Document Library

Faith in the Family (Christmas 2000)

outlines changes in society which affect families and their faith. Now the transmission and nurturing of faith is not "fashionable"; it has to be worked for in a range of ways by parents, by church evangelism, by modern communications, by fathers as well as mothers. There is Good News in the newsletter. Some articles, eg from Paraguay and Australia, tell of difficulties leading to deeper faith and commitment.

The inaugural meeting of the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations (IASCER) took place in Nassau, Bahamas from 2 to 8 December under the chairmanship of the Most Revd Drexel W. Gomez, the Archbishop of the Church in the Province of the West Indies.

Prison and Families (Michaelmas 2000)

The families of prisoners have been described as invisible, the forgotten victims. Partners and children, parents and relatives are often stigmatised and placed in situations of great hardship through no fault of their own. Articles in the newsletter tell how churches and church organisations in USA, South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, Dominican Republic, Pakistan and many other countries have set up projects to help both prisoners and their families.

As a result of the decision of the General Council of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the Lambeth Conference of 1998, the first official international conversations between the two communions were held from 21-24 September 2000 in Norwich, England.

This meeting of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops from 13 countries, convened by His Eminence Edward Cardinal Cassidy and His Grace Archbishop George Carey, gathered at Mississauga, near Toronto, Canada, from 14-20 May 2000.

Fathers and Families (Easter 2000)

Throughout the Anglican Communion, there is evidence of the dislocation of rapid change, often in part brought about by economic forces which undermine the role of men for example as "breadwinner" of the family. Many of the articles tell of the difficulties of fathers, particularly the young men who have had little education or job opportunities. At the same time, research from many countries shows the importance of fathers in the upbringing and nurture of children.

At the beginning of the meeting a Drafting Group was appointed to work on a final communique from the meeting. The text, which follows, was approved unanimously by the Primates.
We, the Primates of the Anglican Communion and Moderators of the United Churches, meeting in Porto, Portugal between 22 and 29 March 2000, give thanks to God for the opportunity which we have enjoyed to pray together, to study scripture and to reflect on some of the major issues facing the world and our Communion at the beginning of the new millennium.

Water and the Needs of Families (Advent 1999)

For those in rain-drenched countries, imagination is sometimes needed to grasp the importance of water. But in many parts of the world, water is a matter of hard labour and survival. And wherever there are water shortages or pollution, it is the poor who suffer most. Articles from a wide range of countries tell of projects and partnerships to provide clear water and so fight disease, of education about environmental degradation and increasing water shortages. Articles written by expert contributors from USA show that the global water situation concerns us all.

The request to make a pastoral visit to the Province of Burundi was initiated by The Right Reverend Pie Ntukamazina, bishop of Bujumbura, the capital city. The intent of the visit was two fold, pastoral and fact finding. That is, the delegation went to stand side by side with the church in Burundi and to listen and to hear their stories of faith and suffering

A delegation led by the Right Reverend James Ottley, Anglican Observer at the United Nations and three members of the Anglican Peace and Justice network met in Sri Lanka under the sponsorship of the National Christian Council, the ecumenical body for Protestant and Anglican churches.