A conference of Anglican Bishops and Archbishops met in Bermuda last week.

The Council of Primates of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans met for five days at Tucker's Point Club.

The Council formed in Jerusalem in 2008 during the Global Anglican Future Conference.

Most of the Council represented dioceses in Africa where their churches have millions of members and are still growing.

Concerned with the decline in membership in the West and in what they feel are increased liberal stances, the members met and prayed with local Anglicans at a dinner the night before they left.

A few also answered questions and shared their views on a variety of topics.

Bishop Nathan Kyamanywa of the Anglican Church of Uganda spoke on the necessity of the church to have a clear voice and leadership role.

"The church must have a prophetic voice," he said. " God has a right to direct and Christian leaders must continue to talk to political leaders to direct them in the ways of God."

The Ugandan Government has put forward a bill to outlaw homosexuality in the country.

I asked Bishop Nathan after the dinner, what the church's stance has been with regard to the matter. "We are waiting to see what the Government does," he said. Noting that the bill had not become law he said he felt the church did not have to take a stand.

But in private meetings, the Council condemned the ordination of a partnered lesbian as Bishop in Los Angeles of the Episcopal Church saying in its communiqué that the move "makes clear to all that the American Episcopal Church leadership has formally committed itself to a pattern of life which is contrary to Scripture".

Speaking to those at the dinner, Bishop Nathan said he felt it was important to recognise the role of the church on cultural matters.

He held that this could go in one of three ways: Christ for culture, Christ against culture and Christ above culture.

Situations where the cultural norm coincides with Christ's message are good and include things like being kind and forgiving. He cited an old practice that had servants buried alive when their masters died, as an example of Christ's message being against culture.

And he said practices like female genital mutilation presented examples of situations where Christ's message is above culture.

"But it is the duty of that culture to try and get transformed and not to remain in that situation," he said.

Representing a diocese of 10 million people, Bishop Nathan also expressed deep concern over poverty.

He said many poor Ugandans struggle to make enough money to educate their children, and then have to stretch that money even further to give to the church, for the church cannot exist without their donations.

"I am trying to have the church engage in money making enterprise so that the poor people don't have to suffer to hear the Gospel, so that it will always be available for them whether they have money or not," he said.

After the dinner I asked Bishop Nathan what business he hoped to start.

He explained that eight years ago he started a reforestation project that sees each of the church members plant a pine tree.

"Whenever I am confirming people I insist they have two things," he said. "They must have a Bible and they must plant a tree."

In his project, new members plant a seedling on church owned property.

The pine is valuable as timber for building so the church is able to fund its work through sale of the wood.

Bishop Nathan said the number of trees that have been planted by members of the Ugandan Anglican churches have already ensured the church's financial stability well into the future.

"There should be enough to sustain us for years after I have gone," he said.