Archbishop to Visit Zimbabwe - Comment on Synod of Bishops

The following press statement was released on 29 September 2011, following the meeting of the Synod of Bishops from 26 to 28 September (see their statement in the previous blog post).

Southern Africa’s Bishops have reaffirmed their support for Anglicans in Zimbabwe, as Archbishop Thabo Makgoba prepares to accompany the Archbishop of Canterbury on his pastoral visit there next month.

At their twice-a-year meeting held in Benoni this week, the Synod of Bishops repeated their concerns at the difficult situation faced by Anglicans in Zimbabwe, and voiced their continuing support and prayers. Dr Makgoba will travel at the invitation of Dr Rowan Williams, who will also go to Malawi and Zambia during his visit to the Church of the Province of Central Africa. Dr Makgoba commented ‘I am glad of this opportunity to be able to demonstrate in person our support for and solidarity with Bishop Chad of Harare, and the wider Anglican Church in Zimbabwe. In Southern Africa’s troubled past, our Church was enormously strengthened and encouraged by the continuing expressions of support we received from around the Anglican Communion.’

In response to a presentation by the Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (centred mainly on the USA), the Bishops acknowledged some deep differences, including over human sexuality, but affirmed the value of continuing dialogue, in a spirit of truthfulness and sensitivity. The Bishops also underlined their African heritage and commitment to continuing engagement with the Church in the rest of the continent, and welcomed the participation in their meeting of Canon Grace Kaiso, General Secretary of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa.

The Bishops stressed the need for considerable sensitivity in the cultural expression of the Christian faith, and for vigorous debate around inherited cultural values ranging from the ethos of ubuntu to honouring God, respecting the elderly and virginity testing. They noted that some practices, such as isangoma training, were incompatible with Christian beliefs.

Other matters which the Bishops discussed included a range of pastoral and theological issues. Among these was a recent CCMA ruling affirming that in South African law, licenced clergy are not viewed as employees of the church, as such, but in line with their vocation as ‘servants in God’s vineyard’. Other visitors to the Synod included theologians Professor Denise Ackerman and Dr Nomboniso Gasa, and Mrs Jeanette O’Neill, the first woman and layperson to be appointed General Secretary of USPG, the Anglican mission agency based in Great Britain and Ireland, which this year celebrates the 300th anniversary of its founding

Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Inquiries: Ms Wendy Tokata on 021-763-1320 (office hours)

Note to editors - The Anglican Church of Southern Africa encompasses Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, St Helena, South Africa, Swaziland and Tristan da Cunha.

Statement from the Synod of Bishops' Meeting

“The Signs of the Times”

“… Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called ...” (1 Tim 6:11-12)

28 September 2011

We, the Synod of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, gathered from 26 to 28 September, 2011, at the Kopanong Conference Centre, Benoni, East Rand, for a time shaped by prayer, and by theological and pastoral reflection.

Presentations were made by Professor Denise Ackerman and Dr Nomboniso Gasa, which provided a context for reflection upon, and dialogue and engagement with, our formal agenda. We became aware of the need for a more contemplative spirituality, given expression in diaconal service in and to the world. We were also challenged to become interpreters of the signs of the times, analytically discerning the course of events in Southern Africa and the wider world. In this respect, we noted the challenges the media pose, through rapid and effective communication, which sometimes causes the churches’ voices to be drowned out.

True expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ within our cultures must be exercised graciously and with great carefulness, for example, in the pastoral care given to those claiming to have a call to Isangoma training – recognizing that these two worlds, of Christianity and this aspect of African traditional life, will never meet. Other inherited cultural values (such as giving honour to God; respecting grey hair; virginity testing for young people; upholding honesty, and the values enshrined in the philosophy of ubuntu) need to be vigorously debated as Bishops continue to speak to society.

The theme of leaders as enablers of the people of God entrusted to them was a thread running through the presentations. This means enabling through assessment, discerning and auditing gifts, and putting these gifts at the service of God’s mission. We were reminded of Jesus’ leadership, shown in taking a towel and washing his disciples’ feet. We also acknowledged the challenges that leadership poses for exercising episcopacy, management and vision.

We received with great regret the news that Archbishop Ian Ernest of the Indian Ocean and Chairperson of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa could not be with us, incapacitated by illness. Our prayers are with him at this time, and we wish him speedy recovery and the Lord’s anointing healing. Our relationship with other Anglicans in Africa was nonetheless reinforced by the welcome presence of Revd Canon Grace Kaiso, the General Secretary of CAPA. We hope that CAPA will be more fully informed about us, and how we pursue our life and mission, as Bishops of ACSA. For our part, ACSA must give expression to its heritage and historical connection with the Church in the rest of Africa. We need constantly to bear in mind our role within the African continent as a whole.

We were encouraged and energised by the presentation from the Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, centred mainly within the USA. She shared insights emanating from the colonising history of the Episcopal Church, which gave rise to the continuing re-expression of the phrase ‘We do not have Missionary Societies – we are a Missionary Society.’ While we acknowledge some differences between TEC and ACSA (for example, with respect to human sexuality), nevertheless we affirm the value of ongoing dialogues, exercised through truthfulness and sensitivity towards one another.

We also welcomed Mrs Jeanette O’Neill, the first woman and layperson to be appointed General Secretary of USPG, the Anglican mission agency based in Great Britain and Ireland, which this year celebrates the 310th anniversary of its founding.

The situation within Zimbabwe continues to pose a great challenge to our engagement with and support of Christians there. Canon Kaiso affirmed that this is also a priority for CAPA. We are praying for our Archbishop as he accompanies the Archbishop of Canterbury to Zimbabwe next month, as part of Dr Rowan Williams’ pastoral visit to the Church of the Province of Central Africa.

Through all these discussions, we were reminded again of our vocation to be apostolic in our ministry and to be pastors in the Church of God. As we joined in worship together, daily homilies brought the Scriptures to life and shed light on our deliberations. We shared the need for prayers for Angola and Swaziland, as well as Zimbabwe.

The Synod of Bishops is a unique opportunity for Bishops to gather to engage in dialogue to foster the deepening of relationships which sharpen the focus for ministry, recognising the call always before us to energise mission and ministry in our Dioceses and Province. We noted that our understandings of ecclesiology and episcopacy are being appreciated, strengthened and celebrated in all that is happening in Mozambique to extend God’s kingdom, sometimes despite the heat of the day. We applauded the growth of the Province, and considered the possibility of additional Bishops to provide episcopal ministry through new episcopal areas, as a necessary act of faith, despite envisaged financial constraints. We were also inspired and encouraged by the presentation of a Lent Study for 2012 from the Diocese of Johannesburg, focussing on discipleship.

It has been very satisfying to see the depth of gifts amongst our clergy and young laity. The role of believers in leadership within Dioceses, particularly participation in diocesan administration, needs careful consideration. Another challenge is to look again at clergy stipends, and to explore further the new system which the Diocese of Pretoria has put in place. We note with love and appreciation that our understanding of the call to serve God’s church has recently been vindicated again, through the CCMA affirming that all licensed clergy are servants in God’s vineyard, rather than employees as such, in terms of the law within South Africa. Other pastoral matters we considered included baptism; pastoral guidelines in relation to civil unions; lawsuits involving clergy; and vocations and theological education.

Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town

Inquiries: Ms Wendy Tokata on 021-763-1320 (office hours)

Note to editors - The Anglican Church of Southern Africa encompasses Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, St Helena, South Africa, Swaziland and Tristan da Cunha.

To the Laos - To the People of God, August/September 2011

Dear People of God

I am writing at the tail end of August, with the Cape Town Diocesan Synod just over, and the Provincial Standing Committee lying ahead in late September, so please excuse me if I roll two letters into one. I also apologise that because of travel and other busyness, I did not find an opportunity to write to you in July.

In my Charge to the Cape Town Diocese, I took as my theme The Good News of Faith and Love. This reflected St Paul’s words to the Thessalonians that he had been greatly encouraged to hear of their faith and love from Timothy (1 Thess 3:6-7). The faith and love of Christians are always good news, building one another up in Christian maturity, and shining as a beacon of light and hope to the surrounding community. The best good news is that both start with the God who is love, the God who is faithful, with overflowing generosity. All of us need to discover God’s love and faithfulness towards us, for ourselves, and keep on growing in them throughout our lives. This must be our top priority – for it is only through God’s overwhelming generosity that we find our worship invigorated and ourselves enabled to live out our other baptism promises of witness and worship.

In this season of Synods and Committees, we need to remember to root and ground ourselves in God’s love and faithfulness, and allow him to shape and fuel our lives, even as we grapple with the sort of managerial and financial questions that tend to dominate our agendas. We should not despise such work as ‘less spiritual’ than other aspects of church life. Rather, it is an aspect our calling to good stewardship, to collegiality within the body of Christ, and being answerable to one another within the body of Christ. In the language of the secular world, these are matters of good governance and accountability, with the world’s standards merely a secular reflection of God’s high calling to us. Therefore we can be ready to learn from the best of secular practices, for example as set out in the King reports. These can help us ensure we operate in ways that best promote our desire to be wise and faithful servants, of our God, and of those to whom he sends us.

At the same time, we must remember that, as we debate the wider concerns of the societies to which we find ourselves called in mission and ministry, we are nonetheless not called to be environmental activists, nor social workers, nor politicians, nor moral commentators – though we may contribute in all these areas and many more. Our unique calling is to do what no-one else can do: to live out our baptismal promises in lives of faithful worship, witness and service. How can we best bring the good news of Jesus Christ, his healing touch, his redemptive power, to areas of need, suffering and deprivation? Sent by God, at his direction and in his power, we can roll up our sleeves, and get our hands dirty, and confidently engage with the messy realities, and the dire needs, of so many of God’s children alongside whom we live and work in this city. This is the lesson of Jesus’ incarnation. And I am sure that the all-encompassing breadth of Jesus’ redemptive death and resurrection should press us not only to address symptoms but also causes of human failings, suffering, brokenness and need.

So please pray for me, and especially for your Diocesan Representatives – Bishop(s), cleric and layperson – as we prepare to gather for PSC. If you don’t know who they are, your Rector or Diocesan Office will know. On our agenda, as well as the budget and reports from our organisations and institutions, our particular concerns include completing the task of bringing the Omokunda Development Network fully under ACSA’s wing; our work with young people; our preparedness to engage with the UN COP-17 Conference on Climate Change in Durban from 29 November to 9 December; and our relationship with Kairos Southern Africa, which was launched in March 2011 to carry forward the legacy of Kairos theology in Southern Africa and to be in solidarity with others throughout the world. We shall also be finalising a Memorandum of Understanding with USPG to guide the next phase of our relationship, with a particular focus on both leadership and health.

We shall spend a considerable amount of time, much of it in groups, looking at the ACSA Vision, and work at the Provincial level in the 8 priority areas identified by Provincial Synod, in ways that support diocesan life and goals. I have appointed Coordinators to each priority area, who will provide updates on taking forward the Synod mandates, on which PSC can offer further guidance. Our desire to go forward together as Anglicans ‘Anchored in the love of Christ, Committed to God's Mission and Transformed by the Holy Spirit’ is gradually growing in substance.

Another area I want to mention, and for which I ask your prayers, is the development of Pastoral Guidelines in relation to the same-gender civil unions for which South African legislation now provides. Following requests to the Bishops for advice in relation to the pastoral care of people in such unions, and their families, the Synod of Bishops has, over several meetings, produced a document reflecting our common mind on this very sensitive issue. Proposals have now been sent to Dioceses for consultation within archdeaconries and parishes. We are requesting feedback on whether this offers the sort of guidance that those in pastoral ministry seek, in time for our February 2012 Synod of Bishops. PSC will also consider them. Let me underline that this document is not directly about the continuing debate around human sexuality, though it affirms that we uphold the moratoria of the Anglican Communion on the ordination of persons living in a same gender unions to the episcopate; the blessing of same-sex unions; and cross-border incursions by bishops. Rather, this focuses on the human and pastoral realities that we inevitably face in parishes following South Africa’s new legislation.

I am glad that we shall be welcoming two very special guests at Kopanong. The Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, will join part of the Synod of Bishops meeting that precedes PSC; and the Most Revd Ian Ernst, Archbishop of the Indian Ocean, and current Chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, will be with us both at SoB and PSC. We hope that through sharing in our meetings, and some other brief visits in Cape Town and Gauteng, they will learn more about ACSA, and we can strengthen our relationships within the Anglican Communion and as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Yours in the service of Christ

+Thabo Cape Town