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News
ECUMENICAL
FORUM OF EUROPEAN CHRISTIAN WOMEN
Mrs
Dorothy Knights, a member of the Society, would like members
to know about a seminar:
Theology from
a Gender Perspective in a Protestant Country
to be held in Scottish
Churches House, Dunblane; Scotland, (an ecumenical centre owned
by the churches)
21st-25th April 2008
Cost 225 Euros
This seminar is the
third in a series and follows on directly from the one held
in St.Petersburg which was centred on an Orthodox country. We
are fortunate in that the Moderator of the General Assembly
of the Church of Scotland, Rev.Sheilagh Kesting, the first woman
minister to hold this position, will be able to join us during
the seminar, along with theologians from different Protestant
backgrounds. There will be an opportunity to visit the Scottish
Parliament, guided by the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Officer,
Graham Blount, and to see a little of the country itself. Other
speakers will be Dr. Lesley Orr McDonald, University lecturer,
published author and member of the Iona Community, Heather Walton,
lecturer in practical theology at Glasgow University, and the
Very Rev. Alan McDonald of St. Andrews, a former Moderator of
the General Assembly.
You can download a
registration form or scholarship application form on www.efecw.net/projects.html
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Icelandic
Branch formally launched
On 14th March 2008, sixteen months after
the exploratary gathering described below, the first meeting
of the Icelandic Branch of the Society took place in Neskirja
in Reykjavik.
The Bishop of Skalholt addressed the gathering,
a report of the Dublin Conference was given, and the Revs Bjarni
Bjarnason and Orn Bardur Jonsson shared their experiences of
working in the United Kingdom and Spain under the Porvoo arrangements.
Then Addsa Steina Bjornsdottir gave an update
on ecumenical affairs in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Iceland.
So the new divison of the Anglican-Lutheran
Society in Iceland has been officially launched. The board members
are the Rev Bjarni Thor Bjarnason (National Co-ordinator), the
Rev. Lena Ros Matthiasdottir, Jon Omar Gunnarsson and Haraldur
Hreinsson. They will work together in promoting the work of
the Society. For further details contact the Rev Bjarni Bjarnason
srbjarni@grafarvogskirkja.is
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The
2007 Conference
was held in Dublin, Ireland
from Friday 7th to Tuesday 11th September
'Aspects of Reconciliation'
This was a broad topic and with the help
of an international panel of speakers we explored a wide range
of theological, political, sociological and ecclesiological
challenges confronting our Churches today. There were plenty
of opportunities to meet people engaged at first hand in different
parts of the world in all kinds of aspects of the work of reconciliation.
We explored the city of Dublin and to enjoyed some of Ireland's
beautiful countryside.
For a report of the Conference
click here.
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Icelandic
Lutherans express interest in the Society
Steinunn Arnþrúður
Björnsdóttir is Ecumenical and Communications Officer
for the Evangelical Church of Iceland. Here she describes a
significant meeting that took place recently in Iceland
Twenty five people gathered
on a Friday morning in November 2006 in the church of Grafarvogur,
a suburb in Reykjavik, to disuss the possibility of establishing
an Icelandic branch of the Anglican Lutheran Society.
Among those present were the
bishop of Iceland, the Most Rev. Karl Sigurbjörnsson, the
suffragan bishop of Holar, the Rt. Rev. Jon A. Baldvinsson,
and the British Ambassador in Iceland, His Excellency Alp Mehmet.
Canon Dick Lewis, Vicar of Christ
Church and St. Mark's in Watford, England, and a member of the
ALS committee, gave a very lively introduction to the Anglican
Lutheran Society. He stressed that it is a society for the ordinary
pastor or lay person as well as for people with special responsibility
for ecumenism within their Churches.
Establishing friendships between
Anglicans and Lutherans has always been an important aspect
of the Society's work. Dick illustrated how this was achieved
in a variety of ways. Conferences provide opportunities for
considering important topics and sharing worship in a holiday
atmosphere that enables people to get to know one another. From
those contacts mutual exchanges become possible between individual
members and then between the Lutheran or Anglican congregations
to which they belong. Whatever form these exchanges may take,
visits or personal communication, they help to expand horizons
and create networks of prayer.
It was clear from the frequent
bouts of laughter that the audience was not merely being informed
but engaged and also entertained - a good start for what we
hope will become a strong Icelandic presence in the Anglican
Lutheran Society.
Siggi Arnason,
Bjarni Bjarnason, Bishop Karl Sigurbjörnsson, Canon Dick
Lewis and Bishop Jon Baldvinsson at the
meeting in Reykjavik.
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