From the Magazine

FROM KATHARINE

In May we had a very well attended Sunday morning service for those who have been married or had relationships celebrated at St Giles.’ What we had not anticipated were people coming along who had read about it more widely in the Lent/Easter leaflet, which was a lovely surprise. So the celebrations spanned 1977 to the summer weddings this year: one bride wore her wedding outfit and a couple brought their photo album. The forty buttonholes of red roses that we had made were not enough; memo for next year: make it 60.

I spend a lot of time with couples in the months leading up to their wedding, and it wonderful to see how many stay in touch and make their home with us. When I ask how the preparations are going, they will tell me how many weeks it is to the big day, and what still has to be done.  Couples do not go in for the level of detail found on the Lambeth Conference website, which right now tells me it is 51 days 2 hours 14 minutes and 26 seconds before it begins on 16 July at 17.30.

I bet there wasn’t such attention to detail at the first conference in 1867. This was called for by the Church of Canada, because a provocative bishop in Natal was not insisting on the divorce of polygamists on their baptism. Those liberals have always been trouble. 

It’s felt touch and go this time for exactly the same reasons: what some consider to be irregular sexual practice. Who is coming, who is staying away, who has not been invited. The continuing rows about (male) sexuality which dominated the last conference in 1998 and the cultural differences within the Anglican Communion have been regularly reported in the church press. ‘It looks as if the bishops will be meeting in a phone box, there’ll be so few of them,’ was a view earlier this year. As we know that is not the case, and there has been a determination to make this conference different. This year there will be a particular focus on equipping the bishop as enabler and encourager of God’s people in their purpose and mission. It will look at the bishop’s particular tasks of leadership in the church.

We hope that we have moved on since 12^th Century and Hugh of Lincoln’s particular way with people. ‘Indeed, I am sharper and more biting than pepper, and not infrequently when I preside over my Chapter I flare up over quite little matters. But they know that they have to endure the bishop whom they have been given, and so make a virtue of necessity and give way to me.’ This quotation will be lost on all those bishops who are elected by the people and their fellow clergy, unlike churches, as the Church of England, which continue to appoint their bishops in arcane ways. 

We know it’s good to meet and talk, and the conference provides the only opportunity for the bishops of the member churches of the Anglican Communion to meet together. There is also the spouses’ conference which a friend delights in attending, especially when the invitation to the garden party at Buckingham Palace stipulates hat and gloves. On the day he decided not to wear gloves.

What I am encouraged about is the emphasis on prayer. The conference begins with a retreat led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and each day begins with bible study and prayer groups. Later in the morning there are ‘chewing-over groups’ of the daily topics. These are called ‘Indaba’ groups from the SiZulu word.  I like to think of our spiritual leaders pausing to reflect in this way, rather than rushing all day from meeting to meeting.

Over the summer we can look to and share many of the objectives of the conference for our life here in the parish: that in our work and play and worship we be restored and refreshed spiritually; that we gain deeper knowledge of each other, and that we become more aware of the spiritual and physical resources God has given us to meet missionary challenges (in different parts of the world). We also wish to develop greater understanding and appreciation of life together (in the Anglican Communion); that we address conflict and discover a new level of trust in common service to God, and that we gain greater understanding of the contribution we can make (to the worldwide church and the world). (The bits in brackets pertaining to their international, rather than our parochial, responsibility.)

We pray this summer that our bishops may have wisdom, understanding and productive chewing over together.