wfn.org | BRAZIL: ANGLICAN CONFERENCE REVIEWS DECADE

[a.whitefield@quest.org.uk]

April 18, 1997
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications
Anglican Communion Office
London, UK

[97.4.3.1]

TITLE:BRAZIL: ANGLICAN CONFERENCE REVIEWS DECADE

(ALC see also report 97.4.2.3.)) While it may walk a little slowly, the
Church is working on missionary transformation, according to leaders
from the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil (IEAB). The statement was
made April 10 at the end of a meeting to evaluate the Decade of
Evangelism which will end in year 2001.  The meeting brought together
more than 70 Church leaders from the seven dioceses of Brazil.

The majority of recommendations made for the Decade have been fulfilled
in the areas of education and expansion, said the  Revd Marinez dos
Santos, coordinator of the organising team of the leaders' conference.
During this period 13 new missionary programmes were implemented.

During the second half of the programme emphasis will be placed on the
area of service. Moreover, the IEAB is working on Christian education in
their schools and helping students' family members. The work of lay
people in the Church has also been revalued, added Fr dos Santos.

The Revd Luiz Caetano Grecco Texeira, who was recently elected CLAI
(Latin American Council of Churches)  regional secretary for Brazil,
emphasised the sincerity of leaders in evaluating their work. Fr. dos
Santos indicated that one of the concerns arising from the meeting was
IEAB's limited numerical growth.  "If mission is one of its areas of
emphasis, there is a need to analyse why the Church does not grown
numerically," he said.

During the leaders' meeting, economist Marcos Arruda, of Rio de Janeiro,
challenged the Church to confront the globalizing wave and the spread of
capitalist values in peoples' lives, which conflict with the Christian
values of solidarity and service.

Theologian Sebastiao Gamaleira Soares, of Recife, said that to serve the
world is a fundamental part of being Church. The Church is not just a
celebration, but also service, he affirmed.