Bishop Larry Robertson

Welcome Message from the Archbishop of Canterbury Welcome to Canterbury for the 2008 Lambeth Conference. It is a real blessing to greet you as we begin our work together, and I pray that these days spent in reflection, prayer, discussion and fellowship will bear fruit in the life of the entire Communion in which God has called us to minister. The chief aims of our time together are, first, that we become more confident in our Anglican identity, by deepening our awareness of how we are responsible to and for each other; and second, that we grow in energy and enthusiasm for our task of leading the work of mission in our Church. Our ministry takes place in the context of a needy and divided world, in which there is both deep fear and great suffering. Jesus Christ says again and again to his disciples, 'Do not be afraid'. These are words which I hope will echo for us each day as we meet and talk here. But they will sound in our hearts only when we have our eyes fixed on the reality of Christ's unique saving person and on the world-transforming power of his resurrection. Our Bible studies will help us concentrate on these things, as we are led through the Gospel of St John, reflecting on what Jesus says about himself. Our Communion is living through very difficult times and we are bound to be aware of the divisions and conflicts that have hurt us all in recent years. But, as the Lord says (John 16:33), it is in union with him that we shall find peace. And that peace will be what makes the difference in our common life as a Church. More than that, it will be what shapes our whole engagement with the world. We do not offer a peace that is simply the result of the world's processes, but the peace of the Son's union with the Father in the Spirit, the eternal but ever-moving outpouring of love in communion. As we receive this and live our way into it, our whole vision of how the world is to be transfigured will change and develop. In our Bible study groups and in the 'Indaba' groups that will meet daily, in which we hope everyone will feel able to give full voice to their aspirations and concerns, it is this vision that we must keep fresh. May God help all of us to be open to his leading and open to one another in Christ as we seek his will. God bless you in the days ahead. Remember that you are welcome here in Christ's name, welcome as a precious gift to the whole fellowship. May we be one so that the world will believe. +Rowan Cantuar: Archbishop of Canterbury	Welcome from the Archbishop's wife, Mrs Jane Williams In his letter to the Romans, St Paul says, 'I am longing to see you so that …we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith' (Romans 1.11-12). That is exactly I how feel. I am looking forward to seeing each and every one of you at the Lambeth Spouses' Programme of the Lambeth Conference 2008, because I know that God will bless us and encourage us through each other. Our programme is going to be packed with inspiring speakers, looking at some of the most urgent issues facing us as human beings made in God's image. Then there will be workshops where we can deepen our faith and equip ourselves as God's messengers, opportunities to relax, and an expectation that we learn from each other. And above all, our time together will be in the context of worship, Bible study and prayer, so that we do not try to do God's work in our own strength but are, in all things, guided by the Holy Spirit. Teams of people across the world have been praying for us and will continue to do so as we meet. God will be with us. My hopes are very high. Mrs Jane Williams
LATE NIGHT ARRIVAL Sheila and I left Toronto at 8am and flew to London. We arrived 7 hours later. London is 5 hours ahead of Toronto time and 7 hours ahead of Yellowknife time. that put us arriving at about 9 pm. We had to wait for 2 hours for a ride; the 2 hour ride to Canterbury put us at Kent University where the conference was held at 1:30 am. In the middle of the night we had to track down the campus security who had our keys and would show us rooms (we each have separate rooms). We woke up not knowing where we were and started wandering around hoping to find someone. The people of the University were great and guided us to the Registration. I have to say that from there on the organization has been great and the hospitality wonderful. For a conference that has over 1200 people attending it is going amazingly smooth. The experience of arriving happily was a sign of what is to come.	July 17 - LOTS OF COLOUR AND A REAL EYE OPENER FOR ME. The first day has been amazing for me. I really could not imagine the number of bishops and their spouses from all over the world. The many colours of skin, the bright clothing, the many languages have really given me new insights on being Anglican. The conference is translated into 8 languages. We thought we had problems in the Arctic. Growing up and ministering mainly in Canada I did not really realize the variety of Anglicanism. I am honoured to be part of such a group. I am eagerly looking forward to what God has in store for the next 3 weeks.
INITIAL GATHERING OF LAMBETH CONFERENCE --- OVER 1200 DELATES	DAY ONE OF BISHOPS' RETREAT. JULY 17

	DAY 2 OF THE RETREAT. Led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, he stressed the need to seek reconciliation. He suggested that we need to emphasis fellowship and communion in what we have in common. He was very distressed that about 200 bishops refused to attend. The music of the retreat is wonderful. I could close my eyes as a full choir led us in Evensong and imagine the Angels of God surrounding us. It is very different from what we experience in the Arctic, but the new experiences broadens the mind. To be in the presence of where so much of our Anglican heritage comes from really is an awesome feeling. I stand in the cathederal that is part of me even though I have never been here before. I feel at peace here. God is here. Bishop Larry
Pulpit at the Cathedral	Panel of the pulpit
Retreat in Progress	One of the Cartoons Part of the retreat was "silence in prayer" sometimes through crafts. On one of these prayers time I made an Anglican Rosary. It will be interesting trying them out as a helpful form of prayer. Bishop Larry
Mary and Andrew Atagotaaluk. Sheila Robertson sitting behind as we ride on a Double Decker Bus	Sheila and Bishop Larry at entrance of Canterbury Cathedral
Sheila Robertson at Lambeth Conference	Sheila and Mary with Priscilla Johnson (wife of bishop) of Diocese of Gambia, West Africa.
Eating Hall empty	Eating Hall full

Busy Streets of Canterbury city	Entrance to Canterbury Cathedral Grounds
MESS HALL MESS Feeding 1200 people is not easy. The first couple of day was sometimes confusing as the staff tried to train us how to line up and get our meals. Someone said training a herd of bishops was like training cats. The food is delicious and now the routine is better organized. Maybe you can train bishops	Exercise Exercise and still more Exercise. Some of you know I am not a small man. I think they are out to get me. They put us as far away from the meeting place as you can get. It's about 1 kilometer. I have to do the return trip about twice a day. There is a bus for us, but Sheila makes me walk. Bishop Larry
Prayer for the Day O God of unchangeable power and eternal light, look favourably on your whole church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; and by the peaceful operation of your providence, carry out the work of our salvation. And let the whole world feel and see that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and all things are returning to perfection through him from whom they took their origin; even Jesus Christ our Lord. Gelasian Sacramentary, 7th century Gardens and Teas On July 21 the ladies went on an excursion (The men worked) They went to Sissing hurst Gardens and then on to Tea with Lady Angela Parrish The following are some pictures.

Mary Atagotaaluk in the garden
Tea with the Lady
KOREAN MOTHERS UNION CHOIR This group put on a concert with the concern for unifying the North and South of Korea. They told stories of oppression and hardships in their pictures and songs. Mostly they shared in song of their longing for peace.

WALK OF WITNESS On thursday July 24 the members of the Conference spent the day in London where we participated in 3 events. The first was the Walk of Witness in support of the Millenium Develpment Goals which call for the eradication of hunger in the world, education of children and women, and equality and protection for the abused. These had definite goals and timelines (one was to eliminate 50% of hunger by 2015 which I am sad to say will not be met). Many countries signed on to this but have not fullfilled their promises. This Walk was to call them to keep their promises.