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this page Gatherings - Belfast 1988
International Conference of Young Anglicans - Love in any Language
The first International Conference of Young Anglicans met in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 3 - 8 January 1988. The Conference had its origins in a Resolution passed by the sixth meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-6 Nigeria) in 1984 requesting the setting up of a Youth Communication Network for the Anglican Communion. Following a consultation of National Youth Officers in 1985 it was agreed that an International Conference should be held in January 1988 and that it should concentrate on the same themes as the Lambeth Conference to take place that same year.
Nearly 250 young people from around the Anglican Communion met at Stranmillis College in Belfast. Before the Conference they were hosted for five days in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and following the Conference they stayed with hosts in and around Belfast for two days.
During the Conference the delegates were divided into eight Issue Groups related to the Lambeth themes:
- Mission and Ministry
- Renewal in Mission
- Ministry
- Dogmatic and Pastoral Concerns
- Understanding and growing in the faith
- What it means to be an Anglican
- Ecumenical Relations
- Christianity and Social Order
- Rich and Poor
- Church/State Relations
- Moral and Ethical issues facing young people.
The Reports from the Issue Groups are the result of the work of the Groups over four days. The recommendations were voted on by the whole Conference on the final day.
During the Conference a group met to consider the future of a Youth Network for the Anglican Communion and a report from the group will be submitted to the Anglican Consultative Council for consideration.
The Conference brought together young people from a wide variety of cultures but they were able to draw together in a close community. One song more than any other became the theme of the Conference:
Love in any language straight from the heart Pulls us together, never apart Once you learn to speak it All the World will hear Love in any language Fluently spoken here.
They sang the song spontaneously during the administration of Communion at the special Epiphany Eucharist held in Belfast Cathedral. The Eucharist, at which the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Reverend Robin Eames was President, concentrated on the Epiphany themes of light and pilgrimage and was drawn from eight different Anglican liturgies. The sermon was preached by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had been able to spend a day at the Conference meeting the young people. In the course of his sermon Archbishop Runcie gave the young people five tests to discover whether they were Epiphany people:
- Does your message in your words and in the life you live come over fresh and new?
- Does your message disturb?
- Does your Gospel make great claims?
- Does your message bring joy? Does your Gospel promote love?
All delegates to the Conference will remember the Epiphany Service as one of the highlights of the Conference as they will remember the warmth and hospitality of the Church of Ireland, before, during and after the Conference.
Another memorable part of the Conference was the Cultural Evening when each delegation shared something from their home - a song, a dance and even a short play - which helped in the interchange of knowledge of each others cultures. Archbishop Eames, in his welcoming address to the Conference, expressed his hope that the friendships which would be made at the Conference would build new relationships right across the Anglican Communion.
The reports of the Issue Groups are presented to the bishops attending the Lambeth Conference and the delegates have been encouraged to share their experience at the Conference with their bishops. The Archbishop of Canterbury is inviting two of the delegates to the Lambeth Conference as Consultants.
Two delegates' comments on the Conference were:
'The important thing is that the Conference happened. Now the realities of life in other parts of the world are more than newspaper reports
'For the first time in my life I have been able to see and understand the universality of the Body of Christ, and this in turn has led me to realise the strength of solidarity there is between believers.'
We hope that Belfast '88 has been the beginning of many adventurous things and are glad to have been able to make our contribution to the Anglican Communion in planning the Conference.
Related Links:
- The full report of the Conference is available as a PDF Document (1.9Mb)
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