*The result of the Archbishop of Canterbury consulting the primates one-by-one instead of holding a primates meeting to evaluate TEC's response to the Dar-es-Salaam communique is predictably "some say this and some say that".

*The Archbishop of Canterbury has reportedly presided at a Communion service for gay clergy and their partners, at the church where the communications director of the Anglican Communion Office is a deacon. Far from being a focus of unity the Archbishop is likely to become a focus of division.

*The Archbishop of Canterbury (or his speechwriters) unjustifiably and flying in the face of history, condemned US imperialism as worse than British imperialism.

*The Archbishop of Canada has appealed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has not so far intervened anywhere, to intervene in his church where two retired bishops now head up a network under the jurisdiction of the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone.

* The so-called Windsor Bishops in the USA have not stood up or said anything. Two of them have now become Roman Catholics.

* Gene Robinson and his male partner Mark will be "married" on July 4 2008 and attend the Lambeth Conference where Gene Robinson will give a seminar. The Lambeth Conference will be a media circus focused on the honeymooners.

* "Irregular" ordinations and consecrations by bishops not regarded as "licit" by Canterbury but recognised by the leaders of over 30 million out of 52 million Anglicans ( the real number) are increasing. The Canterbury-led global fellowship cannot continue as it is.

We need to focus on the big-screen presentation.

The Church of England articles focus on the basic unit of the church being the congregation of faithful people "in which the Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments duly administered according to Christ's ordinance". The life of faithful Anglican parishes ( in England, the USA, Canada) goes on apace.

The average Anglican is female, under 30, lives on 2 dollars a day, has three children, walks two kilometres for water, is related to someone with HIV/Aids and is evangelical.

How wonderful it is that God has so brought it about that the ongoing Anglican identity of parishes and dioceses in North America needs the oversight of bishops from provinces of poor people in Africa and Latin America.

This should enable churches in the west to develop their understanding of the gospel by building relationships with the poor for whom the gospel is defined as good news.

This relationship is one of God's methods for ensuring that churches in the west are not overwhelmed by the power of their surrounding culture, because they are in fellowship with and accountable to churches among poor Christians.

Bishop Chuck Murphy has told how his relationship as Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Mission in America with the Province of Rwanda and Bishop Martyn Minns of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America has told how his relationship with the Church of Nigeria is that their archbishops sometimes say no.

A great work of God is going on. We have talked and prayed for many years that the Anglican Communion would be an effective instrument in the hands of God for winning the nations to Christ. God is clearly at work.

This is a time of testing - of asking people to be clear about their commitment to the biblical Gospel and the faith of the church as expressed in its creeds and formularies.

We have to be ready to make a clear witness, not to compromise what has been entrusted to us for the health and wholeness and salvation of men, women and children for the sake of career, supposed influence and convenience. We need to trust each other, and we need to support each other even when we might not agree with every last detail of action that someone has undertaken.

What matters is the larger picture. We must put our hope in God, we must pray for his will to be done, we must be ready to be willing instruments of his purpose, and we must look for him to give the increase.

END