Anglican Communion News Service

At a reception on 2 September to mark his first official visit to Scotland since becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams will meet Scotland's three Church leaders - the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Revd Bruce Cameron; the head of Scotland's Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Keith O'Brien; and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Revd Dr Alison Elliot. This is the first time the Archbishop of Canterbury has met with the main Scottish Church leaders together in Scotland. The reception marks the start of a major four-day conference being held by the Scottish Episcopal Church at Heriot Watt University. Edinburgh's Lord Provost, the Rt Hon Lesley Hinds, will welcome Archbishop Rowan to the City and will attend the reception, along with representatives from other faith organisations, Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive.

During the conference, Archbishop Rowan will address over 300 delegates from across Scotland and will be joined by guest speakers the Rt Revd John Miller, former Moderator of the Church of Scotland and the Revd Kathy Galloway, Leader of the Iona Community.

The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Revd Bruce Cameron says, "My hope for this conference is that it will enable the 300 plus delegates to focus on building up the confidence of the Church in its mission today, and I look forward to welcoming three dynamic Christian leaders in helping us to do this. Archbishop Rowan will get our conference off to a very good start, as he is both a renowned theologian and a man concerned with human and social issues. John Miller is another person who has deep insights as his theology is earthed in work in his parish, Kathy Galloway will bring a female perspective and again is grounded in working alongside people.

"The opportunity that this conference has given myself, Cardinal Keith O'Brien and Dr Alison Elliot to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury is, I believe, a sign of the warm and growing relationship between the churches in Scotland."

The conference, which takes place every four to five years, gives an opportunity for Episcopal Church members from across Scotland to meet together, reflect on the contribution of the speakers and discuss issues with one another in base groups with trained facilitators. There will also be a wide range of activities on offer during the conference, including a reflective walk through a replica of the 'Chartres' Labyrinth and many workshops covering a variety of interests, eg Faith and Politics, Religion and Technology, Money and the Church. The theme of the conference is based on the miracle of the loaves and fishes and is titled 'Our Offering, God's Blessing'.

This is the fifth Provincial Conference held by the Scottish Episcopal Church. Past speakers have included Archbishop Tutu.

Article from: The Scottish Episcopal Church