Anglican Health Network elects new chair
Revd Canon Desmond Lambrechts was elected chair of the new board for the
Anglican Health Network at its inaugural meeting on 28th March 2014. Desmond has served as an ordained
priest for 33 years in the province of Southern Africa, now as Provincial
Canon. He has held positions on several provincial and diocesan commissions and
was Director of Programmes for AnglicanAids. He regularly advises Archbishop Thabo
on health policy.
Desmond was appointed by the
Deputy President of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe, as chairperson of the
South African National AIDS Council and is a member of the trust board representing
civil society. He also served as the deputy chairperson with the Minister of
Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, on the country coordinating mechanism for The Global
Fund in South Africa. He is currently chair of the Board of Johns Hopkins
School of Public Health and Education in South Africa.
Desmond is a lifelong fellow for
the Southern Africa-United States Centre for Leadership & Public Values
programme between Duke University and the Graduate School of Business, Cape
Town. He is currently reading for a PhD in Practical Theology; “The assessment
of care and support groups in the Diocese of False Bay”.
In the Diocese of False Bay, he
is currently co-chairperson for the Department of Social Development. He is a
member of the Ecumenical Health Alliance in Africa and has represented
the Anglican Church in Southern Africa in various workshops at CAPA.
Desmond’s strategic leadership in
the area of Health has strengthened the vision of the Anglican Church of
Southern Africa. He is passionate about working towards the establishment of
parishes as health literacy networks where communities can access services at
any given time. New AHN Board members include: Dr. Alan Crouch, Anglican Church of Australia Naveed Khurram, Church of Pakistan Revd Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Church of England Revd Daniel Nuzum, Church of Ireland Observer - Marie Preston, Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia The network continues to be coordinated by Revd Paul Holley in Geneva, and its programmes are directed by Lee Hogan in Houston. In response to the new board and the election of Canon Lambrechts, Revd Paul Holley said, 'We are grateful for the support of the initial board and advisory council that helped to establish AHN. With a new board comprised of provincial representatives, we look to take AHN to the next phase of development. In doing so, we are fortunate to have Desmond's experience and leadership to support us as we move ahead'. Among his first steps as chair, Desmond is committed to inviting feedback from provincial health coordinators across the Anglican Communion. He said, ' The role of churches in promoting health and bringing healing is a key feature of their mission. Governments recognise this and in many cases are supporting partnerships. AHN provides the opportunity to share learning and to facilitate collaborative projects. I look forward to finding out more about what Anglicans are doing and to working with fellow board members to support and encourage this critical work of the Kingdom'. |