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ANiC news
ANiC and ACNA events calendar
June 4 – ACNA Archbishop’s
Cabinet meeting, Ridgecrest, NC
June 5 – ACNA College
of Bishops meeting, Ridgecrest, NC
June 6 – ACNA Provincial
Council meeting, Ridgecrest, NC
June 7-10 – ACNA Provincial Assembly, Ridgecrest, NC
June 10, 5pm – Christ the Redeemer inaugural
service in North Vancouver, BC [Please note time]
June 11-12 – Asian & Multicultural Ministries
in Canada (AMMiC) conference in Vancouver
June
20 – Melvin Tai will be ordained deacon at Christ
the King, Toronto
June
22-23 – Anglican Fourth Day Province-wide Grand Ultreya, Montgomery, Alabama
June 23, 1pm EDT – Special (electronic) synod for voting delegates on ANiC parishes
June 29 – Ordination of Jesse Martin to the
diaconate at St Peter & St Paul’s, Ottawa
July 31 – Aug 1 – ACNA Archbishop’s Cabinet
meeting, Pittsburgh, PA
August 1-2 - ACNA Executive Committee meeting, Pittsburgh,
PA
October TBA – ACNA Bishops/Clergy & Spouse Retreat
November 14-16 – ANiC synod, clergy day and
lay conference in Ottawa
March 12-14 – 2013 Clergy Retreat at Cedar Springs,
Washington
May 2013 – GAFCon 2 (specific dates and location
to be announced)
Please remember our Provincial Assembly, bishops
and primate in prayer this week
Writing about this important
gathering, ACNA Canon Jack Lumanog, who joined us for ANiC’s synod
last November, says:
“My prayer for this event
is that our leaders, clergy and lay, would leave thoroughly refreshed for the
long haul… This event will give us all a new perspective on where we are in the
global sense. Our special guests from around the world choose to live out their
faith every day and risk their lives to do it. My prayer is that these bold
leaders would give us a larger perspective on what God is doing in His church
around the world, and that we’d be convicted to participate in world transformation
knowing God will transform us in return.
“Whether or not you’re
able to attend in person, stay tuned to the Anglican Church website and newsletter
for news from Assembly. We hope you’ll join us in prayer as we prepare for this
important event in the life of our province.”
Special electronic synod called for June 23
ANiC’s moderator Bishop Donald Harvey, acting on
behalf of the ANiC council, has called a special synod, meeting electronically on
Saturday, June 23 at 1pm eastern time. This meeting of voting parish delegates
will deal with several business matters that must be addressed prior to the
regularly scheduled November synod in Ottawa, specifically:
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To amend the canons,
allowing all Deacons who are licensed to parish ministry to have the same
voting privileges as other clergy. |
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To allow our existing American
parishes voting privileges. |
| • |
To add certain provisions
to the Canons, which were inadvertently left out of the Canons as presented to Synod
in November 2011. These are housekeeping and grammatical items, which are
required to be duly approved and registered by Industry Canada.
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You can see both the notice calling this special meeting and the full
resolution to be discussed on the ANiC website. ANiC’s executive
director John MacDonald says, “We are assuming that the voting delegates for this
special synod will be the same delegates as those who are elected to vote at
the November synod. Delegates will be sent instructions very shortly on how to
register and participate in the special synod.”
Three ANiC parishes reach settlement with ACoC Diocese
of Niagara
On May 31, three ANiC parishes – St George’s (Burlington),
St Hilda’s (Oakville) and Church of the Good Shepherd (St Catharines) –
finalized a negotiated settlement with the Anglican Church of Canada’s (ACoC) Diocese
of Niagara. This resolves a five-year legal dispute initiated by the Diocese of
Niagara against the three parishes – and even against individual leaders
of the parishes – for control of parish properties. For more information on
the details of the settlement, see ANiC’s
news release on our website. The Anglican Samizdat
blog provides insights into the negotiations.
Parish and regional news
St Matthias and St Luke’s (Vancouver) are
celebrating the Rev Simon Chin’s retirement as rector and 14 years of faithful
ministry on Jun 24. Parishioner Zenia Cheng says, “He has led the parish through challenging times and has kept us faithful
with his Biblical teaching.” The service of thanksgiving, with Bishop Don
Harvey, will be held at 320 East 15th Avenue, Vancouver (Bethlehem Lutheran
Church), on Sunday, June 24, at 11am, followed by a celebration dinner that
evening. Please pray for the church and for Simon+ during
this transition.
St Matthias and St Luke’s also reports that it is
teaming up with its host church – Bethlehem Lutheran Church – to
implement a number of summer outreach activities in the neighbourhood. They
will: work together on a neighbourhood cleanup on June 9; have a visible
presence at a local street festival – Vancouver Car-Free Day on Main
Street – on June 17; and organize and hold a Vacation Bible School,
August 13-17.
St Hilda’s last day in
their long-time facility was photographed and the pictures are posted
online.
St George’s (Burlington,
ON) held its first event on the new property – a garage and bake sale. The
fund-raising event was intended to raise awareness in the community. The
congregation recently purchased property in a developing Burlington community
and hopes to begin building later this year. God willing, the church building
will be complete next summer. See a photo here.
All Saints (Rutland, Vermont) – Bishop Don had the joy of confirming seven adults and received another
eight into the Church on Wednesday, May 30.
St John’s Surrey is now
known simply as St John’s Anglican Church. The congregation has moved it worship services to new premises in New Westminster. The Rev
Emmanuel Sadarak and the people of St John’s now worship at 204 - 6 Street,
Royal Avenue, New Westminster, BC.
BC spiritual retreat – Those in the Vancouver
area should consider the Christian retreat in Abbotsford sponsored by St Simon’s
Anglican Church (affiliated with the Anglican Coalition in Canada). Bishop
Charles Dorrington, of the Reformed Episcopal Church, will be speaking on
Freedom in Christ. The dates are June 27-30. Information and registration can
be found on the church
website.
Please email parish news to Marilyn or call 1-866-351-2642 ext 4020.
Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) news
ACNA’s The Apostle released; features testimonials
from ANiC parishioners
The
just-release semiannual publication of our province features two of the four
testimonials submitted by ANiC parishioners. Other articles include: an
in-depth interview with our Primate; a report on ACNA’s Young Anglicans
initiative; a discussion of the “Three streams of Anglicanism” within ACNA; a
report from the Anglican Relief and Development Fund; and stories from some of
ACNA’s churches and church plants.
Here
are some snippets to entice you to check out the magazine online:
From
the Young Anglicans article:
We are a denomination
made up of church plants, churches struggling to reach the culture with the
redeeming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As our context changes, it is
necessary to rethink and reform the ways we think about and engage our own
children. The Young Anglicans Project is an effort to help the church do just
that: to rethink and reform the way the Church engages its own teenagers and
their friends… Our mission is broad. We exist to help the Anglican Church reach
and disciple teenagers… One important part of this effort is to provide
resources to churches and youth groups. New church contexts require rethinking
our traditional ways of ministering to teenagers… We also offer a youth
ministry coaching network.
From
the interview with Archbishop Duncan and his wife Nara
“For enjoyment I read
history,” [Archbishop Duncan] explains, gesturing to the books around the room.
“It gives me a perspective on all the things that God has done. It gives me a
confidence that the Lord always has his way. It may take a long time…but the Lord
will have his way.”
Falls
Church appeals to Virginia Supreme Court
On
June 1, the ACNA parish known as The Falls Church Anglican appealed to the
state Supreme Court a lower court decision awarding its property to TEC’s Diocese
of Virginia. The state Attorney General
also filed a brief in support of the church's request for review. The Attorney
General’s specific concern is that the lower court’s decision violated the
rights of donors to charitable organizations. The church’s news release
indicates that it remains open to an equitable negotiated settlement, but that
attempts to achieve such a settlement had been unsuccessful to date. Full
details are available on the
church’s website. Canon lawyer A S Haley comments on
his blog. Substantive articles in both World Magazine and the Gospel
Coalition blog provide full background to The Falls Church
situation.
ACNA
and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod in talks
A
joint news release states:
“After four meetings over the past 18 months, the
Anglican Church in North America and The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) rejoice in affirming core
teachings of the Christian faith they share. The two church bodies, together
with the Lutheran Church—Canada,
are jointly releasing a report today summarizing the areas of agreement.
Leaders from the two church bodies began meeting in
the fall of 2010 to discuss theological and ecumenical issues for the purpose
of increasing the level of mutual understanding and affirmations between them,
and identifying potential areas of cooperative work. Because the Anglican
Church in North America includes congregations in Canada as well as in the
United States, a representative from Lutheran Church—Canada, an LCMS
partner church, also participated in the discussions…
“It is a great blessing to be walking alongside The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We share an unwavering commitment to the
authority of Scripture and have been able to support each other as we take a
bold stand for the historic faith. It has been a particular joy for me to come
to know President Matthew Harrison. We look forward to continuing our work
together for the Gospel through prayers, evangelism, dialogue, encouragement of
one another, and joint efforts to help those in need,” said the Most Rev.
Robert Duncan, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America…
A full report on the discussions is available online.
ACNA
Diocese of Western Anglicans to get full-time bishop
Bishop William Thompson, who has also served as
rector of All Saints’ Anglican Church in Long Beach,
CA will step down as rector so he can focus fully on his responsibilities as
diocesan bishop. The ACNA website
reports that “The Diocese was formed in April of 2009 and includes
28 parishes and church plants stretching from southern California to Washington
state and as far east as Wyoming. In addition to his work to support the
growing Diocese.”
Global Anglican Communion news
More on the recent GAFCon leaders conference in London
An Australian participant in the recent GAFCon leaders conference in London provides an account of the highlights of the event. Gav Poole reports:
“The conference was designed to critique the current state of the Anglican Communion and under teaching from the Scriptures move the delegates to a common commitment as to the direction of the FCA and its role within the Anglican Communion... The conference commitment is a three page document that sums up where the FCA movement has come from, the discussions during the week, and a common commitment to move forward…
“The week was characterised by the people who attended… For example, Bishop Nathan Gasatura arrived unannounced a day early from Rwanda. He met a group from the church who were heading into the streets to evangelise and pray for people. With brimming enthusiasm he joined the group, met a stranger from Uganda and led him to the Lord in Swahili … in the streets of London! These sort of events were some of the most memorable and reminded us of what the conference was about.
“I was personally affected by the testimonies of those from different parts of the communion who suffer hardship. Bishop Timothy Yahaya told of the hardship faced by Christians in Northern Nigeria where churches are torched and people killed for no justifiable reason. People there attend church in fear for their lives. He highlighted the importance of grace during times like these and the need for sacrificial leadership—‘You have to pay the price’. After the conference Dr Paul Htet, Myanmar, reflected ‘the conference made us realise we are not alone’.
“Indeed we are not alone. We have the Lord and we have each other. It is incumbent on those of us who live in relative peace to support our brothers and sisters who suffer for their faith. There is so much we can learn from them.”
Corruption
of the Anglican Communion administrative bodies
In their weekly video
news magazine, journalists Kevin Kallsen and George Conger provide
an unflinching account of corruption and falsehood within the self-styled
Anglican Communion Office and the Anglican Consultative Council – along
with other commentaries.
Other news in brief
Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada’s Diocese of the
Arctic has a cathedral
again. The newly constructed, igloo-shaped building in Iqaluit
replaces the building destroyed by fire in 2005. The newly elected bishop of the
diocese, the Rev Capt David Parsons, is to be consecrated in the cathedral when
Bishop Andrew Atagotaaluk retires later this year. The Arctic synod elected Capt Parsons last week. According to
the CBC, “Parsons is currently the regional dean of the Mackenzie
Delta, and serves as a priest in Inuvik and Tulita, NWT. Three people ran
against Parsons yesterday. One of them — Rev. Darren McCartney —
was elected to serve as suffragan bishop. The suffragan bishop serves as an
assistant to the bishop of the diocese. McCartney is currently based in
Ireland, but he spent several years in Pangnirtung where he learned to speak
Inuktitut.”
The Anglican
Journal reports that the Anglican Church of Canada is in talks with
the United Church “…to explore ways in which the two churches can work together
for more effective ministry and mission”. In 1975, talks aimed at merging the
two denominations failed when the ACoC abruptly ended the negotiations and
turned to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada for ecumenical partnership.
England
According to
the Telegraph, the Archbishop of Canterbury is warning that, “A
generation of local bureaucrats has attempted to sideline religion from public
life out of simple ignorance of British history… Dr Rowan Williams said that the tendency to treat
faith as a “problem” stemmed from a “plain lack of historical and cultural
awareness”. He said that the influence of the teachings of Christianity and
Judaism in particular had helped shape a distinctly British brand of tolerance,
democracy and rule of law.” Both Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali and the Archbishop of
York, John Sentamu, have spoken out on this theme for years.
The furor over draft measures allowing for women
bishops in the Church of England has heated up. The Archbishops of Canterbury
and York issued an
explanation of their amendments to the measure which make the legislation
more palatable to those who in conscience cannot accept women bishops. However,
the Church Times
reports that some original proponents of the measure now are
considering voting against it.
The Telegraph reports that the panel charged with selection the next Archbishop of Canterbury is “dominated
by liberals… who reject orthodox teaching.”
It is estimated that 40 per cent of Church of
England attendees currently go to “evangelical” parishes. This is up from 26
per cent in 1989 according to CoE statistician Peter Brierley. Reporting on
this, David Virtue
adds that Brierley “…also notes that of the estimated 175 churches
with a Sunday attendance of over 350, 83% are evangelical”. However, Virtue
concludes with a cautionary note about labels such as “evangelical” and “conservative”.
He says we cannot assume so-called “evangelical” parishes hold “conservative”
views on social issues, as many have been influenced by more liberal
evangelical leaders such as those associated with Fulcrum. Quoting a CoE
leader, he concludes, "For many practical purposes where orthodoxy is
concerned, [these churches] are therefore indistinguishable from their liberal
neighbors.” While they offer a contemporary style of worship, with a greater
emphasis on the Bible, they are not committed to the full authority of
Scripture in the way which is true of “Conservative Evangelicals”, who tend to
belong to organizations such as Church Society or Reform.
Sudan
A Bloomberg
article recounts the persecution of Christians and those from South
Sudan who remain in the northern nation of Sudan. Please continue to pray for
the peace of the two Sudanese countries as hostilities continue and could flare
up at any time.
Kenya
The All Africa website reports that “The Anglican Church in Kenya has banned politicians from taking political
campaigns to its places of worship.”
Uruguay
Anglican Ink
reports that the House of Bishops of the Anglican Province of the Southern
Cone “did not ratify the election of the Ven. Dr. Michael Pollesel as
bishop-coadjutor for Uruguay”. Dr Pollesel was formerly the general secretary
of the Anglican Church of Canada. The Anglican
Journal notes that “on some issues, the diocese of Uruguay has been
at odds with the rest of the Southern Cone province… The diocese of Uruguay is
made up of seven parishes and five missions.”
Nigeria
The Globe and
Mail reports that, on Sunday June 3, “A suicide bomber drove a car
full of explosives into a church in northern Nigeria on Sunday, killing 12
people in the latest deadly attack on Christian worshippers…” Recently, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Nicholas
Okoh, gave a
presentation to the House of Lords in England on the radical
Islamists terrorizing Nigeria.
Soul food
An interview with J I
Packer
In this fascinating 15-minute video interview Dr
Packer tells how he came from a church-going, but faith-less home, C S Lewis
had influenced him, and how he came to faith at an evangelistic meeting. He
also discusses the influences on his life and work and offers advice to young
people – “Dig deep and dwell deep… Superficiality is the great weakness
of the evangelical world today”.
Faith Today free
You
can read Faith Today, the magazine of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada,
online and on your mobile device – for free. This includes all future
issues as well as all back issues to January 2008. For more information, see the EFC’s
news release. You can check out the
current issue online, then sign up for notification of future issues on the Faith Today website.
Tackling the common arguments for homosexuality
Writing on CNN’s Belief
blog, Dr Albert Mohler answers the question: “Are conservative
Christians hypocritical and selective when it comes to the Bible’s condemnation
of homosexuality?” He provides a summary of the Christian position and why some
Old Testament prohibitions are no longer applicable, while the moral code
remains. One by one he breaks down the arguments: What about eating shellfish? Doesn’t
the Bible condone slavery and polygamy?
He concludes by acknowledging the Church’s failure
and hypocrisy when it comes to questions of morality, but says, “Christians who
are seriously committed to the authority of the Bible have no choice but to
affirm all that the Bible teaches, including its condemnation of homosexuality…
we understand that the Bible condemns all forms of sin because our Creator
knows what is best for us. The Bible names sins specifically so that each of us
will recognize our own sinfulness and look to Christ for salvation and the
forgiveness of our sins.”
When evangelism leads to fist fights in your parking lot
See a short
YouTube video in which an ACNA church planter tells the amusing
story of how he responded when the church’s evangelistic efforts resulted in a
fist fight in the church parking lot.
Encouraging words for church planters
In an article on the Anglican1000 website, lay church planter Alex Wilgus
shares sage advice in an article entitled “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Women prayer warriors
The Globe and
Mail carried an inspiring story about how praying women transformed
the politics of Liberia.
Just for laughs
Little Johnny was at
football practice one day when the coach said, "Who here thinks he can
jump higher than the goal posts?"
Immediately Johnny shot
up his hand: "Ooh me sir; pick me!"
Surprised, the coach
responded, "But Johnny you're the smallest player on the team!"
To which Johnny replied,
"I know, sir. But goalposts can’t jump!"
www.mikeysFunnies.com
Thoughts on kindness
"Always show more kindness than seems
necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever
know."
"Being kind doesn't mean being soft.”
“Kindness is not just about being nice; it's about
recognizing another human being who deserves care and respect."
From former US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s
book,
It Worked for Me in Life and Leadership
And now a word from our sponsor
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for
we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the
world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But
those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many
senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving
that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many
pangs.
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things.
Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight
the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were
called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many
witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things,
and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good
confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he
who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who
alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever
seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
As for the rich in this present age, charge them
not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on
God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to
be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up
treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may
take hold of that which is truly life.
Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid
the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”
for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
Grace be with you.
1 Timothy 6:6-21 ESV
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