Yesterday the Anglican Communion announced the appointment of Sue Parks, the Director of SPCK Worldwide (The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge) as the Lambeth Conference 2008 manager.

Sue Parks is an Australian from the Diocese of Sydney. She has been living in the UK for 20 years and has precious experience in a wide range of mission works in the Anglican Church. She once worked with the Church Mission Society (CMS) and the steering committee of Theological Education for the Anglican Communion (TEAC). Parks is keen in supporting theological resources, Christian communication programmes, literacy and HIV/AIDS education.

Parks was present at the last Lambeth Conference in 1998, and she commented, "I am really looking forward to working with people from across the Anglican Communion and putting into practice my experience of the Church worldwide to ensure the smooth running of this 2008 conference."

On beginning her new post on 1st May at St Andrew's House London, Parks will work with the Lambeth Design Group and have overall responsibility for the conference's planning and organisation. The Design Group is chaired by the Most Revd Sir Ellison Pogo, the Archbishop of Melanesia.

The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon, is very grateful for the commitment for Sue Parks and is looking forward to the Conference.

The Lambeth Conference, held once a decade, draws together Anglican Communion bishops from around the globe. It is convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The city of Canterbury has been the venue for the last three conferences. The Conference takes its name from the first meeting, which was convened at Lambeth Palace by Archbishop Longley in 1867. The 2008 conference will be the fourteenth such gathering.