Anglican Communion Standing Committee celebrates

Episcopal Life Online reports on the Anglican Communion Standing Committee which concluded its meeting today with a celebration of greater transparency and focus on common mission:


The Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion adjourned its July 23-27 meeting here with its members celebrating a renewed focus on mission and greater commitment to transparency.

"I feel like we've grown closer as a body and we're living more deeply into our charge to be the trustees for the various offices and programs of the Anglican Communion," Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut, who serves on the Standing Committee as an elected representative of the Anglican Consultative Council, the communion's main policy-making body, told ENS following the meeting.

Douglas said the committee, through the support of the Anglican Communion Office, "has pursued a course of transparency and open communication, which I think is vitally important if trust and understanding across the communion is to be engendered. We cannot minimize what a significant move that is in the right direction for our health as a communion."
....
Jefferts Schori said "it is clear that very important work is being facilitated out of the Anglican Communion Office. We are beginning to pay far more attention to our mutual participation in God's mission."

'Very difficult, honest conversations'

Douglas said that the meeting also included some challenging moments. "We still had very difficult, honest conversations where we were able to speak the truth to each other, particularly about how we understood the archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter and the departure of some of our members since we last met," he said.

Comments (6)

Somehow, I’d be more impressed by the commitment to transparency if meetings of the Standing Committee were not closed to the press.

Me too Lionel -

I think we should ALL hear/see the words that are used on both sides of any ¨challenge¨ at Church...the whole business reeks of ¨Adults Only¨...insulting, defensive and cowardly (the ABC engages in quite a lot of this more-political-less-spiritual type stuff).

Bishop Douglas thankfully remarks on the devisive topics of ¨...archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter and the departure of some of our members since we last met."

Were the ¨departures¨ explored past what we KNOW to be unwholesome public tantrums by those who demand we exclude others at The Body of Christ? Did Dr. Rowan Williams reinterate the validity of his bold new power play/snubbing?

Both actions were not unlike the other...seperate acts meant to punish the inclusivity of ALL ¨Baptised and called¨ Episcopalians/Anglicans at ALL levels of Chrisitianlife. ++Rowan is ¨sick as his secrets¨ and in my opinion spreads his infirmity throughout the Anglican Communion. Unwholesome whispering ¨leadershiplike¨ behavior that lacks transparency...very much like the Bishop of Rome.

ditto Lionel

Lionel, after reading your account of the appearance and disappearance of documents on the AC website, the actions look more like bait and switch to me.

Will our reps on the ACC enlighten us further on the recent meeting in which certain members wanted the Episcopal Church thrown out?

June Butler

WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange: "Transparent Government Tends to Produce Just Government"

I think he´s on to something for The ACC/ Anglican Communion to consider, don´t you?

¨Transparent actions at throughout the Anglican Communion will Produce Justice¨ and Trust in God (and everyone else).

Please tell ++Rowan

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