Anglican Communion Sunday Promotes & Celebrates the Denomination

Sunday 29th May has been set as Anglican Communion Sunday - a day to raise awareness of and celebrate the Anglican Communion. Members of the Anglican Communion worldwide are expected to commemorate the day in their respective countries.

The Anglican Communion, whose headquarters is based in London, is composed of 38 worldwide member churches, or provinces, all of which are in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Each province exercises jurisdictional independence but shares a common heritage concerning Anglican identity and commitment to scripture, tradition, and reason as sources of authority, worship and practice.

Unity and cooperation in the Anglican Communion are encouraged by the Lambeth Conference which meets every 10 years. The work and vision of the Lambeth Conferences are continued between meetings by the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), the Communion's main legislative and only representative body which includes bishops, clergy and laity from Anglican and Episcopal churches throughout the world.

The ACC meeting is held every 3 years. The last ACC meeting was held in Hong Kong in September 2002. The Council passed a resolution urging provinces to observe an Anglican Communion Sunday in their province. It also suggested a special offering to be taken for the work of the ACC on that day such as the Personal Emergencies Fund and Theological Education or Communications.

The upcoming ACC meeting will be held in Nottingham, England, during the week of 19th June.

Special prayer will be devoted for the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), the Secretary General, the Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon, and the staff of the Anglican Communion Office this Sunday, according to the Anglican Cycle of Prayer.

Since Anglican Communion Sunday is closest to the feast of St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury (AD 597-604), the day is also set aside to pray for Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury - who is currently leading the worldwide Anglican Communion.