The Anglican Diocese of Belize will convene it's 44th, synod this weekend. Clergy and lay delegates from all 30 parishes will gather to convene the highest decision making body of the church in Belize. It's the first synod in four years, and the first that Bishop Phillip Wright will lead. He told us that the church will forge the way forward, even in trying times.
Bishop Phillip Wright, Anglican Church
"It is a significant synod because it will hopefully set us on the new course for the way forward as we try and design a plan to take the church forward at least for the next few years.
The church will look at itself. We will look at our strengths, we will look at our weaknesses. We will try and be honest with ourselves. But also we are going to try and engineer, if you will, the commitment needed to put this church forward."
Jules Vasquez,
How does it remain relevant in a time when the cry for more from so many sections is so great? How does the church speak to those messages of need?
Bishop Phillip Wright,
"I think the church starts with having a confidence, and you will hear with this on Sunday, having a confidence that the message we bear is a relevant message and it is a message we continue to challenge and say that if you pay attention to this message and you seek to apply this message to various aspects of your life, it will make a difference and that is our role.
Now we can't take on every fight and I don't think we can afford to become too political in partisan sense of the word but we have a role to play and I think that role is confidently proclaiming a message we think has a place in all of what you are seeing out there.
As much as we are called to immediate action, as you say, and getting into the trenches and making a difference, we better be sure that what is motivating us to do that, is not just a selfish agenda or some attempt at being popular.
We need to be motivated because God demands this but I better know that God first before I jump into the trenches and I will be challenging the synod to come up with ways in which the church can tangibly make a difference in people's lives at various levels, because whereby we can interact with leadership at this level, we should also be able to interact with the regular people, as it where, who are living the daily struggle as well."
The event culminates in a parade through the city at 3:oo on Sunday afternoon, and a service at four at St. John's Cathedral.
