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Handle with prayer!
News – ANiC and AEN
Newsletters resume on a more limited basis
Synod
2011 voted to address ANiC’s deficit by implementing the budget cuts
recommended by ANiC’s Council. As a result of these cuts, communication functions
– including newsletters – have been curtailed. After a 10 week
hiatus, newsletters are now resuming but will be more tightly focused on ANiC
and ACNA news. Thank you for your patience and please accept our apologies for
this long silence.
If you wish to be kept informed about happenings in
the broader Anglican Communion, please consider subscribing to:
In addition, there are many excellent blogs you can
follow, including:
For prayer resources, please take advantage of ANiC’s monthly
prayer calendar and 1st Friday of the Month mediation and prayer guide.
For news and prayer requests related to persecuted Christians worldwide consider
subscribing to the Barnabus Fund’s email list.
Synod 2011
Presentations and information
from the November 2012 synod are posted on the ANiC website.
2012 Liturgical Calendars
A very limited number of ANiC’s
beautiful 2012
liturgical calendars are still available – but not for long! The
sale of these calendars has raised over $1000 for church planting in ANiC –
after covering production, printing and distribution costs. Our calendar, which
was largely the fruit of volunteer efforts, was featured by the Anglican Church
in North America in an article entitled, “Artists showcase the beauty of the
liturgical year”. The work of talented ANiC artists graces the monthly
calendar pages and the back pages contain information on our diocese and our
province, as well as the full text of the Jerusalem Declaration. Depending on
the response we receive, this calendar could be repeated next year. Please let
us know what you think. Send your comments to Jayne or Marilyn.
ANiC clergy retreats
January 18 – Bishops
Don Harvey and Charlie Masters will lead a one-day clergy retreat, from 10am-3pm,
at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario. Please RSVP today to Jessica
in the ANiC office by email or phone 1-866-351-2642.
March 20-22 – ANiC’s annual clergy retreat at lovely Cedar Springs, just south of
Abbotsford, BC, on the US side of the border will feature the ministry of Dr
Lyle Schrag, director of the Fellowship Centre for Leadership
Development at the Northwest Baptist Seminary. For more
information, see the ANiC
website, then register
online.
ANiC’s Asian Mission changes its name and plans
another conference
The Asian Mission in
Canada (AMiC) has changed its name to better convey the scope of its ministry.
Effective January 1, it became Asian and
Multicultural Ministries in Canada (AMMiC). AMMiC is pursuing both
Cantonese and Mandarin speaking ministries and is working with St John’s
Vancouver to support a Farsi-speaking ministry in North Vancouver. In addition,
AMMiC is growing mission partnerships in Asia, sending short-term mission teams
to minister to abandoned disable orphans in China and Karen refugees in
Thailand.
Encouraged by the
spectacular success of its inaugural conference last spring, AMMiC is planning
a second conference on June 11-12, 2012 at Regent College, Vancouver. For
information, see the AMMiC
website.
Bishop Don Harvey interviewed
The November
Anglican Planet published an interesting interview with Bishop Don,
covering such topics as the choice between unity and truth in established
Anglican denominations, his vision for ANiC, border crossing, litigation,
ANiC’s financial shortfall, church planting, and the role of bishops.
ANiC ordinations
| • |
The
Rev Dwight MacPherson, All Saints Anglican Catholic Church, Rutland, Vermont, was
ordained to the priesthood on November 20. |
| • |
The
Rev Dr Michael Dobson, St Andrew’s (Delta), will be ordained to the priesthood by
Bishop Trevor Walters on February 5, 3pm at St John’s Richmond (8140 Saunders
Road, Richmond, BC). |
| • |
Mr
James Carriere will be ordained to the diaconate on Wednesday, 25 January 2012
at 7:30pm – the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul – at Good
Shepherd, St Catharines, ON by Bishop Charlie Masters. |
| • |
The
Rev Garth Hunt will be ordained to the priesthood, on Sunday, 29 January 2012
– Epiphany 4 – at 10am at St George’s, Burlington, ON by Bishop
Charlie Masters. |
Sojourners Fellowship launched
ANiC’s
synod received a presentation on a new fellowship within ANiC which will be
know as the Sojourners Fellowship The group is intended to encourage, disciple
and connect “Anglican orphans” – those who do not have a Biblically
faithful Anglican church nearby. The group will rely heavily on the Internet
and social media, creating an online church community that will also reach out
to seekers.
According
to founder, Mark Larratt Smith, “Our purpose is to create a virtual fellowship
of faithful Christians living in widely differing circumstances and locations,
connected to the Worldwide Anglican Communion through the Anglican Network in
Canada and committed to sharing the Gospel, building up the Church, and
supporting one another as disciples of Jesus Christ.”
For
information, or to get involved, email Mark or call (613)476-6539. The Fellowship also needs help from those with technical
– and other – abilities who could help develop this online
ministry.
ANiC parishes and members in the news
ANiC member Tolson Chapman of St John’s, Newfoundland had a letter to the editor published in the January edition of the
Anglican Church of Canada’s diocesan Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador
newsletter (p5). In the l letter Tolson expressed grave concerns about the
direction taken by the Anglican Church of Canada, citing numerous examples.
The Rev Paul Donison, of
St Peter & St Paul’s, was interviewed by CBC Ottawa regarding his dramatic pre-Christmas
presentations. Portraying the 4th century bishop Saint Nicholas, the Rev
Donison, a trained actor, walked the streets of downtown Ottawa regaling
shoppers with tales from his life and handing out “gold” coins. The interview is here and a photo of “St
Nick” is here.
St
Timothy’s Great Garage Give-away was noted in the Montreal Gazette last June.
The Rev Ron Corcoran and other members of Christ the
King (Victoria) were interviewed by Radio Canada (French language CBC) on why they left the Anglican Church of Canada. A TV crew also filmed a Christ the
King Sunday service and a session of the parish’s Parables in the Pub ministry. The resulting TV
broadcast was aired on the program
Second Regard.
Parish and regional events
Ontario
men’s breakfast – A breakfast is slated for January 21, 9-11am near
Newmarket, ON. The theme is “Advancing shoulder to shoulder following Jesus” and Bishop Don Harvey will be the speaker. See the poster
for more information. Register
today! For more info call 705-999-2911.
St Andrew’s (Delta, BC) is
offering a one-day healing workshop on February 11 entitled “The Healing Gifts
of God's Kingdom: God's Amazing Grace When It Hurts”. Full information is on St Andrew’s
website.
Church
of the Ascension (Langley, BC) and Saint Matthew’s (Abbotsford, BC) will have a
table at the Trinity Western University job fair on February 2, raising ANiC’s
profile within the university community.
All
Saints (Rutland, Vermont) is inviting the community to their “A Taste of
Chocolate” event on February 11, 5:30pm at the Godnick Center
(Woodstock Ave and Deer Street). The” family fun” event will feature chocolate
tasting, and entertainment by an Elvis impersonator.
Holy
Cross, Abbotsford, BC has a new phone number: 604 302-2422.
Please
email your parish news and communication ideas to Marilyn or call
1-866-351-2642 extension 4020.
ANiC and ACNA events calendar
January
26-27 – ACNA Southeast
Asia mission symposium in Bedford, Texas
Mar
6-8 – Anglican 1000’s 2012 Church
Planting Summit in Plano, TX.
Mar
20-22 – ANiC clergy
retreat, Cedar Springs, WA
June
7-9 – ACNA
Provincial Assembly, Ridgecrest, NC
News – Anglican
Church in North America (ACNA)
ACNA Provincial Assembly set for June 7-9 in North
Carolina
Our province was founded at an inaugural assembly
(synod) in Texas in 2009. It’s almost three years later and the ACNA is planning its second gathering of
the whole Church, this time in Ridgecrest, North Carolina, June 7-9. The
tentative schedule is on the ACNA website.
Speakers include: Dr Ed
Stetzer,
an authority on church planting, Baroness
Caroline Cox, member of the British House of Lords and tireless global
campaigner for human rights, the Rt Rev
Rennis Ponniah, Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Singapore, one renowned
Bible teacher, the Rev Dr Michael
Youssef, rector of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, and
Archbishop Robert Duncan,
primate of the Anglican Church in North America.
You don’t have to be an official delegate to
attend. Road trip anyone?!
SE Asia mission symposium
in Texas, January 26-27
Anglican Global
Mission Partners (AGMP),
a mission branch of the Anglican Church in North America, is sponsoring a symposium on ministry in SE Asia on January 26-27 at St Vincent’s Cathedral in Bedford,
Texas. The organizers say, “There is an urgent need for Anglican Church in
North America diocesan and church partnerships to assist the Province of
Southeast Asia” in its mission to evangelizing the millions in SE Asia who have
never had the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus. You can read more about what promises to be a very interesting event.
Anglican1000 church planting summit, March 6-8, in
Plano, Texas
Registration
is now
open for ACNA’s annual Anglican 1000 Church Planting
Summit, March 6-8, 2012 in Plano, TX. This is an opportunity for leaders,
church planters, and anyone interested to come together for a time of
equipping, networking, worship, encouragement, prayer and reports from the front
lines. Featured speakers include Scot McKnight, Mike Breen, and David Taylor. Special
discounts are available for seminarians and active church planters.
Disappointing court decisions in the US
A Virginia court has
turned over the property of seven ACNA churches in the state to the Episcopal
Church Diocese, including the historic Falls Church. An earlier decision had
awarded the property to the ACNA congregations. The seven ACNA churches are
members of the newly established Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, under Bishop John
Guernsey, who was a speaker at ANiC’s 2011 synod in Victoria last November. The
churches are prayerfully considering their legal options.
For more information see
the Diocese
of the Mid-Atlantic website, A S
Haley’s legal analysis, and an interesting Institute
on Religion & Democracy article which questions the TEC diocese’s ability to maintain the church
properties given the few Episcopalians remaining in those parishes. It gives
the example of The Falls Church ACNA congregation which numbers 2000 and
expends $750,000 annually to maintain the church property, while the
corresponding TEC congregation numbers about 74 and currently spends $9000
annually to rent property.
Earlier, ACNA’s Christ
Church Savannah (Georgia) had to leave its property. This historic church, founded
in 1733, pre-dates TEC and included John Wesley and George Whitefield among its
early rectors. For more information on Christ Church’s history see
its website.
A 16-minute
American Anglican Council video offers an interesting overview and perspective on the
107, often complex, lawsuits brought by TEC and its
dioceses against departing congregations. Canon Phil Ashey, a trained lawyer,
offers insight into TEC’s Dennis Cannon which US courts tend to unquestioningly
accepted in their decisions, and discusses differences in conviction on the
Biblical view of litigation.
Controversy envelops AMiA
The Anglican Mission in
the Americas, which recently took the name Anglican Mission, has dominated
Anglican news over the last few weeks. In early December, an article
in Christianity Today reported that all but
two AMiA bishops had followed AMiA chairman Bishop Chuck Murphy and resigned
from the Rwandan House of Bishops where AMiA bishops have been resident for 11
years. The issues are complex and murky; however, it is clear that the break
with the Anglican Church in Rwanda was not precipitated by theological differences.
Last year, AMiA chose to move out of the ACNA, citing the difficulty of holding
“dual citizenship” in both the Church of Rwanda and the ACNA. The status of
AMiA churches is not entirely clear.
Bishop Bob Duncan,
primate of ACNA, wrote in a
pre-Christmas pastoral letter:
“…The present reality is brokenness…
The resignation of nine Anglican Mission bishops, including the Bishop
Chairman, from the House of Bishops of Rwanda, changed relationships with
Rwanda, with fellow bishops and with the Anglican Church in North America. The
resigned bishops lost their status in our College of Bishops as a result of
their resignation from Rwanda. The Anglican Mission also lost its status as a
Ministry Partner, since that status had been predicated on AMiA’s relationship
with Rwanda. In addition, confusion and hurt has been created in Rwanda and in
North America, and there is much serious work ahead of us… We made a partial
beginning [in addressing the issues with AMiA, between AMiA and Rwanda, and
between the two factions of AMiA and the ACNA]. Bishops Leonard Riches and
Charlie Masters agreed to lead the negotiations from the Anglican Church in
North America.
The current reality is
that AMiA is split and in confusion. Much of the leadership of AMiA is
estranged from the Rwandan Church and no longer has any connection to the
Anglican Communion. ACNA seems to be taking leadership to working towards
clarity, reconciliation and resolution. In addition, there was a meeting of key
parties in the dispute in Kenya recently hosted by the Chairman of the GAFCon
Primates Council and primate of Kenya, Archbishop of Kenya, Dr Eliud Wabukhala;
no report has emerged from that meeting, however.
In spite of all the
controversy roiling their denomination, AMiA held its annual Winter Conference
this past week. See VirtueOnline for coverage.
For more background on
the AMiA debacle, see Anglican
Ink, VirtueOnline and watch recent Anglican Unscripted videos. For
another perspective – the perspective of the Rwandan House of Bishops – see
this article. For a poignant but brief
commentary on Biblical reconciliation, see the most recent Anglican
Perspectives video.
ACNA fully recognized by the Episcopal Church of the
Sudan
In his Advent letter,
Archbishop Bob Duncan noted:
“We received word this week of a decision by the
Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan that their House of Bishops had
taken action to recognize "fully" the Anglican Church in North
America as a "true faithful Orthodox Church" and to commit to
"work with [us] to expand the Kingdom of God in the world." I pray we
will prove worthy of the trust this Province has expressed. I pray we will do
it in the same fidelity to the Word of God and with the same Christ-like
charity they have shown. I pray we will do it with the same courage and unity
in adversity as the Church of the Sudan has shown through thirty years of civil
war, suffering and martyrdom. What trust they place in us!
Tax webinars for US-based clergy
US based clergy who were
not able to participate in the American Anglican Council (AAC) "Clergy
& Their Taxes" webinar will find the session – recording and
slides – posted on the AAC's website. The
second session, “Tax and Legislative Developments Affecting Ministers”, was held on January
12, but will also be posted on the AAC website. The final session in the
series, “Do's
and Don'ts: Preparing Your Personal Return”, will be webcast on Thursday,
February 2 at 2 pm EST. See the AAC website for more information.
Anglican Church issues 2011 ministry report
The
Anglican Church in North America has issued its first ministry report, called The Apostle.
Youth get “Anglican Fever”
The Christian Broadcasting Network featured an article on the phenomenon of Christian youth “flocking” to orthodox Anglicanism,
specifically ACNA churches in the Chicago area. It states, “A
possible reason for the growth is the authenticity. Many congregations in the
new denomination gave up buildings and property in order to break from the
Episcopal Church and its increasingly liberal theology… [What’s] drawing young
people to the Anglican Church is what many would not expect. It's about
sacraments, like weekly Communion and traditional prayers that the entire
congregation participates in reading… [and] the integrity that comes from
standing for one's faith.”
Other news in brief
A professor at Trinity
School for Ministry, the Rev Dr Grant LeMarquand, has been appointed as
assistant bishop to the primate of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Dr LeMarquand
will serve as area bishop in the Horn of Africa, based in Ethiopia. He is to be
consecrated on April 25 in Cairo and installed in Addis Ababa on October 27. An Anglican
Planet article notes that Dr LeMarquand, who is Canadian, says his
focus will be on the growing, largely Sudanese Anglican churches near the
border.
The former secretary
general of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Ven Dr Michael Pollesel, has been
elected bishop of Uruguay. The election has yet to be approved by
the province of the Southern Cone. The Diocese of Uruguay has been in dispute
with the rest of the Southern Cone over the issue of women’s ordination to the
priesthood.
The Anglican Church of
Canada (ACoC) Diocese of Toronto has voted to ask General Synod to change the marriage canons allowing the marriage of any
who are legally married instead of restricting marriage to a man and a woman. The
diocese also asked the ACoC House of Bishops to withdraw its 1979 statement disallowing
the ordination of those in “committed same-gender relationships”. There is a
good discussion on the AEC blog about these developments and common arguments in support of same-sex blessings which misuse scripture.
A number of Canadian
Lutheran churches are voting on possibly leaving the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Canada as that denomination goes down the same path as the Anglican
Church of Canada. The Solid Ground
website is tracking the votes of individual churches.
The Pope has appointed the former bishop of TEC Diocese of Rio Grande, Jeffrey Steenson, to lead the
Roman Catholic Anglican Ordinariate in North America.
Attacks on churches and
Christians by radical Islamist continue in Nigeria. In an AnglicanTV
interview, Archbishop Ben Kwashi discusses the violence faced by
Christians in his region.
The Anglican Province of
the Southern Cone has voted to approve the Anglican Covenant – as Archbishop Rowan Williams
again exhorted all provinces to do in his Advent
letter. The Anglican Communion Institute has posted an article giving “Ten reasons for voting positively” for the Anglican Communion Covenant.
VirtueOnline
posted an
interesting analysis of the Global South, naming provinces which are
most vulnerable to the lure of western aid in exchange for accepting the US
Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada’s moral and theological positions.
The Primate of Uganda, Archbishop
Luke Orombi, has announced he will step down at the end of this year to focus on a ministry of evangelism.
Soul food
Next Christmas
Although it’s 11 months until Christmas, this short “Advent Conspiracy” video is worth watching.
Just for fun
Little
Bobby was spending the weekend with his grandmother after a particularly trying
week in kindergarten.
His
grandmother decided to take him to the park on Saturday morning. It had been
snowing all night and everything was beautiful.
His
grandmother remarked, "Doesn't it look like an artist painted this
scenery? Did you know God painted this just for you?"
Bobby
said, "Yes, God did it and he did it left handed."
This
confused his grandmother a bit, and she asked him "What makes you say God
did this with his left hand?"
"Well,"
said Bobby, "we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus sits on
God's right hand."
Courtesy: www.mikeysFunnies.com
And now a word from our sponsor
May
God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that
your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
Let
the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
Let
the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and
guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let
the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
The
earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.
God
shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Psalm
67 ESV
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