The Primates, or senior Archbishops, of each of the twenty-seven autonomous Churches which make up the 70 million member Anglican Communion throughout the world, have just concluded four days of deliberations in Nairobi, Kenya. The Most Rev. E.W. Scott, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, attended the sessions which were chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Robert Runcie.
On his return to Toronto, Archbishop Scott declared, "What made this Conference different from previous meetings of the Primates was the agenda. In the past it was always the Anglo-Saxon Archbishops who did the planning. This time, through pre-meeting planning by Dr. Runcie and the Archbishops of the African Churches, we faced squarely the uniquely indigenous problems which are part of the daily life of our sisters and brothers in the developing nations and Churches."
The spread of Islam was one of four major issues which dominated the Conference (see separate release enclosed). The Primates intensified their statement on War in a Nuclear Age made at a previous meeting in Washington, D.C. in 1981. They also discussed the world refugee situation and the "internal", but important matter of the place of the traditional Book of Common Prayer in the light of the contemporary liturgies now in use throughout the Church.
They pleaded with "all members of our Church who are in Government service or places of influence to exercise by all means available to them their Christian vocation as peacemakers." The Prelates were told that there are now more than three million refugees on the continent of Africa alone.
The Archbishop of Canterbury confirmed that there will be a Lambeth Conference at the University of Kent in 1988. Lambeth Conferences of all the Anglican Bishops in the world have been held about every ten years since 1867, at the call of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dr. Runcie said the aim of the 1988 meeting will be to promote fresh initiatives and renewal in four areas of the life of the Church. They are: mission and ministry; the faith and order of the Church; ecumenical relations and the transformation of the social order.
Preparations for the Conference will include a series of regional conferences similar to the Pacific Rim Conference on Ministry held in Honolulu in June.
That this General Synod applaud the response of the Lambeth Conference to The Final Report of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, noting that concerns expressed in the response of the Anglican Church of Canada are on the agenda of the second Anglican Church International Commission, and look forward to further official response by the Roman Catholic Church and progress toward accepting the implications of these agreed statements in the lives of both churches. CARRIED WITHOUT DEBATE Act 47
Archbishop Nutter reported that the Primate wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury, as requested at the November meeting of the House, and received a response to his letter from Canon S. Van Culin's response were distributed to the Bishops.
According to the formula outlined by Canon Van Culin, as developed at the March 1986 meeting of Primates, the Canadian Church is entitled to send three Suffragan Bishops. No provision is being made for the attendance of the wives of Suffragan Bishops at the Lambeth Conference.
The Metropolitans identified various methods of indicating the Suffragan Bishops who should be invited to attend from the Canadian Church. It was agreed that seniority should be the defining factor, but that no more than one Bishop should attend from the same Diocese. If any Suffragan is unable to go because of illness, or chooses not to go, the next senior Suffragan Bishop should take his place. The Metropolitans agreed that this proposal should be placed before the Bishops for their consideration.
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That the three Suffragan Bishops senior by Consecration be those designated to attend the Lambeth Conference in 1988, and that if any of those thus indicated are unable to attend, the next senior Suffragan Bishop shall take his place, with not more than one attending from any diocese. CARRIED
"These Study Notes are intended for devotional study. While taking account of the fact that the Fourth Gospel was written for the edification of a later generation of Christians and reflects the thought of its Evangelist, the Notes assume that the style of this Gospel 'works' only for the reader who is drawn into the drama of the story, and ponders the narration in that context. The first day's study is an exercise in this way of reading the Gospel". -- Preface.
Contents: Preface -- First Bible Study: Monday 18 July: John 13.1 -- Second Bible Study: Tuesday 19 July: John 13.2-11 -- Third Bible Study: Wednesday 20 July: John 13.12-20 -- Fourth Bible Study: Thursday 21 July: John 13.21-30 -- Fifth Bible Study: Friday 22 July: John 13.31-36 -- Sixth Bible Study: Monday 25 July: John 13.37-14.4 -- Seventh Bible Study: Wednesday 27 July: John 14.5-11 -- Eighth Bible Study: Thursday 28 July: John 14.12-24 -- Ninth Bible Study: Friday 29 July: John 14.25-31 -- Tenth Bible Study: Monday 1 August: John 15.1-11 -- Eleventh Bible Study: Tuesday 2 August: John 15.12-17 -- Twelfth Bible Study: Wednesday 3 August: John 15.18-16.4a -- Thirteenth Bible Study: Monday 4 August: John 16.4b-15 -- Fourteenth Bible Study: Friday 5 August: John 16.16-24 -- Fifteenth Bible Study: Saturday 6 August: John 16.25-33.
Each of the 15 bible studies is followed by a blank page headed "Anthology of Insights".
"Giving is a truly ennobling thing and speaks of the character of God himself in his total and unconditional love for Creation. God's gift of Christ is, of course, central to all our Christmas celebrations. How God, too, rejoices as he sees his precious gift of love changing us. The challenge of Christmas for us, as we seek to respond to God's gift, is whether we are able to receive home afresh, to allow ourselves to be open to the promptings of the Spirit, rather than turning in on ourselves and closing off from God in a Scrooge-like defensiveness and selfishness".