The Lambeth Conference, a meeting of bishops of the world-wide Anglican Communion, is held every 10 years. The next meeting is scheduled to take place over three weeks from 19th July to 8th August 1998, when some 800 bishops plus about 600 spouses from many parts of the world will meet together at the University of Kent, Canterbury.

The Conference is financed partly by allocations from central funds, accumulated during the previous 10 years, and partly by a conference fee, payable for each participant. The fee for each participant is £1,250. Travel to the conference is an additional cost, to be found by the participants or their churches.

In planning the conference, it was recognised that bishops from economically disadvantaged parts of the world would find it difficult to meet the full costs of the conference fee and travel.

The Lambeth Conference Fund was launched as a pool, to which churches able to find resources could contribute, and from which churches whose local resources were insufficient could draw.

The fund has been generously supported, and, to date, some £1.1 million has been contributed. Major contributors are the Church of England, the Episcopal Church of the United States, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Anglican Church of Australia. However, a number of smaller churches have also contributed, for example, the Anglican Churches in Japan, the Indian Ocean, Malaysia, Wales, and Ireland and the Scottish Episcopal Church. At the time of writing, it seems clear that there will be sufficient resources to ensure that no bishop is prevented by economic constraints from attendance at the conference.

People directly involved in the arrangements are:

• The Revd Canon Roger Symon formerly the Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for Anglican Communion Affairs, who has co-ordinated the appeal.
• The Revd Canon John Rye, now retired, but formerly the Regional Mission Co-ordinator for Africa and the Middle East of the Anglican Church of Canada, who is the Fund Administrator, responsible for Fund's distribution.
• Mr Michael Nunn, Director of Finance and Administration of The Anglican Consultative Council, who is the Conference Treasurer.

by Canon James M Rosenthal
Director of Communications