Dear Friends in Christ:

Becky and I send greetings from Great Britain where we are resting after the Lambeth Conference. Our nearly three weeks in Canterbury were both spiritually rich and physically draining as we spent our days in many meetings and services of worship with bishops and spouses from the 130 countries where the Anglican Communion has its being. We are presently in the countryside of Oxfordshire where the simpler sight of sheep and meadows and quiet streams is most welcome.

The Lambeth Conference concluded last Sunday evening where we began, at prayer in Canterbury Cathedral. It ended well, with a profound sense of the unity in diversity that we share in Christ, which has characterized Anglican Christianity for many centuries. In the midst of the complexities of this present time, there was among the bishops a broad commitment to staying together and preserving the unique gift of the Anglican Communion. The strong center of the church held firm.

This was a different Lambeth Conference from the first one we attended in 1998. It was much more as Archbishop Longley first envisioned this gathering of bishops to be in 1867. Its focus was relationship, both with Christ and with one another, and appreciating the challenges we face across the world in our apostolic ministries. I believe that the great accomplishment of this Lambeth was knitting the fabric of the communion together in our relationships as bishops.

The structure of the conference was that of the "inbaba," an African word for a gathering of the community to discuss in depth issues facing the group. We met in the same indaba group of about 35 bishops each day. The purpose of indaba is to allow all voices to be heard in some depth. The goal is the conversation itself, not a formal report or resolution. In the West we always expect "something to be decided." Indaba is about listening and finding wisdom in the group.

Accordingly, the outcome of this Lambeth Conference is not a series of reports or resolutions. It is a faithful summary of reflections that seek to summarize the indaba conversations. We received the reflections document on Sunday. It was prepared by a group of writers from each indaba, with some open discussion but not edited or adopted formally by the bishops as a whole. It is well to remember this as you hear of "what the bishops said" at Lambeth. The reflections reveal a range of views on many subjects, and may be - undoubtedly will be - interpreted in different ways, especially on the burning issues of the day.

My experience of the conference was that we listened deeply to one another with respect and mutual loyalty. A wide range of opinion was expressed on the Windsor Report, issues of human sexuality, and the proposed Anglican Covenant. As we listened to one another respectfully and openly the result was greater understanding on all sides, along with a passionate desire to be faithful to the Gospel in our different contexts and to the inheritance we have received as Anglicans. Did we resolve all the issues? Did we answer all the urgent questions? No, but we built the relational foundation necessary to address the issues with deeper understanding and commitment in the years to come.

One of the greatest moments of the conference was the "March of Witness" in London in support of the Millennium Development Goals, which seek to address the greatest needs of the earth and her peoples at present. We were absolutely united in seeing these as a framework for the mission Christ has entrusted to us for the healing of the world. After three weeks with bishops from some of the earth's most challenged places one cannot help but be moved by the needs and opportunities before us to join together in God's mission.

Lambeth 2008 was a most meaningful and spiritually renewing experience. I look forward to telling you more about it in the months to come, and to hearing the questions that you have for Bishop Sloan and me after reading various accounts of the conference. There are stories to tell. As one group reported, "the indaba must continue" as we go home to our dioceses.

With every blessing for the remainder of the summer,

Your servant in Christ,

Henry