Speaking after the agreements were signed, the Bishop of Lichfield told the congregation: "You have just witnessed something very important and worth keeping a moments silence to thank God for it and for the effect it will have on the worldwide church and our history."
The agreement between the Lichfield and Singapore lasts for five years. It states: "In affirmation of our companionship in the Gospel within the Anglican Communion and in appreciation of the friendship we already enjoy, we undertake to work together and learn from each other as companions in mission for the next five years by promoting deeper friendships and awareness of our mutual responsibility for and accountability to one another and to our Lord Jesus Christ; praying regularly and with understanding for each other at all levels in the life of our dioceses; seeking always the guidance and prompting of the Holy Spirit in what we do together in our commitment to and involvement in God's mission; and in all of this, accepting our responsibility for the integrity and sustainability of God's creation."
The agreements between Lichfield and Kuching, West Malaysia, Qu'Appelle and Matlosane are for 10 years.
Last night's service was the final diocesan-wide CrossTalk event before the majority of delegates return home. The younger members will remain in Lichfield for an international youth conference next weekend and the bishops will leave for the Lambeth Conference on Wednesday.
Also emerging from last night's gathering was a reassurance from Archbishop David Moxon, co-presiding bishop in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, that there will be no formal schism in the Anglican Communion.
He said: "I think even as recently as the last couple of weeks we have not heard a move for formal schism. But what we need is not discussions about schism or not, we need discussions about why we need each other.
"You know, an eye can not say to another part of the body 'I do not need you'. And what we have seen this evening in Lichfield Cathedral is celebrating our need of each other as members of one body, litteraly, hands, feet, eye, needing each other to be the body. That's the bottom line, that's the plain truth.
"And the more we celebrate that and pray into that the more red-blooded our Anglican Communion will be. So I don't see formal schism lying ahead so long as we have evenings like this one."
