Lambeth Conference Daily Account: Lexington Bishop Stacy Sauls
Episcopal News Service, Canterbury. July 17, 2008 [071708-06]
Bishop Stacy Sauls of the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, offers the following Daily Account as the bishops attending the 2008 Lambeth Conference concluded their first day of retreat July 17 in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral.
I think we're off to a very good start. I have an overwhelmingly positive feeling for today. A great deal of community building occurred among my brother and sister bishops. There was an air of optimism and hope.
It's not that we expect that all the problems of the Anglican Communion will be solved in the next two weeks, but an indispensable foundation for the future of the Anglican Communion will be laid.
The day began with Eucharist with singing. Then we gathered for Bible study, based on the prologue to John. The primary agenda for that was getting to know each other. I think the Bible studies will be incredibly enriching.
There is also a family reunion aspect to this Lambeth Conference. While most of the Episcopal Church bishops have not attended the Lambeth Conference before, we are connecting with others, including many bishops from around the world who we know in other contexts. In my case, I am connecting with people I met in Spain last summer, including those who are not facing the issues as I am, and I am delighted. There is joy in the reunion.
We then had the retreat in the Canterbury Cathedral. I don't think the Lambeth Conference has ever been started with a retreat. There are two aspects:
We begin in prayer and that gets spiritual priorities straight. Episcopal ministry ought to be grounded in prayer.
The second important thing is that it draws on the Archbishop of Canterbury's greatest strength, which is spirituality.
We were welcomed by the dean. There was singing, as has been characteristic of all our gatherings, from all over the world. There were two addresses by Archbishop Rowan. They were both thought-provoking.
We had a period of reflection which provided a time for prayer.
The overwhelming impression I have today is the singing in the cathedral. When the bishops sang, the sound would linger. It felt like the prayers of the bishops mingling with the hundreds of thousands of people who have preceded us.