GAFCON IV: Moving between Hope & Grief

As I have processed my time at GAFCON, I agree with others who have noted that they have been moving between hope and grief. There was much at GAFCON that rekindled my hope for the future of the Anglican Communion and much that caused me to grieve. But I am so grateful for my time in Kigali which reminded me that our hope for the church is anchored in Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God, and not in our eloquence, wisdom, or abilities.

My hope was renewed by our corporate worship. I was particularly encouraged by our practice of beginning each day with a time for self-examination and corporate repentance. As Ashley Null reminded us, “Repentance is important to our liturgy because discipleship is a lifelong process of repentance.” And so it was encouraging to see those gathered at GAFCON pray together each morning to ask God to flood us with his love so that he might “reorient our priorities, alter our behaviors, and fill our loneliness and despair.” My prayer is that this spirit of repentance might spread beyond Kigali to our churches and revive our zeal for evangelism.

 My hope was renewed by hearing about the growth of the church from our sisters and brothers throughout the world. These included stories of the good news of Jesus Christ being proclaimed to new people groups, of miraculous healings and forgiveness, and of fresh efforts to disciple believers to maturity in Christ. I particularly appreciated the small interactions over teatime and meals which allowed me to dig deeper into these stories of God’s work in the world. These conversations were helpful reminders that the church faces similar pastoral challenges everywhere even if our local contours differ. 

 My hope was renewed at the prospect of a leadership structure for a reordered Anglican Communion that will reflect the ethnic diversity of the Anglican Communion. Throughout the week, I heard sisters and brothers speak about the need to be free to contextualize the gospel. They also spoke of this moment in the church’s story as an opportunity to address the wounds that colonialism and sexism have inflicted upon the church. I pray that a reshaped Anglican Communion might yield new opportunities for us to do that work of repair.

 I was grieved by divisions within the church which undermine the mission of the church. Aside from those highlighted in The Kigali Commitment, I was also struck by the deep disagreements among and within the represented provinces around the most appropriate responses to issues of sexuality and gender and how to affirm and encourage women (and our leadership) in our families, church, and society. For me, the GAFCON conference exposed the need for us to continue praying that God would fill us with the knowledge of his will so that we might live worthily and please him in all respects. (Col. 1:9-10 paraphrased.)

The Rev. Katie Hamlin is Associate Rector at Incarnation Anglican in Arlington, VA.