wfn.org | ACNS DIGEST Update 19 Jan 2005

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

The following (20 items) represents a compilation of the ACNS Digest
articles posted so far for January 2005. News is included from Australia,
Nigeria, South Africa, New Zealand, the USA, and Tsunami-affected regions.

(288) 19-January-2005 - Somalia worst tsunami-affected area in Africa -
South Africa

The Archbishop of Cape Town and Primate of the Church of the Province of
Southern Africa, the Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, was briefed in Nairobi
yesterday (18 January) on conditions in Somalia following the tsunami.

The Archbishop reported that he and Dr Molefe Tsele, General Secretary of
the South African Council of Churches, met yesterday with Fred Nyabera,
Executive Director of the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in
the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa. They were informed that Somalia had
been the worst hit in Africa by the tsunami of 26 December.

The damage has since been further aggravated by the previous years of war,
drought, flooding in early 2004, and the abysmal poverty that prevails
throughout the country. Due to years of civil unrest there is no reliable
system to record the extent of the devastation. Areas badly affected fall
between Hafun and Garacad in Puntland in north-eastern Somalia. An
estimated 54,000 people in this area are in desperate need of assistance.
About two thousand houses have been destroyed and families displaced and
hundreds of fishing boats as well as fishing equipment lost. This has been
a major setback as fishing is the sole livelihood of residents in this area.

"Preliminary reports from the ground indicate that the population in the
affected areas is badly traumatised with a number still in shock and many
people unable to sleep or eat properly. Many thousands of children are also
at risk," said Archbishop Ndungane, "latrines have been washed away and
wells contaminated which may lead to outbreaks of diarrhoea, dysentery and
other water-borne diseases. Observable diseases such as acute respiratory
infection, eyesores, measles and diarrhoea have already been reported."

The Archbishop said that he would meet the President of Somalia, Ahmed
Yusuf, on 19 January in Nairobi. President Yusuf operates from the Kenyan
capital due to the present instability in his country.

The Archbishop reports that travelling to Somalia is extremely hazardous
and difficult at present with no flights landing at Mogadishu, the
country's capital, because of ongoing civil strife. Small planes, able to
land on airstrips, have therefore to be utilised. The Archbishop's
delegation had hoped to land in Somalia on 19 January but the plane was not
available. They will therefore fly at first light tomorrow, 20 January, to
see the affected area for themselves.

Archbishop Ndungane carries with him a cheque for about R450,000
(US$75,000) which is part of the approximately R1,1 million ($185,000.00)
raised by Southern African Anglicans for tsunami relief. This initial
amount will be disbursed to areas of most need by the All Africa Conference
of Churches, headed by Bishop Mvume Dandala.

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(287) 17-January-2005 - Archbishop Jensen's Sermon for Day of Mourning -
Australia

Archbishop Peter Jensen's Sermon for National Day of Mourning and Reflection
Service in St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney
In the presence of Prime Minister John Howard,
and the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir

The Tsunami
A Day of Reflection and Mourning

Our special service this morning is the result of the call to the nation by
our Prime Minister to a day of reflection and mourning following the
catastrophe of the tsunami on Boxing Day. I am glad to welcome the Governor
and Sir Nicholas Shehadie as well as the Prime Minister and Mrs Howard to
the Cathedral, along with other leaders of the community. Mr Howard has
rightly reminded us that, as well as the vast immediate needs, there are
other significant requirements of the human spirit which we must address.
We seek for meaning; we ask, 'is there hope?' We want a formal opportunity
to express our sorrow and solidarity with those who suffer.

As a result, all around the country, in many different ways, our people are
observing this moment, expressing both their grief and their hopes. For our
part, we are met here in this Christian setting to hear the word of the
Lord, to bring to him our sorrows and the sorrows of others, and to ask him
for his aid. We believe that we can turn only to him for meaning and hope
in such dark days.

There have been other great moments in Australian history in which the
whole nation has united to offer its best on behalf of others. At the
outbreak of European war in 1914 and again in 1939, there was no
hesitation. Britain and its Empire was under threat, and we paid an immense
cost to sustain freedom.

In the last weeks, the response of our nation to the disaster of the Indian
Ocean Tsunami has been notable: united, dramatic, instant, generous,
practical. Politics, religion and race have been transcended. On this
occasion we have not been moved by bonds of empire and kinship, but by
something deeper and truer. These are our neighbours, and we knew at once
that we had to care for them.

Jesus taught us, in his parable of the Good Samaritan, that the neighbour
is the other person we find in need. In the parable Jesus specifically made
the main characters racial and cultural enemies. The Samaritan is good,
because he did not allow that enmity to control him; indeed he did not
allow any fear or disdain to distance him from the victim. He did not
tolerate his enemy; he loved his enemy.

Of course, in this disaster we are not dealing with our enemies; far from
it. But sometimes we hesitate to help because people are culturally
different and geographically removed. Jesus taught us to be neighbourly, to
recognise that others in need have a special claim on us. In this case, the
afflicted are our neighbours because of their proximity; more than that,
they are neighbours because they are in desperate need; more than that,
they are our neighbours because they are human - they, too, are made in the
image of God.

The recognition of the neighbour is the first stage of looking for hope and
for meaning in all this.  We are accepting God's own view of who we are:
that we are one race, not many, and that we have been put on earth as his
image-bearers to care for it, and to bear one another's burdens.

Of course, we all know how far short we are from this ideal. This is a
divided world. Created in the image of God though we are, set here to do
his work though we are, we have betrayed his trust. We are flawed and
selfish creatures. We are aware of cultural, ethnic, religious, national
and tribal conflict. We all know - because we all feel it within ourselves
- the pull of my people, my tribe, my religion, my nation, my race. Such
feelings  too often create bloodshed and hatred. At the least, they may
involve having a cool, distant attitude to the misfortunes of others.

So far, thank God, this has not been the case here. Divisions and tensions
have been transcended as we have responded to the humanity of the
sufferers. It may even be that out of the pain and misery of this
catastrophe, some good may come. National neighbours may be more
understanding of each other and brought closer together.  At least we have
been reminded to adhere to this basic principle: that all who bear the
human face are our neighbours - indeed, our kin, our family.

But the real test of love lies ahead. We have been dramatically summoned to
love our neighbour; our instant response has been to do so; we are now
challenged to keep on doing so, since the effects of this tsunami are going
to be with us for so long. There are hard times ahead, in which human
selfishness will reassert itself. We live in a dangerous and uncertain
world, and we do not live in harmony with it. The Bible tells us that, and
experience confirms it. For all its horror the tsunami is not the worst
natural disaster in history; and it is nowhere near as bad as what human
beings have done to one another even in the recent past.  The reality of
our love will be tested to the full in the months and years before us.

Some commentators have spoken with undue haste about the challenge that
events such as this pose to belief in God. At one level, so they do. We
need to understand, however, that the Bible sees each event as part of a
flow of history, as part of a design or pattern. The reader of the Bible
cannot be caught off- guard by the wars and plagues and earthquakes which
afflict human-kind. They are the presuppositions of the Bible, not
contradictions to it. The Bible traces all these things to the ancient
quarrel between man and God, in which the human race chose to live in a
world of affliction and pain.  Humanity is out of joint with both God and
the world; in such a circumstance all of us, innocent and guilty, young and
old, believer and unbeliever suffer together. But before we charge God with
lack of compassion or justice, remember what he did through Jesus Christ.

The Bible records the entry of Jesus, the Son of God into the world. It
portrays an innocent one undergoing suffering for us. It speaks of Jesus as
'the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief'. In short, it tells us that
God does not stand back from human affliction but enters into the very
essence of it himself, so that we may have the great hope of redemption.
Furthermore Jesus taught us to pray that the kingdom of God would come,
when all will be put to rights. In Jesus Christ we have been given a great
hope.

But what of our day of mourning here and now? We have watched in dismay
pictures of the wave as it pounded the beaches, islands and buildings. We
have seen people sucked up by its immense and arbitrary power. We have been
horrified by sights of mass destruction and many, many human bodies. Now we
are appalled by the stories of what happened and by the faces of the ones
left behind; it is heartbreaking to hear of the mass destruction of whole
families and especially of the death of babies and children, or the death
of parents and the plight of orphans. We have seen the faces of little
children utterly alone and lost and we have been in anguish for them.

Naturally, our chief sense is that of sympathy and compassion for the vast
numbers of the bereaved in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and
elsewhere in the nations of the Indian ocean. Sydney Anglicans have
partners in these regions through the Archbishop's Overseas Aid and Relief
Fund, and they have written to us of the harrowing experience of terrible
loss. We include in our sympathy visitors to these regions from lands such
as Germany, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom amongst many others. We
have set aside time today as a mark of respect. We honour those who suffer
and their dead; we enter into their pain as best we can.

Amongst the 160,000 who have lost their lives, however, there are some from
our own community and some are still missing. We grieve for them and those
whose love has been put to such a test. Especially we pray for and care for
any who remain uncertain about the fate of family or friends, for whom the
word 'missing' is ominous and yet inconclusive. We join also to them, those
of our beloved fellow-citizens whose near ones have perished in bush fires
in these last days.

But even if we are not close to such loss, we too feel grief and sadness
today. We too are bewildered by this event. We too are reminded by it of
our own fragility and for what we have lost in the loss of so many lives.
Furthermore, in the Bible the idea of mourning includes the shame we feel
for our own contribution to evil in the world and our longing for a better
world of righteousness. And thus we ask again, is there a word from the
Lord? Has he anything to say to us at such a time?

In Ecclesiastes 3, the first passage that we read this morning, we see that
time has us in its grip. There is a time for everything and a season for
every activity under heaven: a time to live and a time to die; a time to
plant and a time to uproot; a time to weep and a time to dance. We cannot
control time, we cannot reverse time, we can only live inside it and let
time pass. We are the victims not the masters of time. But, in the midst of
this flux of time, unlike the animals, we aware that time is not the only
reality: 'God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set
eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done
from beginning to end.' (Eccles 3:11).

Eternity lives in your heart. That is, each of us has some hint, some
appreciation of the fact that the remorseless grip of time is not the final
word; that God has created time; that God is working within time to create
a new heavens and a new earth. The eternity in our hearts causes us to
question, to yearn for meaning and purpose; it creates in us a sense that
there is more than this life, and there is more than what is merely visible
and tangible. If we do not attend to these questions, we and our children
become spiritually stunted. Likewise, the passage reminds us of the limits
of human understanding. We cannot penetrate the secrets of God; we can only
know what he reveals. We cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

In fact, God has revealed many of his secrets to us. We certainly know
enough about his character and his purposes to trust in him even when we do
not understand the specifics of a situation or a calamity. We know enough
not to turn away from him, but to turn to him for consolation and help.

Thus this same passage tells us that life itself is a gift from God, and
that 'everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it
and nothing can be taken from it.' In short, God remains in charge. He
cannot be shaken or rocked and his purposes for us cannot be frustrated,
even by the difficulties and catastrophes of life. We can bring all our
cares to him with great confidence.

The second Bible reading is also interested in time. It is addressed to
those who are undergoing the suffering of persecution, with no easy end in
sight. What are they to do? 'Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty
hand of God that he may lift you up in due time.' They are to see that God
is in charge, and that his purposes will be fulfilled without fail. The
time through which they are passing is tough; the right attitude is humble
trust in God who will triumph in the end.

In the meantime they receive this great general invitation which is also
extended to us:  'Cast all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you'
(1 Peter 5:7). As we enter into a day of mourning, therefore, we hear
especially this word of the Lord for us: 'Cast all your anxiety upon him,
for he cares for you'. Do not run away from him; do not try to escape him;
do not become his enemy: centre your life, your hopes, your fears, your
ambitions, on God. Bring him all your failures, all your plans, all the
evil you have done and all the evil that has been done against you. It is a
serious invitation to sum up all our anxieties, all our cares, all our
failings, all our grief and to bring them to the Lord.

Awful things happen in this world. Often they are personal; sometimes they
afflict hundreds of thousands of people; in the case of the great flu
epidemic of 1918-9 between 20 and 40 million people perished. It is right
for us to be filled with pain and grief; to mourn the state of the world;
to do something to improve it; to yearn for a far better time. After all,
God has put eternity in our hearts. But we do not have to mourn alone and
with no hope. There is one who the Bible calls 'the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles' (2 Corinthians 1: 3,4). His word to us
today, then, is this: 'Cast all your anxiety on me because I care for you'.

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(286) 17-January-2005 - Archbishop to visit Somalia, CPSA raises R1.1
million - South Africa

>From the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA)

The Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, is about
to make good on a commitment he made last year to send donations from the
Anglican Church in Southern Africa to Tsunami-affected countries.

At an inter-faith prayer service for the victims of the Tsunami at St
George's Cathedral in Cape Town on the 29 December last year, Archbishop
Ndungane appealed to all Anglicans to make donations to this fund. To date
the church has raised 1.1 million rand.

"I thank God for the generosity of Anglicans in Southern Africa. We will
ensure that all these contributions go towards helping and healing those
people devastated by the tragedy," said the Archbishop. "Unfortunately we
do not have the capacity to thank everybody who donated, as there were so
many, but I want them to know how grateful we are," he said.

Archbishop Ndungane is to leave for Somalia on Tuesday 18 January together
with Dr Molefe Tsele, General Secretary of the South African Council of
Churches. The visit is being co-ordinated by Bishop Mvume Dandala, General
Secretary of the All Africa Council of Churches who is based in Nairobi.

The Archbishop is to view the damage in Somalia for himself and donate part
of the money to disaster relief there, where the fishing industry - vital
to the livelihood of many Somalis - has been badly affected. The money will
be disbursed through the All Africa Council of Churches, as there is no
Anglican infrastructure in that country.

The rest of the amount raised will be divided between churches in other
countries affected, including the Anglican Church of North India, whose
diocese of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands lost eight priests, many
parishioners and a number of church buildings in the disaster.

For further information please contact Penny Lorimer, Media Liaison for
Archbishop Ndungane, on 082 894-1522.

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(285) 14-January-2005 - ECUSA House of Bishops' statement - USA

>From the Episcopal New Service

A Word to the Church

The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church of the United States of
America (ECUSA)
January 12 - 13, 2005
Salt Lake City

[ENS] To the faithful in Christ Jesus, greetings in the season of Epiphany.
We rejoice together with you that God has "caused a new light to shine in
our hearts" revealing God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord. The
sufferings of our brothers and sisters in the aftermath of tsunamis in
South Asia and flooding and mud slides in California and here in Utah where
we are meeting, make us long all the more for this new light revealed to us
in Christ. We are mindful as well of the suffering around the world caused
by global poverty, HIV/AIDS, malaria, other diseases, and war. In this
suffering world we are called to "serve and signify God's mission to the
world, that mission whereby God brings to men and women, to human societies
and to the whole world, real signs and foretastes of that healing love
which will one day put all things to rights" (Windsor Report, paragraph 3).

We decided at our September meeting in 2004 to set aside this time so we
might together begin to receive the Windsor Report with humility. We have
met for a day and a half in Salt Lake City. We welcome with gratitude the
work of the Lambeth Commission on Communion. We realize this is a long-term
effort which will most likely extend beyond our March meeting. In the
meantime, we aim to practice the more intentional consultative processes
called for by the Windsor Report. We also anticipate the Executive Council
of our church joining in this consultation.

In this spirit of intentional practice, we affirm that all need to repent,
as the Archbishop of Canterbury reminded us in his Advent Letter 2004. We
repent of the ways we as bishops have sometimes treated each other, failing
to honor Christ's presence in one another. Furthermore, too often we have
also failed to recognize Christ's presence fully manifest in our sister and
brother Anglicans around the global communion. We honor their full voice
and wisdom. We desire mutuality. We recognize our interdependence in the
Body of Christ.

Moreover, we as the House of Bishops express our sincere regret for the
pain, the hurt, and the damage caused to our Anglican bonds of affection by
certain actions of our church. Knowing that our actions have contributed to
the current strains in our Communion, we express this regret as a sign of
our deep desire for and commitment to continuation of our partnership in
the Anglican Communion.

We note here that our decision-making structures differ from those in many
parts of the Anglican Communion and that our actions require conciliar
involvement by all the baptized of our church, lay and ordained. Therefore
we as bishops, in offering our regrets, do not intend to preempt the
canonical authority of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. At
the same time, we are keenly aware of our particular responsibility for
episcopal leadership.

We long for the fullest expression of the gift of communion that God has
given us through Christ. "The communion we enjoy with God in Christ and by
the Spirit, and the communion we enjoy with all God's people living and
departed, is the specific practical embodiment and fruit of the gospel
itself" (Windsor Report, paragraph 3). We rejoice in our partnership in the
worldwide Anglican Communion and affirm anew our commitment to the
interdependence of this church as a member of the Anglican Communion.

We agree that one important expression of our communion would be a
Communion-wide study and discernment process on matters of human sexuality
as recommended by Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988 and 1998 and are eager
to continue to respond to this challenge. This would be a sign of respect
for gay and lesbian persons in our common life and of our ongoing pastoral
care for them. We also believe that such a process would strengthen our
communion. By doing so, we will be able to share more of the prayerful
conversations and studies on the ministries and contributions of homosexual
persons in the church that have enriched our experience for many years. The
Presiding Bishop has already established a committee to offer a theological
explanation of how "a person living in a same gender union may be
considered eligible to lead the flock of Christ" (Windsor Report, paragraph
135).

We pray our brothers and sisters throughout the Anglican Communion will
forgive us and that together we may remain in steadfast relationship so we
might open our lives and our hearts to one another and learn how the Holy
Spirit is acting in our different contexts. We are eager to take steps to
make this possible, and particularly would welcome invitations to visit
other Anglican provinces to learn from them the many ways they are vital
witnesses to the healing love of Christ, often in very difficult circumstances.

During this brief meeting we humbly struggled in our deliberations to
discern how best to receive the Windsor Report. We had an extensive
discussion about a "moratorium on the election and consent to the
consecration of any candidate to the episcopate who is living in a same
gender union until some new consensus in the Anglican Communion emerges"
(Windsor Report, paragraph 134). We have only begun a serious and
respectful consideration of how we might respond. Further, we have not had
sufficient time to give substantive consideration to recommendations in the
Report calling for a moratorium on diocesan boundary violations or the call
for a moratorium and further discussion of the authorization of liturgical
texts blessing same sex unions. (Here we note that there are those among us
who do not agree with the statement in paragraph 144 of the Windsor Report
that "the Episcopal Church has by action of Convention made provision for
the development of public Rites of Blessing of !
! same sex unions.")

In February 2005 the Primates of the Anglican Communion will consider the
Windsor Report. We commit ourselves to a more thorough consideration of the
range of concrete actions identified in the Report at our House of Bishops
meeting in March 2005.	We do not wish to act in haste. We believe it is
extremely important to take the time to allow the Holy Spirit to show us
ways we can engage with people throughout our church in a consideration of
all of the invitations for further reflection and the recommendations of
the Windsor Report.

We seek together the epiphany of Christ's reconciling love for the world,
which lies at the heart of the mission we share. It is our prayer that
along with Anglican Christians around the world we may be faithful to God's
mission.

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(284) 14-January-2005 - First Polynesia Bishop for NZ - New Zealand

>From the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia

The Anglican Diocese of Polynesia has elected its first Bishop for Aotearoa
New Zealand.

The Venerable Dr Winston Halapua (59) is based in Auckland where he has
served as Principal of the Diocese of Polynesia Theological College and
Archdeacon since 1996. Dr Halapua has a Tongan background and is a Fijian
citizen but he sees himself as a "multicultural person". He has studied
Christian mission and ministry in Tonga, Fiji, England, Israel and Aotearoa
New Zealand.

As Bishop for the Polynesian Anglican community in this country, Dr Halapua
will have pastoral oversight for all the peoples of Polynesia in Aotearoa
New Zealand. This will include oversight for existing Samoan, Tongan and
Fijian congregations.

He is excited about his appointment which he hopes will strengthen
Polynesian mission for the Anglican Church. "My passion is the zeal for
mission," he says. "There is a huge opportunity here to build a unique
mission for Pacific people - grounded in this country." A scholar in
sociology, Dr Halapua is keenly aware of the importance of culture and
context in the task of Christian mission.

"We have to make the mission of God more effective and relevant here. We
have second and third-generation Pacific Islanders and others who have come
here recently and struggled to settle. The mission among them needs to
respond to those different voices and needs."

Dr Halapua refers to his personal style as "we" leadership, where the whole
community leads the mission of the church. "I see my appointment as bishop
as a way of making the mission of all the members of the church more
visible and accessible."

Dr Halapua will continue as Principal of the College of the Diocese of
Polynesia, and as a lecturer at the School of Theology, University of
Auckland. He will operate as bishop out of his own home. He sees this as
part of the Pacific way of doing mission.

"Our ministry is family-orientated and works across different cultures,
different churches and different faiths. At the moment a lot of Pacific
Anglicans are worshipping in separate congregations. Now with a bishop in
this country they are looking forward to gathering to share Pacific
spirituality - with that community to bring their kids up in."

Dr Halapua's own family is steeped in service to the church. He met his
wife, the Rev'd Susan Halapua, as a fellow theology student in England. His
sister, Eleanoa Mancini, was recently ordained the first Tongan woman
priest in the Diocese of Polynesia. Winston's late father, the Right Rev'd
Fine Halapua, was made Suffragan Bishop in Nuku'alofa and Assistant Bishop
in the Diocese of Polynesia in 1967.

Two More Bishops

The Diocese of Polynesia has also announced two other new bishops who will
build on existing roles of priest and ministry educator in Fiji.

The Rev'd Gabriel Sharma has been elected Bishop of Viti Levu West and will
operate from his parish base in Lautoka. The Venerable Apimeleki Qilio has
been elected Bishop of Vanua Levu and Taveuni and will continue as Diocesan
Ministry Educator.

For more information please contact:
Dr Winston Halapua Diocese of Polynesia Theological College 09 521 2725 ext 809

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(277) 12-January-2005 - Press release from Affirming Catholicism - England

PRESS RELEASE

12 January 2005

For immediate release

NEW AGE FOR ANGLICANISM'S AFFIRMING CATHOLICS

In a move that marks a renewed vision and vigour and renewed enthusiasm and
optimism for its work, Affirming Catholicism, a progressive Anglican
Catholic organisation in the Anglican Communion, has appointed the Revd
Richard Jenkins as its first full time director. Fr Jenkins, 36, born in
Belfast, was educated at the Methodist College Belfast, and in Oxford,
ordained in the Diocese of Wakefield, and is now canonically resident in
the Diocese of London.

The Bishop of Salisbury and President of Affirming Catholicism, David
Stancliffe, says: "This appointment will enable Affirming Catholicism to
engage fruitfully with the key issues that face humanity. Affirming
Catholicism takes scripture, reason and tradition seriously, and we have
good news for all God's people.".

Father Richard Jenkins, speaking from the Affirming Catholicism office at
St Matthews, Westminster, said: 'I am inspired by the progressive and
generous vision of the kingdom which lies at the heart of the catholic
tradition and which Affirming Catholicism exists to celebrate and
share.	This new ministry gives me the opportunity to work with others to
make that vision real, through praying for and helping build a just society
and an inclusive church, where women and men have a full place."

The Anglican organisation, which works to deepen spirituality, celebrate
the catholic heritage and support social action, has groups in every
English diocese and sister groups across the British Isles, North America,
Australia, New Zealand and Southern Africa. Membership is open to all
Anglican laity and clergy and the new director hopes entire congregations
will want to identify with the vision expressed and celebrated by Anglicans
in Affirming Catholicism.

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

* Affirming Catholicism was formed in 1990 at St Alban's, Holborn, one of
the most famous Anglican Churches in the Catholic tradition. Rowan Williams
was a key speaker at the first meeting.

* The independent charity has nearly 2,000 members in the British Isles.
There are sister organisations across the Anglican Communion.  A large
number of members of General Synod count themselves as members or
supporters of Affirming Catholicism.

* The Revd. Richard Jenkins LLB MA Dip Min. 36 years old. Born in Belfast.
Degrees from Dundee (Law), Oxford and Leeds Universities (Theology).
Ordained Diocese of Wakefield, deacon 1994, priest 1995. Served two
curacies in Brighouse and Barnsley. Former adviser to the Bishop of
Wakefield on ecumenical affairs and member of Church of England's Council
for Christian Unity. From 1999 - 2004 he worked in the Home Office,
finishing as Assistant Director in the Active Community Unit. Since 2002 he
has been an assistant priest at St Matthew's, Westminster.

* An installation Mass will be held in the Spring

* Photograph available and attached

* Contact The Revd. Dr. Barry Norris, Chair of the Executive Committee for
additional information.

Tel 0118 9814435

baz.norris@btinternet.com

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(276) 12-January-2005 - Nigerian Government licence Anglican university -
Nigeria

By Peter Onwubuariri

Abuja, Jan 10. 2005- The Federal government has granted license for the
establishment of seven new private universities in Nigeria including the
Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo State owned by the Church of Nigeria
(Anglican Communion).

Education Minister, Prof. Fabian Osuji issued certificates to the new
universities during an elaborate ceremony in Abuja recently.

The approved universities include Bingham University in New Karu, (Nasarawa
State), Caritas University, Amoji-Nike (Enugu State) and Al-Hikmah
University, Ilorin (Kwara State).

Others are Katsina University (Katsina State), CETEP University, Onike
(Lagos State) and Redeemer University, Mowe (Ogun State).

All the universities are faith based.

Most Revd. Emmanuel Ademowo, Archbishop of the Province of Lagos received
the certificate on behalf the management of the university.

"The vision and mission of Ajayi Crowther University is to be a top class
institution in the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship, and to produce
students imbued with the fear of God, '' Ademowo said.

Located on Ibadan/Oyo/Ilorin road in Atiba local government area of Oyo
state Ajayi Crowther University will be jointly financed by the Province of
Lagos, Province of Bendel, Province of Ibadan and the Province of Ondo.

Prof Olajire Olaniran Vice-Chancellor ACU said the institution is multi
disciplinary with a bias for courses in science and technology. This would
ensure that our graduates are employable and able to create jobs for
themselves and the society at large.

Ven. Christian Ebisike Director Education and Social Welfare Church of
Nigeria told Church of Nigeria News that the Anglican Church pioneered the
establishment of secondary schools and theological schools in Nigeria.

"The approval of the university by the Federal government is an
appreciation of this effort. Being one of the largest Christian
denominations in Nigeria we may ask for more. ''
At present the Church of Nigeria has numerous primary and secondary schools
as well as standard theological schools around the country namely
University College Awka, Trinity Theological College Umuahia, Vinning
Theological College Akure, St Francis of Assisi College of Theology,
Wusasa-Zaria, and Immanuel College Ibadan.

The Director of Social Welfare suggested the possibility of merging the
colleges into a University of Theology with multi campuses, adding, that
the church had the qualified staff to make this work.

African Bishops at the occasion of the maiden Anglican Bishops Conference
held in Lagos last November addressed the issue of raising local grown
theological education in the wake of the schism created by revisionist
western doctrines.

The Bishops pledged to embark on a well-resourced, highly rated and
contextually relevant theological institutions that can engage peculiar
challenges from an African perspective.
(Church of Nigeria News)

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(275) 12-January-2005 - CPSA announces US$10 million HIV/AIDS relief -
South Africa

The Archbishop of Cape, the Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, and the Rt Revd
David Beetge, Bishop of The Highveld and provincial dean, met today
[Wednesday 12 January] with South African Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, to
brief him on a proposed US$10 million dollar award for a new HIV and AIDS
educational programme to be facilitated by the Church of the Province of
Southern Africa (CPSA).

The programme will be sponsored by the United States government, as part of
its President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

PEPFAR has awarded the CPSA $US10 million over five years for a programme
to be known as Siyafundisa ("Teaching Our Children").

Siyafundisa is an educational programme targeted at preventing the further
spread of HIV and AIDS through the promotion of abstinence among young
people. Siyafundisa will be implemented in communities across Southern
Africa and, as with other HIV and AIDS-related initiatives of the CPSA, it
will not be restricted to Anglicans but function, as far as is feasible,
ecumenically.

For further information, please 'phone Penny Lorimer, Media Liaison for
Archbishop Ndungane, on 082 894-1522

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(274) 11-January-2005 - St Alban's pastoral letter for Asian relief efforts
- England

A pastoral letter to all the clergy and Readers of the Diocese of St Albans

The Rt Revd Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Albans

7 January 2005

The Tsunami Disaster

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for all you have been
doing, and continue to do, in encouraging giving and the offering of
prayers during the last two weeks. I have little doubt that the pastoral
and spiritual leadership you have been offering will have been greatly
appreciated by your parishioners.

I am also aware that we are called as priests, and Readers, to try to
convey some answers to the theological and philosophical questions raised
by this terrible disaster. This letter is an attempt to try to assist in
that process.

Like you, I have been appalled by the disaster: by its apparent randomness,
by the scale of the suffering that has happened; and like you, I have
inevitably asked questions about how such an event can be part of a world
which we claim has God as its creator. Also like you, I have found the
compassionate response of people in our own country and across the world
enormously moving.

Let me attempt, albeit briefly, to outline a perspective on the problem of
suffering and what a Christian response to it might be.

If we want to hang on steadfastly and rationally to the belief that God is
the creator and is dynamically related to, and connected with his creation
and is also profoundly good, what are the perspectives to consider?

Let me offer a suggestion, which is this. The only kind of world in which
you and I, as human beings can have come into existence is the one we have.
Adjust the initial conditions of creation by the merest fraction and we
would simply not be here. A different kind of creation from the one we have
would have resulted in an entirely different set of outcomes - and we, as
human beings would not have featured in it. So what kind of world do we
inhabit?

The world as it is seems to consist of structures which are relatively
stable, for example, gravity, and structures which are relatively unstable,
for example, the movement of the atmosphere. Certainty and chaos exist in a
state of uneasy coexistence. If there were only certainty, then life would
be stable but could not and would not evolve; if there were only chaos,
then there would be - only chaos.

The commixture of certainty and chaos exists not only in the physicality of
our world, but also exists in us as human beings, physically, emotionally
and spiritually. And this mixture of chaos and certainty, which we all are,
as human beings, means that we are capable therefore of moral choices which
can be inherently good or inherently evil. If there is no possibility of
pain, there would be no possibility, either, of courage, heroism or love.
In brief, it is only in the world as it actually is, that you and I could
come into being, and only in the world as it actually is, that we could
discover the capacities for goodness or evil, which exist in each one of
us. If this is the case, then if God is good, the world itself came into
being as it actually is, not by a twist of God's plan but because it was
the only kind of world that could have brought us to birth.

This still does not 'solve' the problem of evil and suffering, because it
is patent that there is terrible and innocent suffering, and it is patent
that there is terrible wickedness, just as it is patent that there is
heart-aching goodness - but at least a world which could not have been
other than it is, provides a platform of some stability for our thinking.
In a world as full of potential as ours is, however, what part can a good
God play?

I turn, you will not be surprised to know, to the person of Jesus Christ.
The incarnation, the death and the resurrection of Christ, provide the key
to unlock the secrets of how God relates to the world as it is. The created
world, as we know, is one of risk, of chaos and certainty. The only God
whom I can begin to contemplate as 'good' is one who, having created the
world as it actually is, does not then stay outside it, indifferent, but is
present within every fibre of its being. If God is to enter the world as it
actually is, then He has to become subject to the same chaos and certainty
as all of us, and submit Himself to it (the usual phrase is to refer to
this as 'self-emptying'). More than that, He not only has to enter it and
be subject to its joys and agonies, He has also, because of His
inexpressible goodness, to enter into suffering and death. Only a creator
who enters and subjects himself to his creation, in love, is one worthy of
adoration. Even further, that ent!
ry has to be total - all of himself, nothing held back.

At this point, let me offer an image. You may recall that astonishing
photograph of a Swedish woman running towards the tidal wave, which towered
above her, to warn and rescue her family. That is, for me, an image that
reflects God - not a playing God, not an indifferent God, but a God who
risks His very self for the sake of the world and the people He has created.

In Jesus' death on the cross, the abandonment of Christ to matter, to the
annihilation of death, was God plunging into the chaos in order to love it
and recreate it, to bring out of it all that is new and possible.

And we see this activity of God not only in the events of Jesus' death and
resurrection; we see it throughout his entire life. In the healing of
'Legion' he brought peace and newness where there had been chaos. In the
healing of the Centurion's servant he entered into the anguish of both the
master and the slave and brought redemption. In the stories of the kingdom
he revealed how God works within and through the very structures of our
world to re-new and refresh creation. Jesus' life was all of a piece with
his death and all of a piece with his resurrection.

But also running through Jesus' life and his teachings was a profound
awareness of his closeness to God (Abba, Father), and a profound awareness,
therefore, of eternity. He showed us through his life and death and
resurrection that we are 'en route' to our final destiny with the eternal
love of God.

It is true that he cried out "My God! My God! why hast Thou forsaken me?",
on the Cross, when he experienced the absolute desolation and pain of our
human condition; yet he also, with the gentlest courtesy, at the
Resurrection, whispered Mary's name. Her terrible grief was transformed
when he named her, that is, when he took her very desolation and made it
the beginnings of a new life.

I want to suggest, therefore, that one of the truths about God is that He
not only creates the world and enters its suffering but also contains it
within His own infinity of compassion and love. This earth, this universe,
if created and contained by God, really is not all that there is - all that
there is, is God, Himself, and we are pulled towards eternity where we
shall find our ultimate purpose.

Our suffering, our pain and terror, which He enters with love and for love,
is ultimately taken up by Him into a new form of expression - into life
with Christ in God. So, only a crucified God will do and only a risen God
will do. And just as He enters our suffering, so He also, enters our
compassion so that this, too, can be given new life; God is within the
victim; God is within the compassion of the one who responds to the
victim's need. And if this is so, which I believe with all my heart because
of God's revelation of Himself to us, in and through Jesus Christ, it
follows that as disciples of Christ, we, too, are called to live like Him:
to enter the suffering, and to live with hearts overflowing with
compassion. That is what our humanity is all about.

I realise that I have probably not satisfactorily answered the question
many are asking, why a good creator God allowed such a horrible event to
happen. Rather, I have tried to reflect more widely on why suffering is
part of the created order and how a good and loving God relates to such a
reality. In doing so I hope I have communicated a way to understand how God
is related to the events of 26 December and a way for us to enter into what
God is doing, as mysterious and difficult as that can be at times like these.

You will also be aware, as I am deeply aware, that no letter of this kind
or this length can ever answer all the questions, nor can it begin to meet
all the needs. I hope, however, that it may help you and others to reflect
and find your own way of understanding where God might be in all that has
happened, and is happening, since 26 December. I have tried, as honestly as
possible within my own limitations to write from the heart.

I pray for you. Pray also for me, but pray above all for the victims and
for the bringers of aid, that by God's grace this appalling tragedy may
bring new life and new modes of living together into being.

+ Christopher St Albans

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(273) 11-January-2005 - Church of North India aid web site - North India

The Church of North India has set up a comprehensive web site dedicated to
its relief efforts for the recent Asia disaster. To access this site, click
here:

http://www.cnitsunamirelief.org/

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(272) 11-January-2005 - Melbourne highlights tsunami relief and prayers -
Australia

The Diocese of Melbourne web site has set up a tsunami disaster coverage
page, with details of special services and current relief efforts. On 11
January, a special multi-faith gathering will be held in Melbourne to
remember the dead. For details of this and other initiatives, click here:

http://www.media.anglican.com.au/news/tsunami/tsunami.html

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(271) 11-January-2005 - Archbishop Jensen preaches on tsunami disaster -
Australia

The Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Revd Peter Jensen, recently preached at
the Church Mission Society Summer School on the effects of the tsunami in
Asia. To read this sermon, click here:

http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/indepth/articles/christian_mission_and_the_tsunami_in_asia/

Also, for the Archbishop of Sydney's appeal unit, click here:

http://www.archbishopsappeals.asn.au/

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(270) 11-January-2005 - CMS outlines tsunami relief work - England

Church Mission Society has a news section regarding the work its volunteers
and staff are undertaking to relieve the suffering of those affected by the
Asia tsunami crisis. It can be accessed through their homepage here:

http://www.cms-uk.org

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(269) 06-January-2005 - USPG coverage of the Asia disaster - ACO

The United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG) has extensive
coverage of the crisis in Asia, with reports concerning those still
missing, aid initiatives, and photography and prayers. Each of the reports
come from USPG personnel or from local clergy in affected provinces of the
Anglican Church. To access the reports, click here:

http://www.uspg.org.uk/

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(268) 06-January-2005 - Archbishop urges prayer and action for Asia - Wales

Archbishop urges prayer and action
in response to Indian Ocean tsunami

>From the Church in Wales

The Most Revd Dr Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales, has praised
congregations across Wales for their wonderful response to the present
crisis stemming from the tsunami in the Indian ocean on 26 December and
urged congregations and individuals to hold the victims in their prayers
during this difficult time.

Commenting today the Archbishop said:

"In my sermon on Christmas day, I emphasised the importance of doing
something when we are faced with tragedies and said that 'the central truth
of the Gospel is about praying for our world, caring for our world and
doing something practical to help the poor of our world. The heart of the
festival of Christmas is that God in Jesus Christ identifies himself
completely with his world, especially those who are poor or in trouble of
any kind and invites those who are his followers to join Him in his
struggle against poverty, disease, war, hopelessness and despair. Therein
lies the meaning of love both divine and human.'

"Faced as we are with the growing scale of this tragedy, it is all the more
important that we do both these things - do something practical and
positive, but also pray - particularly for those who have been bereaved or
injured as a result of the 26 December tsunami.

"Every life lost is a tragedy for members of that person's family and our
hearts and prayers are with all those who have suffered a bereavement or
been injured as a result of this tidal wave."

"The response we have seen already from the people of Wales in financial
contributions to the disaster relief fund has been magnificent and I hope
that this proves to be only the beginning of the assistance we offer to
those shattered communities around the Indian Ocean. The need is great as
the Bishop of Columbo (Sri Lanka) emphasised in a recent e-mail to me.

"I have today authorised a donation of GB£5,000 to the disaster relief fund
from the Church in Wales' overseas mission fund and I know that many church
congregations and individual Christians across Wales will also want to
contribute to the relief fund.

"I have also asked for special prayers to be prepared for use by Church in
Wales congregations across Wales and these will be with clerics for use
this coming Sunday."

END

For more information please contact:

Sion Brynach, Archbishop's press officer, tel:029 2034 8255

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