Southwark Clergy Meet Together

10 Mar 2005

Members of the clergy in Southwark Diocese met together in Southwark Cathedral on Thursday 3 March to consider : Ecclesiology: What Kind Of Church Are We?

The Study Day was led by the Bishops of the Diocese. The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Tom Butler, introduced the day and set the scene, The Bishop of Croydon, the Rt. Rev. Nick Baines spoke on Scripture, The Bishop of Kingston, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Richard Cheetham spoke on Reason and the Bishop Elect of Woolwich, the The Venerable. Christopher Chessun spoke on Tradition.

[Text of talks]

In stimulating addresses each spoke of the Church in its context today and explored how unity can be maintained during this time of change and disagreement.

The subject of the Study Day resulted from discussions at the three hundred strong Southwark Diocesan Clergy Conference held in October 2004, at this gathering questions about the nature of the Church were seen as increasingly important in the light of the current debates within the Church here and worldwide.

Speaking of the day, Bishop Tom said, "Our annual gathering to reflect is always a good time for learning and discussing together and to spend time in fellowship with our colleagues. This year's subject is especially significant as the Church continues to grapple with what it means to be Christian and Anglican in the 21st Century".

Ends.