Durham Diocese was represented at key meeting to promote intercultural worshipping communities.
The Revd Canon Eileen Harrop delivered a seminar summary at the 2nd Anglican Network of Intercultural Churches (ANIC) Conference, which was hosted by Leicester Diocese from 20 to 22 March.
Eileen, who is priest in charge of Ingleton St John with Staindrop St Mary, serves as a UK Minority Ethnic Advisor. She was joined at the conference by the Revd Canon Nicky Chater, also of Durham Diocese, who is Chair of Gypsy Roma Traveller Friendly Churches.
The premise of the network, which was launched a year ago, is Jesus’ commission that we, his disciples in and from the Church, “go and make disciples of all nations.”
Three days engaging, sharing, worshipping, and learning from one another, made for an uplifting, challenging, and glorious time with more than 200 delegates of almost as many ethnicities, nationalities, cultural backgrounds, and languages, from dioceses across the whole Church of England.
As well as presenting a seminar summary, Eileen also assisted at the closing Eucharist.
ANIC was founded by The Rt Revd Dr Tim Wambunya, an Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Oxford. Trustees include Bishop Martyn Snow, Diocesan Bishop of Leicester, who is also member of the Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns – the Church of England committee tasked with working alongside the Racial Justice Unit to challenge racism and prejudice.
There have recently been conversations nationally about issues such as ‘whiteness’ and historic Church links to Trans-Atlantic Slavery, and also that Queen Anne’s Bounty, a predecessor fund of the Church Commissioners’ endowment, had links with African chattel enslavement.
To find out more about ANIC and about these issues, contact Eileen Reverend@gainfordwinston.church
Photos
Top: The Revd Canon Eileen Harrop and the Revd Canon Nicky Chater at the Intercultural Conference.
Right: Eileen delivers her seminar summary at the conference.
Left: Online publicity material from ANIC gets the message across.