New York came to a halt on 25 September as world leaders gathered in a special session, convened by the UN
Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly, to renew commitments to achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and to set out concrete plans and practical steps for action.
That evening the Archbishop of York, the Presiding Bishop and Primate of
the Episcopal Church, the Primate of Central America, Bishops from
Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Southern Africa, USA and a host of lay people
and clergy gathering in the Cathedral of St John the Divine to join in
an act of "Recommitment and Witness" to the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
Organised by Ms Hellen Grace Akwii Wangusa (the Anglican Observer and
Personal Representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury at the UN) and
the staff of the Anglican Observer at the United Nations, the service
and a reception in the synod hall, was, as one attendee noted, "an
interfaith expression of our concern for the world, its people and
creation". This theme was evident in the prayers offered by Presiding
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori at the traditional Anglican Evensong.
One prayer begged "for an end to the divisions and inequalities that
scar God's creation.." A reading of the words of Jesus in Matthew's
Gospel, the Beattitudes, was offered by Douglas Alexander, the Secretary
of State for International Development for the United Kingdom. A
dramatic prayer was chanted in Hewbrew by Rabbi Jill Hausman from "The
Actors' Temple" and Al-Haaj Ghazi Khankan, from the American Muslim
Alliance read a prayer in Arabic.
Mary's Magnificat was the theme of the sermon by Dr John Sentamu,
Ugandan-born, now the second-ranking prelate in the Church of England as
Archbishop of York. In his powerful presentation the Archbishop
expressed his own concerns and prayers for the world that suffers so
very much. He said, "We all need to clean out the old yeast of our
selfishness and greed that we may become a new batch of a reconciled
humanity... The Magnificat speaks of God calling us to
radical transformation of the way we relate to each other, to the world
and to God. And when all three have coalesced together will we sing and
be magnificat."
Among those gathered at the reception in the Diocesan Synod Hall were
ecumenical guests from Roman Catholic and Protestant churches including
the Rev Deborah DeWinter from the World Council of Churches. The new
chairman of the UN Anglican Observer'' Advisory Board, the Rev Dan
Appleyard, brought greetings to the assembly that found in its number
Ambassadors and Representatives from some 23 countries. The Revd] Canon
Grace Kaiso was present. He is the new secretary of Conference of
Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA).
Preceding the service and reception, a rally was held on the steps of
the massive cathedral, where clergy and laity held bright-coloured
banners naming the MDGs before the passing public and tourists entering
the world-famous cathedral. The banners come from St James' Episcopal
Church, Potomac, Maryland. Alex Baumgarten, from the Episcopal Church's
Washington office, led the gathering and invited the Most Rev John
Sentamu to encourage the rally and bless the participants, as he arrived
at St John the Divine.
Earlier in the day the Archbishop of York participated with a host of
government officials, including UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, at a
gathering at the United Nations building looking at Education and the
MDGs and signed up as member of the "Class of 2015". Also signing up and
sharing the "stage" with Dr Sentamu were celebrities Bono (from the
band U2) and Sir Bob Geldof (Live AID) as well as Queen Rania of Jordan
and representatives of major companies such as Intel and Microsoft.
Charity representatives included Action Aid, Comic Relief, Education
International, FAWE, Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision. Also
present was the World Bank President Robert Zoellick, all of whom are
education advocates who support "Education for All."
Class of 2015 was a high-profile opportunity, with wide media coverage,
to tell people about the delivery of education by churches throughout
the world and make the link between advocacy and delivery of needed
resources. It will provide global leadership in the drive to achieve
Education for All, led by GCE and bringing together all those committed
to universal education. It will also announce commitments from
governments of both rich and poor countries that will contribute to the
achievement of Education for All by 2015.
At the cathedral service and in the final "Franciscan Blessing" Bishop
Jefferts Schori offered these words:
May God bless you with discomfort,
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger,
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears,
To shed for those who suffer from pain,
rejection, starvation, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
and turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness,
To believe that you can make a difference in this world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
Amen.