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Lambeth Conference
Bishop Mathes travels home from England today, August 4. Please pray for his safety as we look foward to his arrival home tomorrow. Thank you.
August 4, 2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Lambeth Conference ended last night with a beautiful service in Canterbury Cathedral. This conference began in hope, mixed with some fear, and ended in renewed hope coupled with greater friendship and understanding.
There will be much opining about what we did, what we said, what it all means and what is next. I will reflect on this in the next few days and I look forward to being in conversation with you on Thursday. In the meantime, I give you just a few observations. This was a time of incredible listening which fostered new understandings. Friendships were renewed and others begun. Yet there remains much that we do not know and significant things that we do not understand about each other. The problems and opportunities of the Communion are varied and complex. There is a great commitment to being in Communion together and deepening our relationships. Relational solutions to our differences will bear fruit; power solutions will bear division.
I commend to you our presiding bishop's statement below as well as the Reflection document which is the final product of the conference. I look forward to being with you on Thursday, Aug. 7, at the Cathedral. God bless you.
Faithfully,
James R. Mathes
Bishop of San Diego
8/1 - Bishop Mathes talks about incursions into our diocese and healing.
The Lambeth Conference takes place every 10 years at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Rt. Rev. James R. Mathes is currently attending the July 16-August 3 conference in Canterbury, England. Please visit the following Web sites for the most up-to-date information on Lambeth.
Official Lambeth Web site
Daily Conference Schedule
Resources from Lambeth
Bishops’ Blog from the Episcopal Church
Daily Accounts from Lambeth
Bishop Mathes featured on Episcopal Life Online
Lambeth Indaba Reflections
This is the document that the bishops worked together to produce at Lambeth.
"Capturing the conversations and reflections from the Lambeth Conference 2008: Equipping bishops for mission and strengthening Anglican identity.
Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.
Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all his benefits.
The ReflectionsGroup has been privileged to serve the Lambeth Conference in their capacity as Listeners in and for their indaba. Face-to-face conversations, often exchanging conflicting and challenging points of view, have led to deeper understanding and new insights. The task of the Listener has been to capture the spirit of these encounters.
This document is not the primary outcome of this Conference. Written words can never adequately describe the life-changing nature of our time together. We have gained a deeper appreciation of the worldwide Anglican Communion and of our common calling as disciples of Christ. ... " Read the full text here.
This Document is also available as a PDF.
The Notes of the Reflections is available here.
From Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
August 4, 2008
Many bishops came to this gathering in fear and trembling, expecting either a distasteful encounter between those of vastly different opinions, or the cold shoulder from those who disagree. The overwhelming reality has been just the opposite. We have prayed, cried, learned, and laughed together, and discovered something deeper about the body of Christ. We know more of the deeply faithful ministry of those in vastly differing contexts, and we have heard repeatedly of the life and death matters confronting vast swaths of the Communion: hunger, disease, lack of education and employment, climate change, war and violence. We have remembered that together we may be the largest network on the planet - able to respond to those life and death issues if we tend to the links, connections, and bonds between us. We have not resolved the differences among us, but have seen the deep need to maintain relationships, even in the face of significant disagreement and discomfort. The Anglican Communion is suffering the birth pangs of something new, which none of us can yet fully appreciate or understand, yet we know that the Spirit continues to work in our midst. At the same time patience is being urged from many quarters, that all may more fully know the leading of the Spirit. God is faithful. May we be faithful as well.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
July 31, 2008
Ignatius of Loyola
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I know many of you have felt frustrated by the slow progress of the discussions at Lambeth, so I want to share with you immediately an important step toward healing that occurred Wednesday morning.
Over breakfast, Gregory Venables, Presiding Bishop of the Church of the Southern Cone, apologized for not contacting me before making incursions into the Diocese of San Diego. Over the past two years, Bishop Venables together with Bishop Frank Lyons of the same province, have made numerous episcopal visits to our diocese without my knowledge or consent. I was heartened by his apology and relieved to hear him say he had not received either of the two letters I had sent protesting these actions and outlining the harm they caused to the church here in San Diego. Previously, I had taken his silence to mean his actions were intentional.
In light of these new developments, I have proposed that we continue discussing how to mend the tear these incursions have caused in our diocese. I am in preliminary conversations with Richard Blackburn of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center as a possible mediator for these discussions. I'm delighted to say that Bishop Venables has agreed to consider such a plan and we will be meeting for breakfast tomorrow to discuss it further.
This kind of mutual walking towards each other and entering into respectful dialogue is exactly what the Archbishop of Canterbury has called us to over the past two weeks. Please pray that this, and other breakthroughs of generous love, will be the true fruit of this conference.
Faithfully,
James R. Mathes
Bishop of San Diego
July 16, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Greetings from Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference for Bishops. I arrived yesterday in London and spent the rest of the day as a tourist visiting Westminster Abby and attending Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. There is something humbling about touching places that have seen so much history.
As I toured the Abby, I came upon the grave of Elizabeth I and Mary I. These two rivals and half-sisters of Henry VIII represent the bitter extremes and conflicts of the faith in XVI CenturyEngland.I was reminded of the remarkable decision by Elizabeth that she should be interred upon Mary.The inscription on the grave reads:"Partners both in throne and grave, here rest we two sisters, Elizabeth and Mary, in the hope of the Resurrection."
Tonight, we assembled as bishops for the first time.While much of the session was orienting in nature, I found myself looking at the vast and diverse assembly. I also thought of Mary and Elizabeth, a bitter strife and the genius of Anglicanism to be clear about essentials yet open to difference.
As I prepare to end my day, I pray that we who make up this communion can truly be partners in the hope of the Resurrection.Leaning on the core of belief in Jesus, may we find ways to build up the Body for the sake of Christ and the world he died to save.
Peace and agape,
James R. Mathes
Bishop of San Diego