ANGLICAN CONGRESS Bishops' Plan To Unite 18 Churches

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30213, 19 August 1963, Page 11

ANGLICAN CONGRESS Bishops' Plan To Unite 18 Churches

(KJt. Preu Assn.—Copyright) TORONTO, Aug. 17. Anglican Church leaders called on their 44 million followers around the world today to support a new plan of action designed to replace parochialism with “a truly global operation.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Michael Ramsey. presented the Anglican Congress with a programme drawn up by a meeting of Bishops, who said it could mean "ths death at much

that is familiar about our churches now . . . the birth of entirely new relationships. The Bishops' programme tor "mutual responsibility and initer-dependence” in the 18-church Anglican Communion would pool the resources of the churches and share them out on the basis of a world-wide survey of priorities. The immediate aim is to boost mission funds of the Communion by 30 per cent in the next five years—ls million dollars extra on top of the 50 million dollars budgeted for overseas work in the period—to meet existing needs and commitments, particularly m Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The long-range programme, designed to replace piecemeal operations carried on separately by individual groups of churches, would co-ordinaite the allocation of money and manpower on a world scale. Bishop Stephen Bayne, executive officer of the Anglican Communion, said the programme sought to alter the traditional view of mission work as a charitable enterprise carried out by the church in the West for young churches in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He said mutual assistance would flow in all directions throughout the Communion. While the main financial burden would be borne by the richer Western churches,

return, contributions in men and ideas would be essential in making the church truly cosmopolitan. Bishop Bayne said Indian and African clergy already were working in England. He suggested Asian and African teachers in Western schools and seminaries would inject fresh ideas into the church. In comments to reporters outside the congress meeting. Bishop Bayne suggested that "the wavering witness of some Episcopalians in the United States on the racial issue might be stiffened by a shot in the arm from African Christians who learned by experience how to confront it” The Bishops, in their ap-

peal, asked individual churches to alter their system of budgeting or seeking help with a “radical change" in outlook—balancing the needs of the whole Communion against local wishes. As one bishop explained kt: "The individual church would decide whether its desire for a new organ took precedence over the need to train a new clergyman for West Africa or build a new school in Northern Canada.” Bishop Bayne said outside the congress: “This programme will either be the biggest lead balloon in the Anglican Communion or it will be the most Huportanut step forward in its history.”