Doing the Lambeth Walk Part 4
Thursday 24 July
Do Justly....
Yesterday at Lambeth was very much focused, for the bishops, on social justice. It was deeply humbling to hear stories from brother bishops of serving the poor in different parts of the world. In so many places, the church is engaged with health-care, schooling, feeding the hungry and reaching out to those on the margins - even in places where it is numerically weak. Then we had a video on the Millennium Development Goals. Those who were in Down Cathedral last year for St Patrick's Day will remember us engaging in the ‘Blow the Whistle' Campaign to mark the half-way point in these goals, which are to be reached by 2015.
Walk of Witness: The Micah Challenge
Today (I'm writing this before 7am!), the bishops are going on a Walk of Witness in support of the MDGs in organized by the ‘Micah Challenge' - Do justice, love mercy, walk humble with your God. Then we will be addressed by the Micah Challenge organizers and by Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, when we arrive at Lambeth Palace.
Hearings on Windsor
Yesterday was also the first hearing on an informal update paper by the Windsor Continuation Group. All were free to speak or submit their thoughts in writing. Bishop Michael Burrows was the only Irish bishop to speak. In total 21 people took the opportunity, and 17 were white westerners. The predominant voice was that of liberal America, possibly because the content of the update was not exactly what they had wanted it to be, and had a section on turmoil in The Episcopal Church! There is a long way to go to assess the mind of the Conference, and the weight of different views, but it seems to me to be a largely conservative mind, even if other voices are at times prominent.
A medal for Rowan
It was good to end the afternoon at Evensong, led by the Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, at which Rowan Williams was presented with an honorary medal by the Patriarch of Jerusalem: I think it was The Order of the Holy Sepulchre. My wife was greatly blessed with the arrival of Geraldine Latty (much beloved of Focusfest) as a worship leader, and I was greatly blessed by the last hymn: ‘Blessed Assurance'! I also met with the ecumenical guests for dinner, and the major concern expressed was what Lambeth 2008 would be remembered for: Will it be a restatement of our commitment to orthodox, revealed Christian Faith? I pray it will.
Well, it really is now, ‘Off to London to see the Queen'.....
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Photographs: ' © Lambeth Conference '