢ COMMUNION NEWS

The latest updates from the Anglican Communion 4 ¢ NETWORK BRIEFING

Introducing the work of the Anglican Communion Environmental Network 7

A message of love How Presiding Bishop Michael Curry stole the show at Britain’s royal wedding

Extended short-term mission The one-year mission placement that led to 25-years of service

Challenging boundaries How the Diocese of Jerusalem supports Palestinian children with disabilities

¢ FEATURE

anglican world issue 149 JULY 2018

How one woman’s gap year mission placement led to 25 years and a new family in Brazil 8 ¢ FEATURE

What did the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting achieve 11

Cover photo Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle after their royal wedding ceremony on 19 May. Neil Hall / Pool via Reuters

¢ FEATURE

The similarities between the Anglican Communion and the Commonwealth of Nations 12 ¢ COVER STORY

How the Presiding Bishop of the US-based Episcopal Church stole the show at Britain’s royal wedding 14 ¢ FOLLOW US

¢ HONG KONG AT TWENTY

Celebrating 20 years of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui 22 ¢ (ALMOST) THE LAST WORD

The Anglican Communion’s Director for Communications on the future for Anglican World magazine 24

Changes to our social media accounts 17 ¢ PROVINCE PROFILES

The Episcopal Church in the Philippines and the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia 18 ¢ ANGLICAN COMMUNION MOVES

Chile set to become independent province

Victoria Escobar Reszczynski / Diocese of Chile

Bishops from across South America at the consecration of two new bishops Enrique Lago Zugadi and Samuel Morrison Munro, who will serve as Bishops of the new dioceses of Concepcion and Valparaiso in the proposed new Anglican Province of Chile.

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communion news

a o t e a r o a , n e w z e a l a n d a n d p o ly n e s i a

ARCHBISHOP WINSTON HALAPUA TO RETIRE THE Bishop of Polynesia, one of three Primates in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, is to retire at the end of August. Bishop Winston Halapua, currently the Archbishop for the Tikanga Pasefika, one of three equal-status cultural streams in the Province, will take on a year-long chaplaincy at the Church of England’s Westcott House theological college in Cambridge. Ahead of his retirement, 73-year-old Archbishop Winston has been taking part in a series of farewell events in the seven archdeaconries across the diocese: Suva, Viti Levu West, Vanua Levu and Taveuni, Tonga, Samoa and American Samoa, and in the Diocese of Polynesia in New Zealand. In recognition of his 52 years of service in ordained ministry in the diocese, the provincial General Synod’s Standing Committee has

Archbishop Winston pronounces the blessing after a farewell service in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Suva. He is flanked by the two other Primates of the Province: Archbishops Don Tamihere (left) and Philip Richardson. Trevor Whippy / Taonga News

conferred on him the title and status of Archbishop Emeritus. An electoral college will meet in the Fijian capital Suva on 26 and 27 October to nominate a successor diocesan Bishop of Polynesia and Archbishop of the Province. If approved by the House of Bishops and members of the General Synod, the nominee will be announced

shortly afterwards. The new Bishop and Primate will be installed – and, if necessary, consecrated – in Holy Trinity Cathedral, in Suva, on 9 December. Archbishop Don Tamihere, recently installed as the Primate with responsibility for Tikanga Maori, will provide oversight for the diocese until the new Archbishop is installed.

central america

BISHOP JULIO INSTALLED AS PRIMATE OF CENTRAL AMERICA and Costa Rica are two of the Province’s five dioceses, alongside El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. In an interview with the Anglican Communion News Service following his election, Bishop Julio spoke of his surprise and delight at being chosen for the role and said he thanked God for the opportunity to serve as the Province’s “chief pastor” and pledged to continue what he called “kingdom business” across the province. Bishop of Panama, Julio Murray.

THE Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America – the Anglican Church in the Central America region – has elected the Bishop of Panama, Julio Murray, as its next Primate. Bishop Julio will be installed during a service in 4

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Panama on Saturday 11 August and will continue to serve as Bishop of Panama. He will relinquish his role as interim-Bishop of Costa Rica once Orlando Gomez, who was elected on 21 July, is consecrated. Panama

“It is important to continue to empower young people, women, men as disciples of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. “We have been a people of hope and we are not going to stop ... because the kingdom business is here to stay. And we want to be prepared, as disciples, to make our contribution as disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Get daily updates at anglicannews.org

south america

POPE FRANCIS VISITS THE ECUMENICAL CENTRE IN SWITZERLAND THE Pope visited the Ecumenical Centre in Switzerland, the headquarters of the global ecumenical group the World Council of Churches, in June as part of a year of events to mark the 70th anniversary of an organisation which includes most Anglican Provinces. Welcoming the Pope to the Ecumenical Centre, the Moderator of the WCC’s Central Committee, Dr Agnes Abuom from the Anglican Church of Kenya, said: “Your presence is a sign of hope and encouragement to the WCC member churches and to many people of good will worldwide. Your visit here at the Ecumenical Centre shows that the churches’ commitment to unity for the sake of all humanity and all of God’s creation is alive and strong.” Pope Francis used his address to

Pope Francis chats with Dr Agnes Abuom during a Papal visit to the Ecumenical Centre in Bogis-Bossey. The General Secretary of the WCC, the Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, is also pictured Peter Williams / WCC

praise the work of “all those who went before us” to pave the way for 70 years of ecumenical endeavour. “It does not quantify justice, but serves as the measure of a charity capable of infinite forgiveness,” he said. “After centuries of conflict, that charity now allows us to come together as brothers and sisters, at peace and full of gratitude to God our Father.”

He said that the pioneers of the ecumenical movement had chosen “the path of forgiveness and sparing no effort to respond to the Lord’s will ‘that all may be one’. Out of heartfelt love for Jesus, they did not allow themselves to be mired in disagreements, but instead looked courageously to the future, believing in unity and breaking down barriers of suspicion and of fear.”

cuba

EXTRA-PROVINCIAL DIOCESE OF CUBA SET TO REJOIN US-BASED EPISCOPAL CHURCH THE Diocese of Cuba, which has existed outside any formal Anglican Province for five decades, is to re-join the US-based Episcopal Church (TEC). The diocese was created in 1901 as a missionary diocese of TEC; but in 1967, following the Cuban Revolution of 1959, it became independent as relations between Cuba and the US worsened, making travel and communications between the two countries difficult. Other extra-provincial dioceses in the Anglican Communion are under the Metropolitical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but in Cuba, local leadership was maintained with the creation of a Metropolitan Council, comprising the Primates of the TEC, the West Indies and the Church of Canada, who acted as Council chair. In 2015, the US and Cuba re-established diplomatic relations and two months later, Cuban Synod passed a resolution calling on it to take steps to return to TEC. In July, at its General Convention, TEC voted unanimously in both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies – which includes clergy and laity – to readmit Cuba as a full diocese in TEC’s Province II, which includes New York, New Jersey, Haiti and the Virgin Islands, once the agreed administrative and canonical requirements have been met.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves of the Diocese of El Camino Real congratulate Bishop Griselda Delgado del Carpio of Cuba (centre) after the House of Bishops’ unanimous vote to welcome Cuba back into the Episcopal Church. David Paulsen / Episcopal News Service

The next step will take place in February 2019, when Cuba’s Synod will meet to approve its new constitution as a member of TEC and to adopt TEC’s Canons. Following that, it will be admitted to TEC once its Executive Committee confirms that all the requirements have been met. anglican world issue 149 AUGUST 2018

network briefing

Network Briefing: The Anglican Communion Environmental Network THE climate crisis and its attendant environmental disasters, severe weather events, displacements of whole communities, and even conflict, mean that it is more important than ever for Anglicans to network around the many implications of the Fifth Mark of Mission, “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth”. The Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN) connects many thousands of faithful and concerned people around the Communion to enable the sharing of experience, knowledge and resources of all kinds – theological, liturgical

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and practical. As well as this, the Network effectively provides a space where voices can be gathered for advocacy for sustainable development, renewable energy, and the greening of churches and lifestyles. We are constantly learning from one another. There are many creative Anglican initiatives to inspire and give us hope. For example, Anglicans in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo have shown us how vital it is to galvanise and support young people in the care of creation so they understand it as integral to their discipleship. The united

We are constantly learning from one another. There are many creative Anglican initiatives to inspire and give us hope. Church of South India has begun an ambitious multi-faceted project to embed a theological approach to sustainability throughout its life, witness and social outreach. Indigenous Anglicans in North and South America and the Pacific have contributed valuable insights

This Peruvian community is able to grow crops in the desert after learning how to re-use water used for for washing.

which have encouraged us to reconnect to the earth under our feet and to all God’s creation. ACEN was formally established as a network of the Anglican Communion during the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Hong Kong in 2002. The stated aims of the Network focus on sharing best practice and resources, promoting policies and resolutions concerning the environment and climate justice emerging from provincial decision-making bodies and the Communion’s instruments of Unity; lifting up marginalised voices; and providing opportunities for Anglicans to meet. ACEN reports to the Anglican Consultative Council and has helped to shape resolutions passed by that body. Realising the importance of connecting bishops whose dioceses are severely affected by environmental degradation and climate change, ACEN convened an international gathering of “EcoBishops” in 2015. At the end of their meeting the bishops called all Anglicans to prayer and to pastoral, priestly and prophetic action for climate justice. You can download “The World is Our Host” in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese

from our website. Since then, ACEN has assisted a regional gathering of bishops in South America and a further EcoBishops’ meeting is planned for part of Africa later this year. ACEN also ensures that Anglicans are networking with other church and faith traditions through movements and coalitions such as the Global Catholic Climate Network, the World Council of Churches and Green Faith. With ecumenical partners we promote the annual Season for Creation and Lenten carbon fasts which have gone a long way to bringing creation care into the prayer and life of our churches. The Network has an international steering group which meets regularly via an on-line conferencing and is chaired by the Bishop of Swaziland, Ellinah Wamukoya. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is the Network’s patron. We encourage every Province to nominate a formal representative to the Network who is active in environmental issues. These representatives serve as a conduit for information within the Network and in their own Provinces. Beyond formal representation,

We have one common home and that home is under threat.

all Anglicans are welcome to join ACEN and be part of this vital mechanism for relationshipbuilding and sharing information and good news stories. Simply email Rachel Mash – rmash@ mweb.co.za – or sign-up for ACEN newsletters through our website. Social media has given ACEN more opportunities to share information. Our Facebook page “Green Anglicans” networks nearly 29,000 people who share stories ranging from tree planting and recycling to church divestments from fossil fuels and installations of solar panels. We also use Twitter and Instagram. We have one common home and that home is under threat. Together we are called to be keepers of the earth (Genesis 2.15) and we look constantly to God who is Creator and Redeemer to guide and renew our efforts. • acen.anglicancommunion.org • seasonofcreation.org

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f e at u r e

Falling in love with – and in – Brazil Leah Gordon / USPG

Ruth de Barros at St Jose da Pedras Church Pratinha favela, Belem, Diocese of Amazon, Brazil.

When Ruth de Barros went to Brazil on a short-term mission placement, she was told: “You’re going to fall in love with Brazil, and Brazil is going to fall in love with you.” Now, having served for 25 years as a missionary, a community organiser, a faith-leader, a wife and mother, she reflects on those words in an interview with Amelia Brown. During her quarter-century in Brazil she taught English, fell in love, ministered to prostitutes, got married, created community centres, started classes, ministered in the Amazon, and raised her son.

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RUTH’S story starts in her early 20s, in a jazz bar in England. Raised as a nominal Roman Catholic, Ruth’s faith had faded. She couldn’t see where people of faith impacted or understood the real world. This particular night, she found herself chatting with someone who she was shocked to learn was a Christian. After assuring her that it was perfectly normal to be a Christian, have a drink and listen to jazz, he went on to invite her to his Anglican parish church. “So I agreed to go to his church,” Ruth recalled. “It was so open and so welcoming that I thought ‘this is the family I want to be a part of.’ And that’s why I decided I wanted to do something more for the Church.” Faith rekindled, Ruth looked for ways to share it. “I decided to go to Brazil because I had recently come back to the Church after being away for a long time and I wanted to do something useful in mission. I

I wanted to do something useful in mission. I didn’t want to just go to church on Sundays; I wanted to do something meaningful.

didn’t want to just go to church on Sundays; I wanted to do something meaningful.” With that in mind, she signed up with the mission agency, USPG. In October 1992, Ruth found herself serving in Porto Alegre, in the Southern Diocese of the Episcopal Church of Brazil. She started out teaching English in the seminary. Quickly, Ruth’s colleagues realised

Ruth de Barros in Pratinha favela, Belem, Diocese of Amazon, Brazil. Leah Gordon / USPG

that her heart longed to be outside, working in the community. She joined a ministry to prostitutes, providing health appointments and helping them apply for ID cards. “Basically we supported them. These women suffer a lot of violence from the police and the public. It’s a lot of abuse ... It’s the kind of job that’s never going to go out. It’s been with us for years and these women need to be treated a little better, with a little more respect.” After nine months in Brazil, USPG and the Church in Brazil invited Ruth to extend her mission. Her immediate excitement made staying an obvious choice. So for another year, Ruth ministered in Porto Alegre, putting down deeper and deeper roots in Brazil, including marrying Saulo de Barros. Saulo met Ruth when she was teaching English, during her first weeks in Brazil. A few years later they would have their son, Thomas. One of the people who invited Ruth to extend her stay was the Bishop of the South Western Diocese, in Santa Maria, who hired

her a year later to run her choice of community development projects. “I picked the one that was more challenging, because I love a challenge,” Ruth explained. Indeed, the project was a challenge. It encompassed an organic garden and a community bakery, offering employment opportunities. The facility also was home to a school and nursery, as well as literacy classes for adults. In her sparetime, Ruth worked on a suicide prevention hotline, gave English lessons, and sang in the local church choir. “Saulo had to remind me that I still had a husband at home,” Ruth laughed. In 2000, the family relocated to Olinda in the Diocese of Reclife. Two years later Ruth, Saulo, and their young son Thomas, relocated again to the Amazon, to a community called Belém. They stayed there for the next 15 years. It was during this time that Ruth learned some of her most important lessons: to slow down and to let go. “I’ve always been that person who thinks ‘Oh! I’ve got to do this, I’m the missionary, I’m being paid,

I’ve always been that person who thinks ‘Oh! I’ve got to do this, I’m the missionary, I’m being paid, I’ve got to do everything!’ But I’ve learned that isn’t so good. I’ve got to do everything!’ But I’ve learned that isn’t so good. I think one of the major lessons I learned was to hold back and listen more; and to just be with people rather than doing everything.” She was candid about the struggles they faced in their ministry: how Saulo was one priest responsible for five-to-six parishes, about the poverty facing the communities in the Amazon, and about the sheer distance between communities. In 2005, Saulo became the first

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Ruth de Barros, talks to people in Maria Ribeira, a quilombo (ex-slave settlement) along a tributary off the River Amazon, Diocese of Amazon, Brazil. Leah Gordon / USPG

Bishop of the newly organised Diocese of the Amazon, and these problems became more poignant. The distance between parishes could be thousands of miles, demanding a week of travel on the river. Diocesan clergy were stretched thin. Communities struggled with development, literacy, and medical support. But Ruth and Saulo also saw change occur under their watch. Over time a few more clergy arrived. A course that

When things were really difficult I often wondered and used to say to God ‘Do you want me to stay and carry on here?’

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Ruth began in 2013, facilitating discussions on topical issues such as racism, chauvinism, and leaderships skills, expanded into Río, and continues on to this day. Ruth is just as honest about the challenges she personally faced, particularly as her mother grew ill with Parkinson’s over time and she herself was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005. “It strengthened my faith, I think. I mean, yes. At times it was wavering. When things were really difficult I often wondered and used to say to God ‘Do you want me to stay and carry on here?’” In the face of these challenges she found strength in family, both family in the UK and in Brazil. “We know that you love your mother and that you want to be with her, but we would be so sad if you left!” the people would cry. Her family’s support of her work in Brazil, and the kinship created with the congregations there gave Ruth the resolve to continue.

Ruth saw surviving cancer as an ultimate sign that she wasn’t done with Brazil and Brazil wasn’t done with her. “Because He saved me and I was still alive, it meant I still needed to do things to appreciate the fact that He saved me.” Eventually, after facing the increasing violence in the Amazon, Ruth de Barros and her family decided to relocate to the United Kingdom. Today, Ruth and her son Thomas live in England, where Thomas works in a coffee shop and Ruth adjusts to their new life. Both mother and son await for Saulo’s arrival once visa details are smoothed out. In a final recollection, Ruth shared that she used to keep a diary. In one entry, shortly after arriving in Brazil, she wrote “I’m delighted to be here, but I would never actually live here.” She laughed as she remembered and commented “It wasn’t where I expected my life to go. I’m quite glad it did though! I don’t regret a single moment of it.”

f e at u r e

Scenes from the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) including (main photo) Bishop Ellinah Ntfombi Wamukoya of Swaziland addressing the Commonwealth Women’s Forum and (top right) some of the participants in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s high-level round-table discussion on freedom of religion or belief. Commonwealth Secretariat / Lambeth Palace

THE Commonwealth of Nations, formerly known as The British Commonwealth, is a collection of 53 independent nations who share common values and bonds of affection. The Commonwealth developed in response to the collapse of the British Empire, as former colonies gaining independence sought to maintain informal links with Britain and with each other. But now membership is open to countries that were never part of the Empire, but who share the values that the Commonwealth espouses. The vast majority of Anglican Communion Provinces include territory that is part of the Commonwealth. Earlier this year the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) took place in London. Alongside the formal meeting, there were four official forums as well as a larger number of closely-linked roundtables and other meetings. The Anglican Communion was represented at the official youth and women’s forums; and the Archbishop of Canterbury hosted a high-level round-table on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB); and a meeting of business leaders. Some 40 senior religious leaders, parliamentarians and academics from 11 Commonwealth countries took part in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s two-day FoRB

Anglicans at CHOGM meeting at Lambeth Palace, which was organised in partnership with the Commonwealth Initiative on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Participants explored the theme of “Majority and minority in context” and discussed the need for faith communities and governments to engage more consistently with the international legal framework for FoRB. During the meeting, it was agreed that faith communities must advocate the same global standards on religious freedom when they are the majority in one country as when they are a minority in another country. In the official Women’s Forum, the Bishop of Swaziland, Ellinah Ntfombi Wamukoya, explained the role faith communities can play in targeting gender-based violence in communities across the world. “As a faith leader you are considered as a person of high moral authority and we are in every community,” she said. “So I say as faith leaders it is incumbent and it is upon us . . . that we be the people that will

influence the thinking, attitudes and behaviour.” The Commonwealth leaders made agreements in the areas of intra-Commonwealth trade and investment, cyber-security, the environment, discrimination and the protection of women’s rights. Queen Elizabeth II, who hosted the leaders at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, has served as Head of the Commonwealth for 66 years. At this year’s meeting, the Commonwealth confirmed that she will be succeeded by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, when she steps down. During the meeting, Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May paid tribute to the Queen’s “vision, duty, steadfast service and nurturing growth of the Commonwealth” in across almost seven decades. The next CHOHM meeting will take place in Rwanda in 2020. Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009, becoming only the second country that had not been part of the British Empire to join. The 2020 CHOGM will be the first to be held in such a country.

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The Commonwealth and the Communion The BBC’s former religion and world affairs correspondent, Mike Wooldridge, offers a personal reflection on the Commonwealth of Nations and its relationship with the global Anglican Communion. WHEN I first reported on a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting – in Zambia in 1979 – events in southern Africa were very much at the top of the Commonwealth’s agenda. White-ruled Rhodesia was shortly to become Zimbabwe. But in South Africa apartheid was still deeply entrenched and unrest was increasing.

Mike Woodridge

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Global institutions were increasingly drawn into the region’s turbulent politics. Then General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, Desmond Tutu, was already becoming the most instantly recognisable face of the worldwide Anglican Church as he and other faith leaders bore witness to what was happening in South Africa’s troubled townships. From the front lines – and often not without controversy – they sought to influence global action on South Africa. Across the similar territorial footprints of the Anglican Communion and the Commonwealth, shared values were tested. Frustration grew. When Nelson Mandela was released in February 1990 after 27 years in prison, he spent his first night of freedom at Desmond Tutu’s official residence as Archbishop of Cape Town. I was among the journalists on the lawn at Bishopscourt the following morning who watched him emerge alongside the Archbishop and call, among other things, for reconciliation.

Above: The flags of the Commonwealth nations carried by members of Britain’s armed forces as part of the ceremonial events at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Commonwealth Secretariat

Apartheid’s death throes were prolonged but four years later South Africa elected its first black president and returned to the Commonwealth. And Commonwealth summits moved on to other preoccupations. Key issues at the London CHOGM this April included refugees and migrants, human trafficking, countering violent extremism, cyber security, trade protectionism, youth employment, vulnerability to climate change and pollution of the oceans. There is much more, of course, to the Commonwealth than its CHOGMs, just as there is more to the Anglican Communion than its Lambeth Conferences. One annual event which for many years has brought together Church and Commonwealth in an atmosphere of celebration, joy and reflection is the Commonwealth Service which takes place in Westminster Abbey in the presence of the Queen and other members of the Royal Family and with the participation of representatives

Dancers from the Commonwealth perform “In Unity” as part of a procession to mark the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Commonwealth Secretariat

of other faiths as well as other Christian denominations. Mozambique and Rwanda – both within the Anglican Communion fold – have both in recent times become members of the Commonwealth now that it has loosened the requirement of having had constitutional ties to the United Kingdom. A few months after the Rwandan genocide of 1994, I went to Rwanda to report on a visit by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey. In and around churches we saw corpses left where people had died – people who had sought refuge in the hope of escaping the frenzied killers. Some Rwandan church figures had been accused of complicity in the genocide. Dr Carey said the Church should have been calling out for justice yet by and large its voice was silent. But we did hear stories of sacrifice, too – of church workers who had done what they could to protect people and paid with their own lives.

As Mozambique began to recover from its long civil war, I joined church workers there on a trip in a pickup to collect old weapons and ammunition from where they had been hidden in the bush. Informants were given a reward and salvageable material was fashioned into furniture. Anglican Bishop Dinis Sengulane was in the forefront of the project called “Swords Into Ploughshares”. And recently I was in one of the camps in northern Uganda that are hosting more than a million refugees from the violence that has tragically erupted once again since 2013 across the border. South Sudanese Anglican Bishop Daniel Deng Abot – a former refugee himself – was visiting people from his own diocese who have fled to Uganda. He spoke of a ministry that is at once spiritual, humanitarian, and seeking reconciliation and clearly profoundly challenging. In Anglican Provinces and Commonwealth nations, it is surely in the unsung work that the effectiveness of both institutions should be measured – as much as

Above right: A speaker addresses the Commonwealth Youth Forum. Commonwealth Secretariat

in what more commonly makes the headlines. Probably the biggest headlines from the recent CHOGM was the decision that one day the Queen will be succeeded as Head of the Commonwealth by her son, the Prince of Wales. The question had been raised whether, for example, the organisation might in the future have a rotating leadership from different member nations. I seem to remember that a longrunning question in the Anglican Communion is whether the “first among equals” should always be the Archbishop of Canterbury or whether the worldwide Anglican Church would benefit from drawing its leader from other parts of the world. Most important of all, I would suggest, is that perhaps Africa’s greatest gift to both the Church and the Commonwealth – Ubuntu, the spirit of common humanity – is allowed every opportunity to flourish. That way we resist all who would dehumanise us.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for their wedding on 19 May. Dominic Lipinski / Pool via Reuters

By Royal Appointment Presiding Bishop Michael Curry sets the world on fire with a message of love

The wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry to the US actress Meghan Markle in May took place in front of a reported television audience of up to three billion people. It was a busy time for the Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS), as its editor, Gavin Drake, reports. THE daily web-based news website of the Anglican Communion, ACNS, tries to be ahead of the game. We know we can’t even begin to compete with international news agencies like Reuters, AP, and AFP;

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or even national media outlets such as the BBC, Deutsche Welle, CNN, or Sky News. But, occasionally, because of the internationallyfocused but locally-rooted nature of the Anglican Communion, an international news story will break which we are in a unique position to report on and provide background material for. And so it was one Saturday in May. One week before the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, their official spokesman at Kensington Palace announced Æ

Because of the internationally-focused but locally-rooted nature of the Anglican Communion, an international news story will break which we are in a unique position to report on and provide background material for.

The Presiding Bishop of the US-based Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, gives an address during the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Owen Humphreys / Pool via Reuters

that the Presiding Bishop of the US-based Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, had accepted an invitation to preach at the wedding. I knew instinctively that that this was a major story. Although just how big was something that took everybody by surprise. ACNS usually publishes stories on weekdays between 9 am and 5 pm UK-time. But we will – and do – publish outside these times if a major story breaks overnight or at weekend. The US-based Episcopal Church came into being because its home country won a war of independence from the British Crown. Its first bishop was denied consecration by the Church of England because – in light of the US War of Independence – he refused to swear an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. That its current Presiding Bishop and Primate was now being asked to preach at the wedding of a senior British royal was a big story. But it was a story that most journalists working on the royal wedding, and probably most religious correspondents, would not be aware of.

The story was shared and re-shared far faster than any other story we had published. So much so that, within minutes, our website’s server crashed under the sheer weight of traffic. So within half an hour of the Kensington Palace announcement we published a story which announced that Michael Curry would be preaching at the royal wedding. We also provided some background information about Michael Curry, the history of the US-based Episcopal Church and the significance of his being asked to preach at a royal wedding – an honour usually afforded to a senior priest in the Church of England. The story was written to serve two purposes: firstly, to be a news

story of interest to our regular readers; and secondly, to be a resource for other journalists who would be scrabbling around to find information about this hithertounknown – at least to them – US bishop. That is one of the benefits of having an authoritative news service that people can trust. Having published the story we shared links on our social media channels. It was shared and reshared far faster than any other story we had published. So much so that, within minutes, our website’s server crashed under the sheer weight of traffic. I re-published the article on my personal website while our hosting company worked to restore the site. On Tuesday morning – three days after the story broke – I checked the statistics for the website and was surprised to discover that it was already the fifth-most popular page on the website of all time (all time being since this particular site began on 29 May 2013) – beating even some section index pages for the number of views. Prior to this announcement,

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle listen to an address by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry during their wedding service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Owen Humphreys / Pool via Reuters

we had not covered the wedding on ACNS, other than passing references in other stories. We know that stories about the royal family generate higher-thanaverage page views; but we always ask the question: “is this relevant to an international audience” before writing them. With the addition of Bishop Michael Curry to the order of service, we knew it was. Having heard and seen the Presiding Bishop preach – but only, unfortunately, via video – I knew that the sermon was likely to be one of the headline items of the royal wedding. So I set about trying to get access to the video. British television broadcasters BBC, ITN and Sky News were working together to produce the footage which would be pooled – or shared – with broadcasters around the world. Our first obstacle was technical: to access the live

Rather than being the part of the service that media routinely downplay; the sermon became the one part of the service that they couldn’t ignore! 16

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feed we would need access to satellite downlinks – something that international broadcasters use several times a day, but which ACNS would have very little use for. Our second obstacle was one of rights: the pool broadcasters made a two-minute free package available for news use; but, being for news, this could only be used for up to 48 hours after the wedding. We want our news to be available online as a permanent archive. We could have acquired a licence – but this would have been for the whole wedding service, and would have included fees for the musicians and performers – something that was not relevant to us as we only wanted the sermon. Ahead of the wedding, the broadcasters showed little interest in the sermon. After all, weddings are about the ceremony, and royal wedding about the pomp. Footage would focus on the royal family, on celebrities, on the music, on the marching soldiers, and on the large crowds of well-wishers. Who would be interested in the words of “a bishop from Chicago” – as a number of news outlets dubbed Michael Curry. On the day of the wedding, everything was going the way the broadcasters had anticipated. Until the sermon: Michael Curry

stole the show in his Pentecostalstyle delivery of a message of love; and how the world would be transformed if we sought to follow the example of Jesus, who showed us that real love is sacrificial and redemptive. Newspapers around the world wrote in-depth articles about the sermon and many published the text in full. Broadcasters around the world extracted the sermon and published videos of it online – as did the BBC, who posted it on their YouTube channel (enabling us to embed it on our site). They even produced an edited version of the sermon to enable them to share on Twitter, which has a maximum video length of two minutes and 20 seconds. Rather than being the part of the service that media routinely downplay; the sermon became the one part of the service that they couldn’t ignore! At the end of July, Bishop Michael revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. An operation was carried out on Tuesday 31 July. In a statement, the US-based Episcopal Church said that “the surgery went well, as had been expected. Bishop Curry is resting, and a full recovery continues to be anticipated.”

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p rov i n c e p ro f i l e s

The Episcopal Church in the Philippines Residents of Sabang Bao barangay work together to build 80 new homes on a hectare of land purchased by the Episcopal Church in the Philippines for this purpose. They have learned to make interlocking compressed earth blocks to build the houses. The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund of the Anglican Church of Canada

THE Episcopal Church in the Philippines has its origins in 1898 when US Army Chaplain Charles Pierce held the first Episcopal service for Americans and other English-speaking residents in Manila.

In 1937 it became known as the Philippine Episcopal Church.

the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Philippines (EDSP).

Bishop Benito Cabanban was elected the first Filipino Bishop of the Philippine Episcopal Church in 1969.

In 1901 the US-based Episcopal Church’s General Convention established the Philippines as a Missionary District and elected Charles Henry Brent as its first Bishop.

In 1971, the Philippine Episcopal Church divided into an initial three dioceses: Episcopal Diocese of central Philippines (EDCP), Episcopal Diocese of Northern Philippines (EDNP), and

In 1990 Bishop Richard Abellon was installed as the first Prime Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, the newly autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. Today, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines is made up of seven dioceses: Central Philippines, Northern Philippines, Southern Philippines, Northern Luzon, North Central Philippines, Santiago, and Davao. Its current Prime Bishop Joel Atiwag Pachao set forward four areas of focus for the province for the next decade: • Christian living and spiritual vitality • Formation and mobilisation • Congregational dynamism and collective responsibility • Social witness

The Sanctuary of Saint Mary and Saint John’s Cathedral – the mother church of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines. Jayzl Nebre-Villafania / Nasugbu batangas

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The National Cathedral of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines: Saint Mary and Saint John’s Cathedral in Quezon City. Jayzl Nebre-Villafania / Nasugbu batangas

The Episcopal Church in the Philippines is not to be confused with the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, a separate independent Church in full communion with the Anglican Communion.

p rov i n c e p ro f i l e s

The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia Archbishop Don Tamihere performs the Ruaumoko, a classic, maximum energy Ngati Porou haka, during his installation as leader of Tikanga Maori earlier this year. Anglican Taonga

THE Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ANZP) is made up of three main “partners”, or Tikangas, who are able to address the needs of the church from within their own cultural context. These three partners are known as Tikanga Pakeha, Tikanga Maori, and Tikanga Pasefika, representing the cultures of European settlers, the Maori, and Polynesia. The Church has three equal-status Primates, each serving the whole Church but with special responsibility for leading a particular Tikanga. Within the islands of Aotearoa / New Zealand, the seven dioceses of Tikanga Pakeha and the five Hui Amorangi of Tikanga Maori overlap each other with boundaries that are not shared between the two cultural streams. The Anglican Church in ANZP was originated in 1814 when three missionaries and their families arrived in the island. In 1840 Bishop George Selwyn, originally a bishop from the Church of England, took leadership as the Bishop of New Zealand. In 1857,

Bishop George Augustus Selwyn – the first Bishop of New Zealand.

the Diocese of New Zealand became a fully autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. According to a 2013 national census, there were nearly 470,000 Anglicans in Aotearoa / New Zealand. While the province was still called the Church of the Province of New Zealand, it also encompassed what is now the Anglican Church of

Archbishop Winston Halapua speaks to the villagers in the Fijian village of Maniava before they file in to their newly-built church, which replaced one destroyed by Cyclone Winston. Pate Buekilagi and Sue Halapua / Anglican Taonga

Melanesia, which became a province of its own in 1975. In the early days of the Church in New Zealand, the Maori people were some of the most active evangelists. The Anglican Church in ANZP shows it commitment to the bi-cultural development and partnership by including Maori language and customs in the life of the Church.

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f e at u r e

Chile on course to become 40th Anglican Communion Province Victoria Escobar Reszczynski / Diocese of Chile

Bishops from across South America at the consecration of two new bishops Enrique Lago Zugadi and Samuel Morrison Munro, who will serve the new dioceses of Concepcion and Valparaiso in the proposed new Anglican Province of Chile.

THE Diocese of Chile, currently part of the Anglican Church of South America, is set to become the 40th Province of the Anglican Communion. A fact-finding delegation led by the Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, Archbishop Paul Kwong of Hong Kong, is visiting the country in early August to determine whether the conditions for becoming an autonomous independent but inter-dependent Province have been met. The Diocesan Synod approved a resolution seeking independence from its existing Province in 2015. That resolution was ratified when the Synod met again, this time in Santiago, in May this year. At that meeting, nearly 100 representatives of the Church across Chile met to approve a new constitution and canons, and to elect bishops for the four new dioceses of Valparaiso, Santiago,

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Temuco, and Conception that will replace the existing single Diocese of Chile. “This meeting is vital in our journey towards being an Anglican Province; and this fact is undoubtedly important for the missionary growth that we long to experience as a Church in future years,” the Bishop of Chile, Héctor Zavala, said at the time. “Being a Province means, in part, that we will have an independent and autonomous Church in direct relation with the Anglican Communion and its different instruments of communion. And this Synod will be important because in it the election of the four future diocesan bishops will be carried out that together with a Primate will lead the four dioceses that will constitute our national Church.” At the Synod, Bishop Héctor was elected Bishop of Santiago

Being a Province means, in part, that we will have an independent and autonomous Church in direct relation with the Anglican Communion and its different instruments of communion.

and Primate of the new Anglican Province of Chile. The current auxiliary bishop in the Diocese, Abelino Apeleo, was elected Bishop of Temuco. The Synod elected two new bishops: Enrique Lago Zugadi as Bishop of Concepcion, and Samuel Morrison Munro as Bishop of Valparaiso.

Members of the new Valparaíso Diocesan Synod at their innaugural meeting at San Pedro Church in Viña del Mar Natalia Huerta / IACH

Following the confirmation of their election by the Church of South America’s College of Bishops at their meeting in Lima, Peru, later in May; the two new bishops were consecrated in July in Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Valparaíso. Following the meeting of the College of Bishops, the Primate of South America and Bishop of Argentina, Presiding Bishop Greg Venables, said: “We have prayed a lot for you to ask the Lord to continue guiding you in the process

The Bishop of Chile, Héctor Zavala, will become Bishop of Santiago and Primate of the new Anglican Province of Chile if the Church is given the go-ahead to become the Communion’s 40th Province.

The Archbishop of Hong Kong, Paul Kwong, Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, will lead a fact-finding delegation to Chile in August.

of becoming a Province, and we express the desire to continue working united as two Provinces in a concept of South American interdependence.” The consecration of the two new bishops took place in a service which also marked the 160th anniversary of St Paul’s Cathedral – the first Protestant church in Chile. It has recently been declared a historical monument. It is viewed as having an important heritage value for the city and the Church in Chile. “Today we had a historic event in this building, which is the first non-Catholic building built in Chile in 1858, when there was no freedom to worship, and it is in this place where Anglicanism was born,” Bishop Héctor said during the service. “But at the same time we celebrate the growth of the church. It was impressive to see today the number of pastors and young members who are in our diocese, and that means there is a future ahead.” The theme was developed by Bishop Greg, who said: “Anglicanism is growing for several reasons. One of them is that many people are looking for a church where they may feel calm, happy, and where the Gospel is preached, and apparently the church in Latin America has that face for many people today.” In addition to Archbishop Paul Kwong, the ACC delegation

Anglicanism is growing for several reasons. One of them is that many people are looking for a church where they may feel calm, happy, and where the Gospel is preached, and apparently the church in Latin America has that face for many people today.

includes vice-chair, Maggie Swinson; the Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby; Bishop Jane Alexander from the Anglican Church of Canada; Mr Jeroham Melendez, from the Anglican Church of the Region of Central America; the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon; and the Anglican Communion’s Chief Operating Officer, David White. The delegation will report back to the ACC’s Standing Committee and, if the green light is given, Chile could become the 40th Province of the Anglican Communion before the end of the year.

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f e at u r e

Celebrating 20 years of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui A musical concert was held to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. HKSKH

THE Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, the Anglican Church in Hong Kong, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a range of events which have included a large concert and will include a Thanksgiving Eucharist. The Thanksgiving Eucharist will be held on Saturday 6 October at the AisaWord-Expo in Tung Chung and every member of the Church has been invited “to give thanks and praise to the Lord God together.” Around 1,500 people attended a thanksgiving concert in July at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. “I hope that the evening was more than just a concert to the musicians and the audience,” HKSKH Music Director Felix Yeung, said, “but a blessing from the Lord that fuelled them to put Our Faith, Our Way into action.” The concert was organised in two parts, and was designed “to sing praises to God and offer

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The concert was designed to sing praises to God and offer gratitude to Him for these fruitful years. gratitude to Him for these fruitful years,” the HKSKH said. “The concert was akin to a service, in the sense that besides enjoying hymns, parishioners of different churches also forged stronger bonds with each other by sharing this joyful moment together in the presence of the Lord.” The first part included hymns arranged according to the structure of the Nicene Creed: Song of the Creator, Magnificat, Light’s Glittering

Morn Bedecks the Sky and A Psalm of Life. For the second part, the worldrenowned hymnologist Geoff Weaver, the musical director of the 1998 and 2008 Lambeth Conferences, conducted the joint orchestra and choir. The audience joined in as the choir sang In Matched Pace We March Towards the Millennium, a hymn written for the inauguration of the Province in 1998; as well as a hymn written as the theme of the 20th anniversary, Hear Us Lord This Day, by Jonathan Yip to the tune Ekklesia by Peter Yue. The concert also featured the world premiere of Te Deum, a hymn written by Weaver especially for the occasion. Although the Province is just 20 years old, the Anglican Church in Hong Kong and Macau dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. The first colonial chaplain was

appointed in 1843 and the Diocese of Victoria was established in 1849 as the Anglican mission agency CMS – then known as the Church Missionary Society – began work among the local Chinese populace, in Hong Kong and South China. The diocese was enlarged as the Diocese of Kong Yuet (South China), part of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui – the Holy Catholic Church of China – the first national church organisation in the country. In 1951 the Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao became an extra-provincial diocese – a diocese which did not belong to any Province – until 1998 when the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui was established. Other events to mark the anniversary have included a gathering of 8,000 teachers, socialworkers, priests and parishioners for a celebration of the evangelism, education, social service ministries of the Church. They gathered at the AisaWord-Expo, which is where October’s Thanksgiving Eucharist will be held. The celebration began with Morning Prayer before the screening of a video introducing the history and structure of the Province and its specialist ministries. The Bishop of Western Kowloon, Andrew Chan, spoke about Christian witness; and the Bishop of Eastern Kowloon, Timothy Kwok, explored the

The Revd Dr Li Tim-Oi with former Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie. Diocese of Indianapolis

8,000 people celebrate the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui’s evangelism, education and social service ministries. HKSKH

challenges faced by educators and social workers today. The keynote address was given by Roman Catholic Priest Father Thomas Kwan, a lecturer on moral theology at the Holy Spirit Seminary College. He spoke about the services of HKSKH churches, schools and social service ministries; and how they interact with one another. The Primate of Hong Kong, Archbishop Paul Kwong, who is also the Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, concluded the day’s events with a blessing.

THE history of Anglicanism in Hong Kong dates back much further than the 20-years of the HKSKH; and in 1944 the Anglican Church in Hong Kong became the first to ordain a woman to the priesthood. Florence Li Tim-Oi was 36-years-old when, on 24 January 1944, she was ordained by Bishop Ronald Hall. She had been administering the sacraments to congregants in Macau in an irregular move authorised by Hall as the Japanese occupation of parts of China, including Hong Kong, made it impossible for Anglican priests to access Macau. He later ordained her in an attempt to regularise the situation. “I’m not an advocate for the

Other events . . . have included a gathering of 8,000 teachers, social-workers, priests and parishioners for a celebration of the evangelism, education, and social services ministries of the Church.” ordination of women,” Hall said in a message to the Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple. “I am, however, determined that no prejudices should prevent the congregations committed to my care having the sacraments of the Church.” To avoid controversy, Li resigned her licence – but not her priestly orders – at the end of the war. In 1971, the next women to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion – Jane Hwang and Joyce M Bennett – were also ordained in Hong Kong. Li moved to Canada where, in 1983, she was licensed as a nonstipendiary minister. She died in 1992 aged 84.

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(almost)

the last word

We are altering the format and publication schedule of Anglican World. We will produce one more issue this year – due out in October. After that, Anglican World will be re-launched as an annual publication.”

Adrian Butcher

The Anglican Communion’s Director for Communications, Adrian Butcher, outlines a new future for Anglican World magazine. SOMETIMES it is good to wait. But it is becoming counter-cultural. We live in fast-moving times. We are constantly assailed by a bewildering array of choices. Even grabbing a drink in a coffee shop has become an exercise in negotiating a myriad of options. And it needs to be done at speed because the queue behind is growing – and there are groans of impatience at any perceived dithering. When I took up my role as the Anglican Communion’s Director for Communications early in 2016, there were many decisions to take. The post had been vacant for some time and, inevitably, progress in a number of areas had stalled. One consideration was the future of Anglican World magazine. Now let me declare an interest here: I am committed to the printed word. I started my professional career as a newspaper journalist (once I had decided not to pursue biochemistry beyond university). I still the remember the buzz of getting my first front page lead. Even now I choose to read an actual newspaper on my daily commute rather than look at it online. The premise of Anglican World is about highlighting the amazing work

and witness taking place around the Anglican Communion. We have extraordinary stories to tell. Because of my commitment to print, I wanted to take some time to consider if having a quarterly magazine was the best way to communicate them. I took advice. I listened to views from around the communion. On every overseas trip they made, I encouraged my fellow Anglican Communion directors to take a few magazines, give them away and encourage people to subscribe. One marketing ploy involved contacting theological colleges to see if we could increase sales. But the brutal truth is that people consume news differently now and we cannot ignore that fact. We have a news website – anglicannews.org – which carries more than 20 news stories, features, blogs and videos every week. Thousands of people around the world have subscribed to our daily bulletin which means they get an update every weekday without having to remember to come to the site. Thousands more consume our news stories through our social media channels Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. And so I have decided it is time for a change. We are altering the format and publication schedule of Anglican World. We will produce one more issue this year – due out in October. After that, Anglican World will be relaunched as an annual publication.

The first edition of this new-look magazine will be produced in mid2019. The whole magazine will be made available online immediately and will be free to download. I know that this will disappoint some readers. A friend in my own church is a faithful subscriber and he much prefers to receive a magazine. But we have reached a point where action was needed. We have stopped taking new subscriptions with immediate effect. We will ensure subscribers are reimbursed as appropriate. That process will take a little while so please bear with us. Re-launching Anglican World as an annual report gives us scope to do new things. This is an exciting time in the history of the Anglican Communion. Next year sees the 17th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Hong Kong and, of course, 2020 will see the first Lambeth Conference since 2008. You can be sure we will carry in-depth features about these significant events in the new Anglican World. In the meantime, we will report on the build-up to these events on our news website. Please subscribe if you don’t already – it will take you about a minute to do so. Finally, thank you for your prayers and support for the magazine over the years. It is much appreciated by the team who produce it. Please continue to pray for us as we plan. We hope you will enjoy the new magazine when it is launched a year from now.