Nearly 200 young people and church youth workers have come to Great Britain in the hopes of having their concerns and ideas shared with the Lambeth Conference in 1998. Representing almost every Province of the Anglican Communion, the delegates come with stories and expectations that are representative of the global nature of the Anglican/Episcopal family of churches. They form what is called the International Youth Network of the Anglican Consultative Council.

First stop for the pilgrims was Greenbelt, complete with its showers of blessing in the form of continuous rain! Korean youth in national dress, others with their specially designed tee-shirts with the Compass Rose, others in Japanese kimonos, and Americans in designer shirts, all enthusiastically joined in the opening Communion Service with Bishop John Sentamu as the preacher. Already moving stories have been heard from representatives from Iran, Rwanda and the USA during a session at Greenbelt.

The young Anglicans will journey to Lampeter University in Wales for extensive meetings and lectures. Pete Ward, the Archbishop of Canterbury's youth officer and Bishop Lindsay Urwin, who will be part of the Lambeth Conference 1998 presentation on youth, will meet with the group in Wales. Many delegates will be invited to various dioceses for work in parishes next week; the gathering closes with a Eucharist in St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey with the Archbishop of Canterbury and tea at Lambeth Palace on September 10th.

The Church Mission Society (CMS) has supported the Anglican Communion project as well as major support from the Anglican Church in Wales. Archbishop Alwyn Rice Jones, welcoming the gathering, said, "we are coming together in the presence, the strength and the company of Christ Himself". Archbishop George Carey said, "One of the things I long for, both in my own province and throughout the Communion, is that the voices of young people should become more prominent".