July 21, 2008
The Eucharist this morning was led by the Church of Korea, a church which faces significant challenges in its homeland. Their Mother’s Union formed a superb choir.
This morning’s Bible study focused on John’s version of Jesus walking on the waters and saying to the disciples “be not afraid”. We were invited to reflect on what situation we find ourselves fearing. Fear can paralyze us into inaction, but the voice of Jesus says “be not afraid”. Again this morning I was humbled to hear the stories of ministry in very different contexts than my own. Some face the prospect of death for proclaiming the good news of Jesus. Others live in what I might describe as extreme poverty and deprivation. Some are seeing church attendance decline as economic prosperity increases - not dissimilar to ministry in the west it seems to me!
The Indaba groups met today, twice, for the first time. We are considering the Windsor report, not with the idea of decision but with the idea of discussion. I anticipate that the discussions may be frank, direct, challenging and difficult as we listen hard to those with whom we might disagree, recognizing that we are all children of God and people loved by God. The early reviews seem to show that the conversations will vary from group to group. I pray that in all these activities God will be present and will be with us to lead the way.
Dinner provided a change of pace, as a Maori group from New Zealand celebrated a birthday of one of their members with great singing in the dining hall. The Australians, with whom they are clearly friends, offered some good natured gibes and the Maoris responded with what appeared to be an animated battle song. The dining hall erupted with laughter and applause - a welcomed respite from the serious matters under discussion during the day.
The Market Place opened today and will present an opportunity to see many of the ministry networks and affiliated groups present at Lambeth Conference. Outside the Bishop’s meeting hall the Compass Rose Society has an excellent booth ably staffed by Bob Biehl and Norris Battin both of whom are doing a good job representing us.
This afternoon the Canadian House of Bishops met (as did every national House) to touch base. A highlight was the honouring of Bishop Ron Ferris, the Bishop of Algoma and a strong leader in the church, who is retiring in the fall. The speeches made were moving as we marked Ron’s strong contribution to our church. I will miss Ron and his fun-filled wife, Jan, as they take well deserved leave of us to enjoy their retirement years.
The conference agenda is very full and it is impossible to get to everything offered. It is a rich program and I am thrilled to be a part of it all.
+Philip Poole
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