Think outside the bus, Bishop Poggo urges

THE secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Anthony Poggo, received a warm welcome from the floor, before giving his guest address on Thursday of last week. He praised the Church in Wales — “a valued member of the Communion” — for its commitment to issues such as the environment and gender justice, and described the part played by the Anglican Communion Office (ACO) as one of enablement: “to serve and strengthen our common life”.

Speaking about mission, he referred to the Anglican Church of Kenya as an example of large-scale church growth; he recalled his own studies in Nairobi in the early 1990s, boarding a bus that the driver cheerfully described as being “as empty as an Anglican church”. Kenya had had to be innovative, he said. “Don’t close your mind. . . Think [about] different models to help grow and revive churches — think [about] different ways of being church.”

North Korea ‘the most costly place’ to be Christian

A PRESENTATION by Jim Stewart about the charity Open Doors UK highlighted its World Watch List, which ranks 50 countries in which Christians face the highest recorded levels of persecution. Top of the list was North Korea, he said — “the most costly place to be a Christian” — where it was illegal even to own a Bible, and where Christians were killed or sent to labour camps, he said. Somalia, “where even to be suspected of being a Christian puts you in danger”, came second, and Libya, third. One in seven Christians worldwide faced high levels of persecution, either through the “smash” or “squeeze” effect, he said. Despite these levels, however, the Church was growing in resilience in some areas, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Feedback on Governing Body’s business

A CONCLUDING 20-minute round-table discussion on the frequency, effectiveness, and future format of Governing Body meetings allowed for some brief feedback. Suggestions for future debate included highlighting cultural issues relevant to Wales; studying what could be learned from churches, such as Cardiff’s Citizen and Hope Street churches, about growth in areas of social deprivation; the international supply of weapons (given the presence of BAE Systems in Monmouth); and, from a table describing itself as “mostly young”, a request for young voices to be heard in a structured way on matters such as social justice. There was appreciation of the Bible-study and worship elements, and of the meeting’s informal networking opportunities.