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  Personal reflections on GAFCON 2008
 
    

July 3, 2008

Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, 2008

My dear Members of our ANiC Family:

Greetings from St. John’s, Newfoundland, where we have had one of our most backward spring times in many years. Indeed, it has been difficult to take the idea of “global warming” very seriously as week after week we remained in the single digits, with more than our share of rain, drizzle and fog.

It was from such conditions that Trudy and I set out on June 15th for meetings which were to begin in Jordan and culminate a few days later with the full GAFCON gathering in Jerusalem.

The Jordan meetings were to provide some fellowship for several bishops who because of situations in their own countries either could not get a Visa into Israel, or if they could, would have great difficulty returning home again. Our site was on the shore of the Dead Sea (the lowest place on earth) and as our group gathered our expectations arose for a great beginning as faithful ambassadors for Christ renewed acquaintances and shared the joy and pain of what it means to witness in His Name. Alas, after only one day our plans were completely disrupted when the Jordanian authorities, for reasons still unknown to us, abruptly withdrew our permit to hold a conference, and our Chairman, Archbishop Peter Akinola (despite holding a diplomatic passport) was denied access to the country.

We had no choice but to leave by road and set out for Jerusalem, the site of the main Conference. Simply let me say that crossing one boarder into the adjoining country was far different than any-thing we experience when crossing anywhere on the Canada – US boundary, even on a bad day!

The Jordan agenda was completed in Jerusalem, and by that time, we were joined by the remainder of the GAFCON group with almost 1200 people present in all – almost 300 of whom were bishops and archbishops from around the globe.

There were over 30 of us present from Canada (most of whom were ANiC members) and I would imagine, that if each were to write about his or her experiences, we would have a very diverse narrative. However, one thing I am sure would be present throughout every account, was the sense of sheer joy we experienced as we prayed, studied, and explored some of the sites where Jesus walked and conducted His ministry. Not only did we enjoy one another’s company as we did this, but we also made so many new and wonderful friends who shared our excitement and encouraged us in our own pilgrimage back home. We often discovered that the “trials that beset us” in Canada are quite mild compared to those many of those brothers and sisters experience every day.

Upon returning home, we frequently are asked what were the high points of the Conference. Again, there are many different answers to this, but let me just mention two that I shall never forget.

One took place on “Temple Mount”, the steps leading up to the old Temple. Beyond a doubt, Jesus walked up these steps frequently and, we are told, some of the very stones from His day still survive. It is also the place where St. Peter may have preached that wonderful sermon on the Day of Pentecost and, beyond doubt, the place where 3000 souls responded to that sermon and were baptized into the Faith of Jesus Christ.

All 1200 of us crowded together on these steps, drank in the historical and spiritual significance, and at the end of our time of prayer joined in singing Fanny Crobsie’s rousing hymn
To God be the Glory, sung with such fervor that I am sure none of us ever will forget. Here we were, all sizes and colours, from virtually “every nation under heaven” caught up in the euphoria of being brothers and sisters in Christ – and giving all the glory to HIM! There were not many dry cheeks when we finished.

The other unforgettable moment came towards the end of the Conference when the
Jerusalem Declaration was delivered to the assembly. Each clause received excited applause as it was read, and when we came to the stirring words in the concluding paragraph the whole crowd arose from their seats as their sustained and deafening response reverberated through the large convention hall. Although we all had come from such different circumstances, we could sense the direction of the Holy Spirit in what had been written. It was awesome (in the true sense of that overused word) to be participating in what will be deemed such an historical moment.

In the next weeks and months the significance of what was accomplished will be discussed and rehearsed over and over again. It was and is a new beginning and the light at the end of our long tunnel is much brighter than it ever has been – and the tunnel is immeasurably shorter. Above all, for those of us in North America is the commitment on the part of the GAFCON Primates to help Common Cause meld into the new orthodox North American Province for which we have so long been praying and waiting.

While there is much on which I probably should be commenting in this letter to you, I decided instead simply to pass on these personal reflections to give you a glimpse of what GAFCON was like for those of us privileged to experience it. Above all, I felt time after time that we, in ANiC, are not in this alone. By standing apart from the Anglican Church of Canada, we have endeared ourselves a “great cloud of witnesses” who are with us step by step along the way. It is wonderful to be part of the worldwide Anglican Communion and know that we are doing our part to keep it faithful to the Rock from which it was hewn.

Let me close (for now) with the words of Bishop Ben Kwashi of Jos, Nigeria, who in the past year came close to being assassinated on at least two occasions. He said:

“A faith worth living for is a faith worth dying for. Brothers and Sisters in the west, please do not attempt to change or water down or secularize that faith for which some of us will lay down our lives.”

I pray that you all will have a wonderful summer and that you will come back in September with renewed vigour to face the challenges that still are in our path.
In the weeks ahead, we will communicate more fully with all of you the substance and import of our meetings in Jerusalem and the implications for us in the Anglican Network in Canada.

With love and blessings,

+ Donald


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