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Following the inspiring Lambeth Conference in which former Peterborough clergy, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell and Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani played an important part; Bishop John was delighted to welcome our Korean link Bishops to the diocese. Bishop John said, ‘I believe the Church is called to be a sign to the world of what God dreams for all creation. We saw that dream realised during the conference as over 1000 astonishingly diverse Christian leaders shared life, faith, Bible study, prayer and the occasional disagreement. The sense of love and hope was inspirational.’ Every diocese in the Church of England has one or more links with a diocese in another part of the Anglican Communion. These links are expressed through regular communication including exchange visits, and links between schools and parishes. The Peterborough Diocese has been linked with South Korea since 2011 and there have been trips to and from Korea with bishops, priests and laity travelling both ways to share experiences, discuss mutual interests and establish parish links. The Lambeth conference provided an opportunity for Archbishop Peter, Bishop of Seoul, Bishop Moses, Bishop of Daejeon, and Bishop Onesimus, Bishop of Busan to visit Northampton and Kettering travelling to churches and exploring local history and industry. |
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Left to right: Bishop Moses, Bishop of Daejeon, Bishop Onesimus, Bishop of Busan, Bishop John, Keli Watts Mayor of Kettering, David Walsh, Archbishop Peter, Bishop of Seoul, Song Woo Hur, wife of Bishop Moses. |
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The Bishops visited Cafe Emm at Emmanuel Church |
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One visit was to Emmanuel Church in Northampton, which with its unusual location in a shopping centre is similar to many urban churches in South Korea. The Bishops also spent time with Revd Byung Jun Kim, Rector of Abington Church, who trained for ordination at Anglican University Seoul before moving to England and serving his curacy at All Saints Peterborough. Bishop John said of the visit; ‘Sharing some of the wonderful life-changing work of our local churches with Korean friends was another lovely sign of God's longing for all his children to flourish. It was beautiful.’ |