You can check the Provincial coverage from Lambeth on the Scottish Episcopal Church website.
On the first day of the Lambeth Conference, Bishop Kevin writes about the opportunity to meet informally with other delegates at the roadshow of partner organisations.
“I have been awakening old friendships and making new ones. This gathering gives the bishops, and most of the spouses, an opportunity to pray together, study together, as well as make new friendships which we hope will enable us all to draw closer to brothers and sisters in other parts of the Communion, understanding the challenges and opportunities we all face in bringing the faith of Christ Jesus alive in our own dioceses.”
Bishop Kevin hopes to share more as the Conference progresses. You can find further details about Lambeth online and on our website. Bishop Kevin gratefully requests your continued prayers.
Bishop Kevin writes:
“This second day of the Lambeth gathering is a retreat day. We are at Canterbury Cathedral, engaging in prayer and reflection activities until Friday lunchtime. Conference work begins on Saturday in plenary sessions and groups. There is a great feeling of prayer and walking amidst much diversity and difference. As we have been meeting new people during the Preparation Day yesterday, today’s photo is a snap that Elspeth took at the Spouses’ Opening Gathering yesterday. Please continue to hold us all in your prayers for the work of the days ahead.”
Bishop Kevin writes:
“This third day of the Lambeth gathering started with a retreat morning of prayer and worship. My photos show us bishops mingling at Canterbury Cathedral as we prayed together at this historic seat of Anglicanism. The work of the programme begins this afternoon and I shall report more on our deliberations as the conference progresses.
In Elspeth’s photo from the spouses’ worship, you can see the praise band that assisted in leading the service.
Thank you for your kind comments on my headwear, I always like a hat!
Please remain holding us all in your prayers for the work of the coming week.”
Bishop Kevin writes:
“As I say something about the last 24 hours, I am struck by the journeying in faith that is happening as we sit and eat together or in the queue for our meals sharing the experiences we are facing in different parts of the globe.
The three hours it took to take the official photo yesterday was time well spent meeting people. I even met the Bishop from Australia of the new priest coming to Stranraer and Portpatrick in August. The catching-up with folk takes place as does the making of new relationships. Elspeth’s spouses’ group leader comes from Bangladesh where 97% of the population is Musilm, so the context for mission is so very different. I was also struck by the story of a bishop from the South Sudan who actually bears on his body the scars of the episcopal election – reminding me that our process, and sometimes bloody words, can easily turn into not just verbal violence but to physical violence also. In hearing these personal stories, the process of walking together is so much stronger than I could have imagined.
The whole business of the last few days is about walking together – it makes me think of the letter to the Hebrews – truth is a journey and not a destination – walking together at a different pace with different people – who point at Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. In walking together we begin to hear the stories, e.g. climate change is much more at the top of the agenda and a much more real experience for so many provinces. I shall be chairing a group at Lambeth next week when we consider for a day the impact of Climate Change. It takes me back to meeting the young people of YCCN at Motherwell last year who were walking to COP26. I took hope from the COP26 gathering last November not from the world leaders but from the young people who really know what we need to do and are doing it.
Some of you will have been following the opening keynote speech last night by ++Justin Welby and there will be much more to follow in the coming days.
The photos today are just a few I took during the process of the official photograph taking yesterday. It was wonderful to see the Mothers’ Union reps from Africa so stunningly dressed in blue and white outfits.
It’s time, I think, to go and find the queue for dinner before this evening’s sessions.”
Bishop Kevin writes:
“Today I have been taking a few moments to reflect on the journey of faith with so many sisters and brothers I have never met and who share something of the same tradition as me. It is obvious from my pictures of our mealtimes, that there is a certain equality between us all as we stand in queues awaiting to collect trays of food to be shared at the ‘church hall’ style tables.
The theme of the common meal and sharing together has been high in many of our minds as we got ready to process into Canterbury Cathedral on Sunday for the Eucharist. How do we share in the midst of difference, how do we journey together? Emmaus Road has been the scripture in my mind as we each begin to see and experience something of Christ being revealed to us. As we walked into the cathedral side by side from all five continents of the world and so many different countries, it was a truly humbling experience to be standing beside so many other shepherds of Christ. As I stood during the worship I was thinking in turn of the charges of our diocese one by one and holding you in the prayers we shared with each other.
When you meet with 660 colleague bishops there is so much to disagree about and so much to not fully comprehend especially when the languages being spoken are not our native ones. The utter value of being so levelled by the routines of queuing together and changing together and sharing meals together, as well as bread and wine, does generate a sense of connectedness in our differences. There is so much to talk about and I shall endeavour to share more in the coming days!”
Bishop Kevin writes:
“As I finished breakfast this morning (Tuesday), I wanted to share with you my delight in catching up with representatives of the Mothers’ Union. You will have seen on the opening familiarisation day that I had the opportunity to visit the MU stand in the general roadshow. So I was thrilled to find the delegates again yesterday, to speak with them further about their work in Africa and have my photograph taken with them. Their work is so deeply valued by the communities in which they live and work and is so similar to the support offered by our Diocesan Mothers’ Union. Their outfits were a delight to see as they are walking embodiments of the mission of the MU – is this an idea for our MU?
Today as I join with bishops to consider the Call on Human Dignity, I would commend to you the video of +Ian shared by the Scottish Episcopal Church yesterday.
Please pray for us as we try to engage with each other in very different understandings of our human experience and life of faith.”
