Geoff Davies, formerly Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Umzimvubu, is the new executive officer of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA) and his focus will be on mission work, with particular emphasis on creating a separate Province for Mozambique and Angola.
The CPSA, which serves 5 million adult Anglicans, presently consists of South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, the islands of St. Helena and Ascension, with the recent addition of Angola.
Bishop Davies assumes his administrative and executive duties on January 14. As PEO (provincial executive officer) he will assist the archbishop in the administration of the province and in arranging key meetings and gatherings. These include the triennial Provincial Synod, the annual Provincial Standing Committee, the biannual Synod of Bishops, and assemblies for the election of bishops and their consecrations. He will also ensure the implementation of resolutions passed by Provincial Synod.
Archbishop Ndungane says the new PEO has extensive experience in the missionary field. "His focus will be on assisting the missionary bishop of Angola and the two bishops of Lebombo and Niassa in Mozambique to create their own Province. This is a job of special importance and will take a huge load off my shoulders."
"It's also comforting to know that we have someone of his calibre to make the archbishop look good in the administration of the province."
Born in Cape Town and educated at the Diocesan College, Rondebosch, Bishop Davies read history and social anthropology at the University of Cape Town before working on The Argus newspaper in Cape Town. In 1964 he travelled to England where he did supply teaching and copywriting for an advertising agency for Christian Action.
He began his theological studies in 1965 at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. "God would not let me get away", he says.
He then attended Cuddesdon Theological College, Oxford, where Robert Runcie, who subsequently became Archbishop of Canterbury, was principal. During this time he also attended the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Geneva.
Made Deacon in St. Pauls Cathedral, London, in June 1969 and ordained priest in May 1970, he served his curacy in South Kensington, London. He returned to Africa, but because of his opposition to apartheid, served in Botswana for five years as priest-in-charge of St. Augustine's Mission, Serowe.
In December 1976 he married Kate Cuthbert and in February 1977 they moved to the Parish of Holy Trinity, Kalk Bay.
He says, "It was a wonderful place to start married life. Kate had just started teaching in the Zoology Department at UCT and the parish was really welcoming and caring.
"It was of course also a time of great social tension in South Africa, with the demolition of the informal settlements such as Modderdam Road and the planned demolition of Crossroads. With Bishop David Russell, we organised all-night prayer vigils in Crossroads, which survived."
In 1981 he was appointed Director of the CPSA Department of Mission.
"The provincial offices were in Khotso House with the SACC. It was an incredibly turbulent and challenging time. Sharing daily prayers with the Desmond Tutu and the SACC staff was a real privilege. It was moving and informative. There were not many in South Africa at that time who had contact across racial lines. We were really grateful. On Sundays I assisted in parishes in Soweto and always found the most amazing welcome."
In the Department of Mission Bishop Davies travelled the Provinces of Southern Africa and Central Africa extensively and is remembered for the colour posters and slide shows he produced to promote the mission work of the church.
In November 1987 he was consecrated suffragan bishop of St. John's Diocese. This was held in Lesotho, following the international Partners in Mission consultation, which his department organised.
He was based in Kokstad to explore the possibility of a separate diocese for the northern half of St. John's. Archbishop Desmond Tutu inaugurated the new diocese in July 1991 and in December, following an elective assembly, he became the first Bishop of the Diocese of Umzimvubu.
The diocese acquired a small farm adjacent to Kokstad for the Bishop's residence and built a diocesan and community training centre. In September 2001 Archbishop Ndungane dedicated the 'indigenous' cathedral at the diocesan training centre. The diocese has also started a school, St. Monica's in Matatiele, and a sustainable agriculture and environmental education programme.
A passionate environmentalist, Bishop Davies organised the Global Anglican Congress on the Stewardship of Creation, which preceded the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002.
"Kate and I have a deep commitment to care for God's creation and believe the Church should be taking a more responsible role in looking after it for future generations."
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