The triennial CPWI Synod is scheduled to take place in Barbados from November 13-20, under the theme “Anglicans: Celebrating and Sharing Our Gifts for Mission and Ministry.” Members of Synod who are expected to attend from Jamaica include the Bishops, Rev. Canon Georgia “Grace” Jervis, Very Rev. Collin Reid, Sister Claudette Marshall, Mrs. Desiree Charles (Cayman), and Mr. Oteino Channer (Youth Representative).
In preparation for the Synod, the Design Team, chaired by Rt. Rev. Robert Thompson, Bishop of Kingston, has selected three papers for study ahead of the Meeting. These are summarised as follows:
- Socio-economic context by Professor Patrick Bryan, retired head of the Department of History, UWI, Mona. This paper comments on the socio-economic context in which the Anglican Church in the Caribbean currently operates and invites us to contemplate the missional challenges confronting the church in these unsettling times.
- Social Enterprise and Equity: Laughing In Stormy Weather by Professor Emeritus Neville C. Duncan. The Professor encourages us to take some practical steps in promoting alternative economic activities. Embracing his ideas of “social enterprise and equity”, the church could play a major role in helping Caribbean people “to laugh and dance in stormy weather”.
- Missional Imperatives for the Anglican Church in the Caribbean by The Most Rev. Drexel Gomez, retired Archbishop, Province of the West Indies. He reminds every baptized Anglican why it is appropriate to celebrate the Gifts we bring to our Christian witness in these times.
We must celebrate these gifts, not because we believe it is the only way of being Christian – which it clearly is not – but because Anglicans possess a variety of gifts that can enrich Christian mission.
It is hoped that representatives from each Diocese will arrive at the Synod already prepared to engage in productive discussion and action. As in the case of previous meetings, the work of the Synod will take place in five clusters, each focusing on one of the Five Marks of Mission under the Theme. Each Diocese is expected to come prepared to share its work in each Cluster Group. Consideration should be given to the following:
- How do external influences impact our culture and Christian lifestyle?
- How far can our individual gifts impact the life, health and continuity of the church?
- What are the restraining issues influencing our stewardship?
- How far do we accept the application of innovative technology in communicating the Gospel message?
- How do we revision the life and vibrancy of Christian missionary activity?
- Recognising our disparate geographic locations and plural cultures, how can we move on in response to entrepreneurship, alternative scripts, a transformative gospel and generation gaps?
The Synod meets every three years and the participating territories include Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Nassau and the Bahamas, Northeastern Caribbean and Aruba, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Windward Islands.
