OCKB/CECB

The Chaplain-President currently serves as the Chair of the Consultation of Christian Churches in Belgium. This includes representatives from the Roman Catholic Church, the United Protestant Church, the Anglican Church and the Orthodox Church, with the Federal Synod of Evangelical Churches sending an observer. They met on 1 June 2023 at the Koekelberg Basilica. The ongoing war in Ukraine and how churches can help was discussed, which will be explored at the national ecumenical study day in Antwerp in December.

Conference at Comece

On 31 May, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, attended a conference at COMECE, "Grounded in the present, skilled for the future", on how Churches and voluntary organisations can aid young Europeans to access the jobs-market by offering skills-training in areas which are ethically and environmentally coherent with human rights. As usual at such conferences, there was also the opportunity for useful talk and discussion with colleagues in the coffee-breaks.

Article 17 Dialogue

On 30 May, the Chaplain-President, acting in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, attended a meeting of the low-level Article 17 Dialogue between the European Commission and the faiths and convictions. The meeting's theme was how to build antiracist and religiously inclusive organisations, and many good ideas were shared.

AGM of St John's Church Gent

On 29 May, the feast of Pentecost, the Chaplain-President was delighted to celebrate Holy Communion at St John's Church Gent (surely the finest and most beautiful Anglican church in Europe), assisted by the Revd Kayode Sopeju, the assistant chaplain there. The sermon was given by Mr Colin De Pelsmaker, a trainee lay reader whose training is being supervised by the Chaplain-President. The service was followed by a convivial lunch in church, which was in turn followed by the annual general meeting of the parish, which the Chaplain-President chaired on behalf of Archdeacon Sam van Leer.

Vlaamse kerkraden lente 2023

Op 25 mei 2023 waren alle anglicaanse kerkraden vertegenwoordigd op zoom om op te volgen over de kerkraad verkiezingen 2023 en voor het eerst ooit hoe een kerkraad de resultaten digitaal moet vermelden.

Daarnaast hebben we ook gesproken over:

  • Kerkraad budgetten voor 2024

  • Wat mag (en mag niet) een kerkraad doen tijdens openstaande vacature voor de bedienaar van de eredienst

  • Een proefproject van een professionaliseeringstraject voor eredienstenbestuur door Thomas More Hogeschool, de Vlaamse overheid en FOD Justitie.

  • Veiligheidsadviseurs voor alle parochies

  • verwelkoming vluchtelingen in Leuven

Anglican Church at the EKD

On 25 May, the Chaplain-President, in his role as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, represented the Anglican Church at an event during a meeting of the Council of the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, which was convening in Brussels. Pastor Dr Annette Kurschus, president of the Protestant Church of Westphalia and vice-president of the Council of the EKD, gave a fascinating lecture on the current state of European politics and Church life, which was followed by a buffet supper.

Central Committee involved in Anglican summer school in Utrecht

Following extensive planning by Bishop Mark, the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (to which our parish in Waterloo-Lasne and our missions in Mons and Charleroi are attached) is organising a summer school at the University of Utrecht from 16-21 July on the theme of "Anglicanism in European Perspective". The Chaplain-President will lecture on Anglican ethics, Anglican sacramental theology, Anglican socialism and European Anglicanism during this full week of lectures, seminars, worship and fellowship. For information about how to register on the summer school, please consult this page: Summer School in Anglican Theology - University of Utrecht | The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (tec-europe.org) We are very grateful to Virginia Theological Seminary (Virginia Theological Seminary (vts.edu)) and Trinity Church Wall Street (Trinity Church Wall Street (trinitywallstreet.org)) for their help in the organisation of this summer school.

The Churches grapple with a difficult past...

On 9 May, the Chaplain-President, as Professor of History at FUTP Bruxelles, led a session of the Ecole Doctorale on his latest historical research on the active role of the Churches in the colonisation and systematic pillaging of Senegal and in the enslaving of its people. In order to act better in the future, the Churches need to be frank and honest about the past. The Central Committee commits itself to play a full part in this process, however difficult and embarrassing this process proves to be.

Commentating the coronation of the King of England on television

On 6 May, the Chaplain-President spent no less than six hours live on LN24 as part of the team commentating the coronation of King Charles III. This mammoth session did give him the chance to explain the meaning of the ritual of coronation and King Charles' dual role as head of the British State and supreme governor of the Church of England. The commentating team did feel by the end of the broadcast that they had become firm friends!

Reception at the British Embassy for the coronation of the King of England

On 5 May, the Chaplain-President was honoured to attend a supper reception at the British Embassy to mark the coronation of King Charles III. Bishop Robert, Canon John Wilkinson and several ecumenical friends also attended. The Chaplain-President was pleased to note the multiple references at the embassy to the close relationship between King Charles and his fourth cousin our King Philippe.

Service in Brussels for the coronation of the King of England

On 4 May, the Chaplain-President and Secretary-General were pleased to attend, alongside the presidents of Belgian Judaism and Islam, the secretary-generals of the Catholic Bishops' Conference and of the United Protestant Church, other Catholic and Orthodox guests, the Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador of the United Kingdom and the Ambassador of Canada, a service of prayer for the coronation of King Charles III at Holy Trinity Brussels. The service featured several of the languages used in Commonwealth countries and concluded with the national anthems of the UK and of Belgium. A champagne reception followed.

CAGO AGM

Op 3 mei vond de jaarlijkse vergadering van het Comité godsdienstonderwijs (CAGO) vzw plaats. De voorzitster moest zich verontschuldigen waardoor de kapelaan-voorzitter haar moest vervangen. CAGO heeft het verslag van de inspecteur-adviseur gehoord en de financiën van 2022 zijn goedgekeurd. Met veel dank heeft het comité het ontslag van Kanunnik Andrew Wagstaff goedgekeurd en wij wensen hem veel gezondheid en vreugde met zijn pensioen.

Official visit to the Maison d'Izieu (France)

On 29 and 30 April, the Chaplain-President was humbled and honoured to represent the Anglicans of Belgium at the official visit of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles to the Maison d'Izieu, Mémorial des Enfants Juifs Exterminés, near Lyon, expertly led by Minister-President Pierre-Yves Jeholet. On 6 April 1944, the Gestapo arrested 44 Jewish children (including 10 Belgians) and 6 adults at a remote farmhouse where they had been in hiding. All but one were subsequently murdered by the Nazis. The farmhouse managed nonetheless to save 60 Jewish children during WW2. The intensive two-day visit by the Minister-President, his cabinet, the Chefs de Culte and several classes of Belgian schoolchildren included several public commemorations, participation in the workshops organised for the pupils, meetings with local acteurs in interfaith dialogue and very high levels of local hospitality. Minister-President Jeholet gave a speech at one of the commemorations which the Chaplain-President felt was among the best speeches he had ever heard. The Central Committee was privileged to take part in this visit and to explore with others how to build a Europe in which the horrors of 1944 will not be repeated. The current war in Ukraine reminds us that this ideal is very far from being realised. Accueil - Maison d'Izieu (memorializieu.eu).

For further informations, here is a link to the report of the local newspaper "L'Avenir” whose journalists followed pupils from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Herve) to Izieu.

Europe-Africa academic links

On 27 April, the Chaplain-President took a session of PhD supervision with two of his doctoral students, Nathan Ngoy (working on the colonialist character of British missionary activity in Congo-Kinshasa) and Silvère Olongo (working on contemporary Protestant attitudes towards LGBT people in Cameroon). All three researchers are active in Cares Brussels, a new research-group which focuses on Europe-Africa theological links. Les membres du CARES – caresbrussels.org

Article 17 Dialogue

On 27 April, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, met Dr Nicola Censini, coordinator of the European Parliament's Article 17 dialogue between the EU and the religious and humanist communities of Europe (as opposed to Dr Vincent Depaigne, who handles this dossier for the European Commission). A full and deep discussion was held about how the Anglican Church can remain a stakeholder in this dialogue after the departure of the UK (with its tens of millions of Anglicans) from the EU.

Professionaliseeringstraject Thomas More

De Vlaamse overheid werkt samen met Thomas More hogeschool te Mechelen om een professionaliseeringstraject te lanceren voor eredienst besturen. Levensbeschouwelijke vertegenwoordigers zijn samengekomen op 25 april 2023 in Mechelen om wat feedback te geven en vragen te stellen. De secretaris-generaal was aanwezig namens de anglicaanse kerk. Hij kijk uit om meer details te delen onder de anglicaanse parochies in de komende maanden.