wfn.org | Lambeth bishops greeted in multi-lingual opening ceremony

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

ACNS LC018 - 18 July 1998

Lambeth bishops greeted in multi-lingual opening ceremony

by Katie Sherrod

Lambeth Conference Communications

The 1998 Lambeth Conference gathered Saturday night in a
multi-lingual liturgy of welcome and introduction that filled the
two plenary spaces with prayer, song, and housekeeping details.

The large attendance at this Lambeth Conference required the use
of both of the sports halls at the University of Kent, which have
been converted into prayerful places with tenting, carpeting,
plants, large wooden crosses, and the Compass Rose, the symbol of
the Anglican Communion. Thanks to the magic of giant video
screens, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey managed to be in
two places at one time. As he spoke in one hall beneath a giant
video image of himself, his image also was being projected onto a
large video screen in the other hall. When he moved into the next
hall, the situation was reversed, so that all present saw him and
the other speakers both in person and on screen.

"Leadership Under Pressure" was the title of both the Bible study
featuring Archbishop Carey on video tape and the short opening
meditation by Archbishop Carey in person. Reflecting on the
opening verses of II Corinthians, Archbishop Carey honed in on
the expectations and hopes, fears and forebodings brought by the
"some 2,000 godly people" who have come together at Lambeth. 

"There are strong grounds for hoping that we shall go home in
three weeks’ time greatly strengthened and empowered for God’s
mission in the world," Archbishop Carey said. "[There are] fears,
on the other hand, that the good ship Anglicana may founder on
some divisive issue or other; whether on the rocks of intolerance
and indiscipline or the shoals of fundamentalism and liberalism."

But, he reminded the gathering, "we are not the only Christians
in history to have been caught in the tension between such
expectations and forebodings. We have only to look at Paul in II
Corinthians to see the enormous pressures on him and it is so
right that the great Epistle should be our companion for the next
three weeks." In daily Bible study, the bishops, their spouses
and other conference participants will be reading through the
entire book of II Corinthians.

Archbishop Carey counted out the number of times the word
"consolation" is repeated in the passage - ten times in its noun
and verb forms. He pointed out that the root of the word is
parakaleo, from which the word paraclete, the 
‘Comforter’ and one
of the descriptions of the Holy Spirit, is derived. 

"We can guess from those what this consolation or comfort is. It
is 
‘God coming alongside,’" he said. "Something that means far
more than mother soothing a child; it means God reassuring us
that he is with us and that his strength is ours in times of
trouble." 

He directed all those present to look at their nametags, on which
their baptismal names are written in large letters. Only in tiny
letters down to one side are titles listed - Archbishop of
Canterbury, bishop, staff member, communicator, etc.

"This conference is for you as a named individual; cherish the
space, be nourished by the Bible studies, be taught and
challenged by the sections," he said. "We are entrusting you with
the leadership, calling you into it and saying to you: Let us
together take responsibility for this conference. . . ."

But, he warned, "woe betide us if we rely solely on the human
gifts we bring to this conference. . . . 
‘We rely on God who
raises the dead,’ referring particularly to the resurrection of
Christ. That is the source of our consolation; that is the source
of our faith; that is the foundation stone of our conference;
that is the very heart of Anglicanism."

He continued, "Because, my sisters and brothers, be very sure of
this -that if our faith is not based in the personal God who has
made himself known to us in Jesus Christ and who has raised Jesus
from the dead, we have nothing, absolutely nothing, to offer to
our world."

Musical director helps shape multicultural tone

Geoff Weaver, the conference’s musical director, said that he was
pleased that the bishops and spouses were willing to try their
voices out with unfamiliar tunes and languages, and even to
attempt some dance movements with African and Latin American
hymns. 

The multilingual program, which included hymns and readings in
English, French, Swahili, Maori, Welsh and Korean, was designed
by a seven-member worship and liturgy team under Weaver’s
direction, and reflected Archbishop Carey’s desire for conference
liturgies that more accurately reflect the communion’s diversity.
The team, led by Bishop Roger Herft, a Sri Lankan who is bishop
of the Diocese of Newcastle in Australia, drew on a wide number
of consultants from around the communion. 

"We recognized that in the past English has been the [only]
language. And we wanted therefore to recognize the language and
culture and integrity of all the communion," observed Dr. Weaver.
"Language is such a fundamental thing of taking a people and a
culture seriously."

Two decades working in the church mission field have given Dr.
Weaver a special sensitivity to the communion’s cultural
diversity and wealth of liturgical expression. As a teacher, and
later as a trainer with the Church Mission Society, Weaver has
taught in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Nigeria. 

The evening program, which served partly as a rehearsal for the
conference’s opening Eucharist July 19 at Canterbury Cathedral,
incorporated prayers from the New Zealand Prayer Book and the
Book of Common Prayer. Though no Spanish readings or hymns were
used for the evening program, they will be part of the opening
Eucharist, said Dr. Weaver.

"I think we intended to give a message tonight that we are taking
your culture and songs seriously," said Dr. Weaver.

The service concluded in a moment of linguistic grace. Several
bishops and others at the service were visibly moved as the
Lord’s Prayer was said simultaneously in the native languages of
all those present. As the many voices and languages rang out,
what could have been a cacophony blended instead into a lovely
harmonic prayer.

David Skidmore of Lambeth Conference Communications contributed
to this story.

For further information, contact:

Lambeth Conference Communications
Canterbury Business School
University of Kent at Canterbury
Telephone: 01227 827348/9
Fax: 01227 828085
Mobile: 0374 800212

http://www.lambethconference.org