Report from the National Coordinator

This month I gave a report to the Executive Committee about how my work has been developing over the first three months of the post. Since they voted to increase my working hours per week from 17 - 21 and the length of my employment from 18 - 24 months I guess I must have been doing something right!

Work completed!

At "Drenched in Grace” I planned to work in such a way that I found out both who might be able to help IC during the days of the Lambeth Conference and what resources and events you might want IC to provide. I have had some interesting replies! Over thirty people signed up to help at the Lambeth Conference which was a tremendous response, for which many thanks. The top scores for what participants wanted in the future went to another national conference, to a seminar or day workshop about Inclusive Church and the breadth of the Anglican tradition, and to a Christian Basics / Lent course from the perspective of IC. High scores went also to events concerning women, resources for an All Saints Liturgy and prayers to use at home during the Lambeth Conference. Participants also voted for events concerning the Millennium Goals, Ethnic Minority Anglican Concerns and Children and Families. It was a popular idea too to spread events and resources across the country.

It was also clear that we needed "higher volume” in the voice of women on the Executive Committee and I am delighted that both Sally Barnes and Dianna Gwilliams have come on board.

Another piece of work has been settling into being a new team to serve IC and the Executive. The three of us who meet regularly, Giles, Brenda and myself, have "settled down” and are clear about our roles and directions - Giles covers the development of international work (plus an awful lot besides) , I the national work, and Brenda is working specifically as the administrator to the St Anne's Network for the Lambeth Conference and will complete her work once the work of the St Anne's Network comes to an end in September.

Work in progress!

I am currently working on four projects

1.”Living Christianity”

Living Christianity is a course written by a group of us, leading parishes who are all concerned to produce a Christian Basics Course which will nurture newcomers and feed long-term members of the Church while coping too with people needing to ask serious questions about the Christian faith and what it is to be Anglican. It is 5 sessions long (though can be expanded to 10 if suggestions for work at home are used instead in the course itself) Our first "module” is about God's welcome and our response, about finding and being found by God. The background text is that of the Eucharist and some leaders and churches may choose to make this " a course about the Eucharist” while others use it in a far broader and more experimental way. In other words the course offers a wide range of activities and subject matter from which the course leader can choose what is relevant in your area and church. If this module "works” I hope we can develop others.

The first pilot course is going to three churches in time for Lent and to three others in time for the period Easter - Ascension. If you would like it sent to you please email us via contact us

2. Preparing for the Lambeth Conference

Each month a group of representatives from the partner organisations with Inclusive Church meets at St Anne's Soho to share together our hopes and plans for Lambeth. Obviously this preparation is now my most important task. There will be more about our plans in each successive newsletter but meanwhile our common strap-line from which we hope to develop a logo is

" Proclaiming God's Justice, Living God's Love”

T - Shirts to follow!

This month we looked at the common threads between all our messages and found it could be summed up as "Celebrating - what it is to be human , what it is to be biblical , what it is to be Christian and what it is to be Anglican” . We also looked at some of the tensions which might scupper good communication between us all, both at the Lambeth Conference and in the run-up, so that we better prepared to work, celebrate and pray together.

One of the places we shall be working most together is the Communications Centre where all the groups involved in the Network will be able to meet , pray , receive briefings and talk to the Media.

Email me as above if you would like to know more about the meetings of the St Anne's Network.

3. Planning regional events

I hope to begin planning soon on a seminar which might act as a travelling road-show about "The tradition of Anglicanism and the work of Inclusive Church” , a 5th anniversary service to celebrate the birthday of IC,  and a day conference about the present roles of women in Church and Society run con-jointly with WATCH. Watch this space……….

4. Preaching

I am available to preach once a month and am preaching between now and the end of March at St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol, St Emmanuel College Cambridge and St Peter's Eaton Square. But other people from IC are willing to preach too so again please do email me if an IC preacher can help resource you and your Church.

Clare Herbert.

Two things:  (1) Women as Bishops:  Christina Rees reported in the last Newsletter about the potential delays to the appointment of women as bishops.   Here's part of what she said:  "The group [supposed to be preparing legislation] has met ten times, but has yet to produce any draft legislation or even a progress report. Recently Synod was informed that we will have to wait until July 2008 for the group's first report, and it is likely to be another year after that before the final vote can take place.

We know that the Church overall will welcome having women as bishops. We also know that the watching world is confused and disturbed that the Church has accepted women as priests but is now taking so much time deliberating about whether they can or should be allowed to be bishops.

So what's the hold up? It seems that a number of bishops, while agreeing that women should be permitted to be bishops, are somewhat reluctant to take the step of actually including them in what has been an all-male enclave. Only a very few bishops, perhaps four or five out of the 44 diocesan bishops, disagree with the principle of ordaining women as bishops, but a larger number seem unprepared to disenfranchise the few male priests in their diocese who still oppose women's ordination...... If you care about this,  why don't you write to your Diocesan Bishop asking him where he stands on the issue and timing of having women as bishops, and let him know how you feel. Who knows, it could just help to assure him that the Church is ready for women bishops!

Christina Rees,

Chair,  WATCH and Exec Cttee Member,  IC"    (It's really important that we make our voices heard on this - GG)

(2) visit to the US:    Philip Chester, Vice Chair of IC,  and I are both off to the United States on Friday for 13 days.  During that time we'll go to New York, Rhode Island,  Boston, Chicago,  San Francisco and Berkeley.   No,  it's not holiday!  We'll be meeting people in all those places both to tell them more about IC's work in the UK and to listen and learn about the situation in the US.  We're meeting representatives of the Chicago Consultation and Integrity with a view to developing plans for Lambeth;  and we'll be trying to explain and understand the differences in approach between the Episcopal Church and the Church of England.  Your prayers are requested;  and if you are in the US near or in any of the cities we are visiting and would like to meet, please contact us so that we can let you know about events and receptions.  

Giles Goddard

The latest Goddard to Goddard correspondence is at www.inclusivechurch2.net and at the Fulcrum website - www.fulcrum-anglican.org.uk/page.cfm . It's worth reading (though I say it myself!) as it feels as though Andrew and I are developing our understanding of each othe'rs positions - GG

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