Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

It is very good to be home in Chelmsford after the most amazing and wonderful trip we have all shared in the past two weeks.

I am extremely proud of the twenty colleagues who accompanied me on the companion link visit to the four dioceses: Meru, Mbeere, Kirinyaga, and Embu which were formerly the diocese of Mt Kenya East.

As a result of all that has happened, our link is deeper, and the bonds of love and affection between us seem indestructible.

When this controversy hit the news, we as a group were determined that we would not be diverted from the central purpose of the visit: to building these important relationships between Christians in Chelmsford Diocese and in the wonderful, vibrant Anglican Church in Kenya. Now, having returned home, I am in a position to say we were entirely successful in that aim.

When we were in Kenya, I was conscious that we were living in 2 worlds: the world of African reality, as day by day we encountered the extraordinary and rich life of the Anglican Church in Kenya; and the world of public debate and the press, which seemed 1000 miles our from day to day experience of worship and the lives of the people of Kenya.

On the morning when we were confronted with headlines in the newspaper, I was launching into a day with the huge privilege of confirming young and older people in northern Kenya. These were people who are living in communities where they do not know if there will be enough food for them in the coming weeks. Then we moved on to encounter the work the church is doing with street children, many of whom have lost their families through HIV/AIDS, and we were challenged to share with them the need to hold on to hope in all the difficulties of their lives.

The Archbishop of Kenya was concerned over some of the issues that were raised, but we were not abandoned in the middle of the Kenyan bush as some may have had you believe. Though I can say that if we had been abandoned, Embu would have been a lovely place to spend the rest of our time in!

When we finally did get to talk to Archbishop Nzimbi, he wanted to assure us that a warm Kenyan welcome continued to surround us, and that the planned programme should continue. With his agreement, we decided to avoid any high profile occasions to avoid being drawn into any controversies which would divert us from the principal aim of the visit.

I want to put on record the warm appreciation of the whole group to the Anglican Church of Kenya, and especially the 4 dioceses with which we share a companion link, for the extraordinary warmth of their hospitality, the depth of Christian fellowship we experienced with them, and the privilege of witnessing some of their courageous work in their country today.

And I would like to add my thanks and appreciation to the whole of the party that came with me. We were utterly united in our purpose, and the bonds of affection between us grew as a result of our experience.
I am grateful for the many messages of support we have received from all over the world.

We are well, we are in good heart, and our link is stronger and richer as a result.