Anglican World Issue 134 by Anglican Communion Office

Anglican

WORLD MAGAZINE OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION • ISSUE 134 APRIL 2014

Women’s ministry: the Church’s biggest secret

CMS Asia launches with a focus on global, cross-cultural mission

Our woman in Rome An Anglican’s 20 years as a Vatican Radio correspondent anglican world issue 134 april 2014

e d i to r i a l

There your heart is also

THERE IS NO doubt that we have some very talented and dedicated women working for God’s kingdom across the Anglican Communion. This edition of Anglican World magazine highlights just a few: journalists, businesswomen, intercessors, priests and those fighting for the oppressed. While it’s great to hear about all that’s going on, it’s sad to discover that much women’s ministry is relegated to the fringes of Church life. As Secretary General of the Anglican Communion I can say that we do all we can to ensure gender balance on official committees and councils, but too often the default position is for Member Churches to “I was a stranger and you invited nominate a male bishop as their provincial representative. This is why I am delighted to read about the female me in, I needed clothes and you Anglican delegation at the UN’s Commission on the Status Women and the Anglican Women at Prayer conference. clothed me, I was sick and you of Here we see women from around the globe coming looked after me, I was in prison and together to collaborate and cooperate at the highest levels in the name of God. It’s something that all of us, whatever you came to visit me.” our gender, should shout about. Something else to celebrate is the news of Anglicans in Asia fulfilling their mission to the unreached, to those in prison, and to those from minority communities. I am reminded of the passage from Matthew 25, “I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Whenever a member of the Anglican Communion fulfils this Scripture we should commend them and afford them a place of honour in our community; whoever they are, wherever they’re from. Such people should be our treasure because their actions demonstrate what is most important to us as a Communion of believers.

Canon Kenneth Kearon Secretary General of the Anglican Communion

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

contents

Anglican

world Inside this issue ISSUE 134 APRIL 2014

Produced by The Anglican Communion Office St Andrew’s House 16 Tavistock Crescent London W11 1AP United Kingdom Registered Charity 7311767 Tel +44 (0)20 7313 3900 Fax +44 (0)20 7313 3999 E-mail aco@anglicancommunion.org Web www.anglicancommunion.org Serving The Instruments of Communion: The Lambeth Conference The Anglican Consultative Council The Primates’ Meeting And approximately 85 million Anglicans and Episcopalians in more than 165 countries President The Archbishop of Canterbury Secretary General The Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon Editor Jan Butter Any comments, questions or contributions should be sent to The Editor at news@anglicancommunion.org Advertising Michael Ade Tel +44 (0)20 7313 3915 Fax +44 (0)20 7313 3999 Subscriptions: E-mail aw.subscriptions@ anglicancommunion.org UK £2.50 / US$4 / €3.50 for one issue. UK £10 / US$16 / €14 for four issues. See the subscription form at the back of this issue or visit www.anglicancommunion.org/ aw/subscription.cfm Design and Layout Marcus Thomas e-mail info@marcusthomas.co.nz Printed by CPO, Garcia Estate, Canterbury Road, Worthing, W. Sussex BN13 1BW All original material may be reproduced by Member Churches without further permission of the Anglican Consultative Council. Acknowledgement and a copy of the publications are requested. Permission to reproduce copyrighted work should be sought from the owner.

¢ EDITORIAL

Canon Kearon on honouring those doing God’s will 2 ¢ COMMUNION NEWS

Anglican

WORLD MAGAZINE OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION • ISSUE 134 APRIL 2014

The latest from around the Anglican world 4 ¢ FEATURE

Time for a fifth wave of mission in Asia 6

Women’s ministry: the Church’s biggest secret

CMS Asia launches

¢ FEATURE

Divine friendships 8 ¢ PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

The clock is ticking for Zanzibar cathedral 9 Our woman in the Vatican 10 Visiting Anglicans in Sri Lanka’s beleaguered north 11 ¢ WORLD VIEW

The Communion at a glance 12 ¢ COVER FEATURE

Women’s ministry: Lessons from a Victorian nurse 14 ¢ FEATURE

Praying and weaving – Anglican women meet in Virginia 16 ¢ ANGLICAN YOUTH

Making a splash at home and abroad 18

with a focus on global, cross-cultural mission

Our woman in Rome An Anglican’s 20 years as a Vatican Radio correspondent anglican world issue 134 april 2014

Cover photo

22 News

In Zonkwa Diocese, every female churchgoer is a member of the Women’s Guild CREDIT: JESSE ZINK

¢ PROFILE

Shaking things up in Zonkwa 20 ¢ THE LAST WORD

Caroline Welby’s first year

Seeing and meeting need Caroline Welby with Anglican women in Rwanda

ANGLICAN WORLD IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION OFFICE

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

communion news

west africa

THE COMMUNION MOURNS THE DEATH OF ONE OF ITS PRIMATES Messages of shock, sympathy and condolence were sent to West Africa from around the Anglican Communion following the unexpected death of its Primate, Dr Solomon Tilewa Johnson on 21 January. Archbishop Johnson, 59, was also Metropolitan Archbishop of the internal province of West Africa, and Bishop of Gambia. A popular figure both home and abroad, he died suddenly in Fajara while playing tennis – one of his favourite pastimes. Chairman of the Council of

The late Archbishop S Tilewa Johnson who died in January

Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) and Primate of the Anglican Church of Burundi, Bernard Ntahoturi said, “A great man of God. Archbishop Tilewa

stood tall within the Anglican Communion as well as within the ecumenical movement. We shall miss his open mind and his spirit of true Pan-Africanism”.

england

ANGLICAN LEGAL ADVISOR NAMED QUEEN’S CHAPLAIN

DIOCESE OF OXFORD

Canon Rees has been named a Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II

The legal adviser to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) and Provincial Registrar for the Archbishop of Canterbury has been appointed as a Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II. Canon John Rees said he was delighted to receive the accolade which is awarded for long and distinguished service as a member of UK clergy. “It is a great honour to be appointed as one of Her Majesty The Queen’s Chaplains,” he said. “The role is largely honorary, but I hope it will increase the opportunities I

have from time to time to emphasise the importance of the Anglican Communion, and the immensely valuable work done by Anglican Churches around the world.” Canon Rees is currently Registrar for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Diocesan Registrar for Oxford, Legal Adviser to the ACC (since 1995) Vice-Chair of the Legal Advisory Commission of the Church of England, an honorary Provincial Canon of Canterbury Cathedral and Senior Partner of Winckworth Sherwood.

k e n ya

FORMER CHURCH OF KENYA STAFF MEMBER JOINS ALLIANCE The Anglican Alliance has appointed the former Advocacy Programme Coordinator of the Anglican Development Services of the Church of Kenya to be its new Africa Regional Facilitator. June Nderitu is to be based at the Nairobi office of CAPA – Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa – under the leadership of Canon Grace Kaiso. She has a key role of delivering the programme priorities identified in 2011 at the 4

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first Africa regional conference hosted by the Anglican Alliance and CAPA. Welcoming her to the role, Chairman of the Anglican Alliance board, Primate of the Anglican Church of Central Africa Albert Chama called Mrs Nderitu someone who “understands that there is a global church that can make a difference to the well-being of all people.” Mrs Nderitu said: “I look forward to

JUNE NDERITU

The Anglican Alliance’s newest staff member June Nderitu

joining this great team within the Anglican Communion that works to practically share the love of Christ.”

brazil, south india, west africa

COMMUNION: NEW PRIMATES FOR BRAZIL, SOUTH INDIA, WEST AFRICA The past few months have seen new senior bishops for a tenth of the Anglican Communion Member Churches. The Most Revd Francisco De Assis Da Silva is the new Primate of Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil, and La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico’s new leader is The Most Revd Francisco Moreno. At The Church of South India’s synod in February, Bishop Gnanasigamony Devakadasham became the Moderator, and,

ANGLICAN CHURCH OF MEXICO

Francisco da Silva takes over from Mauricio Andrade as Brazil’s primate

following the death of Archbishop Johnson, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Church of the Province of

West Africa, Daniel Sarfo became its primate.

global

ECUMENICAL, INTER FAITH ANTI-SLAVERY PROJECT LAUNCHED IN ROME

Anglican Centre in Rome director Archbishop David Moxon signs the agreement

For the first time in history, Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Muslims

have joined forces in a project to “inspire practical and spiritual action” to combat modern slavery and human trafficking. High-level representatives from each faith community were at the Vatican on 17 March to sign an agreement launching the Global Freedom Network to help eradicate an injustice that affects up to 27 million people.

Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, have personally given their backing to the newlyformed organisation that aims to eradicate slavery by encouraging governments, businesses, and educational and faith institutions to rid their supply chains of slave labour.

global

SECRETARIAT LAUNCHES ANGLICAN COMMUNION FACEBOOK PAGE The Anglican Communion Office has launched a new community page on the social media platform Facebook called The Anglican Communion. It exists to share the best online content from around the Anglican world with Communion members online. Jan Butter, Director for Communications at the Anglican Communion Office said, “We’ve got a great team of volunteer administrators from the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania share what’s best from their regions. “Along with AnglicanNews.org, this aims to be a place where people can learn more about Anglican/Episcopalian life and mission in other parts of the world.”

The new Anglican Communion Facebook page is ‘Liked’ around the world

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

f e at u r e

TOM FLOYD

Time for a fifth wave of mission in Asia Asia CMS is officially launched in Malaysia PEOPLE FROM ALMOST every continent were among the more than 450 people gathered on 8 March to celebrate the official launch of Asia CMS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Attendees included leaders from CMS in the UK, CMS Australia, CMS New Zealand and CMS Africa – the latter of which was launched in 2008 as part of CMS’s overall plan to decentralise its global work. Also in attendance were dozens of Asia CMS co-mission partners (Timothy mission partners) and dozens of mission partners from UK who serve in Asia. In a stirring opening speech,

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“In some places Christianity is growing rapidly but not in heartlands of other faiths” Bishop Moon Hing of the diocese of West Malaysia said now was the time for a “fifth wave” of mission in Asia, a time to intentionally send well-trained people into cross-cultural mission. He said that Asia CMS would be pivotal in this process.

In back-to-back addresses, Kang-San Tan, executive director of Asia CMS and Wonsuk Ma, an internationally respected missiologist who is based at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, made the case for establishing Asia CMS by posing the question of why Christianity has failed to take root in vast parts of the region. “In some places Christianity is growing rapidly but not in heartlands of other faiths,” KangSan said. He added that although there are many theological colleges in Asia, what’s needed is a training centre that specialises in crosscultural mission that will work in

Left: CMS started way back in 1799

Æ partnership with existing mission organisations in Asia such as OMF, OM, SIM and Interserve. Asia CMS will be meeting this need with its Asia Gateway programme, which among other emphases, will train a growing Asian mission movement to engage specifically with what KangSan calls “the challenge of Asian religions”—Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. He added that this challenge isn’t faced by mission partners only: “Mission is for every one of us. Many of us come from other religious backgrounds but how often do we see seminars about engaging with other faiths? How often do we intentionally engage ourselves?” Kang-San grew up in a Muslim community; his brother is now a Buddhist monk. Next month will see the first Asia Gateway training take place with participants from Mongolia, Nepal, India, Pakistan and other countries. Wonsuk emphasised that what Asia CMS brings to the table is a chance for mission organisations to collaborate, not compete. Following these addresses, stories from mission partners and a co-mission partner and music from renowned Malaysian artists the Three Tenors and Juwito Suwito, CMS Britain’s executive leader Philip Mounstephen closed in prayer. He said later, “It was in immense privilege to see years of hard work and investment by CMS bear fruit in tonight’s launch. This is the clearest possible evidence of our conviction that at its best mission is ‘from everywhere to everywhere’. “Asia CMS will enable and equip a new generation of mission leaders to share Asian energy and vision not only in this great continent but to take it to every corner of the

CMS

Leaders of a networked CMS – Philip Mounstephen of CMS, Dennis Tongoi of CMS Africa, Kang-San Tan of Asia CMS

“It was something we really needed to hear to get us thinking outside the box. We can be too individualistic. We need to think outside our own comfort zones. We are too used to people in mission coming to us. We need to be on the move.” world. This is only the beginning; the potential is huge!” One attendee, a local pastor in Malaysia, commented: “Tonight we heard a very important message from Dr Ma and Kang-San. It was something we really needed to hear to get us thinking outside the box. We can be too individualistic. We need to think outside our own comfort zones. We are too used to people in mission coming to us. We need to be on the move.” The Bishop Emeritus of the

Methodist Church of West Malaysia also attended the launch event. “It was great to see Malaysian church leaders endorse Asia CMS as leading the church into a new wave of Christian mission by training leaders for global cross cultural mission,” said Paul Thaxter, director of international mission for CMS in Oxford. He added: “Asia CMS is poised to contribute to a key moment in Asian mission. With only 8.5 per cent of Asia being Christian, the challenge is to reach this least evangelised continent. Asian leaders recognise the key role that Asia CMS has in equipping Asian mission movements to fulfil the great commission.” Established in 1799, CMS first sent missionaries to Asia in 1813. CMS continues to send mission partners from the UK to Asia in partnership with Asia CMS. First published on the CMS website

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

f e at u r e

Discover friendship as a spiritual practice by the revd john newton

THE ANCIENT GREEKS used the word philia to describe the love that existed between friends. In Aristotle’s writings philia is usually translated as “affectionate regard” or “friendship.” Philia is a specific kind of love. It is the deep transformative love that is cultivated in the context of an authentic friendship. Many of the ancients viewed philia as the highest form of love because it required more deliberateness than storge (familial love) and eros (romantic love). After all, we do not choose our family. Nor do we really choose the person with whom we “fall” in love. Cupid strikes us when we least expect it. But we do not “fall” into an authentic and meaningful friendship. Philia is a love that we deliberately cultivate.

Cupid strikes us when we least expect it. But we do not “fall” into an authentic and meaningful friendship. There is a superfluous aspect to a deep, authentic friendship that makes philia especially divine. Storge is like bread and water. We cannot survive without it, But philia is a cake with buttercream icing. C. S. Lewis

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

Friends in Papua New Guinea

likened philia to philosophy and art— not at all necessary, but incredibly wonderful and good. “It has no survival value,” he writes. “Rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” I believe philia is a spiritual practice that we desperately need to recover. The greatest miracle in the New Testament is not that Jesus turned water into wine or that he opened the eyes of the blind but that, in and through his death and resurrection, he brought together people who had been divided for centuries. Jesus’ death tore down “the dividing wall of hostility” between Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2.14) and empowered them to “walk together in love” (Ephesians 5.2). Put differently, Jesus’ death and resurrection created new and peculiar friendships that pointed the world to an undivided and all-loving God (1 Corinthians 1.13). We also live in a divided world. We increasingly classify people and label them as “us” or “not us.” We huddle into like-minded groups and rarely, if ever, share of ourselves authentically. Our autopilot instinct is to huddle with people who are like us. But God desires things to work differently in the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ calls for unity and diversity, not unity or diversity. Indeed, the Bible teaches that only as the different parts of Jesus’ body form deep friendships of love will the

world know that we belong to an undivided and all-loving God (John 13.35). The Episcopal Church is a diverse church. There are plenty of people who don’t look like me or share my theological convictions. It is easy to keep these people at arm’s length and to relate to them superficially. But God invites us to lean into these relationships. After all, what good is reconciliation at the vertical level (between us and God) if it does not translate into reconciliation at the horizontal level (between us and other people)? God asks us to look at every baptised Christian and to call them “friend.” As we often sing, “They will know that we are Christians by our love”. And so let us remember that philia is not the sort of love we ever “fall” into. It is perhaps the most deliberate love of all. Jesus reconciled us to God so that we might reconcile with one another. It is in this way that we point the world to God. “I do not call you servants any longer,” Jesus says, “because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends” (John 15.15). “Now go and do likewise” (Luke 10.37). John Newton is the Canon for Lifelong Christian Formation for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. First published in Diolog magazine

past , present and future

DIOCESE OF ZANZIBAR

Cathedral built on a slave market races to find funding by bellah zulu, acns africa correspondent

ZANZIBAR HOLDS A very important place in East Africa, not least because it is one of the continent’s most popular tourist destinations. Upward of 100,000 tourists visit Stone Town, the island’s main city, each year. Major attractions on the island include the spice tours, the beautiful coastline, local wildlife and the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral. This is a landmark historical church and one of the most prominent examples of early Christian architecture in East Africa. Built over a period of ten years, from 1873, it was crafted mainly out of coral stone. Consecrated in 1903 the cathedral was based on the vision of Edward Steere, third Anglican Bishop of Zanzibar, who contributed to the design. Sadly, like many other old coralstone buildings in Stone Town, the cathedral has experienced natural decay and resultant structural problems. Major cracks were found along the entire length of

the vaulted nave roof and down the west gable wall of the building. A detailed engineering study carried out in 2008 concluded that the structure was considerably compromised and interventions were necessary to ensure the building’s survival. In February, bomb blasts near the cathedral’s main entrance caused additional damage to the building. Good news then that the World Monument Fund has secured a grant of €743,000 to help preserve the building as well as create a cultural heritage centre marking the abolition of slavery at the site. Stone Town was host to one of the world’s last open slave markets, until it was shut down by the British in 1873. Christ Church Cathedral was built on the place where slaves were imprisoned and were whipped. The former whipping tree is marked at the altar by a white marble circle surrounded by red to symbolise the blood of the slaves. “The project will preserve a highly significant monument and promote access to one of the most important heritage sites in East

Africa,” said Faith Kibiku, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Anglican Diocese Of Zanzibar. “Telling the story of this dark chapter in the region’s history in an open and factual way will help bridge social and ethnic divides and promote tolerance, reconciliation and an inclusive society.”

...the Diocese’s ability to meet this challenge is in significant jeopardy However, to secure the full European Union grant, the Anglican Diocese of Zanzibar must contribute 20 percent of the total project – €30,000 – by October 2014. “Because of the downturn in tourism, due to sectarian and politically motivated violence here, the Diocese’s ability to meet this challenge is in significant jeopardy,” reports Ms Kibiku. Contact Canon Jerry Kramer at jerry@ lovefortheleast.org for more information.

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

past , present and future

Left: Reporting for the BBC during the Conclave. Inset: At the World Council of Churches 10th Assembly in Korea with female members of the Vatican delegation

PHILIPPA HITCHEN

An Anglican voice on Vatican Radio by philippa hitchen

I JOINED THE staff of Vatican Radio’s English section in September 1986, just one month before Pope John Paul led representatives of over 30 Christian churches, including Archbishop Robert Runcie, and a dozen other faith communities in the first day of prayer for peace in Assisi. Four years earlier, the Polish Pope had made a historic visit to Britain, the first since Canterbury broke from Rome in the 16th century, and there was a strong sense of possibility in the air for progress in Anglican-Catholic relations. Not that I was particularly interested in ecumenism back then – in fact I don’t think I even knew what the word meant. I was one of several young, non-Catholic journalists hired to provide a fresher, more outgoing perspective to the station’s English programmes and I soon discovered a passion for the burning human rights issues of the day. Some memorable interviews from those early years included speaking to Audrey Hepburn about her heartbreaking humanitarian work with UNICEF for famine victims in Ethiopia, to dissident Czech playwright (and future president) Vaclav Havel on

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

the day he was let out of jail or to British Cardinal Basil Hume about his efforts to secure the release of the wrongly accused Guildford Four. It was a heady feeling to pick up the phone, knowing that the name Vatican Radio would open almost any door. The Radio, whose production offices are located down the road from St Peter’s Square, was set up in 1931 by Pope Pius XI and his friend, Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi. Marconi’s daughter, Maria Elettra, still visits our studios to reminisce about her childhood days playing in the Vatican gardens with her father. While broadcasting was originally done in Italian and confined to news of papal activites and pronouncements, the Radio now has over 40 language sections and a wide variety of musical, liturgical, news and feature programming. A work highlight has been travelling with the popes. With John Paul I went to France, Tunisia, Egypt, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, gaining insights into CatholicsOrthodox relations and the realities of Christians living in Muslim societies. With Benedict I travelled to Turkey, France, Britain, Mexico and Cuba. In May I’ll join Pope Francis on the papal plane for his

visit to Jordan, Israel and Palestine. When the Church of England ordained its first women priests in the 1990s, colleagues asked what it would mean for AnglicanRoman Catholic relations. I invited Archbishop George Carey to share his views on Vatican Radio during one of his visits to Rome. During the latter years of John Paul II relations between Canterbury and Rome became increasingly strained over issues of sexuality and women’s ordination. Roman Catholics looked to see whether a divided Anglican Communion could hold together. In the face of often inflammatory secular media headlines, I have tried to showcase a positive ecumenical perspective and was pleased to find like-minded Anglicans and Catholics collaborating around Rome. Archbishop Rowan Williams, during his visits to Rome, was also a source of encouragement for me during such times. Without doubt Pope Francis’ election has ushered in an ecumenical springtime—one of many refreshing changes the Argentinian leader has introduced. When Archbishop Justin Welby and the Pope met, despite speaking through an interpreter, they clearly had an immediate personal rapport. They discussed shared concerns for social justice and conflict resolution, as well as their commitment to the path of full Christian unity. Indeed, when I met Archbishop Welby in South Korea last November he told me, “no sacrifice is too great to be obedient to the call of Christ that we may be one”.

CREDIT

Meeting the new Pope

past , present and future

CANON JOHN CARTER

With the girls of Karuna Niliyam Girl’s Home - Canon John Carter (right) and Revd Keerthi Fernando (left) in cassocks.

Weeping with those who weep

On Sat 22 March, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted to call on Sri Lanka to again investigate alleged abuses during its 26-year civil war, stepping up pressure on the government in Colombo. Canon John Carter is Press and Communications Officer for the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds which has had a partnership with the Church in Sri Lanka. He has just come back from visiting the former war zones to see the work of the Diocese of Colombo in supporting local communities. WHEN BRITISH PRIME Minister David Cameron visited the north of Sri Lanka last November, he was mobbed by local people protesting against alleged human rights abuses, and the world’s media took notice. My own five day visit to churches and projects in Jaffna and the northern province this March took me deep into the former war zone to meet with clergy and churches in the Diocese of Colombo, to see church buildings which still lie in ruins, schools and projects which are being rebuilt and meet local people who still talk of abuse and a ‘military occupation’. The clergy in Jaffna Archdeaconry are a courageous group. Many of them have experienced both war and its aftermath, supporting and living alongside those in rehabilitation camps, those who have lost loved ones and those still displaced and homeless. It is only recently that outsiders have been allowed to travel to the north to see the area for themselves. On day three in the north I met the Revd Fr Sinniah Daniel, who is Vicar at St Paul’s Church Kilinochchi and Chaplain at Karuna Nilayam Girl’s Home in what was the heart of the LTTE territory, the Tamil Tigers’ de facto capital during

...as bullets and shells rained overhead they lay in a ditch in the middle of a paddy field – no man’s land... the war. During 2008/2009 as the war drew to its bloody conclusion and government troops closed in, he led ninety orphan girls deep into the jungle in fear of their lives. Visiting the hiding places, it is clearly miraculous that they managed to survive. As the fighting drew nearer the girls had to flee to another safer shelter, and as bullets and shells rained overhead they lay in a ditch in the middle of a paddy field – no man’s land – and sang songs and hymns to keep their spirits up. Today, with the Girl’s Home rebuilt, five of those girls have not only continued to gain A levels but gone on to university. “The wounds of yester-year are not going to heal like that,” says the Archdeacon of Jaffna, the Ven. Jayath Jeyaveerasingam. “It will take another decade or two. So we need the moral support of the larger family, the worldwide

Anglican Communion, which can stand by and tell us that ‘we are with you’. That itself will be a great asset to us as we care, counsel and look after people who are wounded, not just in our congregations but the entire society.”

CANON JOHN CARTER

The Diocese of Colombo van still lies where it was stopped by gunfire five years ago

CANON JOHN CARTER

Fr Sinniah Daniel revisits a hiding place

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world view

The Communion at a glance Ecumenical praying community move in to Lambeth Palace Archbishop Justin Welby has welcomed Anglican spouses Ione and Alan Morley-Fletcher; a Lutheran training for ministry, Oliver Matri; and a Roman Catholic consecrated sister, Ula Michlowicz

to Lambeth Palace. The four members of the international ecumenical foundation Chemin Neuf, will live there and act as a praying community.

CHEMIN NEUF

100,000 Anglicans taking part in Bible-in-a-year programme

A Bible-in-a-year course that started off in one church in the United States is now in 2,500 churches in over 40 countries with 100,000 Anglicans participating. Almost 80,000 people worldwide visited their website www.thecenterforbiblicalstudies. org in the first two weeks of January.

Bermuda Bishop made to walk the plank by ‘pirates’

Singapore priest president of Prison Fellowship International GARY FOSTER SKELTON, BERMUDA SUN

Bishop of Bermuda Nick Dill was made to walk the plank of a tall ship by fundraising ‘pirates’ in support of a youth charity. Bishop Dill hit the local and global headlines for his humorous outfit and theatrical plunge into the waters below.

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

Missionary priest of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore to prison ministry Timothy Khoo has been appointed the new president of Prison Fellowship International. His father and grandfather were both prison chaplains too. www.pfi.org

Tour de France helps unite new ‘super diocese’

ASO B.BADE

England: Cycling is helping parishes get used to their new ‘super diocese’ of the Diocese of Leeds in West Yorkshire. Churches there plan hospitality, displays and events around the Tour de France which goes through the former dioceses on day one and two. www.lechurchletour.org

Japan: Cathedral destroyed twice by bombs and earthquake is reborn

DIOCESE OF TOHOKU

Anglicans in Japan’s Tohoku Diocese have celebrated the consecration and dedication of its new cathedral. The Cathedral Church of Christ, in Sendai City, was destroyed twice. In 1945 it was the victims of an air raid and, after being rebuilt, it was damaged beyond repair in the 2011 earthquake/tsunami/ nuclear fallout disaster.

DIOCESE OF TOHOKU

Canterbury Journey Project to safeguard and grow cathedral Canterbury Cathedral’s new £19.4million project aims to safeguard an iconic building, to increase the number and range of those who visit, and enrich visitors’ experiences. Plans include a new Welcome Centre, plus more conservation, outreach, and training. Contact nick. papadoupulous@canterbury-cathedral. org for more information.

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c ov e r f e at u r e

AYRA INDERYAS

Ayra Inderyas at the United Nations HQ

Time to claim the Anglican Communion’s hidden treasure by jan butter

IT’S QUITE THE year for anniversaries: twenty years since the first women were ordained priests in the Church of England and 25 years since American priest Barbara Harris was made the Anglican Communion’s first woman bishop. But 2014 also marks 70 years since Florence Li Tim-Oi was ordained in Hong Kong as the Communion’s first woman priest by Bishop of Victoria Ronald Hall. During World War II, when a priest could not travel from Japanese occupied territory to preside at the Eucharist, Li Tim-Oi was made a deacon in charge of the Anglican congregation in Macau. Three years

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later, on 25 January 1944 she was ordained a priest. Setting aside the variety of views about women’s ordination, I would propose that Bishop Hall’s decision suggests something – something that the Communion doesn’t seem to have grasped fully, even 70 years on: that women have life-changing, life-saving, God-given ministries to fulfil through and for the Church. “What impresses me about women in all parts of the Communion is that they often go into places where others don’t want to go,” said the Revd Terrie Robinson. “But sadly their work is often left at the fringes of Church life.” Terrie is the Communion’s Women’s Desk Officer (as well

“What impresses me about women in all parts of the Communion is that they often go into places where others don’t want to go.” as its International Networks’ Coordinator). She was speaking to Anglican World from New York where she, along with women from 18 Anglican Communion provinces, was attending the 58th session of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women.

“We’ve got Ayra Inderyas in the Church of Pakistan who is instrumental in running programmes for women who are destitute, or women in prison, and for girls with no education. Then there’s Esther Lee in the Anglican Church of Korea who has served in a shelter for women escaping from domestic abuse and is seeking new ways to worship that will give them the space they need to encounter a God who is not defined by patriarchy and to recover their self esteem. “Granny Seape is running a construction business for women in South Africa. She started off going into places where there was inadequate accommodation and she worked with women to make the bricks they needed to build their homes. From that basis she built up this business and it has done extraordinarily well. It’s been motivated by her faith and by a great belief in women’s potential.” “My experience here in New York is that there is a great array of strengths and gifts [among the Anglican women delegation] which is indicative of what’s ‘out there’. However, there still aren’t enough women participating in our decision-making processes in the Communion from parish level right through to our international Instruments of Communion.” Terrie explained that, while the Anglican Consultative Council “is now showing a good balance” of male and female representatives, the Lambeth Conference and the Primates’ Meeting still have no obvious mechanism for including

DIOCESE OF INDIANAPOLIS

Florence Li Tim-Oi and Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie

Terrie Robinson (right) with Uganda MU president Canon Edidah Mujinya

women’s voices in equal measure. “When it’s predominately men around the table we must look for ways to ensure that their views, their concerns are represented.” “Yes there has been progress but more is needed,” she explained. “It’s not that women want to function on their own; we want to work in partnership with men as colleagues and collaborators in Christ and not be seen as marginal or as an exotic species.” Other Communion women think this has something to do with the perception of leadership. The Revd Riscylla Shaw is priest and pastor of Christ Church in Bolton, Canada. She would like to see more women represented in leadership roles within the Church and noted that men tend to head larger churches. “I think some of it has to do with the fundamental perspective on collaboration and cooperative ministry versus power and authority,” said Riscylla. The perspective that women bring “doesn’t lend itself to the style of top-down ministry that the Anglican Church has been founded on.” The Revd Dawn Leger, an associate priest at Christ Church Anglican in Stouffville, Canada, agrees: “It’s just harder for women to have to claim the authority to make the decisions that need to be made. We don’t trust women as much as we trust men. I’m just as guilty of that as anyone,” she says. Despite such concerns, Terrie Robinson remains upbeat about the place of women in the Anglican Communion: “When I meet women like those I have met here from

around the Communion I am full of hope. The Anglican Communion is full of treasure and it just needs to be empowered, enabled, listened to and allowed to speak into the leadership of the Church.”

“It’s not that women want to function on their own; we want to work in partnership with men as colleagues and collaborators in Christ and not be seen as marginal or as an exotic species.” It is interesting to note that Florence Li Tim-Oi was named after Florence Nightingale, the 19th century British reformer who felt called to the nursing profession by God. Lauded today as the pioneer of modern nursing, her work during the Crimean War earned her national accolades and a £150,000 award from Queen Victoria. Nightingale decided to spend the money on the re-building of St Thomas’ Hospital, and within it, the Nightingale Training School for Nurses. That St Thomas’ Hospital stands so near to Lambeth Palace could perhaps serve as a physical reminder to Anglicans everywhere of what a woman can do if her ministry is properly affirmed, acknowledged and blessed.

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f e at u r e

Praying women weave bonds of affection by claire haymes, program coordinator at vts’s center for anglican communion studies

ON A BRIGHT Spring weekend in March, 150 Anglican women gathered on the campus of Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), Alexandria, Virginia (USA) for the Anglican Women at Prayer conference. A joint venture between the Center for Anglican Communion Studies, VTS and the Society for the Companions of the Holy Cross, this gathering was uniquely focused on women’s prayer and brought together prayerful women from across the Anglican Communion, from seminaries in the US, and from the faculty, staff and student body of VTS. Weaving Bonds of Affection was a title perfectly suited to express the intricate weaving

of traditions, people, practices, thoughts and themes the conference explored and celebrated over the three days. The Revd Dr Ellie Sanderson, an Anglican priest-scholar from

the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia with experience and expertise in community theological reflection, was the keynote speaker, or “chief weaver”. Her addresses to the Æ

CURTIS PRATHER

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

The Anglican Women at Prayer drew inspiration from the following prayer: Spirit of love, you move within creation, drawing the threads to colour and design: life into life, you knit our true salvation, come, work with us, and weave us into one. Though we have frayed the fabric of your making, tearing away from all that you intend, yet, to be whole, humanity is aching, come, work with us, and weave us into one. Great loom of God, where history is woven, you are the frame that holds us to the truth, Christ is the theme, the pattern you have given, come, work with us, and weave us into one. KRISTEN PITTS

Claire Haymes and The Revd Dr. Ellie Sanderson

conference were insightful and learned, but achieved an intimacy and connection to the delegates who were also engaging in reflection, discussion and, of course, actual prayer during small group sessions. During a group reflection session, Dr Sanderson shared the podium with Zeyneb Sayilgan, the Muslim Luce Visiting Scholar in the Center for Anglican Communion Studies. The discussion followed a sacred thread through the language of prayer, daily cycles of prayer, reclaiming ancient practices, and the passing of prayer from one generation to the next across the Communion and in both faith traditions. Sisters present in the hall, as well as those connected by live stream from Dodoma, shared generously of their own practices of prayer. Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts (ECVA), an online arts ministry, launched an exhibition at the conference featuring the work of artists from around the Anglican Communion on the subject of “Women at Prayer”. These images, as well as some powerful images Dr Sanderson shared from her time with Fijian and Tanzanian women, enriched both the worship and the spoken addresses, adding to the many layers of insights all conference attendees took away with them after the final day’s gathering to worship and reflect. Bonds were woven not just with those women present on

Through the strategic use of technology, women listening, reflecting and worshipping in Virginia were doing so together with a group of twenty women at Msalato Theological College in Dodoma, Tanzania.

campus. Through the strategic use of technology, women listening, reflecting and worshipping in Virginia were doing so together with a group of twenty women at Msalato Theological College in Dodoma, Tanzania. The Revd Hilda Kabia from the faculty of Msalato led the group in reflections in parallel with the Virginia small group sessions. The Revd Mary Kanyamala, the first woman ordained in Tanzania, led the women in prayer and song. This link-up proved to be an especially rich time, making tangible the women’s shared desire to find a deeper practice of prayer. VTS also live streamed all plenary sessions and Eucharists, generously opening

Shirley Erena Murray in Soul ‘s Weavings: A Gathering of Women Prayers. Worship Workshop, WCC Assembly, Melbourne.

up the conference experience to an even greater audience. Between sessions in the hallways, on sunny outdoor benches, while admiring crafts from Pakistan, or talking to women authors in the library, women from Liberia, Kenya, the Phillippines, South Africa, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Haiti and, of course, the United States, enjoyed relaxed networking, affirming conversations, reunions and a chance to celebrate what Dr Sanderson called the “often invisible” work of women’s prayer throughout the Communion. In personal messages to the conference attendees, Archbishop Justin Welby and the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, commended the women for engaging in the important, dynamic and transformative work of prayer over these days. Borrowing from the conference’s chosen imagery, the Archbishop wrote to the gathered women: “You may not fully know the effect of your prayers: woven together, I believe they will help bring the renewal of the warp and woof that sustains our affection and witness and vision.” The sessions are available for viewing at www.vts.edu/womenatprayer

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a n g l i c a n yo u t h

Maddison poses following the medal ceremony for the Women’s 50m Freestyle

CHRISTOPHER LEE/GETTY IMAGES

Maddison is living her dreams MADDISON ELLIOT IS just your average teenager – a local student at Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College – who enjoys listening to One Direction and Taylor Henderson, socialising with friends on Facebook, shopping and hanging out at home with her family. However, at just 15 years old, Maddison Elliot has achieved outstanding success in international swimming. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at four years old as a result of a neonatal stroke, Maddison has inspired Australia and the world with her achievements. In 2012 Maddison became the youngest Australian paralympic medallist, winning bronze medals in the women’s 400m and 100m freestyle S8 events. She also

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

became the youngest Australian gold medallist when she was a member of the women’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay 34 points team. In November of the same year, Maddison and fellow paralympic teammate, Rheed McCracken, were together named Paralympic Junior Athlete of the Year. In 2014, Maddison was awarded the Order of Australia for her service to sport as a gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. A true inspiration to all, we took the time to chat with Maddison to find out how it all began, what keeps her motivated, and her ambitions for the future. Maddison started swimming at a young age as she needed to increase her therapy for her Æ

... at just 15 years old, Maddison Elliot has achieved outstanding success in international swimming. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at four years old as a result of a neonatal stroke, Maddison has inspired Australia and the world with her achievements.

Æ cerebral palsy. She was motivated by her older sister, who was winning medals in swimming, and it was here her love of swimming and competing began. She made her national team debut in 2009 at the Youth Paralympic Games, where she won five gold medals. Looking back, Maddison never really thought swimming would take her this far. It was in about 2008 while watching the Paralympics that she decided she’d “really like to get to the Paralympics one day”. So with the help and support of her family she began training for the London 2012 Paralympics. When she finally arrived in London, her goal was to just go for the experience, and try and make at least one final. What happened next shocked everyone. Maddison brought home a gold, a silver and two bronze medals. The highlight at the London Paralympics was winning gold in the Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay – 34 Points. “My relay buddies were so “pumped and wanted to help me win medals,” she said. “To swim with other team members was really good, and you swim a lot faster than you do in the solo races”. Not only did they take the gold, they also achieved the world record for the event. Another memory Maddison will hold forever is the infamous moment she got to meet Prince Harry. “One of the team members came up to me and said, “Prince Harry is here, do you want to come meet him?’, and I was like yeah sure!” She had the opportunity to chat with Prince Harry for a while and left him with a little memento to remember her by – Lizzie the Frill Necked Lizard, the mascot of the Australian Paralympic Committee and Australia’s Paralympic Teams. “Meeting him was actually really cool; I was the only Australian who got to do it. He was quite cute in person,” Maddison said. Not only did Maddison have the opportunity to meet royalty, she has come closer to living her dreams and following the footsteps of her idols. She continues to look up to peers in the swimming

IAN MACNICOL/GETTY IMAGES

Maddison takes part in the morning practice session on day six of the London 2012 Paralympic Games

industry including Matt Cowdrey and Alicia Couts. But It is to her family she owes her biggest thanks. Her mother has devoted so much passion and energy into Maddison’s health and career, taking the time to say she needed the therapy. She also talked about her Nan and Pop encouraging her to learn to swim, and her sister leading the way in the pool. “My whole family has helped me through all of this,” she said. “Since I’ve been competitively swimming, either Nan or Pop has taken me to the pool every day. They’ve all helped me get to London. I just want to thank them for everything they’ve done”. It is also her family that keep her motivated to keep going. With a busy schedule of studying high school full time, and training most mornings and afternoons, Maddison takes comfort in her family and finding some alone time. “Spending some time alone and listening to music gets me through a tough day,” she explained. Maddison’s ambition and

When she finally arrived in London, her goal was to just go for the experience, and try and make at least one final. What happened next shocked everyone. Maddison brought home a gold, a silver and two bronze medals. determination is something we can all aspire to. She is already planning ahead, aiming to compete in not only the Rio Paralympics in 201’6, but also the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, and then hopefully the two Paralympics after that. Her advice for anyone who wants to follow in her footsteps is, “If you’ve got a dream, achieve it”. First published in The Anglican Encounter, the newspaper of the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, Australia.

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p ro f i l e

JOHN KAFWANKA

Daring to turn the world upside down by antonia burjet

THE BISHOP OF Zonkwa diocese, Nigeria, has a message for its women: you are not second class citizens. This is bold statement in a culture where polygamy is still common, and where some say that a woman hasn’t given birth unless she’s given birth to a son. The diocesan Women’s Guild has upward of 1,000 members and Bishop Jacob Kwashi and his wife, Rhoda, are doing all they can to equip and empower them. This inevitably means going head-to-

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

head with local culture and customs, but the pair say they do what they can and let God do the rest. “The problem is less with young people,” says Bishop Jacob. “Instead we are having difficulty with older people. It’s not easy to bend a dry tree.” It is those who have grown up with local cultures and traditions who are more resistant to acting and thinking in new ways. “When you go to church you see men sitting on one side and women sitting on the other,” he said. “If a woman goes to sit with her husband the whole church will stare! So, one Æ

“The problem is less with young people,” says Bishop Jacob. “Instead we are having difficulty with older people. It’s not easy to bend a dry tree.”

Left: Rhoda with members of the Women’s Guild

Æ Sunday I got to the cathedral and said, ‘Everyone who has a wife here stand up,’ which they did. Then I said, ‘Wives go and sit with your husband, and those who are not married find somewhere else to sit.’ It was a very uncomfortable service!” Bishop Jacob chuckles as he recounts this attempt to bring about change, but he and Rhoda look grim when they discuss those traditions that put women in harms way. “Some girls get married as young as 15,” says Rhoda, who is known as Mama Bishop for her leadership role over the diocese’s women and girls. “It is not proper marriage. Rather it is because she’s pregnant and has to go and stay with the man. Sometimes the man may have other wives. It is difficult for the girls to finish their education, and there are quite a lot of girls who drop out.” Bishop Jacob says that in some places, local customs demand a man should have a son. This can mean pressure on men with only daughters to take more wives to increase his chances of having a boy. “I say to such men, pressure will come...but choose for yourself. You are not a small boy any longer!” Nevertheless the power of tradition is strong. “There are still those in our culture who say that if a woman has not given birth to a male child--even if she has daughters-then she has never given birth at all.” Such attitudes can be tackled directly—Bishop Jacob refuses polygamists positions in the Church for example. However, he and Rhoda believe education and empowerment are the secret to bringing about Christ-centred change to their diocese. Rhoda explains that every female churchgoer in the diocese is a member of the Women’s Guild and, if she is married, also of the Mothers’ Union. There is also a Girls’ Guild. These groups are where girls and women learn more about what the Bible has to say

Bishop Jacob and ‘Mama Bishop’

“I know women who are the bread earners in the family. I know so many women in the dioceses who, if they weren’t there their homes would collapse.”

about issues that affect them. “Every year I set a theme,” says Rhoda. “This year it is ‘Love is the greatest command’ because we have issues with loving each other. You find out that people are from the same area, the same household, the same family and they struggle to love one another. That causes us problems in the church and we can’t move forward.” So through conferences, meetings and training, girls and women learn more about who they are in Christ and what God wants for them and their relationships. Rhoda has also been providing training and Bible-study resources to priest’s wives who become female leaders in their church the moment their husbands are ordained.

JOHN KAFWANKA

The diocese’s leadership are also reshaping Sunday school, the adult youth fellowship group, and setting up new groups including a Boys Guild, and providing training for those who run them. Though unspoken it’s clear that for Bishop and Mrs Kwashi the most significant change will begin with the next generation. Nevertheless, women remain a key focus of their present ministry. During his sermon on International Women’s Day, Bishop Jacob told the women gathered in the cathedral “Take women out of the church and you may no longer have a church— because in each congregation two thirds are women.” He said it was terrible thing for a woman to neglect her God-given talents and calling because her husband makes her believe she is worthless. “I know women who are the bread earners in the family. I know so many women in the dioceses who, if they weren’t there their homes would collapse.” What does the Bishop say to those who men offended by his message of female power? He tells them that Adam did what he was told by Eve and ate the fruit unquestioningly. “Man never said a word, he never resisted, he foolishly took the food and ate it. “You see? Women are powerful, they can turn the world upside down!”

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the last word

Caroline Welby and women of the West Indies province during her visit there with husband, Archbishop Justin Welby.

Seeing and meeting need THE PAST YEAR has been a fascinating mix of the mundane (moving, learning how to live in a new place and finding my way around) and the extraordinary. I have met huge numbers of people, the majority of whom I would not have met otherwise; I have been challenged to ask the question ‘Who am I? What is my vocation in this new life we have been called to?’; and I have travelled widely, who previously had just listened to my husband’s accounts of his travels. The aim has been simple: to meet with the other Primates in the Anglican Communion, and their spouses, on their own ground and to begin to get to know them and the issues they face. And in the process we have met many other people (bishops, clergy, lay leaders, MU leaders and members). We have been to places where the Anglican Church is large and strong and to places where Anglicans are a minority denomination or among a minority faith. Although our visits have been planned months in advance, they

anglican world issue 134 april 2014

The aim has been simple: to meet with the other Primates in the Anglican Communion, and their spouses, on their own ground and to begin to get to know them and the issues they face. sometimes come at key points. We were in Egypt just before the anniversary of President Morsi’s election and were able to be alongside and pray with those who were supremely worried about what troubles the day would bring; and we had a wonderful opportunity to be with the Anglican Church of South Sudan and Sudan in the weeks after the dreadful killings earlier this year. Of course, too, we have met some remarkable people not least

my counterparts throughout the world, whose testimony frequently is to seeing need, responding in prayer, seeking to meet it. On our most recent trip to the DRC, where the plight of women is so great, it was heart warming and inspiring to be with the local church in Goma who work with the women who have been raped and rejected by their families, offering training and ways of earning a living and to hear of the work of pastors and Mother’s Union members making a difference in their own locations. In Burundi, it was exciting to hear of the work of the Mother’s Union in every diocese building capacity in literacy, financial literacy and training and empowering women. The challenge to me is always the same: to learn from them and prayerfully to trust God to show me how to begin to meet needs when I see them. Caroline Welby February 2014

Communion snapshot This month’s photo is of the delegation of Anglican Communion women who attended the UN’s 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Each year attendees from around the globe travel to New York, USA, to meet and share their experiences and wisdom with each other and with leading figures from the UN and civil society.

We would love to see more of your moments of Anglican Communion life, wherever you are from. If you think you have a photo that might be our next Communion Snapshot, either upload it to www.flickr.com/ groups/anglicanworld or email it to jan.butter@anglicancommunion.org”

CAITLIN BECK

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