A Testimony of Love: Bearing One Another's Burden

A new testimony, entitled A Testimony of Love: Bearing One Another’s Burden has been released following the Sixth Consultation of the Anglican Bishops in Dialogue earlier this year. The document contains several testaments and commitments, made in the spirit of 1 John 1:3, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.”

Bishop Michael Bird, along with fourteen other bishops, attended the consultation, which took place at Richmond Hill Retreat Centre in Virginia. His participation in the dialogue is part of an ongoing commitment to the Anglican Communion. The Center’s ministry extends back to the mid-1860s, toward the ending of the American Civil War and the mass emancipation of remaining enslaved Africans.

The bishops gathered around the theme of “Bearing One Another’s Burden” and delved into St. Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia. Their testimony notes that they consider “burdens to be that which threatens to crush the joy of our faith – a tragedy that leads us to doubt God’s goodness or a sin that drags one into guilt and judgment.” They also observed that Paul addresses this portion of his letter “to those who are spiritual, that is spiritual leaders who rely on the extraordinary Spirit producing in them love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

After the consultation concluded, Bishop Bird was pleased to welcome to our diocese a fellow participant in the consultation, Bishop Kobina Ben Smith of the Diocese of Asante Mampong in Ghana (pictured left).

Since 2010, a rotating group of African and North American bishops have met annually at locales around the world. Their gatherings facilitate learning about each other’s contexts and finding pathways for healing and reconciliation. This intentional dialogue was developed in response to theological controversies that strained relationships across the Anglican Communion in the early 2000s. These included issues relating to human sexuality and the blessing of same-sex marriages. 

For more information about the Consultation of Anglican Bishops in Dialogue, please visit the Anglican Church of Canada website.