Synod?! What's that?
Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary definition -
'Synod, sin'od, n. a meeting: an ecclesiastical council; a Presbyterian church court intermediate between presbytery and the General Assembley.'

In the context of the Anglican church it's the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the clergy and representatives of the Parishes of the Diocese.

Synod is the opportunity for these representatives to discuss and compare notes on the previous twelve months' happenings in their parishes. Like all AGMs time has to be spent on discussing finance and decisions have to be made (democratically) on the raising and spending of funds. Reports are presented on many subjects appertaining to the general life of the church, not only on a local level but in the worldwide arena.

One of the most important aspects of the synodial gathering is the opportunity of the clergy and representatives to meet together informally to have fellowship together, be it over a meal or elsewhere. Morning and evening services are held daily, at least one of them each day being Eucharist.

The recent Synod of the Diocese of Cyprus and The Gulf was held in Lamaca, Cyprus from Monday 31st January to Friday 4th of February. It was a large gathering of 50 clergy and representatives with nearly 80 observers plus the diocesan staff. For those of us for whom it was a 'first time event' it proved to be an enlightening experience. It brought home to us that we are not an isolated unit but really are part of the wider church.  The other truth that we observed was the fact of the great differences there are between the parishes, both in size of church membership and in their composition. The fact that some congregations are almost entirely from western backgrounds whilst others are almost completely eastern. This makes for the Diocese to be unique in it's diversity and character. It also brings home to one the wonderful way in which the Lord works in bringing people of completely different racial and denominational heritage together to work and worship in a common way.  Yes there are differences but there always have been and until the Second Coming there always will be. The fact that we can meet in this way is in itself worthy of praise.

The visit to Cyprus was not all work! Avril and I hired a car and were able to visit Nicosia, Paphos, Limassol, Ayia Napa and Famagusta (in the Turkish sector) as well as walking in snow on Troudos mountain (see ) and exploring downtown Larnaca, covering more than 500kms. Coming from Bahrain it was a pleasure to drive on roads which were not only much less congested, but on which others were not practicing for the Grand Prix!We sampled Cypriot food and wine and came away feeling very much refreshed in body, mind and spirit.

Rod Taylor