Think outside the bus, Bishop Poggo urges
THE secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Anthony Poggo, received a warm welcome from the ground, before giving his guest address on Thursday of last week. He praised the Church in Wales — “a valued member of the Communion” — for its commitment to issues resembling the environment and gender justice, and described the part played by the Anglican Communion Office (ACO) as certainly one of enablement: “to serve and strengthen our common life”.
Speaking about mission, he referred to the Anglican Church of Kenya for example of large-scale church growth; he recalled his own studies in Nairobi within the early Nineteen Nineties, boarding a bus that the driving force cheerfully described as being “as empty as an Anglican church”. Kenya had needed to be progressive, he said. “Don’t close your mind. . . Think [about] different models to assist grow and revive churches — think [about] other ways of being church.”
North Korea ‘the costliest place’ to be Christian
A PRESENTATION by Jim Stewart in regards to the charity Open Doors UK highlighted its World Watch List, which ranks 50 countries through which Christians face the very best recorded levels of persecution. Top of the list was North Korea, he said — “the costliest place to be a Christian” — where it was illegal even to own a Bible, and where Christians were killed or sent to labour camps, he said. Somalia, “where even to be suspected of being a Christian puts you at risk”, got here second, and Libya, third. One in seven Christians worldwide faced high levels of persecution, either through the “smash” or “squeeze” effect, he said. Despite these levels, nevertheless, the Church was growing in resilience in some areas, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Feedback on Governing Body’s business
A CONCLUDING 20-minute round-table discussion on the frequency, effectiveness, and future format of Governing Body meetings allowed for some transient feedback. Suggestions for future debate included highlighting cultural issues relevant to Wales; studying what might be learned from churches, resembling Cardiff’s Citizen and Hope Street churches, about growth in areas of social deprivation; the international supply of weapons (given the presence of BAE Systems in Monmouth); and, from a table describing itself as “mostly young”, a request for young voices to be heard in a structured way on matters resembling social justice. There was appreciation of the Bible-study and worship elements, and of the meeting’s informal networking opportunities.
