Sometimes people are surprised that Jim Rosenthal, the Archbishop of Canterbury's (international Anglican Communion) communications officer, comes from Chicago. But many of the support staff in the communications office come from other countries, a reflection of the office's function: giving a sense of connection to the far flung members of the Anglican Communion.

Jim Rosenthal had succumbed to a virus and was feeling very unwell during his Melbourne press conference (at the end of February), but his enthusiasm for his job and his passionate commitment to Anglicanism still came across.

"There is so much misinformation today," he said. "Never has there been a greater need to communicate."

His office organises media coverage of the primates' meetings held every 2 to 3 years and the Lambeth Conference, held every ten, deals with requests from all over the Anglican Communion for visits by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and produces the magazine "Anglican World".

Already it is deep in preparation for the Lambeth Conference to be held in August 1998. Part of the reason for Jim Rosenthal's visit to Australia and New Zealand was to promote Lambeth and to put out feelers for the recruitment of an international media team to report the event.

This team will have its own radio station, issue a daily newspaper and provide the secular press with stories, interviews, photographs and videocommunications.

"Lambeth is one of the most dramatic means of promoting unity," Jim Rosenthal said. "The office of bishops is a unifying link in a Church which is extremely diverse. The hierarchy gives the Church authority and it certainly gets press attention. We should make more use of this fact."

The organisation of media coverage for an event like Lambeth is enormous. One whole day is spent setting up and taking the photograph of all participants - a photograph which will be used by the Church world-wide.

Suffragan as well as diocesan bishops have been invited to Lambeth in 1998 and women bishops will be present for the first time.

Donations are being sought to help dioceses which can't afford to fund their bishops' attendance.

"Lambeth provides the chance to live, eat and worship and communicate with other Anglicans from all over the world," Jim Rosenthal said. "There are now 36 Provinces with 750 bishops. The Church is growing so much that we can't fit all the dioceses into the Anglican Cycle of Prayer!"

Article from: The Melbourne Anglican  by Beryl Rule