The Anglican Consultative Council meeting is vital for our whanau – NZ Maori archdeacon; Young Anglicans book on mission to be launched at ACC-15 in New Zealand; Archbishop of Canterbury visits Papua New Guinea; Archbishop ‘shock and sadness’ at the violent attack on Malala Yousafzai; Pope to send delegation to Damascus; Why Russia’s Orthodox Church is teaching teenagers Parkour
The Anglican Consultative Council meeting is vital for our whanau – NZ Maori archdeacon
The upcoming meeting of Anglicans from around the world is important not only for those attending but also for the person in the pew, according to one of New Zealand’s Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) members.
The Revd Turi Hollis, an Archdeacon from the Maori Anglican diocese of Te Waipounamu, said the whanau or Anglican family could hardly exist without meeting together on occasion.
“In the New Zealand Prayer Book/He Karakia Mihinare one of the Eucharist services begins with the words: E te Wh?nau a te Karaiti, ko tatou nei tana tinana e mahi nei i te ao. (We are the family of Christ; we are his body at work in this world.) For me, then, the Anglican Consultative Council is a gathering of my Anglican brothers and sisters, and friends, from across the world. How can a whanau exist if it does not get together when it can?
“We live in a big world and it is not possible for all Anglicans to hui (gather, meet, conference) but the man and woman in the pews should not be forgotten. After all, they are also members of te Whanau a te Karaiti (the family of Christ) just as we are who have the privilege of being on the ACC. This is why, despite all the diverse theological, biblical and political views that can be found in any whanau, the ACC needs to maintain and sustain the bonds that tie our Anglican whanau together.”
Archdeacon Hollis is one of more than 80 ordained and lay delegates who are sent to the meeting by the 38 Provinces of the Anglican Communion. Along with the Lambeth Conference and Primates’ Meeting, the ACC is one of the Instruments of Communion. It convenes every two or three years as a key moment of reflection and fellowship for the Anglican Communion. It is an opportunity for representatives of all the Member Churches to reflect on the life and mission of the Anglican Communion, and consider future priorities and activities.
This year’s meeting is being held at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland, New Zealand between 27 October and 7 November. It has an agenda anchored around daily worship and bible study. Topics for consideration include the progress of the Anglican Communion Covenant; mission across the Anglican Communion; and an update on the work of its official Networks including the Safe Churches Consultation. There will also be presentations on the Communion’s global ecumenical relationships; the state of Communications across the Communion; and reports on such projects as The Bible in the Life of Church and Continuing Indaba.
There will also be three public presentations at the Cathedral chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams on such issues as gender-based violence, the environment and Christian witness.
Young Anglicans book on mission to be launched at ACC-15 in New Zealand
A book on “life-widening mission” written by some of the Anglican Communion’s brightest young people is being launched at the Anglican Consultative Council1 in New Zealand at the end of the month.
The publication contains a rich variety of reflections and perspectives by the young Anglicans following their attendance at Edinburgh 2010, an event which commemorated the historic ecumenical Edinburgh 1910 Conference.
Life-widening Mission: Global Anglican Perspectives is written from their personal contextual backgrounds in the light of the Anglican Communion’s Marks of Mission2.
All the major chapters are written by the six young Anglicans who come from the following Provinces: Brazil, Canada, Central Africa, Hong Kong, Kenya, South Africa and The Episcopal Church. The book is edited by Dr Cathy Ross from New Zealand.
In his foreword to the book, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams states that “what they write here gives us no cause for complacency, and these reflections will – or should – provide us with food for thought in various councils of the Communion in the coming years.”
The book, which is being officially launched by Archbishop Rowan and others on Saturday 28 October at 4pm at Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, will be on sale to ACC members and the general public during the launch at a reduced price of NZ$28 (US$23 or £14). For those who aren’t in New Zealand, or can’t wait until then, the book can also be purchased from the Anglican Communion online bookshop at: http://shop.anglicancommunion.org/
Archbishop of Canterbury visits Papua New Guinea
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is visiting Papua New Guinea from 19-24 October, at the invitation of the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea. Archbishop Williams and his wife, Dr Jane Williams, will arrive in Port Moresby on Saturday at the start of a five day visit in which they will experience the rich and varied life of the church and nation.
On arrival in the capital, Port Moresby, the Archbishop made courtesy calls on the Governor General and political leaders and met and prayed with church families from the diocese.
Speaking in advance of his visit The Archbishop said:
“I am delighted to be visiting Papua New Guinea and to be able to experience at first-hand the remarkable life of the church in this nation and its contribution to the wider community.” We much look forward to celebrating the faithful Christian witness and dedicated service of the church among different communities and to seeing for ourselves the church’s central role in health, education and community development. We also look forward to experiencing how the enduring assets of the country’s rich culture and strong social fabric allow a confident response to the challenges of the day. There is so much in the life of the church and nation which is a gift for the wider church and for the world.
I look forward to discussions with church leaders from the different churches and with national leaders over the nation’s priorities for its people. I am very grateful to the Government of Papua New Guinea for its hospitality and its support.”
http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2012/10/17/ACNS5209
Archbishop ‘shock and sadness’ at the violent attack on Malala Yousafzai
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has expressed his shock andsadness at the violent attack on Malala Yousafzai and two other school girls in Pakistan.
His full statement is at:
http://www.aco.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2012/10/17/Archbishop-of-Canterburys-shock-and-sadness-at-the-violent-attack-on-Malala-Yousafzai
Pope to send delegation to Damascus
Pope Benedict XVI is sending a delegation to Syria to express solidarity with people caught up in the conflict.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said the visit to Damascus would be an expression of “spiritual closeness to our Christian brothers and sisters”.
The visit will also be used to encourage “all those involved in seeking an agreement respectful of the rights and duties of all with particular attention to the demands of humanitarian law”.
More at: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/3/pope.to.send.delegation.to.damascus/30830.htm
Why Russia’s Orthodox Church is teaching teenagers Parkour
The Russian Orthodox Church has come under fire following recent stories about church officials being involved in drink-driving and road rage attacks. But it also provides valuable public services – including helping wayward teenagers get back on track via a risky urban sport.
My stomach lurches. The young man in front of me suddenly plunges down the stairwell and seems to be dangling in mid-air three floors up.
Then silently – without so much as a grunt – he springs over the banister and is standing next to me again.
Evgeny Krynin is one of St Petersburg’s most renowned Parkour artists – the urban sport which mixes acrobatics and athletics and is similar to the discipline known as free running.
So for the past three years, he has been giving training sessions in orphanages and prisons – and also in Russia’s residential centre for teenagers on probation.
“Most of these kids have been drinking, sniffing glue or using other drugs for years,” Krynin says.
“So we start them off with exercises to improve strength and flexibility before we try anything more complicated.”
The St Basil the Great Adaptation Centre on St Petersburg’s Vasilievsky Island has a team of counsellors and therapists to help the boys deal with their problems – but Krynin says Parkour is itself therapeutic.
More at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19885838