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ACNS3321 Statement from the Anglican Communion Mission


From "Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>
Date Sat, 22 Feb 2003 12:35:21 -0000

ACNS 3321     |     CYPRUS     |     21 FEBRUARY 2003

Statement from the Anglican Communion Mission Organisations Conference

Larnaca, Cyprus, 12-18 February 2003

mission organisations, voluntary agencies and synodical bodies.

from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have come to the Anglican Communion Mission Organisations Conference in
Larnaca, Cyprus, to take counsel, learn and explore how to be more faithful
to Gods mission in the world today.

Our theme: Transformation and Tradition in Global Mission. Transformation
stands at the heart of mission. Tradition is dynamic, the body of faith we
have received and are called to 'hand on' to others in the same spirit in
which Jesus 'gave himself up' on the Cross.

Our setting: Cyprus offered important resonances. Our host diocese, Cyprus
and the Gulf, serves a region that has always been a crossroad in mission.
Here Paul and Barnabas launched their mission to the gentiles. The diocese
includes Iraq, so the threat of war is felt deeply. Separation between the
peoples of northern and southern Cyprus continues.

Through our Bible studies, particularly, we have reaffirmed that:
-	God's grace (charis) has been poured out in order that we should be
united
with the whole world in a sacrifice of service, praise and thanksgiving
(eucharistia). The Church thus exists for and by mission in the world

-	the incarnation is the supreme model for our mission engagement

-	we are called to live out our faith on the fault lines of a divided
world

-	faithfulness to God's mission is the principle from which the unity
and
strength of the Church is derived

We thank God for:
-	the chance to meet globally, learn from one another and be inspired
by the
stories of risk and sacrifice for the gospel we have heard

-	the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Mission and Evangelism
(IASCOME), its role in fostering mission and evangelism, and developing and
hosting this conference, the second in 18 years

We commend:
-	hosting another such conference by IASCOME within the life of its
next
five year term

-	the proposal for a global gathering of Anglicans in 2008, for
bishops,
clergy and laity,  to discern God's will for the renewal of the Church in
mission

We pledge ourselves to:
-	ongoing transformation and renewal of our mission structures

-	closer sharing between mission organisations and to seek new ways of
working together in mission

We challenge the Provinces of the Anglican Communion to:
-	appreciate the diverse cultures and contexts in which we live, work
and
witness, and find new ways to use these positively in our mission

-	recognise that nurturing fellowship is more important than
transaction of
business

-	greater understanding of how mission and evangelism is to be
conducted in
a post colonial Communion, and taking seriously the communication needs of
non-English speaking contexts

-	seek new models for mission engagement and being Church alongside
traditional ones

-	undertake conscious and sustained engagement with the world of Faiths

-	encourage renewal in prayer and fresh approaches to fostering
international chains of prayer and intercession

-	work for justice, peace and reconciliation in places torn apart by
war,
violence, poverty and human misery

-	strengthen work on behalf of refugees and displaced persons

-	raise up a new generation of children free from the scourge of
HIV/AIDS

-	renew commitment to God's mission by providing sufficient resources
for
the task

___________________________________________________________________

For details about the 27th February broadcast, webcast and video
of the Enthronement of the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, the
Most Revd Rowan D Williams, visit these web sites:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/canterbury/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/

ACNSlist, the email edition of Anglican Communion News Service, is
published by the Anglican Communion Office, London. QUESTIONS or COMMENTS
may be sent to: acnslist@anglicancommunion.org

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