And Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly, I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.” – Acts 10: 34-35.
It was a great experience for me when I attended the second Provincial Clergy Gathering in Georgetown, Guyana, from April 22 to 27.
The experience was similar to that of Cornelius of Caesaréa and Peter of Joppa for it all took place at the same place under the same roof.
It was not a normal thing for Jews and Gentiles to come together for anything under the sun, but yet it happened.
On Wednesday, April 25, the Anglican clergy attended Evensong at the Cathedral of The Immaculate?Conception in Georgetown at the invitation of Bishop Francis Alleyne, Roman Catholic Bishop of Georgetown.
It was very ironic that the Anglican clergy and the Roman Catholic bishops of the Caribbean had scheduled meetings for the same time – April 22 to 27 – at the same place – Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown, Guyana.
The Bishop of Bridgetown/Kingstown Jason Gordon and the Barbados delegation travelled on the same flight. What a coincidence!
The Anglican session took place on the fifth floor of the hotel while the Roman Catholic session was held on the first floor. To me, this showed that the Holy Spirit was at work.
We must remember that there is one faith, one Lord, one baptism and one church! And I quote from A&M Hymn 604 v 1:
Thy Hand, O God, has guided
Thy flock, from age to age;
The wondrous tale is written,
Full clear, on every page;
Our fathers own’d Thy goodness,
And we their deeds record;
And both of this bear witness,
One Church, One Faith, one Lord.
It was very nice that Anglicans and Roman Catholics were able to come together for Evensong and I hope that it will continue as we work towards unity.
However, there’s one question that must be asked: if the invitation had been given by the Anglican clergy, would the Roman Catholic bishop have accepted?
Only God knows. For with God all things are possible.
Let us remember that God shows no partiality!
Fairs
•St?Matthew’s And The Resurrection Church will hold its annual fair on Saturday, May 19, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St Matthew’s Primary School grounds.
• St?Martin’s Anglican Church will hold its fair on Saturday, May 26, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the rectory grounds.
Synod
The annual Synod of the Anglican Church will take place on Sunday, May 20, at 5 p.m. The opening session will be at St?Michael’s Cathedral.
Discussion
The St?Paul’s Bereavement Support Group will hold its quarterly discussion on Monday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at the church.
Commemoration
The Commemoration of the Founders and Benefactors of Codrington College will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Codrington College, St?John, with a special service.
There will be a special observation of the role of the Community of the Resurrection (Mirfield Fathers) in the administration of the college.
The graduation ceremony for seminarians and candidates of the diploma in theological studies will be held after the service.
