About Us
Inter Faith issues first appeared on the programme in a substantive if limited way at the 1988 Lambeth Conference. NIFCON was founded in 1993 and its first Convenor was appointed (on secondment) in 1994.
The first NIFCON Convener, Revd Nigel Pounde edited a newsletter, NIFCON News, 'to gather and disseminate information about relations with people of other faiths across the Anglican Communion ... and to draw up an agenda that reflects accurately the concerns of the provinces.' from Lent 1994 to Epiphany 1997. The current newsletter, with similar aims, first appeared in March 2004. It is the place where those working in inter faith relations around the Provinces share information. It can only be as representative as the contributions supplied, so please keep the news coming...........
All the newsletters are archived here.
The Lambeth Conference 1998 further recognised NIFCON as a way of sharing news, information, ideas and resources among provinces of the Anglican Communion. NIFCON was also charged to monitor Muslim-Christian relations (which it does partly through the Christian Muslim Digest and to report regularly to the Anglican Consultative Council.
Who We Are
Three Anglican Bishops have accepted the invitation from the Secretary General to become Presidents of NIFCON.
- The Most Revd Mouneer Anis, President Bishop of Jerusalem and Middle East as well as the Bishop of Egypt
- The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, England
- The Most Revd Paul K. Kim, Archbishop of Korea
Their role is to speak regularly on behalf of NIFCON and its aims in different settings; support and represent NIFCON’s Mission Statement; encourage key people in the Province where they are based, and elsewhere, to contribute to the Network in terms of information sharing and relationship building and to work actively with the Management Group to raise funds.
The Management Group are Anglican inter faith experts who work in parishes, in academic, or specialist inter faith positions. They meet at The Anglican Communion Office, London, England, about three times a year to plan and resource NIFCON’s work.
There are also nearly 200 corresponding or news receiving members of the network around The Communion.
NIFCON is grateful to honorary patrons Mr Alan & Ms Leilani Weirick, The Revd Sarah Buxton-Smith and others who support our work through the Compass Rose Society, to our Friends and also to Dr Dennis W. Johnson and Anglican Internet Services for their work in establishing the first NIFCON website.
NIFCON has two part time Staff, Ms Sue Parks, Co-ordinator and Rana Youab Khan, Administrator, in London, England, and an honorary Staff Assistant Lucinda Mosher who represents NIFCON in North America. Andrew Wingate similarly represents NIFCON in Europe.
NIFCON Management Group
The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson [Chair] is the Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough (Ireland). After ordination in the Church of Ireland worked in Oxford as college chaplain and lecturer in theology; moved from being dean of Cork to being bishop of Clogher in 2002; has association both with the Anglican Oriental Orthodox International Commission.
The Ven. Dr Michael Ipgrave is Archdeacon of Southwark (England) and Canon Missioner at Southwark Cathedral. He was formally the Church of England’s National Advisor on Inter Faith Relations.
Dr John Chesworth, Editor of Christian- Muslim Digest, on staff of Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford. Previously worked in Tanzania and Kenya.
The Revd Dr. Helene Egnell earned her doctor of theology degree in Mission Studies from Uppsala University with the dissertation "Other voices. A Study of Christian Feminist Approaches to Religious Plurality East and West". She has worked for many years as a parish priest in the Church of Sweden, and is now Bishop's Adviser at the Centre for Inter Faith Dialogue in the Diocese of Stockholm.
The Rt Revd Clive Handford was Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf and President Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. He now lives in the North of England and is an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds.
The Revd Dr Toby Howarth, National Inter Religious Affairs Adviser & Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Revd John Kaoma Kafwanka is Mission and Evangelism Desk Officer at the Anglican Communion Office. CMS. He was formerly Church Mission Society (CMS) Regional Co-ordinator based in Lusaka, Zambia. He has also served as Principal and Rector of St John’s College, Kitwe, the national theological college for the Anglican dioceses in Zambia.
The Rt Revd Dr Graham Kings is Bishop of Sherborne in the Diocese of Salisbury. He studied in Oxford, Cambridge and Utrecht, was Vice Principal of St Andrew's College Kabare, Kenya, founding Director of the Henry Martyn Centre for the study of Mission and World Christianity, Cambridge, and vicar of St Mary's Church, Islington, London. He has written books about theology of mission, Kenyan liturgy, and art and spirituality. He is also theological secretary of Fulcrum.
Dr Lucinda Mosher holds a Doctor of Theology degree from The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church. As a Christian ethicist, she focuses on inter-religious concerns, particularly Christian-Muslim and Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations. She lectures and consults extensively in the USA and abroad on such matters.
The Rt Revd Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Bishop of Kaduna, Nigeria.
The Revd Dr. John Joshva Raja – from the Church of South India, he is now Tutor in the Selly Oak Centre for Mission Studies, Queens Foundation, Birmingham. He was formerly Associate Professor and Chairperson, Department of Communication, United Theological College, Bangalore (India)
The Revd Canon Professor David Thomas is Professor of Christianity and Islam, University of Birmingham, England, where he specialises in the history and theology of Christian-Muslim relations. He is an Anglican priest who has lived and worked in the Sudan.
The Rt Revd Pierre W. Whalon is Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. Prior to that he served as a parish priest in the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Central Florida, in the Episcopal Church USA. He is also a member of that church's Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations. A citizen of both France and the United States, Bishop Whalon is also Vice-President of the Francophone Network of the Anglican Communion.
The Revd Canon Andrew Wingate was the founding Director of the St Philip's Centre for Study and Engagement in Leicester, and is now a consultant/teacher in the area of Inter Faith Relations, particularly with Scandinavia. He remains an Associate staff of the Centre.'
Staff:
The Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, ex officio member of the Management Group.
Ms Sue Parks, Co-ordinator of NIFCON.
The Revd Rana Youab Khan Administrator, has served as advisor to the Bishop of Lahore on Interfaith Relations. A Lecturer of Hebrew language at Oriental College, University of Punjab, the first (Indian-Pakistani) ordained priest appointed to faculty since its foundation in 1870. He is also International Inter Faith Dialogues Assistant at Lambeth Palace.
