Canterbury Tails

End Times

August 2, 2008

 

It is 11:00 p.m., when night has settled in and the conference shifting into conclusion mode.

 

It has been a full day. The bible study, John 18:1-18, provided a look at the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. John, as always, presents a multi-levelled look at the passage. Three times Jesus says “I am”, three times Peter denies Jesus, three questions Pilate asks, three days pass between crucifixion and resurrection and three times Jesus questions Peter during the post-resurrection breakfast party. In the reading, Jesus shuns the violent act of Simon Peter cutting the ear of the solider preferring acts of love, courage and simple conviction. I was appalled to learn of the horrific act of violence perpetrated on the victim of a beheading on a bus that I read on the Internet this morning. Senseless acts of violence or even planned acts of violence too often mark human behaviour. Jesus offers a better way. Whatever we may witness, the love of God is still the most powerful force in the universe. Jesus, in obedience to the Father, humbles himself to the violence of others so that all may have life.

 

I was a little late for the Indaba group as I reviewed with Lambeth and Anglican Communion staff the plans for the annual meeting of the Compass Rose Society in Canterbury in November. 

 

The Indaba group put forward suggestions offering the conference a way forward built on as much pastoral generosity as we could muster. We then met for the last time as a large group with the writing team, preparing the communication that will be issued at the end of the conference. This Lambeth Conference differs from its predecessors in process and style. No resolutions were debated and no votes taken. Rather, through the extraordinary process of listening and the careful work of a large number of people behind the scenes a reflection will be issued that contains the thoughts of the Indaba groups, the input of the plenary sessions and the expressions self-select programs to offer to the church and the world. I have no doubt it will be criticized in some quarters but in general it will have the support of those gathered here. 

 

Some of what the reflections contain will I hope inspire the church to recommit itself to Mission and Evangelism, Human and Social Justice, Environment, Ecumenism, relations with World Religions, all which I hope will strengthening the Anglican Identity. Over and over again, we heard the solidarity we hold on these critical issues. The sections on Human Sexuality, which frankly explored only one aspect of human sexuality - namely homosexuality, and the section on Scripture will no doubt be controversial. I am left with the sense that the Bishops want to stay in Communion with one another but we will have to exercise restraint and pastoral generosity in humility if we are to succeed.

 

For nearly three weeks we have listen and talked and learned about each other. Now, when some statement or other attracts the attention of the media we will know who is speaking and be able to put a face to the voice. We will know that everyone seeks to serve God faithfully and we will know that we hold much in common. By the grace of God we will continue the journey together.

 

Tonight, we gathered under the big top and heard from the stewards, young people drawn from 14 Provinces of the Communion - able to speak 30 languages between them, about their reflections of the past three weeks. This was their opportunity to be heard and their words did not disappoint. We learned about youth ministry in South Africa and the Seychelles, were reminded of the passion young people have for the faith and heard their plea to be given a place not only in the church, but also around the table of governance. Often interrupted by applause and laughter the four speakers inspired Bishops to rethink the ways they can engage the youth.

 

The stewards have worked long and hard to help shepherd the bishops around the campus (they likened it to herding cats!!), getting us on and off buses and ensuring an element of security. The security presence has been most visible and we are all appreciative of the magnificent work the staff and volunteers of the conference have given.

 

The self-select and fringe groups offered a plethora of opportunities for the Bishops to be equipped to be better bishops which, of course, was the purpose of this enterprise.

 

Tomorrow we have one last bible study, one last plenary, hear from the Archbishop and share one last Eucharist in Canterbury. The Bishops will wear their cassocks and sit with their spouses - a rare treat in my experience. I look forward to sitting with my wife and taking communion with her.

 

We will bid farewell to one another in what I suspect will be an emotional time for Spouses and for Bishops and head off for home knowing that this exact group will never meet again. We will leave knowing that some return to situations of enormous poverty, some to war torn areas, some to unstable political situations, some to democracies and some to oppressive governments. We will leave knowing that the prayers of the church are with us and renewed in the ministries to which we are each called. We will leave knowing that our stories will be told around the world and knowing that this beloved church of ours is still proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to a wounded and broken world.

 

So the 14th Lambeth Conference is in the history books. May our labours bear fruit in the church and in the world in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

It is night. The night is for sleeping. What has been done has been done. What has not been done is undone. Let it be.

 

Draw your church together O Lord.

 

+Philip Poole

2 Days 2 Go

August 1, 2008

 

It is hard to imagine that in just two days we will be winging our way back over the Atlantic, having been way for over a month from home. Home. Just the mere mention of the word transports my mind far from here. I miss my family, my house, my friends and my summer cottage where God willing we will spend a couple of weeks in August. Home. I sure hope someone has been cutting the grass…

 

With two days left in the conference, there is a realization among delegates that we have much left to do and minds are focused on the task at hand. What will the final conference report say? The Indaba groups have been supported by a person who has been recording our words on a laptop, while a second person, our “designated listener”, has been taking close notes. This Lambeth has a different feel, process and flow from previous patterns - so I am told. Told, because the majority of bishops are attending their first Lambeth but the veterans tell us what it was like in the past. We have not met in sessions where strong debate leads to resolutions on the floor and a chairperson figures out what to do with the motion, the amendment and the amendment to the amendment!! 

 

Rather, in groups of 40 we have listened, spoken, prayed and recorded through two separate people our thoughts and feelings. Then overnight all that information is distilled and each Indaba group receives a copy the next day of their thoughts while a writing group compiles an overall draft of what has been said and reports that to the conference as a whole meeting in plenary. The volunteers have done an enormous job compiling the material into a form in which most of us can recognize our voice. Today, we continue the reflections on the issues dividing us. Most issues, I have learned, unite us. There is common cause in the issues of poverty, injustice, HIV/AIDS, water, gender inequality, peace, eradication of disease and access to education among many others. But the thorny issues of human sexuality, authority, and the understanding of Holy Scripture do not gather a common mind. We are hearing each other but in my view we are far apart. 

 

On the one hand that is nothing new, in a church which was born as a compromise created in the Elizabethan Settlement, which confesses the ancient creeds - which themselves were the result of controversy - and whose history has been marked by strong division tempered by a unique ability to find the middle ground. I am hopeful but not overly optimistic that the common way forward will be achieved. However, I am confident that the Holy Spirit is at work transforming each of us and generally those who chose to gather here are working hard at keeping our beloved fractured church and communion together.

 

Later today we will receive the fourth draft of the document (whose title I do not yet know) that will be issued to the church at the conclusion. The seriousness of the conversations in which we are engaged is not lost on any of the Bishops. Two words, which have great currency here at Lambeth, are context and culture. That is where much of our diversity is rooted. For instance, the March, “the Walk for Witness” the bishops participated in last week in London would simply not have been possible in many other countries. Criticizing government leaders in a public manner as we did in London would not be tolerated in some countries. In reality most of the bishops here will not return home for a few weeks respite at a summer cottage. In some countries the topic of human sexuality is freely (indeed excessively) debated while in others “these things are not spoken of.” Context and culture. We have been privileged, each of us, to gain a more intimate understanding of the church its culture and context in other parts of the world.

 

Everyone here understands Holy Scripture as central to the Anglican expression of the faith and seeks to be faithful to the Scriptures but the interpretation of our common sacred text varies widely as we each seek to read scripture in a way consistent with our received tradition. Are both positions, apparently so different on human sexuality, authority and scripture correct? Could it be both are right? Are compromises possible, while maintaining the inherent integrity of each position?

 

The next 48 hours will help us understand more clearly the shape and immediate future of our Communion. With prayer and deep humility in the Lord the way forward will become clearer. The Compass Rose Society, which many here speak of as a unifying force in the communion, has had a strong presence. Many bishops are inviting us to visit them and to enter into partnerships. I have had numerous conversations with bishops seeking to make common cause with us. I am grateful to Norris Battin for his yeoman service at our booth, to Bob Biehl for assisting in staffing the booth and to Sarah Buxton-Smith for helping out. Bishop Clive Handford (chair) and Board member Victoria Matthews, both on the Windsor Continuation Group, will give the annual meeting of the CRS in November an update on where things stand. I am grateful to them both for accepting my invitation to speak to us.

 

This is a critical day for the conference and I ask for your prayers, as it unfolds, that God’s direction will be made clear. This morning’s bible study will center on John 18 1-18 - “For whom are you looking….?” In some way that could be the title of the Conference.

 

Stay tuned.

 

+Philip Poole

 

 

Hopeful

August 1, 2008 – 6 a.m.

 

My morning started the way it always does. Precisely at 5 a.m., a waste management truck pulled up to the bins about 25 meters from bedroom window and with a few beep, beep, beeps removes the waste leaving me wide awake. Acting like their own alarm clock, the truck wakes the birds, some of which I do not recognize, who begin chirping; doves with a decidedly British accent start cooing and I start stirring. Last night reminded me of the summers of my childhood in Toronto - hot, humid, sticky, no air circulating and certainly no air conditioning, the kind of night when the bed sheets stick to you body. About 3am the humidity broke and a welcome breeze made its way into the residence in which we are staying.

 

Last night the indefatigable Williams had two busloads of people down to their home in Old Palace for drinks, finger food and a look at the Canterbury Home of the Archbishop. Most nights Rowan and Jane host an event, sometimes at Old Palace and sometimes in one of the reception rooms at Kent University. All receive an invitation. It was a meeting in the Old Palace in the mid 1990’s that launched the Compass Rose Society. 

 

We move into the final couple of days of the Lambeth and Spouses Conferences with a very mixed mood among the Bishops. Almost everyone here wants the Anglican Communion to remain as intact as possible but the way forward is not yet clear. Bishops are listening hard to one another, really engaging one another in serious conversation, gaining a deep appreciation of the contexts and cultures each live in and seeking to understand the other. We share so much of our beliefs in common, use similar liturgies, recite the same creeds, express belief in the Anglican formula of scripture, tradition and reason yet come to very different understandings on some issues.

 

On the one hand, even a cursory reading of Anglican Church history reveals different understandings leading to enormous arguments. Somehow these have been woven together in an alliance that has promoted the unity of the church ever since the Elizabethan Settlement. On the other hand, the points of division on the issues we are grappling with divide along very sharp fault lines. Some say homosexuality is a sin and that those in the church who desire to bless faithful, monogamous same-sex partnerships are blessing something that negatively affects those individuals’ eternal life. In many countries homosexuality is illegal. Churches in some parts of the world are accused by other religious groups of belonging to the “gay” church and finding their ministries undermined in the community. Clearly what people do in one part of the world affects people in another part of the world. 

 

Some say homosexuality is a created condition and that homophobia is rampant. They see recognizing the dignity of every human person as an issue of justice. Some say homosexuality does not exist in their cultures and if it does remains well hidden. “Exactly”, others respond, “and that leads to violence against gay and lesbian persons”. Some say the bible is very clear that homosexuality is a sin while others say, “not so fast, there is another way of understanding scripture”. Still others, from both perspectives say they are issues facing people that are far more important than issues of human sexuality-HIV/AIDS, poverty, the MDG’s among others. It is hard for the ear to hear when the stomach is empty.

 

As we move into these last three days, while many feel very unsettled all recognize the gravity of the work in front of us for the future of this Communion. I remain hopeful that God will show us the way forward but it will require enormous pastoral generosity, intentional sacrifice and deeper understanding of the others point of view. Please pray for the Bishops as they continue to meet. Pray also for those who chose not to enter the discussion at the Lambeth Conference, that God’s reconciliation through Jesus Christ may touch the hearts and minds of all of us.

 

I personally remain hopeful that a direction will be found, but have very little clarity exists at this point as to what that direction might be.

 

+Philip Poole

The Good Shepherd

July 29, 2008

 

Canada led the worship at the Big Top this morning, with Bishop Mark MacDonald preaching and Archbishop Hiltz presiding. French, Ojibwa, two other native languages and English showed something of the diversity of our church.

 

This was the Bishops and Spouses Day, with both groups focusing together on the theme “Equal in God’s Sight: When power is abused.” After an introduction by Jane Williams, the conference experienced a series of dramatic presentations based on biblical stories of Jesus, which highlighted the unique ability of our Lord to heal and uphold those in greatest need.

 

Have you ever heard 2 Samuel 13 read during public worship? Of the 1400 people asked that question this morning less than five people said they had ever heard it read as part of a Sunday liturgy. It is the disturbing story of the rape of Tamar, which formed the basis of our bible study this morning. Women and children are most often the victims of abuse.

 

In small groups, we discussed abuse as it is revealed in our home contexts and ways that the church itself can be abusive. The stories were moving and the shout for change very clear. We still live in a world where young children are being forced into child soldiering, teenage girls are being sold into situations where they are sexually abused and where the church is too often turning a blind eye to abuse in its own life. We spoke about the role of church leaders in responding to the abuse of power and offered to share resources with those who have little. One country spoke of a situation where there is no counselling available for victims of abuse either within the church or within society at large! Attitudes are changing slowly and the cry of women is a clarion call to the church international to stand up on issues of gender equality and push for change of attitudes towards the role of women. It was a sobering and powerful morning that I pray touched us all. The Spouses made it very clear that they want the Bishops spending more time on issues of abuse, disease, education, safety of children and the MDG’s and less on the issues of human sexuality.

 

The Bible Study focused on the Jesus as Good Shepherd and offered the bishops a chance to share a little about what it means to be a shepherd `in their own context.

 

The church of Myanmar led the evening worship. A video of their church in action after the devastating cyclone was a powerful reminder of the good a church can do very quickly to help in times of great need. The images were stark and appalling. We watched images of swollen bodies floating face down in a river as boats made their way through them so that supplies could be given to the survivors in isolated and remote areas. A ten-hour car ride each way was undertaken once a week for many weeks by church volunteers risking their own safety to bring food, clean water and to labour in the physical task of rebuilding shelters. It was very sad to watch the gathered community crying as their beloved local church succumbed to the erosion of the riverbank and collapsed into the water. Despite enormous odds and with great faith in Our Lord Jesus these fellow Anglicans found a way to bring hope in a hopeless situation. Made me proud to be an Anglican.

 

The Archbishop gave a kind of mid point speech encouraging us to find enough pastoral generosity and enough love between those who hold differing views to unearth a way to keep our Communion as intact as possible. A few words cannot do justice to what I found to be a compelling speech. On the roller coaster of emotions which have characterized the discussion we have been having, +Rowan’s words actually again gave me hope.

 

Tonight Karen and I, with a group of about fifty, took a candlelight prayer tour of Canterbury Cathedral led by Dean Robert Willis. We had the Cathedral to ourselves and walked though it stopping at certain places including the oldest part of the cathedral, a francophone school where 400 years ago safety was offered to the French Huguenots, the west door, the Compass Rose and the site of Becket’s murder. It was an opportunity to think of the ministry of those who have gone before and to pray and to remember. The evening finished with the service of Compline. Once again we were reminded of the important role this cathedral plays in the lives of Anglicans and its enormous role of offering hospitality to pilgrims and visitors from around the world.

 

+Philip Poole

The Cost of Being a Christian

July 28, 2008

 

The Eucharist this morning was led by the church of the Province of the Indian Ocean and included partners from other parts of the world including our Canadian Bishop from Montreal, Barry Clarke.

 

Our bible study focused on John 10:1-10 - “Jesus said I am the gate”. Some of the countries represented in our Bible Study group do not have sheep. Pigs are more common among them reminding me, as a Southern Ontario boy who grew up not seeing a real shepherd in the Peterborough and Toronto areas, that the biblical images Jesus is recorded as using as illustration are culturally bound to the Palestine he knew. It has been a fascinating exercise to realize that some of the best-known stories in the Bible simply do not translate well in every culture.

 

To state the obvious, church is very different in other parts of the world. One Cathedral, the largest church in its diocese, has no pews whatsoever. People attend and when they sit they sit on the concrete floor of the church. One bishop from a western country observed that people in the west are more comfortable with the idea of people “coming” to church than with the idea of people “going” into the mission fields of the world. A gate swings both ways and is intended to keep what is inside safe and keep out what is harmful. Jesus using himself as the illustration of the gate invites us to go out into the world to proclaim the Good News he offers. The gate becomes an opportunity for us to experience the abundant life Jesus offers, but it is not a cost free choice to “go out into the world.”

 

Yesterday the Spouses Conference heard a very moving example of the cost of being a Christian as experienced by the Melanesian Brothers and Sisters in the Solomon Islands, a story worth learning. Something to Google up.

 

Our Indaba group has begun to explore some of the issues that divide us, but in a respectful and listening way. There is no doubt that we each bring a different understanding of scripture, a different experience of the place of gay and lesbians in society and within the church and a different set of priorities of ministry. Many in our group, which has representatives of some 14 provinces, want to make common cause against the huge issues of disease, hunger, poverty, environment and education. They cannot understand how in the world the west got to where some are on the human sexuality issues but to repeat what someone said, “If the stomach is empty the ear can not hear.”

 

In a large, hot and non air-conditioned room we gathered for the second Hearing reflecting on the second draft of the Windsor Report. It was intense. Canada and the United States were named as being areas of the church in turmoil and causing turmoil. The speakers at the podium spoke passionately, forcefully and critically of same sex blessings, the consecration of a gay man in a committed same sex relationship and again referred with out actually naming the offending provinces to the incursions of bishops into dioceses, uninvited, to provide “Episcopal oversight.” The draft paper called for a moratorium on same sex blessings immediately and retroactively. It called for the establishment of a Pastoral Forum to respond rapidly to emerging issues in relationships within the Communion. Some see the whole process of covenant as punitive, some feel there is no room for a covenant at all, some feel a covenant is the only way forward and some are scratching their heads wondering if we can in fact find a way to keep the Communion intact at all. Still others are hopeful that a way forward will be found. Almost everyone says they value the Communion deeply but only time will tell if a process and a commitment can be agreed upon which will be pastorally generous enough to keep most of us at the table. Please pray for wisdom and discernment in the few days we have remaining.

 

Tonight the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, gave an animated, passionate, energetic and articulate lecture on the relationship between the people and God - the covenant. Two standing ovations and frequent interruptions of applause lead me to think that the Chief Rabbi may have aided our own debate on the question of an Anglican Covenant. To say that this was a day of mixed emotions for many would be an understatement. It is wise for us to remember that the church has dealt with crisis throughout its history and always managed to find a satisfactory response. And more than one person has observed, before you arrive at a creed you must deal with a crisis.

 

Tomorrow for the only time in the schedule, the Lambeth Conference and the Spouses Conference meet together. Focusing on the theme for the day “Equal in God’s sight: When Power is abused. The Province of Canada is leading the Eucharist. Each day after the morning Eucharist we watch a 5-minute pictorial video on the prior day. This morning looked at the Lambeth Picture day, a mammoth job of taking a picture first of all the Spouses and then all the Bishops. Laughter marked the video this morning as fast forwarded filming had 600 bishops mounting the risers and leaving the risers in a matter of seconds. I hope that clip will be made available, as it is truly funny and a welcome interlude from the weighty matters under discussions.

 

As I write this a loud thunderstorm is rolling through and the drop in heat and humidity is a welcome relief.

 

+Philip Poole

A Bit About the University of Kent

July 27, 2008

 

Bishops and Spouses were given the opportunity today to attend parishes in the Diocese of Canterbury, worship at the Cathedral, attend a reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of London or find some other creative use of a lightly scheduled day.

 

Delegates at both Conferences are being housed at the University of Kent, a well-respected institute of learning that offers an enormous range of undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. From War Studies to American politics, accounting to religious studies, medicine to music this University holds a fine reputation throughout Europe for its academic research and teaching.

 

Located in the hills above Canterbury Cathedral, about a 10-minute drive away from the town center, the grounds of the University of Kent afford an impressive view of the magnificence of the ancient Cathedral. Christ Church Cathedral dominates the landscape leaving one to imagine what it must have been for early pilgrims to catch their first glimpse of the Cathedral as they made their sacred journeys. Each day and night bishops and spouses reach for their cameras hoping for a photograph from this “birds eye” vantage point.

 

The university, while presently host to a couple of thousand people at this conference, is probably a fairly quiet place without the large student population that is currently on holidays. Karen and I are staying in typical university residences in one of the older places on campus. Darwin College, our host, has an interior courtyard with a wonderful rose garden. Often delegates can be seen wandering through the area, stopping to pray and of course to smell the roses. The Campus offers many areas where one can chat with a friend or simply seek solitude.

 

A team  from different parts of the world have acted as chaplains to the conference, helping lead worship and upholding us all in prayer. They gather for Morning Prayer in the “Senate” building, at the center of campus at 6:30am and pray us thru the day as it were.

 

An army of volunteers from the Canterbury area have joined the “Stewards”, young people from Provinces around the world, in guiding us around. They have been nothing short of superb and I hope the organizers will give us the opportunity as a conference to show our appreciation to them. The stewards bring energy and fun to their work and I think a number of lasting friendships are being formed. The have worked extremely hard to ensure smooth logistics.

 

One of the features of this campus is an extraordinary number of rabbits that hop boldly around the campus. They seem energetic, fat and healthy. I am told there is a fox population that keeps them under control. I think the rabbits are winning.

 

Many nights the Canadian bishops and spouses gather at Woody’s, a popular watering hole located on the other side of this large green campus. Security has been reasonably tight with the Kent Police Department having a significant presence.

 

Another feature is the presence of a church “cartoonist” who provides an interesting look at the Conference through his eyes. His work can be viewed  here. .

 

Today was very hot and humid exceeding I suspect the 26-degree prediction I read at 8am this morning. Tomorrow we are back at it with a “hearing” scheduled in the afternoon. We have come some distance in this Conference but have much hard work left as we enter week two of the Lambeth Conference.

 

+Philip Poole

Headed to Sabbath Time

July 26, 2008

 

The Church of Australia offered this morning’s Eucharist, after which we headed into our Bible Studies focusing on the passage from John 9:1-41, “The healing of the blind man”. Jesus’ actions of seeing, touching, speaking, finding and conversing are seen in this story and are a model repeated throughout the gospels. Jesus got involved in people’s lives, especially people others ignored. 

 

The story opens with the disciples expressing interest, as society does today, in the meaning and causes of illness. “Did this man sin or did his parents?” “Why me?” is a question often asked when disease strikes. Is there meaning to suffering? Does God visit disease on us? Some cultures believe that is so.

 

With the question of the meaning of suffering also comes the understanding of healing. This is something that is again approached from different positions in differing cultures. And sadly, the very clear differences in health care systems in different parts of the world highlights the fact that poverty must be eradicated. In our group this morning, two countries have expected life rates of 45-50 years while 3 have life expectancies of 80. That is outrageous. Internationally, this world has the tools to change that but do we have the political will? Let us get behind the MDG’s! It is so helpful, instructive and powerfully challenging to sit in a room with our brothers and learn more accurately of their context and reality.

 

The Indaba group bears similar fruit. We are no longer speaking to each other via the media, shouting at each other from across vast stretches of ocean or speaking about each other. We are talking to each other. We are “seeing, touching, speaking, finding and conversing” face-to-face. We `are explaining each other’s positions, hearing each other’s contexts and realizing each other’s questions face-to-face. Above all, we are listening in the presence of God, seeing the face of Christ in each other, and committing all we do to prayer.

 

This morning the spouses had their mass photograph taken. We bishops get our turn this afternoon. With song, good humour and great photographers, the pictures have been taken and are committed to the archival history of Lambeth Conference. One great moment was the singing of Amazing Grace which I suspect will make it onto the Canadian Church website as part of the “Amazing Grace” project supporting the Council of the North and connecting people to people.

 

Tomorrow bishops and spouses head off in a variety of directions to enjoy the hospitality of Canterbury parishes, the cathedral itself or other more personal plans. Folks are tired so tomorrow will be a Sabbath time.

 

+Philip Poole

A Variety of Contexts

July 25, 2008

 

Yesterday's long day, the march and the heat has left many people feeling a little tired today.

 

The March for Witness was an important event for us to experience and has begun to spark a number of new ideas within the Canadian Church regarding how we might strengthen the work we are already doing in the area of the Millennium Development Goals.

 

The Bible Study on John 8:31-59, which contains the words on the seal of the Anglican Communion “The truth shall set you free”, reminded us that Jesus leads us into places of uncomfortableness and will lead us into new understandings.

 

Our Indaba group is engaging in the issue of human sexuality in a way that is both forceful and respectful. We are learning first hand of the variety of contexts in which our Provinces operate.

 

One of the things that the Millennium Development Goals reminds us of is that the actions in one part of the world affect other parts of the world. For example, stripping the rain forests in one place affects the air we breathe in another. Global warming is the result of human actions and affects us all. We are hearing quite clearly that the perceived actions of the church in one part of the world have implications for another. We are interconnected and interdependent as the family of God through Jesus Christ in ways we sometimes might forget. It is good for us to be reminded both of the variety of cultures in which Anglican Provinces operate and the impact our decisions have on one another. My sense is that many of the Indaba groups are entering into some weighty discussions and that a real effort is being made by most people to listen and listen hard to the other.

 

For Compass Rose members, I neglected to mention yesterday that an old friend and co-founder of the CRS Canon John Peterson the former Secretary General and his wife Kirsten, were in attendance at the Garden Party. He enthusiastically greeted members of the society and wanted me to say hello to his many friends. Tonight Jon Bruno is hosting a dinner for the Biehls, Pooles and Norris Battin. Should be fun. Virginia Theological Seminary, which has a booth in the Marketplace, is keen to get reconnected to the Society. They hope to send a representative to the annual meeting.

 

Please keep praying for the Lambeth Conference and the Spouses Conference.

 

+Philip Poole

London Day

July 24, 2008

 

I was up at 5:30 a.m. today for a quick breakfast and then off for what the programme calls our London Day. We drove 2 hours or so by coach through the heavy London traffic to Whitehall Place where, under the leadership and direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury joined by faith leaders form England and ecumenical partners, a sea of purple marched through the core of London to Lambeth Palace. We wanted to raise the profile of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) and to call the government leaders who signed on to keep their promise. With the Micah Challenge (http://www.micahchallenge.org/) taking a lead for the churches here, we sought to draw attention to the issues of child poverty, disease, gender equality, environment, education etc. that the Millennium Development Goals seek to address. 

 

The facts are, that while some progress is being made, few governments are passionately committed to doing what they said they would do. This march is made all the more significant when one realizes that world Anglican leaders from the wealthiest nations to the very poorest nations joined hands in solidarity, in a cause common to each. (If you don’t know much about the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) you owe it to yourself to learn. See http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/) We held placards, held hands, sang and marched. May the march inspire and encourage people of faith and goodwill to meet the MDG’s. Can we do any less?

 

After we all gathered at Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop introduced the Prime Minister of England and the Anglican Observer to the United Nations. I cannot recall a time when I heard a leader from the Western World speak as passionately as the Prime Minister did on the massive issues the world faces. Interrupted often by spontaneous applause, the PM committed his government to the MDG’s and himself to challenge his colleagues in other countries to do the same. We have the capability as a world community to do all of this if we can get out of our self-serving and self-protecting attitudes and work for God’s people everywhere. Let’s pray that we do.

 

After lunch at Lambeth Palace and a time in the gardens, we headed to Buckingham Palace, that icon of England, for tea at the invitation of the Queen. Security was tight as crowds pressed up against the exterior gate taking pictures as the purple people and their spouses made their way into the inner courtyard, through the entrance of the palace and out into the magnificent gardens. We admired the long staircase, the beautiful portraits of royal family members of the past, incredible china cabinets and indeed the efficient and polite staff who welcomed us. Yesterday we were told some 7,500 people joined Her Majesty for Tea and today perhaps 1,500. The size of the gardens made it feel like an intimate gathering and in fact it was most relaxing. Spouses enjoyed a walk around the lake, a visit to the magnificent gardens and a stroll on the well-manicured lawns. Tea or iced coffee (my choice) along with cucumber sandwiches or raspberry tarts, were available under canvas and the staff circulated with water on this unusually warm afternoon. 

 

The Entrance of the Queen’s Guard signalled that Her Majesty was about to arrive. Crowds gathered in anticipation and precisely on schedule. The Queen and Prince Philip arrived on the top steps of the large patio and one of the two bands for this occasion played `”God Save the Queen.” Then Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York presented a few couples, chosen because they represent the Communion in some manner, to the Queen and the Prince. Karen and I were extremely honoured to be among this group and we enjoyed a personal moment with this remarkable couple. 

 

The Queen and Prince made their way through the orderly crowd, stopping to speak with a few people, showing genuine interest in each one. The Royal Couple made their way into the Royal Tent where they spoke with the Primates of the Church about issues facing the Communion while others gathered in groups or wandered around the property. Afterwards, one person noted how well the Queen was versed in the Windsor Report and the concerns of the community. 

 

I also spoke at length with a bishop from a diocese that desperately needs a medical clinic. He tells me that if the church can build a clinic the government will pay for the staffing of the clinic. Maybe that is something we could make happen. I will try to gather more information.

 

It was a delight to share this experience at Buckingham Palace with a number of Board Members of the Compass Rose Society.

 

+Philip Poole

 

 

Learning from Brothers and Sisters

July 23, 2008

 

A lively Eucharist in Spanish, with energetic music from Cuba, opened this day. We then gathered for a bible study on the theme ”I am the light of the world”, the story of the “woman caught in adultery” and our Lord’s response. In the reading, a group of leaders seek Jesus’ judgment on the woman. Without a doubt the word “judge” is a complex and multi-layered English word that means different things in different cultures and settings. What is the role of the church when it comes to judgment? What are we to make of “Do not judge lest you be judged yourself?” When we stand before God for the final judgment of our lives what will we say?

 

That study led us into the Indaba groups focusing on the theme “The Bishop and Social Justice”. We heard powerful stories of the realities of people living in situations where water can not be trusted and often is a source of disease; where mothers neglect their own nourishment in order that their children might eat the meagre amount of food available; where HIV/AIDS and other diseases ravage the human body. Somehow the discussions of the important theological issues of human sexuality, when held along side these life and death realities, make me wonder what it would be if we put even half the corporate energy we invest into human sexuality into these life and death issues.

 

The afternoon found us in the first of four scheduled “hearings” opportunities for bishops to address the Windsor Continuation Group with their reflections on the proposed covenant. I did not hear much new I am afraid.

 

Fresh Expressions, a movement launched in England that is gaining traction in much of the world, was the topic of the self-select group I chose. The Diocese of Toronto is already working with Fresh Expressions, which seeks to take the gospel to the culture in new and creative ways. It has had no small success and may help us as we seek to be more mission-minded. “Google up” Fresh Expressions and take a look at what is being done.

 

The evening event sponsored by the Bishop of Toronto gathered together with a group of African Bishops as we seek to build community and strengthen ties with our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world. It was particularly interesting to learn of the ministries and challenges in other dioceses during the talks their bishops gave. The sheer size and lack of transportation of some of the dioceses makes regular contact with parishes and clergy so difficult. I hope this Conference might inspire our diocese to consider entering into additional relationships with other parts of the world where our resources, talents, time and energy might be used in partnership with others for the common good. 

 

The Lambeth Conference is reinforcing what I already knew - that our church in the west has much to learn from our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world.

 

+Philip Poole