Bishops Letters
August 08 +Graham Doing The Lambeth Walk
When this article is published, around 700 Anglican bishops from all over the world will be meeting at Canterbury, along with their spouses, from July 16th until August 4th.The Lambeth Conference has a long history going back into the 19th Century. It normally happens every 10 years. Molly and I were present in 1998, when I was Bishop of Willesden. I remember how moving it was to meet a bishop who had bullet holes in his vehicle (Rwanda), whose wife had been killed by outlaws (Northern Uganda) or who struggled with persecution (Iran). 'If one member suffers, all suffer', says St. Paul. There is something wonderful about people from the world-wide Church coming together as one family; the faith of many of these bishops was radiant, in spite of their suffering, and we made many friends.
At the heart of the conference is worship - this year at 7.15 am, a eucharist each day in the tradition of different provinces. After breakfast there will be Bible Study in groups of eight, studying St. John together. The centre-piece of the day, however, will be in a different style from previous conferences. Instead of Western-style workshops, as in 1998, producing statements to be voted for in sometimes difficult plenary debates, a more reflective non-Western style is to be used: five of the Bible Study groups will come together as Indaba groups, facilitated so as to enable careful listening and discussion. Among the different topics day by day will be: our Anglican identity, evangelism, the Bible and mission, social justice, the environment, other faiths, gender relationships and human sexuality. The bishops' spouses will have a separate conference running in parallel. As well as Molly and I, Bishop James and Alison will be there and Bishop David Thomson.
To what extent the Conference will pass resolutions or take decisions is not yet apparent. At the start there is to be a three-day quiet retreat to be led by the Archbishop. This will set the tone of the Conference, a tone of listening to God and to each other.
Prior to the Conference we were delighted to receive visits to the Diocese of Carlisle: Bishop Deva from Madras and Bishop Dino Gabriel from Zululand (two of our partner dioceses), along with Bishop Dabney Smith from Florida and Bishop Alexander Wandag from the Philippines. Some of you will have met them and their spouses in your locality or at Rose Castle.
As soon as you read this, please start praying for the Conference. These are difficult days for the world-wide Anglican Communion. We have a wonderful heritage and a feast of gifts to offer one another. But the unity is very seriously threatened by deep differences - particularly over how to understand the Bible, and its application to what is good and right in sexual behaviour. With the prayers of thousands across the world, however, we hope for a very enriching time and even the possibility of living in harmony with those with whom we disagree.
+Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle
