ANITEPAM

The African Network of Institutions of Theological Education Preparing Anglicans for Ministry

ANITEPAM'S Governing Council meets

The ANITEPAM Governing Council met in Johannesburg, South Africa from 20 to 22 January 2006.

A special feature of this meeting was that it took place during and immediately after the meeting of the Anglican Primates' working group Theological Education for the Anglican Communion (TEAC).

Most GC members arrived in Johannesburg a day or two ahead of our own meeting, so that they could sit in on the work of TEAC, meet its members, and strengthen links across the Anglican Communion.

Two members of our GC, Canon Chad Gandiya (representing Central Africa, and Chair) and Dr Esther Mombo (East Africa), were also members of TEAC. 

The only member of the GC who was unable to attend was the Revd Dr Emmanuel Ekpunobi (representing Nigeria).

Dr Mombo gave an impassioned bible study on Ephesians 4 at the mid-point of the TEAC meeting, after its members had spent the day visiting HIV/AIDS projects in the Diocese of the Highveld.

It was difficult, she said, to talk with integrity about building up the church "with maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ", when the poverty of many of the children we had encountered that day and their exposure to the HIV/AIDS virus meant that many would not grow physically strong and were unlikely to reach maturity or adulthood.

A special session in the TEAC programme focused on the work of ANITEPAM. Members of the GC were invited to let TEAC know of the particular challenges facing theological education in their regions.

ANITEPAM also contributed to the TEAC meeting through its Corresponding Secretary, the Revd Mike McCoy, who served as chaplain to the meeting, gave a paper on the first evening on restoring mission to the heart of theological education, and wrote two media releases on the meeting for the Anglican Communion News Service. (See news items 4097 and 4101.)

Apart from dealing with the normal business of a management meeting, the GC had two special focuses: (1) the development and use of electronic communications in theological education in Africa, and (2) the future of ANITEPAM itself, in view of current tensions within world Anglicanism and among some African Provinces. (See the February 2006 issue of the ANITEPAM Bulletin for fuller reports on these topics.)

The GC also appointed new members to succeed those whose terms had come to an end. See here for news of these appointments. 

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This page last changed on 20 May 2006.
© ANITEPAM 2006