WELCOME to the Website of the International Prayer Book Societies at the Lambeth Conference.
We are the Prayer Book Society (England), the Prayer Book Society of the USA and the Prayer Book Society of Canada. A rotating team of representatives (listed below) from all our three Societies are gathered here in Canterbury for the two weeks of the Lambeth Conference.
We are here to meet and get to know as many of the bishops as possible, and to raise awareness both of the traditional Book of Common Prayer (1662 and closely related local editions), and of our Societies.
On this site, you will find background articles about the Book of Common Prayer and related topics, as well as news from the Lambeth Conference itself. There are also links to the websites of our three Societies, if you are interested in finding out more about us and our ongoing work.
Prayer Book Society representatives at the Lambeth Conference:
| England : | USA : | Canada : | |
| The Revd Dr Roger Beckwith | Dr Roberta Bayer | The Revd David Harris | |
| Trevor Butler | The Revd Craig O'Brien | Sharon Dewey Hetke | |
| Prudence Dailey | The Revd Jason Patterson | The Revd Gordon Maitland | |
| Gareth Hardwick | Alexander Urquhart | ||
| Nicholas Hurst | Dr Diana Verseghy | ||
| The Revd Neil Patterson | The Revd George Westhaver |
Note: The articles posted by the on-site team members and others represent personal opinions, and are not necessarily reflective of the positions of the three Prayer Book Societies.
An interview with the Rt Revd Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield and Chairman of the Liturgical Commission of the Church of England
I
think the thing that I’ve experienced most that it’s accomplishing, is
that we’re listening to each other in small enough groups for something
worthwhile to issue from it, and it has suggested to me is that it’s
inadequate for us to meet only once very 10 years and only as bishops.
Adminstrator
LAMBETH 2008: WE WERE THERE
;)
It used to be popular in business to say that "if you can’t measure it,
you can’t manage it"; but nowadays it is generally accepted that not
everything worthwhile is straightforwardly measurable. Our presence at
Lambeth was rather like that, and any assessment must necessarily be
anecdotal. For instance ...
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: WAS IT A MIRACLE?
;)
My initial entry on this website, "First Monday at Lambeth", was posted
at the very beginning of the Conference. In it, I expressed cautious
optimism and said that I hoped for a miracle. Readers may be wondering:
now that the Conference is over, did I find my hopes justified?
The Final (?) Eucharist
The
Lambeth Conference concluded with a Eucharist on Sunday, August 3rd, at
Canterbury Cathedral and this scribe was present to experience it all.
I found it somewhat disappointing that the bishops did not all process
in a grand perambulation into the cathedral, as they did on the first
Sunday, but were simply invited to sit with their spouses in the nave
dressed in their purple cassocks. Only the choir and sanctuary party
processed in.
Something Old and Ever New
;)
Bishop David Njovu is one of the younger bishops of the Anglican Communion, now assembled for the fourteenth Lambeth Conference in Canterbury. Njovu, a Zambian by birth, was consecrated Bishop of Lusaka, capital of that nation and a diocese in the Province of Central Africa, in 2004 at the age of 42.
The Prayer Book Societies at Lambeth 2008 - An International Effort
"By its light shall the nations walk." - Rev. 21:24
The Prayer Book Societies of England, Canada and the United States of America are grateful to our Lord that they are being represented at the Lambeth Conference on the campus of the University at Canterbury, Kent, by a dedicated team of members from all three countries.
The purpose of their presence is to witness to the strategic place of the classic Book of Common Prayer, not only in the history and shape of Anglicanism, but also to promote its future globally, as a linchpin for all Anglicans so that they may be united by a common approach to doctrine and worship.
This site contains both daily news and comments on the Conference (but only from Monday July 21 to Monday August 4), as well as short articles on various aspects of the content, doctrine and use of The Book of Common Prayer.
The team operates with the conviction that there is one Book of Common Prayer, which exists in different national editions. In England, the edition in use is that of 1662, in the United States of America it is that of 1928, and in Canada, that of 1962.
A Note on the Three Societies
The first of the national societies to be formed was the American, in 1971, under the name, “The Society for the Preservation of the Book of Common Prayer.” It was obvious to those watching closely that the intent of liturgical revision within The Episcopal Church was not merely to revise the received American Book of Common Prayer , but to make major changes in structure, content, theology and language. In 1979 this new Prayer Book was authorized and the use of The Book of Common Prayer 1928 was actively discouraged.
The societies formed in England and Canada faced a different challenge. In these Churches the classic Book of Common Prayer was left alone, but alongside it new books of services were created with new structure, content, theology and language, as alternatives to the old. In these countries there has been need to defend and commend the historical BCP, lest it be forgetten.
The three societies exist in order to keep the classic Book of Common Prayer in its 1662, 1928, and 1962 editions in print, as well as to promote their use in public and private. And as there are now a growing number of Anglicans outside the official provinces of the Anglican Communion, the societies are also working to achieve their goals in “extra-mural” as well as “regular” Anglicanism.
Over the last year or so, an extra dimension has been added to the mission of the societies, pioneered by the American society. This has been first, to supply copies of The Book of Common Prayer to African countries such as Uganda where they still use it in a major way; secondly, to pay for the printing of local language editions of The Book of Common Prayer for Africa; and thirdly, to prepare a Spanish language edition of the major services within The Book of Common Prayer 1662.
What is being preserved?
The three societies see Thomas Cranmer's great work ordering Anglican prayer life as something that shapes Anglicanism in its essence, and without which the Anglican Way is lost. The Book of Common Prayer should not be viewed as one of a number of worship services from which a congregation may choose either whole or in part. Rather, we argue that the heritage which these books reflect in their different national spheres is a totality, an integrated provision for prayer life, directing us to our Lord on all Lord’s Days and Holy Days, in all the major moments of life including Baptism, Marriage, and Burial, and as from birth to death, so also in all moments of our day. It contains a discipline for the whole year, wherein Scripture, Sacraments,and historical doctrine, unrevised and pure, are integrated in a profound teaching, so that we are provided with a unified guide to prayer and praise, and a proper understanding of God Himself, to whom we pray in the Name of the Lord Jesus.
To this end, the Prayer Book Societies not only seek to keep The Book of Common Prayer in print and in use with understanding, but they produce magazines, brochures, books, booklets, DVD’s and CD’s to provide educational, theological and devotional support.
The Prayer Book Societies ask for your prayerful and financial support. Please follow the links at the right to visit our websites.