Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

The Church of the Province of Southern Africa or CPSA is to hold a planning meeting from Monday 14 March evening until Thursday 17 March in Kempton Park, Johannesburg. This meeting was called in response to a decision by Archbishop Ndungane and a representative body of clergy and laity that there is a need for the CPSA to rethink its current modus operandi if it wants to make a tangible difference in the world in which it exists.

It is strongly felt that the survival of the church and the survival of humanity depends on an integrated approach to development, in partnership with other civil society organisations, government, business and global organisations. Issues of community development, economic justice, poverty alleviation, education and health have been prioritised as critical issues.

It is intended that this planning meeting will address some of these challenges, assess the church's capacity to confront them and identify strategies and relevant people to deal with them.

Presentations and discussions on poverty, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, Malaria, education and theological education will form part of the programme.

It looks likely at this stage that Africa - and especially Sub-Saharan Africa - is the one continent where none of the Millennium Development Goals will be met by the target date of 2015. For this reason a significant amount of time will be spent discussing awareness and monitoring of, and lobbying for the Millennium Development Goals and the role of the church in achieving these.

Speakers will include Archbishop Ndungane, academics from South Africa and other countries and representatives from the World Bank and the USA church's Episcopal Relief and Development and UNAIDS. Representatives from all dioceses in Southern Africa have been invited to take part.