The Calls which will be discussed by bishops from around the world at the Lambeth Conference 2022, which begins in Canterbury this week, have been published.The document Lambeth Calls includes revisions to a number of draft Lambeth Calls which were released last week as part of Lambeth Calls: Guidance and Study Documents.It includes revisions to the Call on Human Dignity, agreed by the drafting group following consideration of widespread responses from bishops and others.There are also revisions to the draft Calls on Discipleship, Mission and Evangelism and Inter Faith Relations.Bishop Tim Thornton (see photo), Chair of the Lambeth Conference’s Lambeth Calls Subgroup, said:“We have listened carefully and prayerfully to what bishops and many others have said in response to the draft Calls, especially that on Human Dignity. Archbishop Justin has invited the bishops of the Anglican Communion to come together as a family to listen, pray and discern – sometimes across deeply-held differences.It is our prayer that these Calls can offer a basis for those conversations – and that all of our discussions will be marked by the grace and love of Jesus Christ.Please continue to pray for us that we may continue to listen, walk and witness together.”
Walking last week from Stepney Green Tube station to Limehouse, I crossed at midnight the seven-acre churchyard of what has always felt to me like the spiritual centre of east London. St Dunstan’s is only a small, ragstone, 15th-century parish church, now amid rough tower blocks, gentrified terraces and city noise, but once a village church when Stepney was a village. Somehow its past clings to it, set in so large a burial ground, testament to the victims of the Great Plague. St Dunstan’s radiates a quietude that cathedrals lack, and it’s a wonderful thing that its custodians have insisted on keeping the churchyard open at all hours, its wide, stone-paved walks criss-crossing between the bustle all around.At this hour, though, all was silent. Then I noticed a man walking his spaniel on a long lead. A fox had noticed the spaniel too, and the two canines edged gingerly towards each other, inspecting, sniffing, peeking around the monuments and gravestones. Across six centuries the rural past and the metropolitan future had caught each other’s scents. Two ghosts. Each backed off and went their separate ways.
St Mark's Shared Church in Bordon are inviting Christians from far and wide to join them on Saturday 10th September 2022 to come and worship. Their hope is to see 1000 people (tongues) join in praise at the Prince Philip Garrison Parade Ground (GU35 0DJ) from 2-4pm.Contact Revd Iain Robertson for more details on 01483 576615 or reviainbordonchurch@gmail.com
THE Archbishop of Canterbury has said that he plans to stay in post until he reaches retirement age in four years — health-permitting, and if “people are happy” with his leadership.In an interview with The Times ahead of the Lambeth Conference, which begins on Friday, Archbishop Welby said: “It’s not about me, it’s what’s best for the Church. I will certainly take advice, and if my health is good and people are happy that I’m still there, then I’ll still be there.” It was not about what “pleases” him, he said, but “a decision that would be arrived at in prayer, thoughtful consultation with others, family, colleagues, friends”.Archbishop Welby, who is 66, was confirmed Archbishop in St Paul’s Cathedral in 2013. By the time he is 70, in 2026, he will have been in post for 13 years — the same length of time as Archbishop Michael Ramsey (1961–1974). His immediate predecessors, Lord Williams (2002-2013) and Lord Carey (1991-2002), were each in post for 11 years.Earlier this month, the General Synod approved a motion to increase from one to five representatives from the Anglican Communion on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for Canterbury. This was a “reasonable” step, Archbishop Welby said in the interview.He also spoke about his experience of depression and the “tough” aspects of the job, including his role as spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion. “Every stimulating job is gruelling and will have tough moments,” he said. “But I am still enjoying myself enormously. It’s such a privilege to do this job. I never take it for granted.”
