The importance of the Family in everyone’s lives was at the centre of a session for members of the Spouses Conference chaired by Bronwyn Fryar, the wife of the Bishop of Rockhampton in Australia.
Intimate God, you are able to accept in us what we cannot even acknowledge; you have named in us what we cannot bear to speak of; you hold in your memory what we have tried to forget;...
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
On day two of the bishops’ retreat, the benefits of the time of prayer and reflection have been felt by many.
Many of the Lambeth spouses are like the boy with the bunch of bananas on his head who accepted a lift but didn't put down the fruit - because although they have left some of their burdens at home, many carry some burdens with them. So began a session on storytelling in the spouses’ conference.
Jane Williams launched the book ‘Marriage, Mitres and Myself’ on Thursday 17 July at the Lambeth Conference. The Sports Hall, which has been transformed into the Spouses Venue, was filled with the members of the Spouses Conference and their spouses – the Bishops!
The laughs and sighs of the many bishops and spouses gathering to register for the Lambeth Conference gave us all a chance to simply relax and be patient, realising God may have some great revelations for us all in the days ahead, starting with the traditional English queue.
The bishops of the Lambeth conference will enter into retreat today, continuing a practice as ancient as Christianity itself.
The Spouses Conference opened today as the delegates gathered for the first time. The 550 or so spouses are meeting in the huge sports hall which has been transformed into an attractive café style meeting room to facilitate the conversation.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams opened the Lambeth Conference to the sounds of South African Alleluias and prayers for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He spoke to the gathering of Anglican Bishops from around the world addressing the first plenary session of the Lambeth Conference yesterday (July 16)
