A postscript to the Lambeth Conference to the people and clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama by the Rt. Rev. Henry Parsley.

 

Lambeth Postscript: Aug. 15, 2008

As Becky and I prepare to return to Alabama, I am aware that there is considerably more that needs to be written about Lambeth 2008. An experience so rich and complex cannot be summarized in a few weeks or a few words. I will be addressing this in a future article in The Apostle later in the fall.

I would recall that early in the conference Archbishop Williams offered a seminal observation when he said that what the Anglican Communion needs most of all is "transformed relationships." This was the essence of Lambeth 2008. A transformation of relationships began there among the bishops and will need to continue in wider circles as we all appreciate more deeply the complex worldwide community in which we engage in God's mission together. There are many challenges ahead of us to be sure, especially in such areas as the proposed development of an Anglican Covenant, the ongoing

Windsor process, and addressing the Millennium Development Goals in our social witness. Our mutual loyalty to one another in Christ will be an essential element in rising to meet them.

As we all reflect upon the Lambeth Conference, I urge you to review the materials available on the Anglican Communion Web site, www.anglicancommunion. org, and find there many documents worth reading, including the three presidential addresses and the brilliant address to the conference by Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of England.

God bless you for the remainder of summer and for the new beginnings of fall,