Eurobishop

The following announcement was made by the Anglican Communion Office on 25 June . As it involves someone in our diocese, I thought it should be posted here: "The Archbishop of Canterbury has named the Right Reverend David Hamid, Suffragan Bishop in the Diocese in Europe, as the Anglican Co-Chair of the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM). IARCCUM was established by the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church in 2001. It is a commission of bishops ‘to promote our relationship by seeking to translate our manifest agreement in faith into common life and mission’. In its first report, Growing Together in Unity and Mission (2007), IARCCUM made an appraisal of the work to date of Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and ‘offered practical suggestions on the way in which Anglican and Roman Catholic ecumenical participation can be appropriately fostered and carried forward’. There has not been an Angli...

Just a reminder the people of the Diocese in Europe to pray for the four women and one man to be ordained this weekend:   Dana, Mary, Verna Deacons To be ordained in All Saints, Rome on Sunday 1 July:  Dana English (to serve as assistant curate of All Saints, Rome)  Mary Styles (to serve as assistant curate of All Saints, Rome) To be ordained in St George's, Lisbon, on Sunday 1 July: Verna Veritie (to serve as assistant curate of St Paul’s, Athens) Jennifer, Nigel Priests To be ordained in Norwich Cathedral on Saturday 30 June: The Revd Jennifer Elliott de Riverol (assistant curate of All Saints Tenerife with St Martin de Porres,  La Palma) To be ordained in St George's, Madrid on Saturday 30 June: The Revd Nigel Thomas (assistant curate of St George’s, Madrid) It will be good to remember these candidates in the intercessions at services this weekend. 

The safeguarding of children in our Church is paramount.  This clear statement of our Church's commitment was reaffirmed at the Synod of the Diocese in Europe at its meeting in Cologne, from 11 to 15 June, when an updated policy on Safeguarding (formerly known as “child protection”) was introduced and explained.  Chris Lees, the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer together with the Diocesan Communications Officer, Paul Needle, highlighted the major new element in the updated policy, which is a procedure for the safe recruiting of volunteers who may have regular contact with children and vulnerable adults. Up to now, robust procedures for the safe recruitment of licensed workers (clergy and readers) are in place, but not for general volunteers who may hold positions of trust in our congregations, such as teaching Sunday School. All new volunteers recruited for such positions must now have the normal background checks completed. The procedure for the safe recruitment of volu...

At the close of the Readers' Conference in Cologne, on Sunday 17 June, the lay ministers solemnly affirmed their commitment to service, asking God to give them grace to respond with gladness to their calling. Representatives then carried before the people the symbols which had been the focus of the daily worship, the Bible, the oil of healing, the water which gives life, and a burning candle which gives light out into the world, as the African song, "Send me Lord" was sung. Many new friendships were made during the conference, and plans were shared about how to strengthen the network of communication among the Readers.

Nick Clarke, the Senior Communications Officer for the Church of England, addressed the Readers' Conference on Sunday 17 June and issued two challenges to Readers as persons trained in the communication of the Gospel: Prepare two press releases a year, to get the news of the Church's life and witness out into the world; and engage with social media. As a trained radio broadcaster and journalist, he gave a quick instruction on how to prepare effective press releases using a very simple format. He also proposed that "the greatest mission opportunity of the 21st century is to engage social media". A lively discussion ensued about the use of websites, blogs, facebook, twitter, flickr and other social media to get the Church's message out into the world.

Dr Alan Wakely, the Secretary of the Central Readers' Council of the Church of England, was surprised and heartened by what he saw at our recent Diocesan Readers' Conference. "The average age of readers in the Church of England begins with a 6...", Dr Wakely remarked. "Clearly from what I see this is not the case in the Diocese in Europe, where you are much younger. I am delighted that you are not all over 75!" Dr Wakely came to address the Readers on current trends in Reader Ministry across the Church of England, including the question of whether Readers should now be called "licensed lay ministers" and some key areas where canon law touches upon the ministry of Readers. He particularly liked the way we refer to our Readers as "lay theologians".

In worship, "you are the actors, the celebrant is the prompter, the audience is God". With these words of  Søren Kierkegaard, the Revd Elaine Labourel introduced her plenary session entitled "Bearing the Word in the Liturgy" at the Diocesan Readers' Conference on Sunday 17 June. Elaine is the Assistant Priest at St Mark's Versailles and St Paul's Chevry, and is presently completing an MA in Liturgy at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield. She explored how the liturgy of the Church forms the people of God, nourishes them with sound doctrine, and enables them to enter deeply into the work of giving glory to the Holy Trinity. Paraphrasing the old Lennon-McCartney song, Elaine told the Readers, "all we are saying is give liturgy a chance".  At the eucharist on Sunday 17 June, in the midst of the Conference, I commissioned Elaine as "Senior Tutor and Advisor for Reader Ministry", recognising her work as part of the Ministry Tea...

In the evocative chapel at Cardinal Schulte Haus, dedicated to St Edith Stein, a carmelite nun and convert from Judaism who died in a gas chamber at Auschwitz, a service of healing and reconciliation was held on Saturday evening June 16 at the Diocesan Readers' Conference. Canon Ulla Monberg presided and preached. I am led to believe that this may be the first time that a woman priest has presided at a eucharist at a diocesan event.

Conflict as opportunity for ministry was the theme of a plenary session at the Diocesan Readers' Conference on 16 June, in Cologne. The Revd Sara MacVane, the Assistant Priest at St Andrew's Zurich, led the session. She distinguished between "honest conflict" on the one hand, where parties, even though holding different opinions, are trying to promote the good of the Church, and "toxic behaviour" on the other hand, where conversation and communication become secretive, manipulative and destructive. Sara recognised the potentially important role that Readers have in addressing conflict in our congregations. They are often the only minister a local priest in our diocese can talk to and share situations which are problematic. As lay persons they also understand the investment, often emotional investment, that people have in their local church.

"Prayer is like breathing - you can't do without it". With these words, Brother Sam SSF, began his plenary session on prayer at the heart of the life of the Christian minister, for the Diocese in Europe Readers' Conference on 16 June.  Brother Sam, a Franciscan friar and until recently the Provincial Minister of the Society of Saint Francis (SSF), spoke about prayer as having to do with our relationship with God, with others and with our natural environment. He spoke to our lay ministers on some key dimensions of prayer and the spiritual life: the link between prayer and action: opening our heart and wills to God's purpose for the world. the need to be free of distraction in our prayer so we can truly listen to God. that our life of prayer needs to be earthed - it should not be divorced from real, even mundane life.   the importance of practice - making sure our prayer is regular. Like athletes and musicians, regular practice helps us improve. that we ne...

As preaching and interpreting the bible is a central feature of the ministry of Reader, it was appropriate that one of the keynote speakers at the Diocesan Readers' Conference held in Cologne from 15 to 18 June was a biblical scholar, Dr Clare Amos. Clare is the Programme Director for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation at the World Council of Churches, a theological educator, and has taught Old and New Testament studies in Jerusalem, Beirut, Cambridge, London and Kent. She was also a former editor of the national journal The Reader . One of her most recent works is a commentary on Genesis. Clare led a bible study on Genesis 32 and 33 (the story of Jacob wrestling with the Angel) and another on the Transfiguration. She also led a plenary session on some issues in biblical hermeneutics, particularly apt for this conference of lay theologians and preachers. (Indeed she thought our Readers should be called hermeneuts !) Clare inspired the participants at the conference wit...

50 Readers and readers in training, from Trondheim to Athens, descended on Kardinal Schulte Haus in Cologne on from 15 to 18 June for a three day conference. The theme of the event, the first ever diocesan-wide conference for lay ministers, was "Bearing the Word".  Although we have had two diocesan clergy conferences since 2005, there has never been a similar event for our lay ministers. However, it simply would not be possible to continue to provide worship in the over 300 congregations of the Diocese in Europe, and to continue to provide quality pastoral engagement without the ministry of our Readers. There are now over 110 who exercise this ministry seek by week and close to 20 others in stages of training. Clearly the time was right to give the Readers an opportunity to meet each other and to engage in some time of learning together.  Whereas the clergy conferences have been fully funded, enabling virtually all clergy to attend, the Readers' Conference had to b...

Two acting or interim archdeacons were commissioned by Bishop Geoffrey at the diocesan synod in Cologne on 12 June. T he Revd Ian Naylor (above left), priest-in-charge of St Andrew's Pau, was appointed Acting Archdeacon of France and t he Revd Canon Meurig Williams (above right), Bishop Geoffrey's Chaplain was appointed Acting Archdeacon of North West Europe.  These interim appointments enable the essential work of archdeacons to continue in this time of transition as the Diocese works towards implementing the plan to replace the 7 part-time archdeacons with 4 full-time ones. We wish Fr Ian and Fr Meurig every blessing in their additional responsibilities.

Christian Faith in Europe: Residual or Potential . This was the intriguing title for a presentation given to the Synod of the Diocese in Europe on 12 June by the Revd Dr Keith  Clements, the former General Secretary of the European Conference of Churches, and a Baptist minister.  Dr Clements outlined four dimensions of Christian life in modern Europe, which resonated deeply with the experience of members of our own diocese, and which gave an analysis which will be very helpful as we seek to minister in the complex Europe of 2012: Migration: Europe is part of a migratory world (one in 35 people in the world today is a migrant) Secularisation: Churches are home to a wide spectrum of belief and unbelief. Are some of us Anglican, but not Christian?! Inherited Christendom is replaced by "Conscious Choice" Christianity, the move from "national church" to "a gathered church" The phenomenon of "vicarious Christianity". To what extent is this ...

At the Diocesan Synod final dinner last evening, it was announced that our Director of Training, the Revd Canon Ulla Monberg, has been co-opted onto the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), for the next 6 years. The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon, wrote to Canon Monberg with this exciting news last week. The ACC is one of the instruments of the Anglican Communion, set up after the 1968 Lambeth Conference, to facilitate the co-operative work of the Churches of the Communion, exchanging information between the provinces and helping to co-ordinate common action. It advises on the organisation and structures of the Communion and seeks to develop common policies with respect to the mission and ecumenical life of the Churches. The ACC membership includes from one to three persons from each province (the Church of England has three). Canon Monberg has been invited to bring the perspective of European Anglicanism, which gives us a unique v...

The Revd Dr Mika Pajunen The Revd Dr Mika K T Pajunen, is a priest of the Church of Finland, who served a curacy in our own Anglican parish of St Nicholas, Helsinki. This was a pioneering move promoted by the then chaplain of St Nicholas, the Revd Rupert Moreton, to bring an added dimension to the relationship of communion that exists between the Churches of England and Finland, thanks to the Porvoo Agreement. After his curacy, Fr Mika has continued to serve as a licensed priest of this diocese. It has just been announced that Fr Mika has now  been appointed the Theological Advisor to the Archbishop of (Turku and) Finland, the Most Revd   Kari Mäkinen. He will  leave his present post at Diak University in Pori this summer, where he was the Principal Lecturer in Church Life. This is a very important appointment and a strategic one in terms of our deepening relations with the Church of Finland. We wish Fr Mika every blessing as he prepares to take up this new and exciting w...

On my recent visit to Haiti for the episcopal consecration of a friend, Bishop Og é Beauvoir, I was able to spend some time in the parish that this Diocese in Europe supported through the Bishop's Appeal, following the devastating earthquake which struck on 12 January 2010. Over 300,000 died in the earthquake and some 1.3 million people displaced, many of which are still living in temporary camps. Even the presidential palace remains in ruins. Following the earthquake, I consulted with the Diocese of Haiti about a suitable project to support, and they identified the parish of Notre Dame de l'Annonciation, Our Lady of the Annuciation, in Port-au-Prince. Our funds were directed to the school which this parish runs, in one of the most deprived areas of the Haitian capital. The Annunciation parish was founded by the Roman Catholic Church, but they abandoned the parish in the 1940s as it was too poor an area for them to work in! The Episcopal (Anglican) Church took over the ...

Celia Paterson was recently admitted to the office of Reader in the Church of England, by the Area Dean of Gibraltar, the Revd Canon Hugh Broad. Celia is licensed to the parish of St George's Madrid, where she will be working under the chaplain, the Revd Canon Ian Hutchinson-Cervantes, and with the Assistant Curate, the Revd Nigel Thomas. They are pictured above, left to right: Deacon Nigel, Fr Hugh, Celia, Fr Ian. Celia was a member of the design team which planned the first Diocesan Readers' Conference which begins this Friday 15 June, in Cologne, Germany. They are shown, hard at work, in the photo below. We look forward to congratulating Celia personally at the conference, and wish her God's blessing as she begins her licensed ministry in St George's, Madrid . The Readers' Conference Design Team. Celia Paterson 3rd from Rt

The English Church of St John and St Philip in the Hague can trace its history back to 1586. Churchwarden Tony May has written to me to point out some features of the interesting history of this parish:  In 1584, during the early years of the revolt against King Philip of Spain, Prince William the Silent was assassinated. The Dutch begged Queen Elizabeth I of England to become their sovereign and to provide military aid. Reluctant to get too involved, she nonetheless promised to send soldiers, and appointed the Earl of Leicester as Governor General of the Netherlands. The English Church in The Hague was established in 1586 when the magistrates of the city built a chapel in Noordeinde for the use of chaplains accompanying the English soldiers, diplomats and merchants who came over with the Earl. The English (now Anglican) Church in The Hague has occupied four buildings on different sites and the present building was consecrated in 1952. But...

The Ancient Church at Gratot Hommeel, home to the Anglican Congregation Gratot Church "So, Adrian", I asked, "which is the oldest church building of any congregation of our diocese?" The Diocesan Secretary had to think for a moment, and after suggesting several which came to mind, I had finally to let him know the correct answer. It is the ancient church which is now the home of our congregation in Gratot Hommeel, just north of Coutances, France. The building given over to our sole use by the Bishop of Coutances (with the consent of the local maire) , is over 1000 years old. It may be that William the Conqueror passed by this Church when riding through this part of Normandy. He would be surprised that it is now the home to a thriving congregation of Anglais.  The Church in Isigny le Buat Through the hard work and prayers of the faithful, and the dedication of the priest-in-charge, the Revd Peter Hales, the Anglican parish of Christ Church in the Manc...

Jane Nyeche (pictured above), has been chosen to be one of the forty young adults from the world over to act as a steward at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee Meeting to be held at the Orthodox Academy of Crete in Kolymbari, Greece, from 28 August – 5 September, 2012. (The stewards serve the WCC governing bodies, and are chosen for their cross-cultural and linguistic skills, and their experience and interest in the ecumenical movement). Jane, although born in Belgrade, is of Nigerian nationality and grew up in Athens. She is an active member of St Paul’s Church, Athens, and with others has special responsibility for Junior Church. She has some preparatory work to do by means of a long distance training programme provided by the WCC. During the conference she will not only undertake the responsibilities assigned to her but also participate in a progarmme tailor made for the stewards. We in the Diocese in Europe are very proud that Jane has been chosen to ser...