Lambeth spouses tell stories of ‘hardship and hope’

The Revd Patsy McGregor and her husband, the Rt Revd Todd McGregor, Bishop of Toliara in Madagascar (Province of the Indian Ocean)


Click to zoom

27 July 2008

The Spouses’ Conference - it used to be the Wives’ Conference before the last Lambeth Conference when some of the spouses were husbands for the first time - has a parallel programme of Bible Studies, prayer, worship, discussion groups and plenary sessions hearing each others’ stories.

The host of the Spouses’ Conference, Jane Williams, wife of the Archbishop of Canterbury, says the spouses are ‘looking at some of the most urgent issues facing us as human beings made in God’s image.’

And, as the conference approaches its final week, she spoke about the stories the spouses have been telling: ‘I feel as though I can hardly bare for it [the conference] ever to end because there are 550 of us and obviously the proportion of stories I have heard is still quite small of all of those people. And every single one has the most extraordinary story to tell.

‘We have heard some stories of amazing hardship, fantastic hope, often the two together - hardship and hope.

‘I spent a little while yesterday talking to the bishops’ wives from the Congo and as you know, Congo has been through a long period of war and civil unrest. And the kind of rebuilding work that all of those women are involved in within their dioceses is just so uplifting; to hear what they are doing on hardly any resources and they are doing simply out of love of God and love of the people God has given to them.’

Jane Williams says the bishops’ and archbishops’ spouses are working not just to support their husbands and wives, but also to support the whole church: ‘A lot of church work simply wouldn’t survive without the energy and commitment that bishops’ spouses bring to it. In Britain, and a lot of the global north, a lot of bishops’ spouses also have jobs of their own but I think they would still see a lot of that as supportive of the Christian ministry and mission of the church at large.’

She added that the Spouses’ Conference provided a ‘wonderful opportunity to share with people who know what life is like for a bishop’s spouse.’

And she said the bishops’ and archbishop’s spouses were aware - and grateful - for the amount of prayer they receive for their, often isolated, ministry. ‘All of us as wives and spouses of leaders of the church are aware that people pray for us and that is something we couldn’t manage without and we do rely upon. We feel very, very privileged that people are prepared to pray for us with that kind of care and commitment.’



Other Stories