The Rev Timothy Lawes, a Church of England priest, moved to northern Sweden last year with his Swedish wife, Maria. He writes of the ways the Porvoo Agreement is being implemented in his community:

In issue number 51 of The Window your lead article said: "The main work now remains to be done, however, as Porvoo is implemented in the lives of people in the thousands of congregations in northern Europe." In the light of this important comment, and indeed the whole of Porvoo, I thought the Society would be interested to know about a personal experience of the Porvoo Agreement being brought into reality in northern Sweden.

I was ordained deacon in 1988 and priest in 1989 in the Church of England. I worked first as a curate at Wymonham Abbey in Norfolk and, from January 1992, as rector of the Felmingham group of parishes, also in the Norwich Diocese.

In June 1996 my wife and I, with our three children, decided on a complete change of direction. After much thought and prayer we decided to move to Sweden. We moved to Skelleftea, a town in the north of the country, which is also my wife's home town. A few weeks after our arrival, I was approached by one of the local Lutheran churches to celebrate the Eucharist in English, according to the Anglican Rite. The response to this has been very encouraging. Also, when the parish learned of my wish to work as a priest in the Church of Sweden, they have given me much practical and prayerful support. The entire congregation at Moro Backe Church has given me every encouragement.

Leading worship in Swedish

The priests of the church, Thorbjorn Bolander, Erik Berggren and Per Lundstrom, have taken me under their wing to such an extent that I was able to lead the Sunday worship in Swedish one Sunday in January. I have also received much encouragement from the Rt Rev Rune Backlund, Bishop of Lulea Diocese.

What the future holds I leave in God's hands, but I continue to study Swedish and work towards the day when I can play a full part in the Swedish Lutheran Church. All this is possible because of the Porvoo Agreement.

Porvoo is not just a piece of paper. It is an agreement that is working, practically and spiritually, here in the north of Sweden. It is an agreement which means that I, an Anglican priest, can begin to play a part in the life, work and witness of the Lutheran Church in Skelleftea, Sweden.