The Anglican Church of Melanesia, which includes nine dioceses in the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, has various links around the Anglican Communion, including here in Lichfield Diocese. In November, Bishop Stephen Koete, Bishop of Central Solomons, and Bishop Othnielson Gamutu, Assistant Bishop of Central Melanesia, came here during a visit to link dioceses and after nine days in Canterbury.
They were accompanied by Katie Drew, Executive Director of Melanesian Mission UK and hosted in the diocese by Revd Rich Clarkson, Rector of Kinver & Enville, who recently spent a fortnight in Melanesia on behalf of Lichfield Diocese, building links and seeing the work the Anglican Church is doing in response to climate change.
During the visit, they spent an evening at St Peter’s Church, Kinver where Bishops Stephen and Othnielson gave a talk and answered questions. Bishop Stephen also showed some photos he had just received of a school on an island in his diocese where because of the rising sea levels, the water has just breached the sea wall and is running through the classrooms. The impacts of climate change are a daily reality in the Pacific. It was a fascinating occasion which covered the history of Solomon Islands, the challenge of the spread of prosperity gospel churches, the journey towards the ordination of women in Melanesia, what Christmas looks like there, visiting England in November when you’re used to the temperature being in the high 30s, and much more.
The following morning the Bishops visited Brindley Heath Junior Academy in Kinver where they spoke to the year 4 classes about life in Solomon Islands. The children were particularly interested in the wildlife that they have there and were amazed by the fact that there are over 100 different types of bananas!
The visiting bishops also visited St John’s Church Walsall Wood, where Rev’d Lisa Mitchell and members of the church and community shared a little about Canon Jim Edwards, who spent over 20 years teaching at Siota Theological College on Ngella Island in Central Solomons. There is a beautiful window there showing Melanesian scenes including the college and an image of Bishop John Coleridge Patteson who was appointed by Bishop Selwyn as the first Bishop of Melanesia.
They also joined Bishop Michael and his staff team for lunch at Bishops House, where they shared a little about their own dioceses. They then had a tour of Lichfield Cathedral, including a moving visit to the tomb and grave of Bishop George Augustus Selwyn (1809-78) who was the first Bishop in Melanesia and was later Bishop of Lichfield.
Following this brief visit, Bishops Stephen and Othnielson headed off to Chester Diocese. It was a joy to welcome them to Lichfield Diocese and we look forward to building and deepening these relationships further in the coming months and years.
Revd Rich Clarkson
Rector of Kinver and Enville
Lichfield Diocese Green Team