The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has invited BibleLands, a UK non-governmental provider of financial support to the Holy Land, to host a conference at Lambeth Palace on Wednesday 16th April.
"In the evening of the first day of the week, Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, "Peace be with you" and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord and again he said to them "Peace be with you."
From the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem
The Rt Revd Suheil Dawani, Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, has sent us the following information for ACNS
One and a half million people imprisoned and without proper food or medicine. 800,000 without electricity supply; this is illegal collective punishment, an immoral act in violation of the basic human and natural laws as well as International Law. It cannot be tolerated anymore. The siege over Gaza should end now.
The Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, Bishop Suheil Dawani, has expressed his concern about the Global Anglican Future Conference planned for the Holy Land in June this year.
‘Regrettably, I have not been consulted about this planned conference,’ said Bishop Suheil. ‘The first I learned of it was through a press release.
Advent and Christmas resource pack from Amos Trust
Amos Trust has launched it's latest resource pack, Voices from the Ghetto - Bethlehem 2007 to assist churches in capturing the reality of present day Bethlehem in their Advent and Christmas services.
Today the former president of Iran, Dr Khatami received the newly installed Bishop in Iran, Azad Marshall along with Bishop Michael Nazir Ali of Rochester and the Presiding Bishop.
We assured Ayatollah Khatami that Bishop Azad had committed himself as a servant of Christ to be a servant to all the people of Iran, regardless of their religion. We had observed that pictures of Muslim Imams showed them with haloes around their heads in common with pictures of Christian saints. This suggests that Iran is a place where civilizations meet together – Christians, Jews and Muslims. It is our duty now to make this happen again.
From the Church of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
The House of Bishops of the Church of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East met in Iran on the occasion of the installation of Bishop Azad Marshall and issued the following communiqué.
We the undersigned have met in Tehran. We were very pleased and rejoice in the election and installation of Bishop Azad Marshall as the 6th Bishop of the Diocese of Iran. We welcome him as a full member of the House of Bishops. We pray that the Lord will give him the wisdom and love he needs as he leads his diocese as well as Pakistani Christian Urdu-speaking parishes under his oversight in the Gulf.
Bishop Azad Marshall was installed as sixth Bishop in Iran in a multilingual and ceremony of many facets at St Pauls Church Tehran on Sunday August 5.
Over two hundred people attended the three hour service which was marked by outstanding singing in Farsi and English by the House of Worship and Messiah Worship Choir and orchestra. www.honiball.com. The congregation included Anglicans, members of the Assemblies of God,.Roman Catholics, Orthodox, and Muslims. The service was also attended by a senior official from the office of the President who spoke afterwards of the respect and freedom given to all religious minorities.
Bishop Michael Nazir Ali of Rochester preached on the eve of the Feast of Transfiguration on Jesus appearance on the Mountain and hoped that Bishop Marshall would free his people to be followers of the risen Christ, and help them know what they have to put off and what to put on to live his risen life. ‘The glory of God is to be seen in the risen Jesus and also the glory of men and women as they are meant to be which we have lost through sin and rebellion.’
As part of the greetings from religious and civic leaders, an Ayatollah from the Council of Guidance began with giving respect to the great prophet Jesus Christ and his holy mother St Mary. He spoke warmly of religious tolerance. ‘When everyone praises God because they are happy they are linked with us. Anyone in suffering who asks God for help in the middle of the night is our brother. We feel great sympathy and closeness for everyone who believes God in his heart Those priests and bishops who are asking God for help in the middle of the night are paving the way for morality in society’.
The Presiding Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East, Mouneer Anis said: ‘Many countries in the Middle East are places where religions and civilizations came together. They speak now of a clash of civilizations. By the grace of God we want to return back to the origin with the civilizations of this region where civilizations came together for a better world and humanity.’ The Archbishop of Canterbury also sent greetings: ‘The task of building relationships with government and religious leaders is an important element in the ministry to which you are called and we look forward to working with you in promoting deeper mutual understanding.’
On the evening before the installation, all the visiting Bishops and Archbishops visited the mausoleum-shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini and laid a wreath. They were accorded a guard of honour and met with government officials.
At the close of the service Bishop Azad said ‘My Christ did not come for only Christians; my Christ is for the whole world. With your help and co-operation I will seek to serve both Muslims and Christians because Christ came to serve all.’
In an intriguing finale, as Bishop Marshall closed his final blessing on the City, Country and Diocese, the power failed and the modern church was plunged in darkness for a few minutes before lighting was restored and the reception could begin.
The Rt Revd Andrew Proud was consecrated as an Area Bishop for the Horn of Africa within the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt.
The Consecration took place at St. Matthews Church in Addis Ababa. Bishop Clive Handford, Bishop Mouneer Anis and Bishop Ghais Malik consecrated Bishop Proud.
Last year the Synod of the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa decided to create a new Episcopal Area within the Diocese.
The Resurrection of Christ frees us from hatred
Today as we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I would like to meditate on the words of Apostle Paul to the church in Rome;
‘For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his’ Romans 6:5
These words are very difficult to understand. How can we unite with Christ in a death like his and how we can we unite with Him in his resurrection?
We learn from the history of ancient Egypt that when a Noble of the first Dynasty died, all of his slaves would be killed and buried with him so that they can serve him in his second life. Later on, this harsh custom stopped and the Ancient Egyptians were content to put small clay figures that represent the slaves in the grave where the Noble was buried. In addition they put the tools he used to use in his first life in the grave so that when he rose from the dead, he would use them in his second life.
Under the auspices of the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani, Bishop Coadjutor, and his wife Shafiqa Dawani, a further meeting discussing the empowerment of women within the Diocese of Jerusalem was held on January the 19th. 150 women from all over the Diocese participated in this major event.
This was the second of altogether three meetings to be held in preparation of a General Convention scheduled for autumn 2007, to which all partners of the Diocese from the Middle East, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the UK are cordially invited.
The third meeting will be held in Amman, Jordan, on February 16th.
Dear Friends,
On July 2nd 1964, returning from India, I was welcomed by the Church Council to serve in the Land of the Holy One. Ever since, both as priest, and Bishop for more than 10 years, never have I forgotten Luke's words written on the wall of Christ Church - Nazareth, where I served for 28 years. Defending human dignity and freedom, turned me into a ‘captive,’ banned from travel abroad for 4 years. Upon my release, a gift of the beautiful painting on this card reached me. I hand it to you entrusting you with the ministry of freedom, healing and reconciliation.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has reassured the people of Bethlehem that neither they, nor the pressures that they live under are forgotten in the West. During a pilgrimage to Bethlehem with other English church leaders, Dr Williams addressed the city’s civic representatives, stressing that problems had to be solved by people working together. One-sided solutions would not deliver justice,
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has pledged his support for the Christian Communities of the Middle East. Writing in The Times today (Saturday 23rd December 2006), Dr Williams says that factors such as reaction to the war in Iraq, mistrust from surrounding communities and security measures have combined to put intolerable pressure on Christians in countries across the region including Iraq, Iran, the Holy Land, Egypt and Turkey, to the point where many are migrating away from their homelands.
My Dear Friends,
Salaam. I count it my duty to keep you informed of events as they unfold. In the past two weeks I have visited Lebanon, met with Prime Minister Tony Blair, visited Nablus, and I am preparing to leave on Monday, September 25th where I will spend two weeks in Australia meeting with Churches, Members of Parliament and other Church and government officials.
Statement by the Patriarch and Local Heads of Churches In Jerusalem
'Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.' (Matthew 5:9)
Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The Christian Zionist programme provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it laces an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today.
We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.
'The voices of the innocent must be heard above the din of war'
An edited version of this article was published in the Observer newspaper
As I write, the UN continues its deliberations about what kind of resolution might be possible to support and effect a ceasefire in Lebanon. The optimistic gloss is that this could be achieved 'in a few days', though the organisation of an international peacekeeping force is likely to take several weeks.
An October pilgrimage to Galilee and Jerusalem, planned to be led by Los Angeles Bishop J. Jon Bruno and lay leaders Sue and Sandy Smock, has been cancelled overseas due to escalating violence in the region.
'It was only 40 days ago that Iyad Qumri, our friend and guide, was in Los Angeles visiting with pilgrims, past and future,' Sandy Smock wrote to the group. 'Everything was so upbeat, and he was booking trips well into 2007. Now, everything has collapsed, and every single one of his pilgrimages, with the exception of the Rev. Canon John Peterson's National Cathedral Group, has been cancelled.'
Salah Salam, the mayor of the Lebanese town of Qana in which an apartment building was bombed July 31 by the Israeli military, says that humanitarian aid is desperately needed in his city and elsewhere in Lebanon.
Salam said that churches need to advocate for delivery of such aid as medications, which are no longer available, for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart conditions. He said his brother died July 31 due to a lack of insulin. Salam said 10 people have died of causes ranging from heart attacks from stress to lack of medicines.
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