As Anglican Christians around the world prepare to pray for the more than 800 bishops gathering for Lambeth Conference, beginning July 18 in Canterbury, it will be important for us to be aware of the themes which the bishops will consider as their agenda.

All diocesan bishops have received a copy of the following Section Working Groups, and have submitted their top choices for assignment to a particular group. Once assigned, each bishop will work with that group for the entire conference.

Section 1 is titled Called to Full Humanity, and includes sub-sections as follows: Human Rights and Human Dignity, The Environment, Human Sexuality, Modern Technology, Euthanasia, and International Debt and Economic Justice.

Section 2 is Called to Live and Proclaim the Good News, and Section 3: Called to be a Faithful Church in a Plural World.

Section 4, Called to be One, has the following sub-sections:

1. Toward a Vision of the Unity We Seek: Making Visible the Unity We Share,

2. Convergence in Faith and Order: Dialogues with Other Churches, and

3. Anglican Relations with New Churches and Independent Christian Groups.

As a parish priest and staff member of the communications team of Lambeth Conference, it has been my aim to inform the members of our parish and the readers of TLC of the background of the conference and the call to uphold our bishops in prayer. In order to further this understanding in our local parish, we asked our parishioners to consider the section working groups and make their own selection of which area they would most like to work with, as if they were attending the conference, and then to answer the question, "Why?" In this manner, we were able to draw out the issues which were most important to our members, while at the same time making them aware of the great breadth of material being covered at Lambeth.

At a recent clergy conference it became clear to me that our clergy were largely uninformed about the agenda for the conference. The Rt. Rev. Bruce Caldwell, Bishop of Wyoming, encouraged clergy to commit to pray for the conference and committed himself to enhancing communication with our diocese.

The Diocese of Wyoming is small enough (roughly 10,000 members) that we plan to inform the diocese through our diocesan newsletter, and to set up a communication line to receive the input from our diocese about the issues that concern them most. In this way, we hope to be able to "see" the conference through the eyes of our diocese, and prepare ourselves to respond to our diocese along those same lines when we return from the conference.

In this plan, there are several goals:

• to encourage people to pray by informing them.
• to encourage people to express their questions and concerns through a forum which allows them to know that their issues are being heard.
• to encourage people, once they have expressed their concerns, to celebrate the fullness of the agenda.
• to prepare to view the conference, not only for ourselves, but for those for whom we minister.
• to prepare to respond to our people with substantial information, along the lines they have requested.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has issued a specific call to all Anglicans to pray for the conference. We know that people do not pray for things they have no interest in. Therefore, efforts are being made to generate that genuine interest by supplying accurate information and creating a realistic communication network.

Obviously, the size of larger dioceses will prohibit Wyoming's methods from being implemented in other places. Yet, bishops and diocesan leaders are encouraged to use the remaining time before the conference to generate interest and to encourage prayer.

One strong means of connection between the conference and the rest of the world is found through Anglicans' unity in holy scripture.

Under the direction of Lambeth's chaplain, Bishop Roger Herft, of Newcastle, Australia, the book of 2 Corinthians will be the center of biblical reflection throughout the conference. Each bishop has been informed of this and has been encouraged to read and reflect upon this book prior to the conference.

Christians of all denominations, through two millennia, have been united through the scriptures. If this is true, then certainly our common prayer and study of this book can serve to unite all of our hearts with the bishops of Lambeth, as they gather and celebrate God's work in the Anglican Communion.

The Rev. David Duprey is rector of St. Peter's Church, Sheridan, Wyo.