It was a delight for Anglican Alliance staff to visit Westminster Abbey last week to view their Communion Forest exhibition.
Westminster Abbey, the site of English coronations since 1066, has supported the Communion Forest since it was launched two years ago. Over the summer, from July 22nd to September 8th, they have been holding the exhibition in the glorious setting of the chapter house.
In their own words, they describe the event as “An exhibition welcoming you to explore the beauty of the natural world and the ongoing efforts of the Communion Forest to preserve it. Embark on a journey of stewardship, renewal and faith at the Communion Forest exhibition, where the Anglican Communion’s commitment to environmental conservation comes to life.
“From Kenya to Australia, Tanzania to India, this exhibition celebrates the beauty and biodiversity of forests while highlighting the pressing need for their protection. This unique showcase celebrates the intersection of spirituality and environmentalism, highlighting the practical and symbolic efforts of Anglican communities worldwide to protect and restore the Earth.”
Revd. Canon Rachel Carnegie, Executive Director of the Anglican Alliance, Elizabeth Perry, the Alliance’s Programmes Director, who leads on the Communion Forest for the Alliance, Amy Bishop, Programmes Officer, and Rob Dawes, Rachel’s successor, who joins the team next month, were shown around the exhibition by its curator, Holly Westwood, and joined by Canon Anthony Ball, Canon Jamie Hawkey and his wife Carol, who works at Forestry England. It was a joy to share stories, ideas and dreams about how we can widen the reach of the Communion Forest across the Anglican Communion and live the Fifth Mark of Mission together ever more deeply.
Reflecting on how visitors had responded to the exhibition, Holly Westwood said she had been blown away by how many people had engaged with the prayer tree. She had had to remove and store people’s prayers to make space for new ones. When the paper provided had run out, people had carefully halved the pieces already in use and used their own paper, even resorting to using paper tissues. The desire of people to pray and add their prayer to the tree had been striking.
Wildflower seeds are embedded in the paper provided for people’s prayers. Once the exhibition is over, the prayers will be planted in the grassy area outside the Abbey. The wildflowers which emerge will be another expression of the Communion Forest, providing a habitat for pollinators and a burst of beauty in the heart of London.
Elizabeth Perry said, “It was wonderful to see all the stories and photos clustered by country and region on the four wooden trees that were such an important focus for prayer – and promises of action – on the London Day of the Lambeth Conference, when the Communion Forest was launched two years ago.
“The exhibition is the first time the Communion Forest has been mapped physically and made visible publicly since then and seeing so many and varied examples of action on those same trees (the same design as the Communion Forest logo) was a real demonstration of how the Communion Forest is flourishing – which, of course, is hugely encouraging and joyous.”
We are deeply grateful to Westminster Abbey for all their support.
