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> The Standing Committee Daily Bulletin - Day 4

Posted On : July 28, 2010 7:29 PM | Posted By : Webmaster
ACNS: http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2010/7/28/ACNS4719
Related Categories: ACC  ACC - SCAC  ACO

> Day 4 of 4: Tuesday 27 June, 2010

> In brief

* Bible in the Life of the Church project gathers pace.
* Web-based Anglicanism course in the pipeline.
* Anglicans urged to share the best of the Communion through web news
service.
* ACC and Primates' meeting "appropriate bodies to consider moratoria
breaches".

On tuesday's agenda: the second part of the Unity, Faith and Order
report; the report on the Bible in the Life of the Church project and
theological education in the Anglican Communion; a report on Anglican
Communion communications; a report on Continuing Indaba.

> Ecumenical dialogues

Director of Unity, Faith and Order Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan presented
the second part of her report on the ecumenical dialogues of the
Anglican Communion. These included the Anglican Roman Catholic Dialogue,
the International Anglican Orthodox Commission for Theological Dialogue,
Anglican Oriental Orthodox International Commission, Anglican Lutheran
International Commission and the Anglican Methodist Commission on Unity
and Mission.

Canon Barnett-Cowan explained that the Inter-Anglican Standing
Commission on Unity Faith and Order (IASCUFO) was looking at how the
work of these dialogues is being received by Provinces of the Communion.
The question was raised about how the Anglican Communion might relate to
Pentecostal churches and new independent churches in the future, though
it was acknowledged that some initial work was being done through
multilateral platforms such as the Global Christian Forum.
International conversations might also be initiated with Moravians, and
with churches of the Reformed tradition, especially in the light of the
recent formation of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/ecumenical/

> The Bible in the Life of the Church

Project manager Stephen Lyon told the Committee that the project
(http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/theological/bible/index.cfm)
was well under way. The Standing Committee explored a couple of the
exercises that have arisen from the project seeking to identify the
influences we all bring to our own reading of the Bible. In the
discussion that followed the Standing Committee gratefully acknowledged
the support for the project given by the American Bible Society. There
was a strong recommendation that the project might reach out to other
bible societies around the world for similar support.

Theological Education in the Anglican Communion

Two major pieces of work for the Working Party on Theological Education
in the Anglican Communion over the coming year will be an international
consultation for theological college Principals, and the production of a
web-based course on Anglicanism. The Principals consultation is aimed
particularly at Principals who work in isolated situations. It plans to
offer encouragement, support, and sharing of insights about curricula
and the spirituality of ministerial formation. The web-based course on
Anglicanism will be based on the already available 'Signposts statement'
(a concise expression of 'The Anglican Way' published by TEAC in 2007)
Members of the Standing Committee acknowledged the importance of
theological education in helping to share the life and well-being of the
Communion.

> Communications

The Anglican Communion Office's new Director of Communications Jan
Butter presented a short report that considered the Communications gaps,
needs and potential of the Communion. He stressed the importance of all
members of the Communion sharing and hearing about the successes and
challenges of all levels of church life and mission. In particular he
highlighted the Anglican Communion News Service
(http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/help/acnslist.cfm) as a free
web-based channel for all Anglicans to share their news and hear the
news of others. Recognising the limited web access of some members of
the Communion, Mr Butter indicated other communications channels that
could allow those without web access to receive Anglican information,
news and resources.

> Continuing Indaba

Revd Canon Phil Groves began his presentation by expressing his delight
at being involved in Continuing Indaba because it was about energising
local and global mission. He was pleased to report that there was
genuine excitement about the project from across the Communion.
Anglicans worldwide are eager to engage in difficult conversations
across difference if they lead to deeper relationships with Christ and
with one another. People are starting see the project's potential.
Following a recent consultation Bishop Patole of Mumbai said, "It was
good to share and we became clear on Indaba and how it can assist our
mission in India."

Canon Groves drew the Standing Committee's attention to the
commendations of the project on the Anglican Communion Website. He also
reported that theologians have been gathered in order to develop
Anglican resources on how we enter a journey of conversation in ways
that are biblical and draw upon the cultures of the Communion. So far
these Theological Resource Hubs have been run in Kenya, South Africa,
India, The West Indies, England, the USA and Hong Kong with further Hubs
planned. Theological resources supporting the project can be found on
the website
(http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/continuingindaba/).

When asked whether this was the Listening Process Canon Groves replied
that the project had emerged from the Windsor Report process. The
bishops at the 1998 Lambeth Conference committed themselves to
'listening to the experience of homosexual persons' and following ACC-13
resources had been provided to assist them in this ongoing task. The ACC
had also encouraged mutual listening and ACC-14 had commended Continuing
Indaba as a method to deliver this aspect of the Listening Process.
Mutual Listening is wider, and many Provinces had asked why one issue
was given preference over others. Kenyan theologians had told him that
for Continuing Indaba to be useful the topics for discussion would need
to be relevant to their context; their prime issue was reconciliation in
the context of post-election violence.

Canon Groves said, "The ultimate test of Continuing Indaba is not that
we all agree with one another but that local mission is furthered
through our global Communion."

> Further discussion on moratoria breach

As agreed, the Committee revisited Saturday's discussion. Dato' Stanley
Isaacs delivered a frank and passionate presentation about the distress
felt by some parts of the Communion about The Episcopal Church's
decision to breach one of the moratoria. He concluded by proposing that
rights to participate in discussions of matters of faith and order at
the Standing Committee and the ACC be withdrawn from The Episcopal
Church.

In the subsequent discussion Archbishop Philip Aspinall reiterated that
the Standing Committee did not have the power to undertake such an
action. He reminded the Committee that the Covenant had been drawn up to
address just these kinds of points of disagreement. It was also stated
that the Standing Committee did not have all the powers of the ACC,
especially when it came to the Membership Schedule.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori questioned why the proposal
was singling out The Episcopal Church. Bishop Ian Douglas stressed he
was present in his role as an elected representative of the ACC, not a
member of The Episcopal Church and he desired to always be responsible
to the Council. He thanked Dato' Stanley Isaacs for attending the
Standing Committee meeting despite his [Isaacs'] feelings about recent
events in the Communion. He said that having other elected
representatives present who represented a genuine segment of the ACC
helped him [Bp Douglas] to be a better member. He added that he missed
having Bp Azad's voice at the meeting.

Dr Tony Fitchett agreed that the Committee needed as full a range of
views as possible. "I'm conscious I'm not here representing my
province," he said. "I'm here because I was appointed by the ACC. My
accountability is not to my Province. I expect to continue to serve on
the [Standing Committee] even if my Province were ever to be
unacceptable to other churches because of its actions."

After what Canon Elizabeth Paver described as "the time, prayer and
space necessary for everyone to be heard on this matter" the Standing
Committee agreed a resolution that it: "regrets ongoing breaches of the
three moratoria that continue to strain the life of the Anglican
Communion; regrets the consequential resignations of members of the
Standing Committee which diminish our common life and work on behalf of
the ACC and the Primates' Meeting; recognises that the ACC and the
Primates' Meeting are the appropriate bodies to consider these matters
further."

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