Called to One Hope – USPG join Anglican leaders at ACC-19 in Belfast

© Neil Turner

From 27 June to 5 July, members of the USPG team joined Anglican leaders from across the world at the 19th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-19) in Belfast. The Anglican Consultative Council is one of the four Instruments of Communion, bringing together representatives from its 42 Member Churches for prayer, consultation and shared discernment on the life and mission of the Church. 

Hosted by the Church of Ireland, ACC-19 centred around the theme Called to One Hope and is the first official Anglican Communion meeting attended by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Sarah Mullally DBE. The meeting covered a wide range of issues, with key decisions including Vision36, a commitment to evangelism and planting one million new churches in the next decade, support for a Young Peacemakers Fellowship, climate action through the Anglican Communion Environmental Network, and steps towards creating a Disability Network to support people with physical, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. 

It was a wonderful opportunity to catch with so many friends within the Communion. In particular to meet with members of the Anglican Communion Youth Network, which USPG is privileged to support.

said The Revd Canon Dr Duncan Dormor, General Secretary. 

The meeting also served as a timely reminder of the importance of conversations about unity, reconciliation and what holds the Anglican Communion together despite its differences. On this theme, daily Bible studies were led by Dr Paulo Ueti, USPG Theological Advisor and Regional Manager for the Americas, the Caribbean and Oceania, alongside the Revd Canon Dr Stephen Spencer, Director of Theology and Implementation at the Anglican Communion Office. Drawing on the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15–16 (and Galatians 2), the studies explored how the early Church navigated disagreement and discerned a shared way forward, offering rich reflection on contemporary divisions within the Church. The backdrop of anti-immigrant riots in Belfast in early June was unfortunate, but also helpful grounds for reflection that added to this.  

The meeting opened with a service at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, and included a pilgrimage around the city reflecting on the legacy of the Troubles. 

It was a real privilege to be there and to see so many partners and friends. said Carol Miller, USPG Regional Manager for Britain, Ireland & Europe, it felt like being part of something you’re welcome into.

Carol also added that the gathering was a reminder that the Communion is formed by peers who depend on one another and share a deep desire for unity. 

USPG are also delighted to celebrate the election of two close partners to the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council, the ACC’s trustee body. Dr Anita Gittens, a member of USPG’s Communion Wide Advisory Group, and Saba Kerry, a member of the FeAST Network who has participated in USPG’s youth training programme as well as the Global Conference on Human Trafficking in Durgapur, were both elected. They join several longstanding USPG partners on the Standing Committee, including Archbishop Hosam Naoum (Jerusalem), Vice Chair; Archbishop Marinez Bassotto (Brazil); Archbishop Leonard Dawea (Melanesia); Moderator Bishop Azad Marshall (Pakistan); and others. 

We warmly congratulate all those elected and give thanks for the opportunity to walk alongside partners from across the Anglican Communion as we continue to share in God’s mission together. 

Find out more: https://www.anglicancommunion.org/acc-19-overview/