International Commission Encourages Anglicans and Lutherans in Africa to Seek Practical Steps toward Church Unity Third Anglican * Lutheran International Commission Meets in Tanzania
MOSHI, Tanzania/GENEVA, 4 February 2006 (LWI) * The Third Anglican * Lutheran International Commission (ALIC - 3) has expressed its support for feasible affirmation of visible unity between Anglicans and Lutherans throughout Africa. It encourages churches there to consider practical steps toward realizing such unity at regional level.
During the first meeting of the current phase of the commission held 13-19 January 2006 in Moshi, Tanzania, members heard from the All Africa Anglican - Lutheran Commission (AAALC) about the nature of cooperation between Anglicans and Lutherans in Africa, and encouraged the "AAALC to move forward to its next meeting at the earliest opportunity."
"Whilst both communions [at international level] have expressed full visible unity as an ultimate goal in the ecumenical quest, the time would nevertheless seem ripe for Anglicans and Lutherans throughout Africa to discern a realizable first step in that direction," a communiqu* from the recent meeting states.
At the meeting hosted by the LWF and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), the commission identified the key issues that it would focus on in order to advance Anglican - Lutheran relations globally. Questions discussed included the place of the historic episcopate within the apostolicity of the church, life and work in the service of the gospel, and theological education and formation.
The ALIC meeting affirmed the commission would pay special attention to the regional and contextual aspects of relations between Anglicans and Lutherans, and possibilities for encouraging regional relationships and agreements.
In Moshi, commission members worshipped at the Lutheran cathedral where they were received by its dean Rev. Dr Fredrick Shoo, assistant to Bishop Martin Shao, ELCT Northern Diocese. They also visited the Anglican cathedral in Arusha where Bishop Simon E. Makundi of the Mount Kilimanjaro Diocese, Anglican Church of Tanzania, welcomed them.
ALIC * 3 was established by the Anglican Consultative Council and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to continue the dialogue between Anglicans and Lutherans on the worldwide level which has been in progress since 1970. The commission intends to build upon previous work recorded in various reports that focus on the mission of the church and the role of the ordained ministry. Anglicans and Lutherans have entered into various binding forms of regional church fellowship in Europe and North America. The Anglican Communion represents 76 million Anglicans worldwide, comprising 38 autonomous churches or "provinces" in 164 countries. The LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66 million.
The current phase of ALIC is co-chaired by Anglican Bishop Fred Hiltz of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and Rev. Dr Thomas Nyiwe, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon. Its 2007 meeting will be held in Niagara Falls, Canada. (476 words)
Further information about the international bilateral dialogue between Anglicans and Lutherans is available at http://www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/OEA/Bilateral_Relations/OEA-Anglican-Lutheran.html
The full text of the communiqu* from the ALIC * 3 meeting follows:
COMMUNIQU*
The Anglican - Lutheran International Commission Moshi, Tanzania, 13-19 January 2006
The Third Anglican * Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) held its first meeting at the Lutheran Uhuru Hostel in Moshi, Tanzania, from 13 to 19 January 2006, co-chaired by the Rt Rev. Fred Hiltz, Anglican Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and Rev. Dr Thomas Nyiwe, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon.
The Commission has been established by the Anglican Consultative Council and the Lutheran World Federation to continue the dialogue between Anglicans and Lutherans on the worldwide level, which has been in progress since 1970. ALIC intends to build upon the work reflected in The Niagara Report (1987), focusing on the mission of the church and the role of the ordained ministry, The Diaconate as an Ecumenical Opportunity (1995), and most recently Growth in Communion (2002), the report of the Anglican * Lutheran International Working Group (ALIWG), which reviewed the extensive regional agreements which have established close relations between Anglican and Lutheran churches in several parts of the world.
The Commission identified the key issues on which it would have to focus in order to advance Anglican * Lutheran relations around the globe, including questions such as the place of the historic episcopate within the apostolicity of the Church, life and work in the service of the gospel and theological education and formation. ALIC will also pay special attention to the regional and contextual aspects of Anglican * Lutheran relations, and the way in which regional agreements may be encouraged, and assisted to come into relationship with one another.
The Commission members were pleased to have the presence of both co-chairs of the All Africa Anglican * Lutheran Commission (AAALC) at the meeting. As a consequence of hearing about the nature of co-operation between Anglicans and Lutherans in Africa, ALIC encourages AAALC to move forward to its next meeting at the earliest opportunity. Whilst both Communions have expressed full visible unity as an ultimate goal in the ecumenical quest, the time would nevertheless seem ripe for Anglicans and Lutherans throughout Africa to discern a realizable first step in that direction. ALIC offers its support in this task.
The meeting was hosted by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in cooperation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. The Commission was welcomed by Rev. Dr Fredrick Shoo, Assistant to the Lutheran Bishop of Moshi, and worshipped with the Lutheran cathedral congregation on Sunday, 15 January. The Commission also visited the Anglican Cathedral in Arusha, and were welcomed by the Rt Rev. Simon Makundi, Anglican Bishop of Mount Kilimanjaro, and members of his team. The Commission would like to express its thanks to the management and staff of the Uhuru Hostel, to the members of the Anglican Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro, and especially members of the Lutheran congregation at Moshi Cathedral, for their welcome and hospitality in the course of the meeting.
The Commission is planning to meet next year (2007) in Niagara Falls, Canada. ALIC gives thanks to God for all that has been achieved in Anglican * Lutheran dialogue and co-operation, and asks that all Christian people pray for the work of the Commission as it seeks to carry forward the search for the full visible unity of the Church which is God's will for his people.
Those present at the meeting at Moshi were:
Anglicans:
The Rt Rev. Fred Hiltz, Anglican Church of Canada (co-chair) The Rev. Dr Charlotte Methuen, Church of England The Rt Rev. Musonda T. S. Mwamba, Anglican Church of Central Africa The Very Rev. Prof. William H. Petersen, The Episcopal Church (USA) The Ven Dr Cathy Thomson, Anglican Church of Australia The Rev. Canon Gregory K. Cameron, Anglican Communion Office (co-secretary) Consultants:
The Rev. Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Anglican Church of Canada The Rev. Dr Guenther Esser, Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht
Guests:
The Rt Rev. Dr Sebastian Bakare, Anglican Co-Chair of AAALC The Rt Rev. Dr David Tustin, former Co-Chair of ALIWG
Lutherans: The Rev. Dr Thomas Nyiwe, Cameroon (co-chair) Prof. Dr Kirsten Busch Nielsen, Denmark The Rev. Dr Cameron R. Harder, Canada Bishop Juergen Johannesdotter, Germany (replacing the Rev. Dr Hartmut Hoevelmann) The Rev. Dr Paeivi Jussila, Finland (replacing the Rev. Helene Taerneberg Steed, Sweden) The Rev. Sven Oppegaard, The Lutheran World Federation (co-secretary)
Consultants:
Prof. Dr Kenneth G. Appold, Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg, France The Rev. Thomas Bruch, The Lutheran Council of Great Britain
Guests:
The Rev. N. P. Phaswana, Lutheran Co-chair of AAALC
Administrative support was provided by Ms Sybille Graumann of the LWF and the Rev. Terrie Robinson of the Anglican Communion Office.
* * *
(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)
[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF’s information service. Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]
* * *
LWI online: http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Welcome.EN.html
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION P. O. Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Tel.: +41/22-791 63 69 Fax: +41/22-791 66 30 E-Mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org