Photo: Archbishop Kolini addresses conference

Lagos, Nigeria

The first African Anglican Bishops Conference was held at the Cathedral Church in Lagos from October 26-November 1, with the theme "Africa Comes of Age--an Anglican Self Evaluation." The bishops from across Africa included two Americans, seated as bishops in the delegation from the Province of Rwanda. Bishops Chuck Murphy and TJ Johnston took part in the week's deliberations as fully recognized Rwandan Bishops, as are the other bishops of the Anglican Mission in The Americas, a missionary outreach of Rwanda to the United States.

The bishops dealt with issues such as HIV/Aids, poverty, malaria and human rights, and committed themselves to the proclamation of the Gospel. They also considered tensions within the Anglican Communion, vowing they would not give in to pressure from some in the West to abandon their commitment to the role of Scripture.