by Christopher Took

On Friday 19 September, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, greeted over 2,000 people at the opening session of the fourth National Evangelical Anglican Congress (NEAC4) in Blackpool, England.

The Archbishop was introduced by the chairman of the Church of England Evangelical Council and NEAC4, the Ven Dr Paul Gardner, Archdeacon of Exeter.

"We hope that this congress will help us be much clearer in our understanding that we are part of the Anglican Communion worldwide," said Dr Gardner in his opening address. In an oblique reference to some evangelicals who had threatened to boycott the congress if the Archbishop of Canterbury attended, Dr Gardner said, "We know that there have even been differences of opinion among some about this opening session," as he went on to encourage everyone to listen, and debate the issues without attacking personalities.

Enthusiastic applause from the whole conference acknowledged the Archbishop's presence even before he appeared on the stage. In his introduction, Dr Gardner reminded the congress of the Archbishop's frequent calls for the church to be more mission-minded and to reach out with the love of Christ in a relevant way. "We are aware that this is a critical time in our Anglican communion, and so we especially want to assure you of our prayers for wisdom as you lead the Communion," he said. Dr Gardner also mentioned the particular pressures the Archbishop and his wife faced in the situation to which they have been called.

The Archbishop began by thanking the congress for its generous welcome, and received further applause and laughter when he said he had resisted the temptation to give a Bible study on the prayer book translation of Psalm 71 - "I am become as it were a monster unto many"!

Instead, Dr Williams talked about the three words of the conference theme: Bible, Cross and Mission. Beginning with the importance of hearing what God says, he said, "Even the church can become a huge conspiracy to avoid listening to God," reflecting on the way our fallen nature can affect our relationship with God and our ability to hear what God is saying about himself.

"When God witnesses to himself, he doesn't first tell us about things in our world, he first tells us who he is," said the Archbishop, continuing to quote Hebrews 1:3. "The eternal Word of God is the Son, the exact likeness of God's own being."

The Archbishop described how God has told us who he is in the Bible, and most strikingly he tells us who he is through the Cross. He continued by saying that "God is witnessing to his own actions in our Mission through the words and actions we perform".

Dr Williams summed up his message by saying that in discovering who God is in Bible, Cross and Mission, only then will "we discover who we are - created by love, ruined by sin, forgiven and transfigured by suffering and sacrifice...so it is given to us to be with Jesus where he is."

The Archbishop prefaced his concluding prayer by saying, "I pray that this gathering will renew everyone's eagerness to listen to God speaking his nature and his name in such a way that others will be able to hear, and believe and give thanks."

Reaction to the Archbishop's presence and words from congress participants was positive. "It was important that if [the Archbishop] attended, that he was welcomed warmly," commented one vicar from the North of England, who said he was pleased the reception for Dr Williams had been so generous. There was some disappointment, though, that the Archbishop was unable to stay for longer, as he had to return to London that same evening.

NEAC4 is the first gathering in its line for 16 years, but is similar in style to the first and second NEACs of 1967 (held at Keele) and 1977 (Nottingham). The third meeting in 1987 at a holiday camp in Caister-on-Sea was designed more as a celebration than a congress.

This conference, which has been planned for the last two and a half years, comes at a time when the Anglican world faces many challenges in relation to its mission, organisation and effectiveness. While the secular media seems only to be interested in issues of human sexuality, the programme for NEAC4 is very wide ranging and covers many areas of church and Christian life.

The conference theme is summed up in its strapline of "Fanning the Flame: Bible, Cross and Mission." As well as keynote addresses in plenary sessions, there are also many workshops and seminars planned.

The conference continues until Tuesday 23 September. More information about NEAC4 can be found on the congress web site at www.neac.info.