Diverse in their languages, yet united by faith, more than 270 bishops, clergy and laity met in Toronto in late July for an international conference on Afro-Anglicanism. “History drew me to this conference, and its relevance for black Anglicans the world over,” said the Rev. Vernon LaFleur, a Guyanan living in Toronto.
The weeklong meeting got off to an inspiring start when Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town, South Africa, urged black Anglicans to share and live out the Southern African concept of ubuntu (“I am, because we are”) with the wider Anglican Communion.
"We will share ubuntu this week. We must share ubuntu with the Anglican Communion," said Ndungane in a sermon at the opening service. "Ubuntu means to live and care for others; to act kindly to one another; to be kind, just, fair, compassionate, trustworthy, honest; to assist those in need; and to uphold good morals," he said. "Ubuntu can only be experienced in richly varied community."
Afro-Anglicanism conferences began in 1985, when more than 200 black Anglicans from 17 countries and five continents met in Barbados. Recognizing that they shared many experiences and concerns in ministry, they decided to gather every 10 years.
Identity is fundamental
Participants, including nearly 30 youth and adults younger than 30, met under the theme “Celebrating the Gifts of Afro- Anglicanism.”
Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, retired Bishop Barbara Harris of Massachusetts, Ndungane and the Rev. John Peterson of Washington National Cathedral, former secretary general of the Anglican Consultative Council, led a discussion on the Anglican Communion and the global village.
“Communion is God’s own life embodied in a community of faith,” said Griswold. “At this time, we have gone beyond Anglican civility to a new place of really wrestling with differences in a much more substantial way. This is the only way in which we can actually discover what God is up to in one another’s realities.”
Harris called the Anglican Communion a fragile marriage of autonomous churches. “I hope we will, in good faith, wrestle with [our] issues in their broader context and not become so focused on one or another aspect of an issue, such as human sexuality, that we ignore the broader concern that needs to be addressed.
Stressing the urgency and relevance of the Millennium Development Goals, Peterson said, “For us not to tackle the problem of hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS and malaria is scandalous It seems to me to not consider or attempt to deal with the reasons is actually a nail in our coffin.”
Peterson charged those gathered to make this their top agenda. “If we don’t do this,” he said, “I believe as a communion we are failing our churches, our people, the ecumenical community and this great communion, and no wonder there is terrorism today.”
Youthful voices
Young people made their voices heard during daily sessions and at a panel discussion in which the Rev. Michael Clarke of the British Virgin Islands used the story of Elijah’s challenge to the young Elisha to illustrate that, to be relevant to today’s youth, the church must provide effective tools that develop a wider perspective of faith.
“We are the prophets of our church,” Clarke said. “We are the ones to call young people on their journey.”Youth panelists included Tammy Taylor of Canada and Kebalepile Matlhako of South Africa, who shared perspectives on what the church must do to retain the young.
“Opening the doors of the churches to youth is important,” Taylor said. “Give youth a voice in the Anglican Church.”The lack of a platform for youth is causing them to leave, Matlhako said. “We like shortcuts, and we can be impatient. But we need you adults to be more patient and listen to us so we can explore ideas together.”
The Rev. Jayne Oasin, social justice officer at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, said she left the conference feeling hopeful.
“The feeling of unity, not uniformity, make me hopeful, because I was afraid that our differences with respect to different issues would be greater than our unity of purpose. But I left feeling that we had an increased ability to face some of the tougher societal issues such as poverty and famine.”
The conference lived out ubuntu, said Matlhako. “We managed to come out with one statement that represents all the differing views.”
The six-part statement and resolutions, called the Toronto Accord, summarized major areas of concern and gives direction for Afro-Anglicans until the next conference in 2015. Diana Mavunduse also contributed to this article.
