Eurobishop

Today in the Parish Church of Chalfont St Peter, surrounded by his family, friends and former parishioners, we bade farewell to Fr Geoffrey Evans, one of the longest serving priests of this diocese in Europe. Bishop Geoffrey Rowell presided at the requiem eucharist and Archdeacon of Morgannwg Christopher Smith preached and and brought many memories of Fr Geoffrey, some very amusing indeed, as well as reminding us of the Church in Wales heritage which so shaped his priestly ministry. Fr Geoffrey was born in 1934 and died on Easter Eve, 4 April 2015. The preacher noted how fitting it was that he died on Easter Eve, that great time when the Church gathers in darkness to then encounter the brightness of the Resurrection: Fr Geoffrey's entire ministry centred on bringing joy and light to those around him. Fr Geoffrey was ordained when I was but one year old! Nevertheless, we got on famously. In fact it was hard not to get on with him. I enjoyed my many visits with him in Turkey w...

The Archdeaconry of France is quite possibly the largest in the diocese with over 65 regular congregations in France and Monaco served by about 30 priests and an equal number of Licensed Lay Ministers (Readers). From 15 to 18 April the clergy and lay representatives gathered for their annual Synod at St Jacut de la Mer in Brittany, under the presidency of Archdeacon Ian Naylor. The Archdeacon (front row 3rd from left) with some of his clergy can be seen in the above photo. Dr Taylor and Dr Methuen The synod invited the Revd Dr Charlotte Methuen to give two papers on "The History and Theology of Marriage". Dr Methuen was a priest of this diocese, first in Bonn/Cologne, then as Director of Training. She now teaches at the Faculty of Divinity in Glasgow University. Bible studies were led by the Revd Canon Dr Simon Taylor, the Canon Chancellor of Derby Cathedral and the Ministerial Development Officer of Derby Diocese. The theme of his Bible Studies was "Sex a...

Once again our Mediterranean Sea has become a grave for hundreds of migrants who drowned as they desperately sought a better life in Europe. We continue to pray: Lord Jesus, help us by your grace to remember the plight of migrants, for they are all children of God. Strengthen all efforts to protect and keep safe those who flee  poverty, violence, war and persecution. Hold those who have drowned in your loving heart and comfort their families. May our leaders work together to build a world of peace with justice and prosperity, so no one need risk their lives on the seas to seek a better life. Amen. Below is a press release issued today, 20th April, by the Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) following this latest tragedy. _______________________________________________________________________________ Churches mourn loss of life on Mediterranean, call for preventative action Together the Churches’ Commission fo...

Local and international dimensions of the Church's ecumenical justice ministry came together at an event at St Michael and All Angels Church in Dallas on Saturday 18 April. St Michael's had been hosting meetings of the Governors of the Anglican Centre in Rome (ACR) and the American Friends of the ACR. Archbishop Sir David Moxon, the Director of the ACR and the Archbishop of Canterbury's Representative to the Holy See, took a key role in the event which was a symposium on human trafficking. Archbishop David is well known to this diocese, of course, not only in Rome and Italy, but from his presentation to our Diocesan Synod last year. Abp Moxon, 2nd from rt Archbishop Justin Welby and Pope Francis are committed to working together with other ecumenical and inter-faith partners to fight human trafficking and modern slavery. Archbishop Moxon in his role as Director of the ACR devotes a significant amount of his time to promoting this ecumenical initiative. It is estimated tha...

The Revd Dr Elizabeth Koepping I discovered a while back, to my surprise, that the Revd Dr Elizabeth Koepping, the Priest-in-Charge of the English Church in Heidelberg, is a well known theological lecturer in one of my homelands, Burma (also known as Myanmar). Dr Koepping is a researcher in the field of global Christianity. Among her many publications is a magisterial four volume resource entitled Studies in World Christianity, which she edited .  On a recent family visit to Rangoon, I was able to deliver a set of these volumes that Elizabeth had given as a gift to the Association for Theological Education in Myanmar. The Executive Secretary, the Revd Dr Lal Tin Hre was thrilled to know of this connection and was delighted with the gift from Elizabeth. Up-to-date theological reference books are scarce in his institute. Dr Lal Tin Hre During the family visit I was also able to have some conversations on ecumenical matters in particular with my friend the Archbishop of Ya...

I'm back. I did not do too badly with my intended 2 months study leave. Since 18 February when I signed off I was able to have 38 days out of the 56 which were completely free from any diocesan or ecumenical activities or concerns. It was a gift: time to pray, to catch up on reading, and enjoy quality time with family and friends, especially some whom I do not see too often. I am indebted to the Senior Staff of the Diocese who supported this time of leave and shouldered some extra work on my behalf. I thank Deacon Frances particularly who has been brilliant in keeping things moving which come to my desk, and for ensuring that I was not disturbed except in unavoidable circumstances. So as I get back into the swing of things again, there will be a resumption of articles on this blog.