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.
Three Anglican Bishops have accepted the invitation from the Secretary General to become Presidents of NIFCON.
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, to plan and resource NIFCON’s work.
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 Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave is Bishop of Woolwich in Southwark Diocese (England). He was formally the Church of England’s National Advisor on Inter Faith Relations.
Dr John Chesworth, works for the Department of Christianity and Islam, University of Birmingham, England. He was formerly editor of the Christian- Muslim Digest, and on staff of Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford. He 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 InterFaith Dialogue in the Diocese of Stockholm.
The Revd John Kaoma Kafwanka is a Zambian priest who studied theology in Zambia and Australia and has experience of parish ministry in Zambia, Australia and currently in London Diocese. John was the Principal of St. John’s Seminary (the national Anglican theological seminary in Zambia) before working with the Church Mission Society (CMS Britain) as Regional Manager for Southern Africa (covering Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia). Since 2006 John has been at the Anglican Communion Office where he is the Director for Mission, a focal point for the Communion and Ecumenical mission engagements.
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 Most 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 Margaret Rose is the Presiding Bishop’s Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations for the Episcopal Church and is based in New York.
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 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 Rev’d Canon Dr Flora Winfield is the Anglican Communion Representative to the United Nations Institutions in Geneva. She formerly served as The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary for Anglican Relations, as the Secretary for International Affairs at Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and as Assistant Secretary General of Religions for Peace. Flora is a Canon Emeritus of Winchester Cathedral.
Mr Stuart Buchanan acts as a part-time voluntary administrator for NIFCON. He formerly worked as a part-time Project Officer in Mission and Theological Studies at the Anglican Communion Office. [email protected]
