ACNS - Weekly Review 16-22 October, 2010

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> Weekly Review 16-22 October, 2010

Posted On : October 22, 2010 5:14 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO

ACNS: 
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2010/10/22/ACNS4742

> Related Categories: ACO

A weekly roundup of Anglican Communion news plus opinion, reviews,
photos, profiles and other things of interest from across the
Anglican/Episcopal world.

> This edition includes...

> ? This week's Anglican Communion news

> ? Anglican Life

- Former lawyer appointed new General Secretary of Papua New
Guinea Church Partnership

- UK Queen?s chaplain Revd. Canon Prof. Paul Avis, guest
speaker at Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui?s 2010 Peter Kwong Theological
Lecture Series

? Video - Welcome to Papua New Guinea! Watch a great documentary on
Anglican life in PNG.

? Comment - Adrian Blenkinsop: How and why do young people engage with
the Bible?

? Publication of the Week ? The Voice of the Gospel. The quarterly
magazine of the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

? Bookshelf ? A House Divided? The Quest for Unity within Anglicanism
by Tom Frame.

? The coming week's Anglican Cycle of Prayer.

> ________________

> THE WEEK'S NEWS

? India - Archbishop Rowan Williams: "Despite challenges, Anglican
Communion life is strong".

? South Africa - Lausanne attendees grapple with church's role
tackling poverty, ethnic conflict and climate change

? USA - US bishop to run marathon for clean water in partner Communion
dioceses

? Ceylon - Bishop of Colombo issues statement about "travesty of 
justice"

? England - Cathedral wins Eco Congregation Award

? England - Five year study reveals Generation Y not hostile towards 
reli gion

> ________________

> ANGLICAN LIFE

> New PNGCP General Secretary

The new General Secretary of Papua New Guinea Church Partnership has
now been appointed. Louise Ewington was brought up in Papua New
Guinea, where she lived in Arawa on Bougainville Island, with her
parents John and Sarah Ewington.

Before accepting this position she was a financial services litigator
for an international law firm. However, she was also one of their
Community Investment Managers. Louise helped to develop and implement
Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives for the firm, and it was
her interest in that work which prompted the decision to transfer
permanently into the third sector.

"As many of you will know, once you have spent time in PNG it gets
into your system. So, when I heard about this vacancy I knew that it
would be the ideal job for me. I would like to take this opportunity
to express my gratitude to all those who have sent greetings and good
wishes, particularly to those who have been such a support during this
transition period."

It has not taken Louise long to get to grips with the job. She has
already made one visit there and this week issued her first newsletter
Bung Wantaim.

"The premise on which PNGCP was founded is that of support,
friendship, and togetherness between the UK and the Anglican Church of
Papua New Guinea (ACPNG). That is the reason why I chose Bung Wantaim
(everyone together) as the title for our newsletter, and I think it is
important for us to keep that objective in our sights.

One of the reports contained in it describes the Installation of the
new Anglican Archbishop of Papua New Guinea, Joe Kopapa. It was a
joyous manifestation of the new phase that ACPNG is also moving into,
and I was hugely encouraged and excited by the atmosphere of
togetherness that the House of Bishops, the Diocesan Secretaries, and
the National Office staff exuded during my time with them. By working
within an environment of open communication and transparent reporting
both we and ACPNG can operate as organisations which are recognised
for their integrity and efficiency."

You can contact Louise for more information at
louiseewington@pngcp.com or +44 (0)207 313 3918. Or you can write to
her at PNGCP, Anglican Communion Office, St Andrew?s House, 16
Tavistock Crescent, London, W11 1AP.

UK Queen's chaplain to lead Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Lectures

The Chaplain to the Queen Elizabeth II, Canon Paul Avis is the guest
speaker at Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui's 2010 Peter K K Kwong Theological
Lecture Series in November. The purpose of the series is to enable
Christians to deepen their understanding and exploration of Anglican
theology and tradition.

A statement by Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui said: "We have now entered the
second decade of our life together as a province, and the dioceses of
Eastern Kowloon and Western Kowloon have established their own
cathedrals. As the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui moves into the future, and
as the churches of the Anglican Communion move in different
directions, the theme of our lecture series in an occasion to deepen
our theological reflection around common concerns."

Lecture titles include 'Contextual and Universal: The Witness of the
Cathedral - Rooting, Relating and Renewing', 'The Future of the
Anglican Communion' and 'Incarnation and Anglican Theology'.

Paul Avis is an Anglican priest, theologian and ecumenist. He is
General Secretary of the Church of England's Council for Christian
Unity and honorary Professor of Theology and Director of the Centre
for the Study of the Christian Church at the University of Exeter, UK.
He also serves as Canon Theologian of Exeter Cathedral and Convening
Editor of the journal Ecclesiology.

> ________________

> VIDEO

> Anglican life in Papua New Guinea

Don't miss this chance to watch Steve Ramsden's comprehensive and
interesting 40-minute documentary about the work of Anglicans in Papua
New Guinea. It was shot in May/June 2010 and produced by the Papua New
Guinea Church Partnership UK. Click here to watch the YouTube site.
The other parts can be found here: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5

> ________________

> COMMENT

How and why do young people engage with the Bible?

By Adrian Blenkinsop (in the Guardian - the Newspaper of the Anglican
Diocese of Adelaide)

We know the Bible is a vital part of living as a follower of Christ,
and that God speaks to us through his word. There is no doubt that the
Bible is integral to leadership, discipleship and simply making sense
of this world, yet amongst young people who regularly attend a youth
group, less than 4% are regularly reading it.

To address this crisis, the Bible Society in South Australia has
initiated the most comprehensive national research ever undertaken
into how and why young people engage with the Bible. With partner
organisations Anglican Youthworks, The Salvation Army, Scripture Union
Australia, and the Lutheran Church of Australia, Bible Society SA has
commissioned Philip Hughes (Christian Research Australia) to research
a number of critical issues regarding youth culture and Bible
engagement in Autralia.

> So who is reading the Bible?

We know that amongst Australia people (aged 13-24) about 70 per cent
never read the Bible. Of those youth who read the Bible daily or
weekly, most do so in the context of community. They read and interact
with the Bible as a part of a small group, generally with their peers
and a leader or mentor. Those who read it frequently are mostly
involved in Protestant Evangelical or Charismatic denominations, such
as the Pentecostals, Baptists, Lutherans, and Seventh-day Adventists.

> Attitudes to reading the Bible

Most of those who read the Bible frequently have made a personal
commitment to God and expect God to give definite answers to their
prayers and specific guidance for their life. They are reading the
Bible as a means of communication, expecting God to speak to speak to
them through the Bible. There are many young people who turn tto the
Bible when life is not going well, and look for comfort and hope
within the text when they are 'hurting deep inside'.

For the majority of young Australians, however, the Bible is simply
not 'on their radar'. It is not something they think about. Many of
these young people feel the stories in the Bible are 'unbelievable'.
They are not sure that God exists, let alone the likelihood that he
acts within our world. Therefore they find the Bible difficult to
understand, and sometimes contradictory. So most young people
experience the Bible as not able to engage with the questions of life
that are important to them.

> What are the barriers to reading the Bible?

When asked about the barriers to reading the Bible, the are there key
issues that emerge. Young people have questions about the meaning of
the text that remain unanswered; they would like more involvement and
group discussion to express their own thoughts and hear other
opinions; and young people respond more positively when the emphasis
is on topics which affect their lives and contemporary society.

> So where from here?

In the next stage of the research, focus group interviews will be
conducted with young people across the country - in every state, in
both city and country areas, and covering most major denomination. One
of the aims of this new research is to explore what young people think
the purpose of the Bible is. Are they approaching it as a book of
history, a book of morals, a source of personal encouragement, a set
of narratives to shape a worldview, or the record of salvation 
history?

The research will also reveal what resources, youth events, media and
practises ARE effective in engaging youth with the Bible, and the ways
youth leaders and denominations are supporting - or not supporting -
youth Bible engagement. This research is now underway, with the final
results due in November this year. We believe that this body of
research will provide denominations and mission organisations in
Australia with a clear picture of Australian youth culture and the
bible, so we can respond to this crisis in effective and
culture-shifting ways.

If you would like more information on this research as its is
undertaken, or a full copy of the stage 1 research, please contact me
at Bible Society SA at ablenkinsop@bible.com.au

> ________________

> PUBLICATION OF THE WEEK

(Each week ACNS features a publication from a Communion Network,
group, society, Province, diocese or parish)

This week we feature The Voice of the Gospel, the quarterly magazine
of the Episcopal Church of Sudan
http://issuu.com/sudanlink/docs/votg_5  as much for its presentation
as content. One reason to take a second glance at this publication is
that it can be found as an e-magazine on the online publishing site
http://issuu.com where visitors can flick through the magazine on the
screen as if it were a paper copy in front of them.

Articles that appear in this quarter's edition include UK Prime
Minister's letter to Archbishop Deng, Archbishop's keynote address in
Lakes State, ECS Standing Committee Meeting, and House of Bishops,
Clergy and Laity Issue Statement on Sudan in Rumbek.

> ________________

> BOOKSHELF

Review: A house divided? The quest for unity within Anglicanism, by
Tom Frame, (Acorn Press $39.99)

> by Ian Breward in The Melbourne Anglican

This is an important book, which should be read by all Anglicans
concerned about the future of their church in Australia. Bishop Frame
has made a number of well-argued proposals, for he believes that there
are corrosive changes taking place in Australia, which will seriously
undermine the place of the Anglican Church. Unless it alters its
priorities and ethos, he believes that it will only have a future in
the major cities. It must re-assess its heritage, develop a new
dynamic and frankly recognise that increasing numbers of Australians
are quite unattracted by current Christianity.

> For the whole review click here

> ________________

ANGLICAN CYCLE OF PRAYER (click the link to access the full ACP)

?Friday 22 Oct - Iowa - (Province VI, USA) The Rt Revd Alan Scarfe

?Saturday 23 Oct - Iran - (Middle East) The Rt Revd Azad Marshall

?Sunday 24 Oct - Pray for the office of the Anglican Observer at the
United Nations, New York, and the Anglican UN Advisory team in Geneva

?Monday 25 Oct - Irele - Eseodo - (Nigeria) The Rt Revd Felix O 
Akinbuluma

?Tuesday 26 Oct - Isial-Ngwa South - (Province of Niger Delta,
Nigeria) The Rt Revd Isaac Nwaobia

?Wednesday 27 Oct - Isiala - Ngwa - (Province of Niger Delta, Nigeria)
The Rt Revd Owen Nwankujuobi Azubuike

?Thursday 28 October - Isikwuato - (Province of Niger Delta, Nigeria)
The Rt Revd Samuel Chukuka

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