+++Rowan stars in a silent movie for Christmas

I have to admit that I missed this little video of the Archbishop of Canterbury decorating the Lambeth Palace Christmas Tree with a group of primary school children.  The video is sped up, akin to a silent movie - and it is quite good.  It was posted on December 10th, but only 149 people had viewed it as of today - strange.  In any event, check it out:

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey



"St Stephen's C of E Primary School visited the Archbishop at Lambeth Palace on 3 December 2009 for a questions and answers session and to decorate the Christmas tree.


The Christmas trees at Lambeth Palace were provided by "Tomorrow's People" a charity which supports unemployed young people in Lambeth by teaching business and enterprise skills. For more information about Tomorrow's People click here: www.tomorrows-people.org.uk/

The tree decorations were hand made by pupils of St. Stephen's C of E Primary in Vauxhall. The trees were decorated by some of the children from St. Stephen's who were ably assisted by Archbishop Rowan.

The school children had a chance to speak to Archbishop Rowan and to ask questions about his role in the Church of England. Their questions included; "how many churches to you own?" "Do you play football on your days off?" and "who is your boss?""

Cantuar emerges from meditation: Lambeth Responds to new "province" of the Anglican Communion

Trying to figure out the latest episode in the drama that is unfolding in the Anglican Communion?

Ruth Gledhill, of the London Times, has some helpful links and a good article about the "Days of Our Lives" that is our Anglican Communion lately, check out her article if you want to know a bit more "As the World Turns."

It seems if you want to form a new province, you have to do more than declare it.

~Rev. Peter M. Carey

from the London Times Online

December 04, 2008

Lambeth Palace on new province as Gafcon primates fly in for summit

As we report, conservatives from The Episcopal Church 'have voted to form their own branch of Anglicanism in the United States. TitusOneNine has more details. Today Lambeth Palace, although not the Archbishop of Canterbury in person, has at last made a comment on this, and the comment at first glance seems to make it clear that this new province will not receive formal recognition any time soon. In fact it appears pretty brutal in its dismissal of the Common Cause initiative. Hong Kong, don't forget, was recognised extremely fast once its three dioceses decided to seek independence.

Lambeth Palace says: 'There are clear guidelines set out in the Anglican Consultative Council Reports, notably ACC 10 in 1996 (resolution 12), detailing the steps necessary for the amendments of existing provincial constitutions and the creation of new provinces.

'Once begun, any of these processes will take years to complete. In relation to the recent announcement from the meeting of the Common Cause Partnership in Chicago, no such process has begun.'

Nevertheless, it should be nopted that this resolution is just a guideline, and has never been formally incorporated into the Anglican Consultative Council constitution.

This all comes as the five Gafcon primates, Archbishops Akinola, Venables, Nzimbi, Kolini and Orombi, fly into London this afternoon and prepare to travel to Canterbury tomorrow, Friday, to meet Dr Williams to discuss the new province among other things.

The meeting has been arranged at the request of the five primates. Next month, I understand, the Gafcon primates will then meet with the primates of the Joint Standing Committee, Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori of TEC and Archbishops Morgan of Wales, Aspinall of Australia, Orombi of Uganda, Anis of Egypt and Dr Williams. At this meeting they will present the plan formally to the primates for consideration at the Primates Meeting which begins in Alexandria, Egypt the following day. But it is not at all clear whether this presentation will incorporate a formal request for recognition or not.

It appears the primates are reluctant to formally request recognition because they don't want to force the Archbishop of Canterbury into a decision that might go against them.

Read the rest HERE.