The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams, will dedicate the new Oxford home of the 208-year-old Church Mission Society on 26 October 2007. The Archbishop is Patron of the Society.The new centre, on the edge of the Blackbird Leys estate, opened for business on 19 June. The Archbishop will address an audience of over 200 invited guests, who will include civic representatives, the Sheriff of Oxfordshire, plus church and community leaders.
The new centre houses offices plus a state-of-the-art conference centre and the new Crowther Centre for Mission Education, through which CMS is linked in a joint venture with Oxford-based academic institutions.
Dr Williams will unveil a plaque to commemorate the occasion and a vast canvas celebrating the mission of God by the remarkable Chinese artist Dr He Qi of Nanjing, the People’s Republic of China. The Archbishop will also dedicate a public art project at the centre’s front entrance. This sculpture by a young artist, Saga Arpino, is entitled "The Light of the World".
5 October 2007
Media InformationGuests are requested to be in place at 11.15 am for 11.30 am.
There will be a media desk and facilities. The Archbishop will be available for a brief session for media questions at the conclusion of the opening event, which is planned to last an hour and a quarter.
Media representatives must register in advance.
Contact: John Martin, Head of Communication, CMS. Tel. 01865 787448 (Office, direct line); 020 8810 5618 (Home); 07867 695366 (Mobile)
Media registrations: Anne Henriksen, tel. 01865 787453
e-mail:
anne.henriksen@cms-uk.org