O Christian women, Christian men,
All the world over, seek again
the Way disciples followed then:
Alleluya, alleluya, alleluya.
Tuesday afternoon's Eucharist in the Lambeth Palace Chapel began appropriately with George Bell's Christ is the King, O friends rejoice! The hymn was followed, as tradition dictates, by the confession and absolution, the collect and a reading. Then, at the point in the service when the appointed Psalm would normally be recited, someone quietly hummed a simple melody. A pause. Suddenly, music - rich, confident, joyful music - burst forth from the mouths of twenty-seven white-robed Melanesian congregants. Brilliant sound filled every corner of the chapel. Deep, swirling harmonies transported the heart. The Canticle of the Sun, a hymn reminiscent of Saint Francis' Canticle of All Creation, praising the beauty of the land and people of Melanesia, rose heavenward.
Members of the Melanesian Brotherhood, joined by members of the Sisters of Melanesia, the Society of St. Francis and the Sisters of the Church, were visiting Lambeth Palace as the special guests of Archbishop Rowan and Mrs. Williams. The Melanesians have been in England since April, sharing their ministry of drama, music and dance with the Dioceses of Chester and Exeter.
The Melanesian Brotherhood is an order of lay brothers, founded by Ini Kopuria, a Solomon Islander, eighty years ago. The Brothers take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, which last for a period of five years and can be renewed. Their mission and evangelism serves Christians and non-Christians of the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji. In addition, the order, which includes 450 brothers and 270 novices, has recently opened houses in the Philippines and New Zealand.
True to the vision of the order's founder, the Brothers live and share the Gospel in a Melanesian way, bearing good news to the people of the Pacific islands in their own communities. Barefoot and dressed distinctively in black and white, they travel two-by-two between villages, carrying only their Bibles and walking sticks. They work alongside local residents, tending fields, casting fishing nets and repairing roofs; they visit the sick, lead bible study and present their own dramatised versions of the Gospel stories.
Unfortunately, the work of the Brotherhood has not been without danger. As the principle catalysts for peace in the recent civil war in the Solomon Islands, the Brothers camped between the barricades of opposing militants in Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital. When a tenuous peace agreement was finally reached, the Brothers went from home to home collecting guns. A few extremist groups refused to disarm. One of these groups captured, tortured and killed seven of the Brothers in April 2003.
But, even this tragedy has not muted the exuberant spiritual fervour of the Brotherhood. For the past three months, the Brothers and their Melanesian compatriots have presented their energetic, original Gospel dramas in dozens of churches, schools, community centres and prisons throughout the Dioceses of Chester and Exeter. They carry with them what Brotherhood Chaplain Richard Carter calls a "message of hope, love and joy." They are living witnesses to the fact that the "light of God cannot be put out."
That light shone brightly at Lambeth Palace, Tuesday, as the Brothers performed The Lost Son, their version of the Biblical story of the Prodigal Son. With a captivating combination of innocence, craft and conviction the Melanesians recast this well-known tale as the story of a young Melanesian man named Cheeka - played by Brother Joseph Tamisay. Cheeka, bored by his life at home, convinces his father to distribute his share of the family's wealth so that he can set off for London to find "sophistication". Cheeka's London adventures are exciting, but quickly turn costly and then ruinous. Like his Biblical counterpart, Cheeka ends up feeding a herd of pigs for little pay and, ultimately, finds himself obliged to join the pigs in their meals. The Melanesians' tale follows the Biblical narrative through the Prodigal Son's return home, his father's welcome and his brother's outrage. There, the Melanesians add a moving scene of reconciliation between the two brothers. This, Cheeka's father tells the audience, is how the Father in Heaven loves them - with infinite mercy, compassion and forgiveness. A great cry of "Celebrate! Celebrate!" erupts from the stage. The ensuing celebration takes the form of several minutes of jubilant dancing and panpipe playing.
At the show's conclusion, the Brothers and Archbishop Rowan, who is an Associate of the Brotherhood and spent ten days in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu last year, exchanged thanks. One of the Brothers expressed the Melanesians' delight to be in "this place we never could have dreamed of coming to in our lives," and declared: "We are one with you in this big family, God's family."
The Archbishop, embracing the Brother, pointed out that the Palace's Garden Room had never seen anything quite like the performance which had just taken place. Those archbishops whose portraits hang on the walls, he said, "who were at the beginning of the life of the Anglican Communion, never in their wildest dreams imagined that what they had begun would come back to speak to us as you have, today." Heeding his own admonition from the afternoon's homily - that, even if the world were to end tomorrow, we would still have time, today, to proclaim our love for one another and our trust in God - Archbishop Rowan conveyed his love for the Brotherhood and for the Church of Melanesia. "We think of you often," he said. "Think of us sometimes as we work together for God's kingdom as best we can."
On a more private note, one of the visiting nuns confided that her favourite aspect of this, her first, trip to the United Kingdom was the English flowers. "They are beautiful," she said. "There are so many wonderful colours."
The Melanesian Brotherhood will be leading the liturgy for the Sunday morning Eucharist at St Martin in the Fields Church, London on Sunday, July 31. That evening, they will be performing their drama entitled The Passion of the Lord there, beginning at 6:30PM.
Canon Kenneth Kearon, second from right, joins the Melanesian Brothers at Lambeth Palace.
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The Melanesian visitors perform the gospel story of the prodigal son for Archbishop Rowan and Mrs Jane Williams at Lambeth Palace. Staff from the Anglican Communion office join Lambeth staff for the programme.
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The receiving of Communion during the Mass in Lambeth Chapel
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Three of the nuns at the Chapel Eucharist
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The main character CHEEKA on top of things during his joyful return as the Prodigal son.
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The members of the religious communities from the Church of the Province of Melanesia bring the story of the Prodigal Son to life in the Guard Room at Lambeth Palace
Photo Credit: (Lambeth photo/Jennings)
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The Brothers on their visit to Lambeth Palace for lunch and their drama presentation.
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Mrs Jane Williams greets her guests at Lambeth Palace
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By Robert Bergner, ACNS Intern