photo peter davison

POWER POINT PRESENTATION —
Men's Group at The Pantry restaurant enjoying a delicious meal and power point presentation of Archbishop John and Alida's experience at the 2008 Lambeth Conference.

photo peter davison

FINE DINING —
All Saints, Vernon Men's Group at a member and guest dinner at The Pantry restaurant.

On November 27, 2009 Archbishop John and Alida Privett were guests of the All Saints, Vernon Men's Group at a member and guest dinner at The Pantry restaurant. Fifty-five people enjoyed a delicious roast beef and turkey buffet, following which the guests of honour presented power point slides of their experience at the 2008 Lambeth Conference. For the first time, Lambeth had included a full-blown spouses' conference, with eight male spouses among their number. This featured parallel Bible studies and discussion of issues facing the church. Archbishop John noted that the 1998 conference had been divisive because of its attempts to resolve contentious issues by resolution, debate and vote. The 2008 conference was concerned primarily to engage people in real conversation, using the South African "Indaba" process to do so. Groups of forty bishops met to understand each other's perceptions on a variety of situations and topics. There were also daily Bible studies of about eight people per group. Archbishop John noted that he was one of two Anglophone bishops in an otherwise Spanish-speaking group, which gave him an appreciation of being a member of a minority group, and having to have conversations translated.

Alida Privett spoke of the cultural differences affecting the relationships between bishops and their spouses. Many spouses deferred to their husbands, even waiting to eat until the men had received their food. Alida herself experienced being elbowed aside by a bishop who thought he had priority in the line-up! Archbishop John noted how this pecking order also applied to some bishops in relation to their archbishops. One bishop spoke for the first time in one of the group sessions only when his archbishop was absent, and even then apologised for speaking "when my elder is not present." Alida noted that in one of the crafts sessions, some rural Sudanese wives had never seen scissors before, and had to be shown how to use them. Archbishop John also noted how the rapid growth of some southern hemisphere churches necessitated the consecration of many priests with little experience as bishops — even, or especially, in countries where Christians were persecuted and the churches had to meet outdoors with no permanent facilities. Both noted that, while cultural differences can be a source of tension, they can also provoke deep and mutually enriching conversation.

While the conference avoided an exclusive focus on sexual issues (much to the disappointment of some of the media), our guests noted that in many countries the Anglican Church has been labelled "the gay church," especially where Christians are competing with Islam for members. The religious, social and political context is an important factor in the positions taken by different churches in the Communion. They noted that one of the reasons for current tensions is the shedding of colonialism. Until recently, Anglicanism had been largely controlled by England, but this is no longer the case. With 80 million members worldwide, Anglicanism is predominantly non-English-speaking, even though English remains the international language. Archbishop John sees the current tensions as a healthy sign of our growing maturity as a global church, and despite our present difficulties, is confident about the future. This confidence was reinforced by daily worship sessions conducted in the many different languages and styles of global Anglicanism. He also expressed admiration for Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams for his ability to keep the church focused on our calling to be followers of Jesus.

Apart from a garden party at Buckingham Palace, two other features of Lambeth 2008 left a lasting impression. One was the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals, accompanied by a march in London of a group of a thousand bishops and spouses, and a brilliant and impassioned address by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The other was the presence of, and addresses by, ecumenical and interfaith representatives, including a profound and moving address by Britain's Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, on the nature of Covenant.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative evening, for which Men's Group President Dennis Bristow gave thanks to Archbishop John and Alida on behalf of all present.