GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) is a response of our churches of the Global South to the innovations and failures of our western churches. If you have not read Bishop Duncan's opening address to GAFCON, you can find it at the following link. It is the best summary of what brings us here I have seen:
http://www.acn-us.org/etc/2008/anglicanism-come-of-age.pdf
We
have ‘Pilgrims’ at GAFCON from about 20 nations, including about 290 Anglican
Bishops and ArchBishops. They lead about
35 million of the Anglican Communion’s 78 million members. Many more of the Communion’s Bishops are
sympathetic to our work here, but not in attendance. The
conference has two parts to it; in the past week in Jordan, a smaller group of
Bishops and leaders met for consultation and final conference plans. This week all Pilgrims meet in Jerusalem. I will probably know 150 or so of these
people; most will be from Africa, South America and SE Asia – where the
heartbeat of biblical, gospel formed Anglicanism is healthy and growing
explosively. That region is the future
of world Anglicanism.
We started this morning as a team manning the registration tables. It was our task to register 1200 people at some 16 stations, producing photo ID's and distributing conference materials. It was great. We worked from 7 AM right through to 3 PM before most of it was done.
The greatest concern (beside the
electricity which failed at one point, shutting down all the computers just as
200 Nigerians came in) was the exhaustion of the Pilgrims as they
arrived. Most had been traveling for 24 hours or more, with long waits
and no sleep. They were beat, and it became our main concern to love them
and welcome them and encourage them while processing them speedily. I
think I must have personally registered 30 Nigerian Bishops, often with their
wives. We had people from half a dozen African countries, New
Zealand, Canada, Australia, South America, and even the USA... it was a great
festival of races and peoples and tongues. I probably had a chance to
chat with 50 people that I have known, including the Bishops and Archbishops
and spouses from Uganda and Rwanda - what a joy to see them again!
Pilgrims from Western countries are in the distinct minority here, and it is
refreshing. I never did get to church today, and I spent all day in
church!
After an afternoon break, I found a longtime friend, Tom Herrick, who is leading the church planting efforts for the Network. We talked for over an hour about planting churches from St Stephens. I was glad to have the chance for a long talk. Church planting is a major thrust here, and we need to think carefully about that future in our place.
I had dinner with friends: the Jones from Little Rock, John Rodgers, & Georgette Forney. We have two large dining rooms available to us, each seating 500 people. Dinner was served cafeteria style - great offerings of fruits and salads and breads and vegetables and meat and rice and desserts. Lots of time to catch up and say hello to many people as we moved through the lines and the tables. It has been a long time since I was in a conference where the faith of everyone was so evident and overflowing. There was much joy in the room.
The opening worship service was at 8 PM, in a room filled to the edges with some 1200 people, including 300 Bishops. It was hymns and Evening Prayer, and a keynote address from the Primate of Nigeria that repeatedly brought us to our feet. His talk was a lengthy history of the events that have brought us to this place. And a call to consider important questions before us. You can find the text at http://www.standfirminfaith.com/ As you read it, imagine 1200 people from all these nations, leaders and servants and believers in Christ listening carefully and responding enthusiastically. We finished with 'It is well with my soul', loudly sung to the Lord, loudly.
This is a most serious conference, with much at stake, among people who have all been saved by the gospel, among people who have suffered for the gospel, among people who are determined to live their lives for him who gave his life for us. It is a remarkable place and moment. I ask your prayers!
Tomorrow AM we go (all 1200 of us!!!) to the Mount of Olives for the morning.
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