The Anglican-Lutheran International Co-ordinating Committee (ALICC) held its second meeting at the Mariners’ Club, Hong Kong, 19 to 25 November 2014, under the leadership of the Rt Revd Dr Tim Harris of the Anglican Church of Australia (acting co-chair as Archbishop Mauricio was unable to attend), and of Bishop Michael Pryse of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
The meeting was hosted by the Anglican Communion and the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. The Committee warmly appreciated the generosity and the hospitality received from the Mission to Seafarers.
The Committee continued its work of mapping Anglican and Lutheran relationships around the world. In order to fulfill its role to be a catalyst for such relationships, it drew up a template of the differing patterns of relationships and the contexts in which they are lived out. For example, some are national churches meeting with other national churches, while others share the same geography. Some have relatively the same demographics, while in other places one church is much larger than the other. The Committee hopes to provide examples of the kinds of joint initiatives which might be appropriate for some rather than others.
The Committee is exploring the theological theme of ‘communion in mission’, and hopes to provide resources for deeper mutual engagement with this theme, which undergirds the living out of the ecumenical calling.
This meeting in particular developed plans for resources through which Lutherans and Anglicans can commemorate together the year 1517, a moment of greater direct significance for Lutherans, but one which launched a wider reforming movement into wrestling with what it means for the Church to be both catholic and reformed. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) theme for the year 2017 is ‘Liberated by God’s Grace’ and includes the subthemes of ‘salvation not for sale’, ‘creation not for sale’ and ‘human beings not for sale’. ALICC will encourage Anglicans to use the resources being produced by the LWF in ways that are appropriate for them in their contexts. The Committee is also planning to produce a devotional resource for use by individuals and communities, using ALICC’s theological themes: communion in mission and diakonia, within the framework of the LWF themes (as above). Liturgical resources will also be developed.
On Sunday, members of the Committee were welcomed and enriched by attending the Sunday Eucharist at the Martinson Memorial Lutheran Church. In the afternoon it was their joy to participate in the consecration of The Revd Canon Dr Timothy Chi-pei Kwok as Bishop of Eastern Kowloon at St John’s Cathedral, and in the banquet that followed. They are deeply grateful to Archbishop Paul Kwong and to the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui for their generous hospitality.
The Committee appreciated a fruitful meeting with Dr Gareth Jones of Ming Hua Theological College and discussed matters relating to Anglican theological education.
The Committee was welcomed to the Lutheran Theological Seminary where Dr Nicholas Tai, one of its members, is on the faculty. They took part in morning devotions, heard about the history and development of the college and its contribution to the formation of church leaders in mainland China and in the Mekong Delta, and ate lunch with students and faculty.
The next meeting of ALICC will be in 2015, hosted by the Lutheran World Federation.
Members of ALICC:
Anglicans:
The Most Revd Maurício Andrade, Brazil (Co-Chair) Unable to be present
The Revd Dalcy Dlamini, Swaziland, Southern Africa
The Rt Revd Dr Tim Harris, Australia, (Acting Co-Chair)
The Revd Augusta Leung, Hong Kong
The Revd Canon John Lindsay, Scotland
The Revd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Anglican Communion Office (Co-Secretary)
The Revd Neil Vigers, Anglican Communion Office
Lutherans:
Bishop Michael Pryse, Canada (Co-Chair)
Rev. Ángel Furlan, Argentina Unable to be present
Rev. Joyceline Fred Njama, Tanzania
The Ven. Canon Helene Tärneberg Steed, Sweden and Ireland
Rev. Anne Burghardt, Lutheran World Federation (Co-Secretary)
Prof. The Rev. Dr Nicholas Tai, Hong Kong China
聖公宗─信義宗國際協調委員會
香港
二零一四年十一月19-25日
公報
聖公宗與信義宗國際協調委員會(ALICC)於本年十一月十九日至二十五日在香港尖沙嘴海員之家舉行第二屆會議，因聯席主席巴西聖公會安德萊德大主教(The Most Revd Maurício Andrade)未能出席，故該會議由澳洲聖公會哈里斯主教(The Rt Revd Dr Tim Harris)及加拿大信義會米高‧派斯主教(Bishop Michael Pryse)聯席主持。
是次會議由普世聖公宗及香港聖公會招待，該委員會也對海員傳道會的慷慨款待表達謝意。
委員會繼續其繪製世界各地的聖公宗與信義宗關係的工作。為了實現其成為兩個教會關係的催化劑角色，它制定了兩個教會關係在不同處境中的不同模式。例如，有些是以國家教會的模式與另一個國家教會的模式交往的；而這兩個教會也可能同時處於同一個國家或地區內。兩個教會在某些地區中會友人數比例較為相近；在其他地方則一個教會比另一個人數較多。委員會希望提供各種可行的聯合行動，讓兩個教會在適合的平台上交往。
該委員會正在探索「在使命中共融」的神學主題，並希望提供資源，加深相互在這個主題上的工作，藉此加強活出普世大公教會合一的呼召。
在是次會議中，委員會開展計劃尋找資料，藉此信義宗及聖公宗能共同紀念1517年(改教運動五百周年)，這個對信義宗較大意義的時刻，卻又藉此拓展一個更廣闊不斷的改革，探索教會既是大公又是改革的意義。世界信義宗聯合會(LWF)將於2017年的大會主題定為「藉上帝恩典得自由」並包括其副標題定為「救恩不是商品」、「上帝的創造不是商品」和「人類不是商品」，委員會(ALICC)將鼓勵聖公宗人士在適合他們的處境情況下，使用世界信義宗聯合會所製作的資料。委員會亦會按ALICC的神學主題：「在使命與社關服侍中共融」，並在上述LWF的主題內，製作靈修資料作為個人和團體使用，並會一同製作相關的禮儀資料。
在十一月二十三日的主日，委員會各成員參加了基督教香港信義會馬氏紀念禮拜堂的聖餐崇拜，受到熱烈的歡迎和得着餵養。在當天下午又於香港聖公會聖約翰座堂高興地出席郭志丕法政牧師祝聖為主教和及後的晚宴，他們特別感謝鄺保羅大主教和香港聖公會的慷慨招待。
委員會很高興能與香港聖公會明華神學院院長鍾嘉文博士有一個富有成果的會面，並討論關於聖公會的神學教育事情。
委員會參觀了信義宗神學院並得該院熱烈歡迎，委員會的成員之一戴浩輝博士為該院教授，他們參與該院的早禱會，聽取了該院的歷史和發展，並其對內地和湄公河流域國家內教會領袖的培育，他們並與該院師生共晋午餐。
聖公宗與信義宗國際協調委員會下次會議將於2015舉行，由世界信義宗聯合會招待。
聖公宗與信義宗國際協調委員會成員：
聖公宗：
巴西大主教Maurício Andrade(聯席主席)未能出席
南非斯威士蘭Dalcy Dlamini牧師
澳洲主教Tim Harris(代聯席主席)
香港梁麗娥牧師
蘇格蘭John Lindsay法政牧師
英格蘭Alyson Barnett-Cowan法政牧師，普世聖公宗辦公室(聯席秘書)
英格蘭Neil Vigers牧師，普世聖公宗辦公室
信義宗：
加拿大主教Michael Pryse(聯席主席)
阿根廷Ángel Furlan牧師，未能出席
坦桑尼亞Joyceline Fred Njama牧師
瑞典及愛爾蘭Helene Tärneberg Steed法政牧師
世界信義宗聯會辦公室Anne Burghardt牧師(聯席秘書)
香港戴浩輝牧師