To the Laos - To the People of God, September 2012

Dear People of God

‘Cry aloud to the Lord!’ writes Jeremiah in his Lamentations, ‘Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night … Arise, cry in the night, at the beginning of the watches. Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!’ (Lam 2:18,19).

South Africa has been rocked by the tragedy at Marikana mine – the death of 34 miners at the hands of the police, after a further 10 deaths, including of police, in the preceding week. But this is only part of a greater tragedy: the tragedy that the situation could be allowed to deteriorate so far; the tragedy of appalling working and living conditions; the tragedy of such a breakdown in relations between employers and unions and employees and government; and the tragedy that across our country similarly dreadful situations are festering. They are like smouldering logs that, if left unattended, are ready to ignite. What should be the church’s response to this?

First, we should know how to lament – how to cry out to God, in our pain, our frustration, our anger, our distress, our deep, deep hurt. We should not hold back in speaking the truth of what we see, what we feel, what we fear. We bring before the throne of grace all that is broken, all that is awry, all that ought to be better but is not. And in opening our hearts to God, we call on God to step in, to act, to respond to the great need in which we find ourselves. ‘Weep with those who weep’ wrote St Paul to the Romans (Rom 12:15), and so we must. Now is a time to weep. We mourn for all who have died; and we mourn for all else that grieves us. We bring it all before God with a purpose – we come to ask him to take it all, and redeem it, to change it, and to change us, and give us a fresh start, so we may make a good and godly difference.

And so we are not left helpless in our weeping, and we must not despair. St Paul also writes ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’ (Rom 12:21). Though I have been twice to Marikana since those terrible shootings, and found conditions that shocked me, nonetheless I am optimistic, for ours is a God who shines light in every darkness. Though I felt the very ground crying out to my soul that ‘All is not well’, and though it felt that the whole area is on a knife edge, still I am hopeful. For this can be to us not a prophecy of doom, but a wake-up call.

All South Africans must rekindle the vision of a free, fair, just, South Africa which inspired the peaceful transition to democracy, and we must work and pray to bring it about. It is a task that we must all shoulder together – government, politicians and the public sector; with business; with civil society; with media and academia and all other networks and organisations; and, of course, faith communities. This is the vision encapsulated in 1994 and in our Constitution. Its achievement lies in our hands, if we recommit ourselves positively, and work hard, rejecting complacency and hopelessness in the face of the country’s challenges. God wants what is best for all his children, and will help us, if we strive for all that is good and right.

We should not be afraid to hold fast to his promises of hope. For when his vision for good is at the centre of our lives, it will shape us and our society. This – this ideal of human dignity and flourishing, at the heart of our Constitution – defines who we are, who we truly aspire to be, rather than any of the difficulties, challenges, setbacks that we experience. So, even as we mourn, let us ask God to bring his light into our darkness, and guide our feet into his life-giving pathways. May he bring comfort and blessing to all who mourn, and fresh courage and hope for tomorrow.

Please keep Judge Ian Farlam – our own Provincial Chancellor– particularly in your prayers, that he might receive every assistance, as he heads the Commission of Enquiry.

And now some more joyful news: the Revd Stephen Moreo of St George’s Parktown has been elected to succeed Bishop Brian Germond as Bishop of Johannesburg. Please pray for him and his family, Liziwe his wife, and their children Siyabulela Onalerona, and Bontle, as they prepare for him to take these responsibilities.

Finally, on behalf of us all, let me pay tribute to another Bishop of Johannesburg, Duncan Buchanan, who died at the beginning of September. He was a great friend and dear brother in Christ, who was also for me – as for so many – a father in God who deeply influenced my life and ministry. I offer heartfelt thanks for the rich life of this faithful servant of God, whom was successor to Desmond Tutu, as both Dean and Bishop. He was also a great teacher and pastoral counsellor, especially in leading, guiding, and shaping so many of our clergy, who trained with him in Grahamstown.

As Bishop he encouraged my vocation, made me a deacon and ordained me a priest. He pressed me to keep on growing; and exposed me to many ministries within and beyond the church – for example, as his representative on the Council of St John’s College. Indeed, he never stopped mentoring me. When I was first a Bishop, he loaned me his pastoral staff and gave me my first vestments. And when I became Archbishop he did not stop mentoring, advising, giving me feedback and commenting on these ‘To the Laos’ letters. He was a rare soul-friend, offering both caution and encouragement to press on. He would send messages, ‘Thabo, phone me!’ and remind me ‘God is not in the business of rushing – slow down and take time to discern the mind of God!’ I shall miss him deeply, and am filled with gratitude for his influence upon my life.

So I give thanks to God for his wisdom, his humour, his strong presence in any gathering. I thank God for his courage, and readiness to confront things that needed to be confronted, including in his leadership during the struggle to overcome apartheid. I am sure many around the Anglican world will also thank God for his significant contribution to the 1998 Lambeth Conference, helping a very diverse group to wrestle deeply together and produce the clear, yet sensitive, report on human sexuality that stands behind the resolution that was ultimately passed – a report that deserved far more attention than, sadly, it received. He was also a keen ecumenist, committed always and everywhere to building up the body of Christ. I am especially thankful I was able to spend some quality time with Duncan, connecting and reminiscing, at the Diocese of Johannesburg’s 90th anniversary celebrations, just a few months ago.

‘Dunc and Di’ as he and his wife were known to so many of us, were a wonderful team, a formidable team, in life and in ministry. We hold Di in our love and prayers, together with everyone else who loved Duncan and mourns his death. We are so sad that we shall not hear his laughter again, but we know that heaven will be a livelier place! Yet in our pain and grieving, we entrust him into the eternal arms of the Lord he loved so deeply, confident that ‘we are more than conquerors through him who loved us, for nothing can separate us from God’s love in Jesus Christ our Lord.’

Hamba kahle, faithful priest in the church of God. May he rest in peace, and rise in glory.

Yours in the Service of Christ,

+Thabo Cape Town

A Pastoral Letter from the Bishops to the People of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa

We, the Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, have been meeting in synod at Modderpoort 16-19 February 2009.

As teachers of the Church, we have spent a full and joyful day discussing Christian education ‘from baptism to the grave’. We want to develop a training framework for Christians of all ages in our Church. We were pleased to receive baptism training material from the Publishing Committee, which is meant to be the first of a series of aids to theological education in our Church. We note with gratitude many other such initiatives around the Province.

We also welcomed staff from the College of the Transfiguration in Grahamstown and the Anglican House of Studies in Pietermaritzburg, and received presentations on these and on the TEE College. We were encouraged at the positive reports from each of these as they develop numbers of talented people for ministry and leadership (Ephesians 4:11-14). We gave all of them our support for the future.

The Growing the Church initiative has been very much with us in recent months and is already bearing fruit. It is exciting to know that congregations are growing and some dioceses are contemplating giving birth to new ones; the Diocese of Ukhahlamba will be born out of Grahamstown on 3 October this year.

Our Archbishop has recently returned from the Primates’ Meeting. We were gratified to hear that all the Primates in Africa were present and engaged with the discussions and planning. Following the positive experience of the Lambeth Conference we remain committed to the ongoing process of reconciliation in our Church; because of our historic experience, we have previously said that we may have some insight to share with others in regard to tolerance and reconciliation. In the spirit of the Lambeth Indaba process, we will be glad to offer that – but we know very well that unity begins at home, and we need now to take account of our own life where tensions exist which need to be pro-actively addressed.

We have spent some time discussing the proposed Anglican Covenant, and support it in principle. There is much work still to be done in this regard, including dissemination and discussion in the life of the Church.

As we arrived in the Free State we were disturbed to hear that the provincial Department of Health is discontinuing the provision of anti-retroviral medication to HIV-positive patients for financial reasons; we have issued an urgent statement on this matter.

Naturally for South Africans, the forthcoming elections fill the horizon. We are concerned that voter education should take place, and that voters should be able to turn out in numbers to vote without fear of intimidation. We give our full support to the Independent Electoral Commission and to its Chair, Ms Brigalia Bam. We therefore offer ourselves as mediators in places of conflict and we urge our people to offer themselves as election monitors where this is needed and possible. We hear the cry, ‘where has ubuntu gone?’ This country needs to choose selfless and credible leaders who will use power for the common good.

We remain concerned about democratic processes not only in South Africa but in neighbouring countries, particularly Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The global economic crisis is damaging both the capacity of southern African countries to take care of their citizens, and the work of the Church especially where international funding or the exchange rate are threatened. We note that the battle against malaria is continuing, notably in Mocambique, but there is still much to do.

In 1999 we were among the first to call for a judicial commission of enquiry into the South African arms deal, and to question the levels of spending in that deal when so many other needs persist in our society. We still believe that unanswered questions around the deal will obstruct the way forward in South Africa's public life, and that a full and comprehensive judicial enquiry is essential to the future health of our society.

Now Lent is coming and we turn our minds to the discipline of prayer, reflection and giving which we associate with the coming season. Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has called us to focus in prayer on Zimbabwe on Ash Wednesday and we will want to join with others who are already fasting for that country and its people on that day. We must pray for the country and its new government; for the right treatment of Zimbabweans in neighbouring countries and for fair treatment at the hands of police and officials, especially in South Africa. We must pray and work for tolerance and patience on the part of citizens, so that among other things, xenophobic violence may never happen again. We further urge governments in the region not to act hastily in seeking to repatriate refugees to Zimbabwe.

These are difficult days for many people but we say with St Paul, We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4: 8-10)

The darkness of suffering yields to the light of resurrection, and the hope of Christ transforms all our days of hardship.

May God bless you all.

To the People of God – To the Laos

October 2008

Dear People of God

So much has happened since I last wrote. But my memories of the Synod of Bishops and the Provincial Standing Committee, and the consecration of the new Bishop of Grahamstown, Ebenezer Ntlali, are overshadowed by the sudden death, barely a week later, of Bishop David Beetge, dear colleague, friend, priest, pastor, and father in God to so many of us. Dean of the Province since 2003, David was an outstanding leader of our church, a man of deep spirituality and prayer, for whose life we are enormously grateful to God, even as we grieve his death. Our love and prayers are with Carol, his widow.

I first met Bishop David in 1987, when he lead a retreat for seminarians at St Paul's College, of whom I was one. For the next few years he was my spiritual director and a wise guide through the turbulence of the early 90s. More than anything else, David would advise me to pray – and I could see that this was the best possible option in every area of life, because I could see the effect of prayer in David’s own life. He persistently deepened his relationship with the God who is love, daring to open himself to receive in love whatever the Lord had in store for him, no matter how easy.

In this way, Bishop David’s response to his illness is a lesson, and an encouragement, to us all. Let me quote some inspiring words that he wrote to a friend a couple of months ago:

‘My prayers are only for God’s will to be done. If that will is for healing I will embrace it fully, but if it is not, I look forward to the vision of God that I have known and will see more clearly; and to being caught up in the wonder of that Trinitarian love that Jesus makes possible for us. We must not pray as though we fear death.’

David loved to speak of the experience once on retreat, when he felt he had been caught up, in Christ, into the very fullness of the dynamic love that flows between Father, Son and Spirit. That love, reaching out unconditionally to everyone flowed through David, similarly unconstrained.

Such love fuelled his unstinting work within his Diocese; and within the Province in everything from the Pension Fund to HIV and AIDS. Here he was conscious that the church has too often stigmatised and excluded those who are infected or affected, instead of extending God’s welcoming arms. He also played a significant role within the Anglican Communion, including in the Lambeth Commission that produced the Windsor report, and in ecumenical work, especially in relations with the Roman Catholic Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury sent a moving personal message, which you can read on our website, www.anglicanchurchsa.org.

All this we remembered at his funeral, as we heard St Paul’s reassurance that ‘nothing – neither life nor death – can separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (from Romans 8:38-9). It was typical of Bishop David that he had told some of us that, should he die soon, he wanted his funeral to speak not so much of him, but of his Lord, and the gospel promise, the sure and certain promise, of the resurrection to new life.

The ways of life and death remain so much beyond our comprehension – so often illness and death seem unfair, and we come to God in confusion and deep grief. Yet in Jesus we find a place to weep for our dear friend, remembering that Jesus himself wept at the grave of his own dear friend Lazarus even though he knew he would be raised. Therefore we trust in this same hope, for David and for ourselves, so wonderfully expressed in the words of St Peter:

‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed...’ (1 Pet 1:3-5)

So let us not be afraid to mourn our loss, even as we hold fast to our faith – for, as our Lord assured us, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’

What, then, of our Synod, and the Provincial Standing Committee? The Bishops issued a statement about all we discussed, that is also on our website. One particular decision was to send a delegation to express our solidarity with the Diocese of Swaziland and the people of that country as, 40 years after independence, they work for a more democratic society. We gave thanks for the recent elections in Angola. Within the Province, our decisions included the formation of the new Diocese of Ukhahlamba in the northern part of the Diocese of Grahamstown.

Among the matters PSC addressed (in part through small groups – we wanted to capture some of the strengths of the indaba style of the Lambeth Conference) were the budget, xenophobia, gender, the environment, ecumenism, social development, and youth. We also heard reports on the Lambeth and GAFCON meetings, and in discussion noted the Synod’s view that ’We agreed to continue working for the unity of the worldwide Anglican Communion through the current instruments of communion and dialogue, including the proposed Anglican Covenant, the Windsor Continuation Group and a possible Pastoral Forum. We agreed to continue to work with all parties in the current debates particularly on our own continent and to share South Africa’s experience of a reconciliation which embraces all.’

We also spent time at PSC talking together about consultations across the Province, to produce a ‘vision statement’, but I will save further comment on this for my next letter.

Yours in the service of Christ

+Thabo Cape Town

Statement of the Synod of Bishops

A regular meeting of the Synod of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in Gauteng this week reviewed the ongoing mission, ministry and witness of the Church and some of the challenges of the context in which we live.

We voiced our renewed concern at the extreme poverty suffered by many in southern Africa, and at the wide gap between those who have excessive wealth and those who are poor. We remain deeply concerned at the prevalence of malaria and HIV and Aids, and we acknowledge anew the brokenness of the nations which we represent. We pledged to continue modelling values in our societies which build integrity, love, forgiveness, peace and reconciliation.

As bishops of a church which spans six nations, we acknowledge also that we have been too quiet recently on issues of social justice, and need to take a stronger prophetic stance towards our governments. Xenophobia continues to strike at the heart of our identity as a church, and in South Africa we need to work with the rest of civil society in holding all of society’s structures accountable both for combatting ethnic hostility and for overcoming the failures of service delivery which contribute to tensions within communities. We call on Anglicans to continue to pray for refugees and economic migrants. We are deeply concerned at the situation in Swaziland and have resolved to send a delegation to express our solidarity with our Diocese of Swaziland and the people of that country as they work for a more democratic society. The 40th year of Swaziland’s independence sharply focusses this concern. At the same time, we give thanks for the recent elections in Angola, and we affirm the role of President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa in mediating a settlement in Zimbabwe.

Dealing with domestic issues within the Church, the Synod:

* Endorsed the formation of a new diocese, to be known as the Diocese of Ukhahlamba, in the northern part of the current Diocese of Grahamstown;

* Affirmed the key role of theological education in building the church, endorsed a formal collaboration with the University of KwaZulu/Natal for theological training, and appointed a new director of the Anglican House of Studies in Pietermaritzburg, all in a bid to foster ecumenical theological education;

* Decided to have the Archbishop’s Charge from the March installation service in Cape Town translated into Portuguese for the benefit of the Dioceses of Lebombo, Niassa and Angola. The Charge will also be the basis of a study series for Lent 2009;

* Agreed to new and/or alternative Collects for the Church;

* Examined the administration and leadership of our Province; and

* Encouraged Anglicans to sign up with the South African Bone Marrow Registry as bone marrow donors.

The bishops also reflected on the implications of the recent meetings of the Lambeth Conference and of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON). We agreed to continue working for the unity of the worldwide Anglican Communion through the current instruments of communion and dialogue, including the proposed Anglican Covenant, the Windsor Continuation Group and a possible Pastoral Forum. We agreed to continue to work with all parties in the current debates particularly on our own continent and to share South Africa’s experience of a reconciliation which embraces all.

The Most Revd Thabo Makgoba

Archbishop and Metropolitan

Anglican Church of Southern Africa

To the People of God – To the Laos

August 2008

Dear People of God

It is good to be home! Our dog, Toffee, is completely delighted that Lungi and I are back from the Lambeth Conference, and greets us with particular enthusiasm each morning!

My heart and mind are still overflowing with memories of our time in Canterbury, where we exchanged Cape Town’s cold wet winter for hot summer weather. I think of the beauty of the Cathedral; and the wonderfully uplifting worship we enjoyed there and in the ‘Big Tent’ on the university campus where we were based. Here, as all of us, bishops and spouses together, shared in morning Eucharists and evening prayers led by the various Provinces, we were drawn closer to God and one another, even in tense moments: the morning we were to discuss human sexuality, the service was infused with a profound sense of the Lord’s grace and love among us. I think too of the long, but inspiring, day in London, beginning with a walk of witness together with other religious leaders, highlighting the Millennium Development goals and calling on world leaders to meet them, and to form better partnerships with faith communities for overcoming poverty. After lunch in the beautiful grounds of Lambeth Palace, the home of Archbishop Rowan and Jane Williams, we then went to a Buckingham Palace tea party hosted by Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip – an event we shall never forget!

But when I look back, I realise that most of all Lambeth was about relationships – with Jesus, with one another in Christ, and with the world.

From beginning to end, Jesus as Saviour, incarnate in our contexts, was at the very heart of our time together. We started our time together with a wonderful 3-day retreat led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, where he asked us to consider what it means for every believer to be called to be a place where God’s Son is revealed to others. He challenged us to reflect on where we find Jesus revealed, whether through others, through encounters and conversations and circumstances. Many of us were nervous, defensive, or even a bit aggressive, about the disagreements within the Anglican Communion. Our retreat helped us to start by ‘finding ourselves’ in Jesus Christ, and so to be ready to find one another, as brothers and sisters also in Jesus Christ.

We then moved from Retreat to Conference. After Eucharist and breakfast, each day proceeded with Bible Studies in which the same eight of us looked at John’s Gospel, focussing on the person of Jesus, and his ‘I am’ sayings – I am the bread of life; the light of the world; the gate for the sheep; the good shepherd; the resurrection and the life; the way, the truth and the life; the true vine. These Bible Studies were marvellous. As we met morning by morning we were surprised with joy and delight at the extent to which we found Christ in one another, and found one another in Christ.

We were very different in our backgrounds and views, but we learnt to share our faith journeys, the joys and pains of ministry, and our hopes and fears for the Anglican Communion, with ever deepening trust and honesty, openness and vulnerability. It was intensely moving to build relationships in Christ that were far more profound than the differences with which we find ourselves labelled.

After a coffee break our Indaba groups, each comprising five Bible Study Groups, then tackled various aspects of Anglican Identity, and of Equipping Bishops as Leaders in Mission – the twin themes of the Conference. These too became places of deep trust, even as we exchanged very divided opinions and sharp disagreements – but we learnt we could be honest, and held in love and respect by one another. Some people were afraid the Indaba approach was a tactic for avoiding difficult questions. But the reverse was true. We created a safe space where everyone could have their say. We could peel the layers off the onions, so to speak, getting beneath the surface, and grappling with what really mattered. Some members of The Episcopal Church (TEC) in my indaba group, for example, discovered how ignorant they were of the situations in other parts of the world, and of how their actions affected the lives of Bishops and ordinary Christians far away. Other Bishops came to realise that the accounts of the American church that are beamed round the world on television and internet are often not accurate, and certainly don’t tell the whole story.

We also enjoyed many other opportunities to encounter one another and exchange views on important subjects: through optional afternoon seminars on a huge range of topics, through meetings with inspiring speakers, even through conversations in queues at mealtimes!

What then, did we achieve out of all this? Well, one thing we did not do was produce reports and recommendations that were put up for debate and vote, as past Conferences have done. Those of us on the Conference Design Group were conscious that this time we needed something different. The problem with voting is that it means having to take sides, yes or no, for or against, and there has been far too much taking sides, or trying to force people to take sides, within Anglicanism in the last few years. This approach also privileged those who were fluent in English, and practiced and confident at taking the microphone and addressing huge plenary sessions.

For this meeting of the Lambeth Conference, we felt we most needed an opportunity to involve everyone in exploring deeply together both the life of faith to which we are called, and called as leaders of the Anglican Church, and how we are to share that faith through participating in God’s mission to his world. These two objective became encapsulated in our twin themes I’ve already mentioned, of Anglican identity and Bishops as leaders in mission, and we structured the programme far more around small groups, Bible Studies and Indabas – acknowledging also that at previous Lambeth Conferences bishops themselves had generally referred to the fellowship they shared in small groups as what they had valued most.

I think that, to a very considerable extent, we achieved our objective of deep exploration together. What we concluded was this: we do have big differences, and we don’t easily know how to deal with them – but, more than this, we all belong to Jesus Christ, and therefore we belong to each other, and we must, we must, keep on debating and discussing, in mutual care, respect and trust. As several bishops said, the indaba must go on! Of course, it will not be easy. Some bishops stayed away, and we were diminished by their absence. Their perspective would have enriched our sharing, and challenged us more sharply over our disagreements, forcing us to draw even more deeply on the reserves of our common life in Christ.

Therefore, our commitment – as we said in the ‘Reflections’ document that recorded our discussions – is that we should now ‘build bridges, to look for opportunities to share with them the experience we have had in Canterbury and to find ways of moving forward together in our witness to the Lord Jesus Christ,’ and that in the interim, the recommendations of the Windsor report must be upheld – that is, moratoria on the ordination of persons living in a same gender union to the episcopate, on the blessing of same-sex unions, and on cross-border incursions by bishops. In the Reflections, it is suggested that perhaps this might be seen as a ‘season of gracious restraint’. And in the meantime, debate and discussion around these questions will continue – including within our own Province.

At the level of Communion, we will continue to work with the Windsor Report, the draft Covenant, a Pastoral Forum, a possible gathering of the Primates next February, and the planned meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council next July. And we will aim to do so with generosity of spirit. Not everyone is going to agree – but I think for the great majority of us at Lambeth, what matters is relationship more than rules, and this is summed up in our affirmation that ‘The Lord Jesus Christ is the centre of our common life.’

And I hope that we will also take some of these lessons of the Lambeth Conference into the life of this Province and its Dioceses too – especially what we learnt from the indaba processes, and how we must not just be driven by agendas and decisions and outcomes. We will take this to heart at the Synod of Bishops and Provincial Standing Committee meeting in September. Please pray for us as we take all this forward.

More than this, every one of us needs to be conscious of building our lives on our relationship with Jesus, and the relationship that we have with others in him, and in sharing his gospel with his world. This must be the engine of our lives. If we go forward on this basis, the Lambeth Conference was surely a success.

From a personal point of view, it was particularly good to meet my colleagues from the Global South and the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, CAPA, many of them for the first time, and begin building relationships with them. Lungi too made many new friends and shared deeply through the Spouses’ Conference, where they also spent a significant and intensely moving time together. They committed themselves to plant a tree each, on their return home, so it might be a prayerful reminder of their rootedness and connectedness – a rootedness and connectedness to one another both through Jesus, and through each being part of God’s creation. They also decided that every spouse will maintain a relationship with one other spouse from somewhere else in the Communion; and that the spouses of our Province should also meet together annually. In addition, they will each take up the challenge to empower and encourage two other women, in order that these in turn can empower and encourage others in witnessing positively to Christ and in community building, as tangible signs of participating in God’s mission, wherever we find ourselves.

There is so much more I could say about our time in Canterbury. Within our discussions, the questions of poverty, of the environment and climate change, of the co-epidemic of TB and HIV and AIDS, and of malaria, were absolutely vital and should not be overshadowed by concerns about human sexuality. Bishops and spouses also grappled together with the hard issues of abuse, especially abuse against women and children, that permeate all our societies and churches. You can read about these, and everything else we considered, in the Reflections document, which is available on-line at http://www.lambethconference.org/vault/Reflections_Document_(final).pdf.

Southern Africa was well represented at the Conference. Congratulations to Bishop Dinis Sengulane, who was the longest serving Bishop present – at his fourth Conference! Our Province, guided by Bishop Merwyn Castle, our liaison bishop for liturgical matters, led Evening Prayer on one occasion, with a good multi-lingual service featuring English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans (though I acknowledge that it was more ‘South’ than truly ‘Southern’ African, with apologies to Dioceses in Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and St Helena). Several of our bishops also participated in a Sunday service at St Dunstan’s, Canterbury, which was broadcast live on BBC radio (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/sunday_worship/ and link to 27 July), and at which Archbishop Rowan Williams preached the sermon (http://www.lambethconference.org/daily/news.cfm/2008/7/28/ACNS4477). I must say that in this, his retreat homilies, his Presidential Addresses, his other sermons, and in the way he led us, he demonstrated his remarkable gifts – not only as a great theologian and teacher and pastor, all that a bishop should be, but as a humble man of great prayer, profound spiritual depths, and a radical and unconditional commitment to personal holiness of life. We are more than blessed to have him as our Archbishop of Canterbury. Do keep him (and Jane who gives him marvellous support and who is a significant Christian leader in her own right), fervently in your prayers, for the times ahead will continue to be more than challenging.

All in all, it was an unforgettable three weeks, though which the Lord blessed us all richly, as we had hoped, and in ways we could never have imagined. Thank you for your prayers – we were very conscious of being carried by the intercessions of God’s faithful people all around the world, as we met.

Let me end this long, long letter (for once the subject warrants it!), with an apology to all those whose nerves were, rightly, jarred by our hybrid mix of Latin and Greek in entitling these ‘Ad Laos’! As you will see, we have amended this slightly, but I do want to retain the word ‘Laos’, as it is used so beautifully in Scripture, for example, when Peter writes of us being ‘God’s own people’ or, in other translations, ‘a people for his own possession’ (1 Pet 2:9). Let us never forget that this is who we are.

And finally, I pass on greetings to you all from our former Archbishop, Philip Russell, who telephoned me before I set off for Lambeth with words of encouragement, especially about the role that we, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, are called to play as reconciler, given our own profound experiences of the God who reconciles.

Yours in the service of Christ

+Thabo Cape Town

The Indaba Must Go On

To conclude my reflections on the Lambeth Conference, an extract from the comment that I have sent to Southern Anglican (photo: a scene from the closing Eucharist):

The Indaba groups became places of deep trust, even as we exchanged very divided opinions and sharp disagreements – but we learnt we could be honest, and held in love and trust by one another. Some people were afraid the Indaba approach was a tactic for avoiding difficult questions. But the reverse was true. We created a safe space where everyone could have their say.

We could peel the layers off the onions, so to speak, getting beneath the surface, and grappling with what really mattered. Some members of the Episcopal Church in the United States in my indaba group, for example, discovered how ignorant they were of the situations in other parts of the world, and of how their actions affected the lives of Bishops and ordinary Christians far away. Other Bishops came to realise that the accounts of the American church that are beamed round the world on television and internet, are often not accurate, and certainly don’t tell the whole story.

What we concluded was this. We do have big differences, and we don’t easily know how to deal with them – but, more than this, we all belong to Jesus Christ, and therefore we belong to each other, and we must, we must, keep on debating and discussing, in mutual care, respect and trust. As several bishops said, the indaba must go on! Of course, it will not be easy. Some bishops stayed away, and we were diminished by their absence. Their perspective would have enriched our sharing, and challenged us more sharply over our disagreements, forcing us to draw even more deeply on the reserves of our common life in Christ.

But our conclusion was – as we said in the Reflections document that recorded our discussions – that we should now ‘build bridges, to look for opportunities to share with them the experience we have had in Canterbury and to find ways of moving forward together in our witness to the Lord Jesus Christ,’ and that in the interim, the recommendations of the Windsor report must be upheld – that is, moratoria on the consecration of actively homosexual bishops, on formal rites of blessing for same sex unions, and on bishops and archbishops trespassing into dioceses and provinces not their own.

God bless,

++Thabo

Emotion, Rationality and Generosity

The conference is heading towards the end now, the Indaba process went ahead amidst challenges, enthusiasm and at times frustration. These are appropriate effects when people really talk and encounter one another. The Indaba Reflection group has produced a third draft of the process so far. You should find it on the website soon - when this entry was posted, the second draft was available there (in PDF form).

Today was full of emotion, rationality and a spirit of generosity as we discussed the issue of the bishop and sexuality. As I write, I am preparing to go for an interactive media training workshop run by Trinity Wall Street's TV and communications department - I am looking forward to it, something different.

Last night I attended my first Global South and CAPA (Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa) meetings. It was good to meet and see my colleagues whom I have read and heard so much about. The meetings were in the evening following a reception hosted by Virginia Theological Seminary. The fatigue was obvious at our Design Group meeting this morning and carried through to our Indaba. I had a bit of rest around lunchtime and am feeling ready for the next phase.

The Windsor Continuation group, Covenant process and Reflections, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury's closing text are now the conference “instruments” to which we look to articulate what we were about. Please pray for these processes.

I spoke to +Rubin and Mrs Glover yesterday morning; pray for both families and +Rubin and +Paddy’s recovery.

God bless you,

++Thabo

Joint Session on Abuse Evoked Deep Emotions

Today we had a joint session with the spouses reflecting on abuse. The plenary Bible study on 2nd Samuel, the story of Tamar, was the basis of our discussion ably led by Prof Gerald West (University of KwaZulu/Natal). The session evoked deep-seated emotions but the audience was a mature one and obviously restrained. We were given time out with our spouses to reflect on the session.

I had brief meetings and input with the Reflection group tasked with producing a document from the raw data collected from the Indaba process and a useful meeting with ++ABC (the Archbishop of Canterbury) during lunch on the Primates' meetings.

Bible study was in the afternoon today. Following a busy morning, I had a little rest and could not get to it but read the text alone. I missed being there: my group is a source of energy and strength.

At 5pm I had an interview with the Church Times. +Rowan’s second presidential address (photo at left/ACNS Gunn) was apt, speaking into our situation, drawing biblical principles, reflecting on the challenges that we currently face and calling us not to forget the centre, even in Jesus.

The rain has brought welcome weather.

God bless,

+Thabo

PS: Some links have been added to earlier posts below: on the group on HIV/Aids and TB, and the text of Archbishop Rowan's sermon on Sunday.

"I Disagree But Will Not Leave the Communion"

Today (Monday) we had a further hearing on the Windsor Continuation process, which is considering the future of the Communion in response to our current challenges.

It was well attended, in a scourgingly hot gym, and there was frank discussion on the proposed Anglican Covenant and the challenges we face. The process is continuing and what stayed in my mind is what one representative of The Episopal Church (TEC) in the United States said: "I disagree with some of my fellow bishops in the TEC theologically but I will not leave the Communion" (paraphrased). This showed a degree of maturity and openness to dialogue because, as ++Tutu always says, the Holy spirit is not finished with us yet.

Following the hearings, I chaired one of the "self-select" sessions - the one on "The Deadly Co-epidemic of Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS." Though not well attended, the quality of speakers and questions was good. This evening, I was unable to attend the plenary session addressed by the Chief Rabbi in the UK, Sir Jonathan Sacks, whom I had heard in Boston last year, because I was at a session with mission partners - it was a good social with a band.

It was Southern Africa's turn today to lead the Evening Worship today (readings: Psalm 46 and James 2:1-10). +Merwyn Castle, our liaison bishop for liturgical matters, was delegated to lead on our behalf. It was a good multi-lingual service with English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans featuring. I need to apologize to the Lebombo and Angola dioceses - the service was mainly "South" and not "Southern" African, as +Dinis Sengulane always reminds us we should be.

The music and visuals were great, capturing our beautiful Province and featuring some of our old stalwarts, for example the late Bishop George Swartz of Kimberley and Kuruman, may his soul indeed rest in peace.

It has been so hot, but tonight we are having a few, most welcome drops of rain.

God bless you,

++ Thabo

Southern Africa Features in BBC Sunday Worship

(This photo, and all others on this blog - unless otherwise marked - are © Lambeth Conference) See the full photo from which this image is extracted [large file]

Yesterday we had a photo shoot (above) whilst we continued with the conference rhythm.

We ended the day with a dinner organized by Trinity Wall Street. This was a reunion which followed up on the Walking to Emmaus Consultation which Trinity organized in Spain a year ago for African partners of The Episcopal Church.

This morning we had an early start at St Dunstan's, Canterbury, with a service which was broadcast live on BBC radio. You can hear the service, including a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury and a number of contributions by Southern African bishops, here. (The service begins 2 minutes after the beginning of the audio file.)

God bless

++Thabo

Delving Deeply Into the Gospels: Sexuality and the NT

The rhythm of the Lambeth Conference continues and the Indabas continue to allow bishops to talk. Today we dealt with ecumenism, and for the plenary session had an input on the ecological crisis and what role can we play as the church.

For the self-select groups I had four options: (1) Christianity in China, (2) Christians where the majority are Buddhist, (3) the proposed Anglican Covenant or (4) sexuality and the New Testament. On my way to the venue I met a French-speaking from a Province which was not allowing its bishops to attend. But he was there anyway. We started talking about his country and he told me that he was attending option 4, so I joined him.

The presentation was interesting and delved deeply into the gospels, looking into both what Jesus said and his deeds, and also into what Paul said and did, concerning the issues of their day. Richard Burridge’s book and Phil Groves' book on enabling listening are good resources.

We had one unhappy respondent on the process. It was encouraging that he voiced his concern, a sign that people are able to disagree and hold together.

Mrs Williams gave a reflection at the evening worship, which was led by the spouses today. She reminded the conference that, (1) spouses want to support bishops in the challenges they are facing in the Communion, (2) bishops are leaders in and not owners of the church and, therefore need to remember (3) that this God’s church and that all should make the gift of Communion work.

God bless

++Thabo

Additional web resources on Phil Groves' book

Keep the Promise: Halve Poverty by 2015

We had a long day yesterday, firstly with a walk of witness in London to highlight the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to call on leaders to meet them and to commit the faith community to play our part. It was well attended (see the photo) and really worked. The input by the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the Archbishop of Canterbury was inspiring, as was that of Hellen Wangusa, the Anglican Communion's observer at the United Nations.

We then went to Lambeth Palace, the home and office of the Archbishop, and to a Buckingham Palace tea party to meet Prince Philip and HM the Queen, which was a memorable event.

We need to remember the plight of the poor and do something about it in the here and now: that summarizes today’s message.

The Times of London gave a critique of the Indaba [you may have to register with their site to read it] and referred to the conference as capitulating to a tribal notion. The critique actually says the newspaper has caught onto the process and in giving this critique, they are perhaps joining in the journey and conversation.

God bless you,

++Thabo

PS: Listen to an interview on the MDGs with Hellen Wangusa

And you can also hear Bishop Dinis Sengulane of Lebombo on the MDGs

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

The tempo and rhythm of the conference is relatively set in our Bible study and Indabas. In our small "indaba within the Indaba" group today, we made a commitment not to be overwhelmed by the sea of social justice issues but to start small and from a specific point. The issue of the American biofuels programme and the U.S. government's foreign policies occupied our group - as did malaria, HIV and Aids, TB and the war and displacement of people in Sudan. We resolved to learn best practices and to support one another as we bring Christ into these situations.

I attended the second self-select session of the conference today. The theme was social justice and the session discussed the Christian response to the challenges in the Holy Land. We had various scholars, practioners and archbishops from Israel/Palestine address us. Practical suggestions were: 1. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 2. Educate the youth in the Holy Land and the Holy Basin (that part of Jerusalem including its holiest sites) to live with respect for one another.

There is a great longing for peace in the midst of anguish and hopelessness in the Holy Land. We should never forget those who are suffering there - we need to visit them, to keep contact with them and to highlight their plight. On a different level, one speaker said the problem there has been imported from the US and the fear of what happened in Eastern Europe, and suggested the solution may be for the US to take away what it has imported into the Holy Land.

All I can say, as the Patriarch of Jerusalem said when handing the Archbishop of Canterbury the Order of the Holy Sepulchre: Thank you for your concern for us and the deep knowledge of our spirituality evident in your words, writings and ways; Let our ways, words and writing bring life and light to all the children of God, bruised at this time in the Holy Land.

I also managed some fun and wandered about in the "marketplace" (see the photo!), looking at various bookstalls and vestments. Bishop Geoff Quinlan kindly loaned me his rochet and chimere for the opening service and, guess what, I found a stall which sells them and have ordered one.

The weather is still great, in fact hot. Last night we joined Archbishop Rowan and Jane Williams and other guests for dinner, where the ambience was lovely and the food delicious. So today Lungi and I took a longer walk than normal to keep fit. She continues to enjoy the conference, the first-ever church conference she has attended. Tomorrow is our walk of witness, a visit to Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace in London.

God bless you,

++Thabo

Broadcast the Call in Micah With Trumpets

Evangelist Brian McLaren, from the US, spoke brilliantly at our plenary session on Monday night, delivering a critique of the state of world Christianity and the “mainline churches,” using humour and imagery; for example, an orphaned male hippo finding solace in a tortoise, or a bridge in Honduras that stood firm after a hurricane but, because the river course was altered, became a bridge that now goes nowhere but has become an interesting tourist site. He called for disciple formation or evangelism that looked at values formation rather than religiosity in our broken, beautiful and bruised world.

Yesterday, our Indaba - the third - went extremely well. There were some intial rumblings but nothing more materialised and everyone came. Brian McLaren's presentation was still alive in all of us, and we discussed the bishop and evangelism.

After the Indabas, we met in self-select groups. I went to the Micah Challenge on social justice and being prophetic for the cause of the poor. The story of what is happening in the Philippines, and how it challenges the church, was moving. The bishops in our self-select group described how the military was "persecuting" Christians. Earlier, in my Indaba group, we heard how Christians in India were being marginalised and harassed for their faith. We need trumpets to broadcast louder the call in Micah 6:8 for God's justice, mercy and peace to be established, and for humility on the part of those who inflict terror.

On another note, we from ACSA are well represented here apart from the bishops and their spouses. We have Canon Dalene Mark, on the Anglican Communion's Peace and Justice Network, Odwa Gonya on the Youth Network, who is one of the stewards and a former ASF president, Canon Suzanne Peterson from Grahamstown and Dean Rowan Smith from Cape Town (who will be joining us to service the listening team).

We press on and continue to talk, encounter each other and open ourselves to the prompting of the Holy Spirit as we are nurtured daily by the sacrament so that Jesus in us is revealed. And the weather is great - you could even get a sun tan here!

++Thabo

(Thanks to Bishop Alan of Buckinghamshire for the photo of that bridge in Honduras)

The Holy Spirit Fills Us Not With Optimism, But Hope

The first day of conference took place today and the concept of Indaba was put into practice. The initial responses are positive. One journalist asked me: "Are you optimistic?” I answered that because this was God’s church and as the Holy Spirit is at work in us as the same power that rose Jesus Christ from the dead, I was not optimistic but full of hope.

The evening worship reflection from +Winston was very helpful to tuck my end-of-day reflection into. He used an imagery of waves, both literally and metaphorically. As the effects of global warming become real, the sea is rising and the vulnerable Islanders are thrown into deep despair. But they know that God will never let them down.

Here is a physical, literal example of lack of good stewardship of creation creating a human disaster but also allowing the Islanders to see God in this hopeless situation.

A response to our intercessory prayers: "We do not proclaim ourselves Lord; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord," was a further reminder of what our identity and mission should be about, revealing the Son of God in the tumultuous waves of our mortal life. These prepare us for our session for tomorrow, "Proclaiming the Good News; the Bishop and Evangelism."

God bless,

++Thabo

Lambeth 2000 Opens In Canterbury

The introductory session of Lambeth last night went well, as did the opening Eucharist (see the photo), my first international press conference and the introduction of Indaba.

The mood and response to ++ABC (the Archbishop of Canterbury) was a standing ovation.

The diocese of Joburg yesterday had a service of repentance in the light of the xenophobia. +Brian, ++ABC and I did an interview which was shown during their service. The message was what I said previously about our treatment of difference and that foreign people are God’s people too.

Today we go into the conference proper, and will see how the Indaba, self-select and listening and reflection groups pan out.

Learning the Art of Waiting on Others and the Lord

We have just had an ecumenical service during which a stage full of ecumenical guests was welcomed. In his message, ++Rowan reflected on the reading used for our Bible study this morning.

To deviate, I am enjoying Bible study but am learning the art of being gracious and more sensitive to those who can't speak English, something I previously took for granted. We have three Koreans, a bishop from Burma and one from India in our group, and the Bible study is conducted through interpreters. It's a challenge, but an art to wait upon the others to say their say and also upon the Lord, and to say less in order to communicate more or profoundly.

In his homily, reflecting on love and the Samaritan woman at the well, ++Rowan called upon us to go deeper into God's infinite and bottomless well that has love which surpasses all understanding. He called on the ecumenical partners to challenge us as we all seek that perfection in Christ which is not possible to fully attain but nevertheless draws us into wanting to be more Christ-like.

I will not write tonight as the Vice-Chancellor of Kent University has invited the primates and spouses for dinner. Tomorrow we have our main opening Eucharist and I have a couple of media interviews.

God bless you,

++Thabo

A Christian Exists in Community

Today was special, repeating same format as yesterday. In the Church Times, most pictures feature our SA bishops with the bishop of Umtata on the front page. (See the picture on the left!)

The worship of the conference continues to be uplifting, with a SA tune, Thuma Mina, as a theme song.

The Archbishop's challenge today was: how do we as bishops live as community and exercise our ministry in fellowship, citing Tertullian from the second century when he said a single Christian is no Christian (but a Christian exists in community). He further remind us that a bishop is a biblical person and silently listens to God with one ear and with the other to the cries, longings and needs of the world.

God bless,

++Thabo

Our first day at Lambeth

It's warm in Kent, the opening session starts today. We had our briefing session yesterday and I addressed the group briefly on the essence of Indaba, the concept of which has been built into our deliberations at Lambeth.

Today we met to do a “voice check” on the PA system. The local newspaper, The Guardian, on Monday covered a brief story on the conference but more about Gene Robinson and the resistance he had before preaching here in the UK on Sunday. I have not read the Times but it had good coverage, +Peter Lee told me yesterday.

I have also had my first "internal" media interview by the TV team from the Trinity Church, Wall Street.

On Sunday, as part of the opening, I will give a little input to the whole conference on what Indaba means.

Do keep the bishops, their spouses and all of us involved in the Conference, in your prayers.

God bless you all,

++Thabo