Five Talents celebrates 10 years at Lambeth Conference: July 21-27, 2008

It was a great privilege to celebrate 10 years of Five Talents by attending the first week of the Lambeth Conference in late July. In 1998, Five Talents was commended by resolution to begin work in the field of microcredit. I am told that during that Lambeth more than 200 bishops and their wives gathered at a reception to launch Five Talents. As the story goes, one bishop’s wife challenged the organizers by saying, “We are tired of talk. This better be about action.”

It is safe to say we have responded to the challenge of the bishop’s wife. We are now helping 20,000 clients through 14 programs in 10 countries.

At this year’s Lambeth, we did our best to communicate this message through workshops, receptions and conversations. In the end, we talked to more than 100 bishops and their spouses about the work of Five Talents – and our mission to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives – as they stopped by our exhibit in the conference’s marketplace.

One of the highlights for me came on Tuesday when, along with Five Talents UK Director Tom Sanderson, I gave a workshop on the practices and principles of church-based microenterprise development. The first session was attended by 25 of the bishops’ spouses. Rebecca Scruton, the wife of Bishop Gordon Scruton of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts and a Five Talents International board member, gave a wonderful introduction to the session. Dr. Maria Akrofi, the wife of Archbishop of West Africa Justice Akrofi, gave the closing remarks. We also were blessed to have Jane Williams, wife of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, attend the session. BBC Radio also covered the workshop as part of a story on the bishop’s spouses. (Photo above, left to right: Tom Sanderson, Dr. Maria Akrofi, Jane Williams and Craig Cole. Photo by Scott Gunn/ACNS)

Following the spouses workshop, 15 bishops, including one from Zambia, several from Sudan and others from Tanzania, came for a second session. Bishop Scruton gave the opening remarks commenting on the need for the church to remain focused on the poor.

On Thursday, I participated in the Walk of Witness Against Global Poverty with hundreds of bishops, faith leaders and executives from non-governmental organizations. The walk started at Whitehall, went past Parliament and finished at Lambeth Palace. It was an extraordinary event that ended with speeches by Archbishop of Canterbury Williams and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Later in the day – in an entirely different setting – I had tea with the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace along with more than 650 Anglican bishops and other dignitaries. Although I was not chosen to meet her personally, it was an incredible experience to stroll through the magnificent gardens behind the palace out of view from the busy Victoria section of London.

Throughout the week, we handed out invitations to a reception we were hosting on Saturday evening. We were thrilled to have 50 bishops and their spouses attend. (I was told by the event organizers that this was one of the better crowds for this type of event.) Bishop Simon Chiwanga, pictured left, one of the driving forces behind Five Talents and its first international chairman, gave an eloquent speech about the origins of Five Talents and why the church must be involved in alleviating poverty in a dignified way. His words were a resounding amen to all of our activities, which culminated in having the Five Talents display at the entrance of Canterbury Cathedral during the Sunday services.

Lambeth 2008 marks a milestone in the history of Five Talents, but it is just that – a marker along the road. As we look to the future, we continue to hear and to heed the same call – to stop talking and take action.

Reflections by Craig Cole, Five Talents International Executive Director

Thanks for Making Our First-Ever After Hours Event a Success!

We hosted our first-ever Five Talents After Hours event last Friday. Despite a little rain, which brought everyone inside, we had a great time! We had nearly 60 in attendance, fantastic food provided by Aditi Bistro in Vienna and the chance to share about our work in India. Below are a few photos from the event ...

Walk for Witness

Ten years ago at the 1998 Lambeth Conference, about 200 Bishops and their spouses came to a reception to launch Five Talents as a concrete answer to the ravages of grassroots poverty. I’m told by those who were in attendance that a bishop’s wife challenged the organizers by saying, “This better not be just talk. We want action.”

The challenge of the bishop’s wife has rung in my ears since I became the executive director of Five Talents International in September 1999. We did act and at this moment are helping 20,000 poor entrepreneurs in 14 projects located in 10 countries. On November 16, the parable of the talents is the Gospel reading. We will be asking churches to remember on “Five Talents Sunday,” that even those who suffer the indignity of being poor have God-given abilities that when used lead to empowerment and hope.

It was a privilege for me to attend the first week of the 2008 Lambeth Conference. Besides being in exhibit hall, we held two workshops for the bishops and their spouses and sponsored a social event to celebrate 10 years.

I also was honored to participate in the Walk for Witness on Global Poverty on July 24th. It was the first time ever that I have walked, run or carried a sign advocating for a cause. For those who know me, it’s just not something I do. But walking by Whitehall and Parliament on a clear sunny day was an amazing experience. More importantly, for the hour or so that it lasted, there was a feeling of unity and camaraderie especially among the bishops. At least from my vantage point this was true. I saw bishops from all different perspectives come together to witness on behalf of the poor who have no voice and live in desperate conditions. In fact, so many of the bishops on the walk experience this truth daily in their diocese whether in Sudan, Congo or Peru.

The focus on grassroots poverty and the churches’ important role in meeting the challenge of more than a billion people living on $1 or $2 a day is one point of agreement that binds the Anglican Communion together. In the end, though talking and walking doesn’t provide justice. Justice will roll down only when Christians act out the holistic gospel of Jesus Christ. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals will mean very little for the church unless we also share the love of Jesus Christ and His message of transformation and reconciliation while simultaneously serving the poor through water projects, HIV/AIDS treatment and even business development.

By Craig Cole, executive director of Five Talents International and an EGR board member.