Conference 2014

Speakers

Speakers at the 2014 international Anglicans Ablaze conference included:

††Thabo Makgoba
Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa since January 2008. He is the youngest bishop in Southern Africa ever to be elected to this office. He is a visionary and empowering leader. He also serves as the Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape.
His book, Connectedness, was published in 2005. Archbishop Thabo is married to Lungi and has two children, Nyaki and Pabi.

††Justin Welby
New Archbishop of Canterbury, is the head of the world-wide Anglican Communion. He moved from oilfields and warzones to pulpits and cathedrals. His three key priorities for the future are: 1. Prayer and encouraging a "New Monasticism". He said, "In church history prayer and devotion always preceded the renewal of the church." 2. Reconciliation– but this must begin within the Anglican Church. 3. Mission and evangelism–"We need to return to God's primary mandate for his church."

†Martin Breytenbach
Bishop of the Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist, Polokwane, is the Liaison Bishop of Growing the Church and Chairperson of the Board. His passion for mission, evangelism and church growth is infectious. He is also a very competent musician and worship leader and is proficient on both the piano and guitar. +Martin has three children, Katy, Tasha and Jeremy.

†Graham Cray
Was appointed Archbishop's Missioner and Leader of the Fresh Expressions team on 1 May 2009. He chaired the working party which wrote the Mission-shaped Church report on church planting and Fresh Expressions of Church, i.e. the planting of new congregations or churches which are different in ethos and style from the planting church, designed to reach unchurched and dechurched people. This must be the first church report to become a bestseller!

Dr Nadine Bowers Du Toit
Has a doctorate in Theology and Community Development, a rare combination. Dr. Bowers worked for Cornerstone Institute (Christian College) as a lecturer and then as Director of Student Affairs and Acting Dean before moving on to Stellenbosch University. She also serves on the Board of the Warehouse, an Anglican institution which assists churches to address poverty and injustice in their context. Her research in Gugulethu has helped to launch the Alpha course in Black townships.

Steve Maina
Who hails from Kenya, serves as the National Director of the Church Missionary Society of New Zealand. A mover and shaker, he is a founding member of Christians for a Just Society, an advocacy ministry seeking to bring the values of God's kingdom to bear on all spheres of life. He is passionate about developing young leaders to transform society, having started in Africa and now beyond.

Lucy Moore
Is the founder of "Messy Church", a way of doing church with children that emphasises creativity, hospitality and celebration. It is an excellent way of being church for the unchurched. She emphasises the importance of joy and laughter on the journey of discipleship. This offers an excellent way of engaging with families as a means of exploring the Bible and the Christian life. Lucy is the author of several books in the Messy Church series.

Oscar Muriu
Is the senior minister of Nairobi Chapel, Kenya. Under his leadership, Nairobi Chapel has grown from a 40-person local church to a network of 30 mission-focused churches with more than 14,000 weekly worshippers. The mission of Nairobi Chapel is to "Grow D.E.E.P. to Reach W.I.D.E." Oscar is passionate is about equipping and empowering young people to be the leaders God created them to be, and his church has trained more 500 young interns.

Victor Mughogho
Is the executive director of the Eagles Relief and Development Programme in Malawi. Experiencing firsthand the toll of global warming and extreme weather, Victor works with local churches to develop practical and faithful solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Nancy Njagi
Is the Director of the Church's Urban Mission, a ministry training centre which is part of Carlisle College. It is located in Kibera, Nairobi, one of the biggest informal settlements in Africa-a very challenging location. Nancy is actively involved with churches in the informal settlement and has a particular interest in the roles of women in community transformation.

Conference Topics

Anglicans Ablaze 2014 took the ACSA Vision further by exploring the "Five Marks of Mission" by the Anglican Missions Board:

• Witness to Christ's saving, forgiving, reconciling love for all people
• Build welcoming, transforming communities of faith
• Stand in solidarity with the poor and needy
• Challenge violence, injustice and oppression, and work for peace and reconciliation
• Protect, care for and renew life on our planet

The plenaries and workshops touched on the following topics:

• Becoming a Missional Church
• Fresh Expressions of Church
• Transformational Discipleship
• The Work of the Holy Spirit in the 21st Century
• Integral Mission – setting captives free
• Youth – our Hope
• Children–our call to disciple them
• Prophetic Preaching
• Leadership Development
• Spiritual Formation

Plus, sharing practical "how-to" programs will be a key component!