[East Window] One of 27 prestigious bursaries has been awarded to an Essex priest, the Revd Anthony Ward, who is vicar of Rainham with Wennington in the Diocese of Chelmsford, England. The bursaries, sponsored by the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, were presented at a special ceremony in St Paul's Cathedral, London, last November.

The award will allow Mr Ward to spend two weeks in Zimbabwe, interviewing local church leaders and clergy, and carrying at research at the National Archives of Zimbabwe.

The work is part of the research for a thesis which will try to assess the role the Anglican Church has played in Zimbabwe over the last half a century. Of particular importance will be a study of the impact that Anglican mission work has had on black culture.

"For mission today to be effective, it is imperative that Christian leaders can build their ministries on principles and lessons from the past," explained Anthony Ward, whose multi-racial parish is in the Greater London area. "In my own context I expect to benefit enormously from identifying and recognising such principles in the course of undertaking the research for this thesis."