Document Library

Death and the Family

This is a difficult subject. The articles in this newsletter tell of how the churches in many parts of the Anglican Communion seek to respond to death. There are stories of almost unbearable grief and loss: both on a personal scale within families and where large-scale disaster through war or hurricane brings tragedy to whole communities. But the newsletter also tells of Christian faith and hope, of compassion and help for the bereaved, and people facing the pain of separation from their loved ones and clinging on to belief in the risen Christ.

Valuing our Elders

This is the latest IAFN newsletter to be published and includes articles from Africa, Argentina, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, West Indies, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, the Anglican Indigenous Network and the UK. The newsletter celebrates the value age can bring while also highlighting the importance of facing the realities of age and ageing and describing projects which work to provide support for those who need it. An example of creative ageing is embodied in the cover picture of a Canadian woman, 75 years old at the time of the photograph, who published her autobiography in her 90s and continued to visit elderly people when aged 100.

Investing in Childhood

2009 sees the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, and the 30th of the Year of the Child (1979). What progress has been made investing in those things which work for a more child-friendly world? The articles in this newsletter, drawn from many countries, present a sombre picture. Our investment in the growing trees of the forest (the children) remains woefully inadequte. But many of the stories also tell of resilience and courage; of projects starting from very small seeds which have grown to bring encouragement, support and education to many - girls as well as boys; and of work being done by followers of Jesus who, despite the odds, have not lost hope.