The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, has urged Anglicans to “become more aware of the Communion’s life”. Speaking to Ordinands on the South West Ministry Training Scheme, in the south-west England city of Exeter, in Devon, on Saturday, Dr Josiah suggested that many people in the Church of England do not know that they are part of the Anglican Communion. He said that being in the Anglican Communion was “a way of being that was at the same time worldwide in perspective yet able to affect how individual lives are lived.”

The Bishop of Plymouth, Nick McKinnel, welcomed Dr Josiah to Exeter Diocese for the event, where he spoke on “Renewing the church: lessons from global Anglicanism”. He explained that the Anglican Communion is a group of 39 autonomous churches and six extra-provincial dioceses.

And he spoke of the “increasing significance” of companion links – formal partnerships between dioceses in different parts of the world; and he told them of his anticipation that such relationships would be further strengthened following the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops in 2020.

The Diocese of Exeter has formal links with the Diocese of Thika in the Anglican Church of Kenya, and the Diocese of Cyprus & the Gulf in the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Both link dioceses will shortly be sending delegations to Exeter to celebrate the partnerships shortly.

Sue Parks from the Diocese of Exeter described Dr Idowu-Fearon’s presentation as “energetic and engaging” and said that those who attended “departed agreeing that it had been stimulating and challenging.”