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  ANiC Newsletter: 8 February, 2010 ... pdf version
    

Handle with prayer!

News – ANiC and AEN   

Shepherds and sheep flock to ANiC
Welcome Church of the Epiphany! On behalf of ANiC, our moderator, Bishop Don Harvey has welcomed the Church of the Epiphany in Hamilton, Ontario. The new church, which held its first service on January 31, is led by rector, the Rev Victoria Hedelius and deacon the Rev St Clair Cleveland – both formerly of Holy Trinity in the Diocese of Niagara. Bishop Charlie Masters will join Church of the Epiphany for Sunday morning worship and a special celebration on February 21.

Welcome clergy! In addition, a number of clergy have received ANiC licences from Bishop Don, after they relinquished their Anglican Church of Canada licences. These include:
The Rev Lynette Kent (Edmonton, AB)
The Rev Victoria Hedelius (Hamilton, ON)
The Rev St Clair Cleveland (Hamilton, ON)
The Rev Zena Attwood (Waterloo, ON)
The Rev Paul Tinker (Brantford, ON)

The Rev Tinker is rector of Farringdon Independent Church which traces its history to 1833 and has historically called its ministers from mainline denominations.


Please pray for Bishop Don and the Church of England general synod
As Dean of ACNA, Bishop Don is in London for the Church of England synod, February 8-12. This synod will debate the following motion: “That this Synod express the desire that the Church of England be in communion with the Anglican Church in North America.” There will be a luncheon for delegates on February 9 at which Bishop Don and the other ACNA representatives will speak and answer questions. A press conference will likely follow. Please pray for Bishop Don and for this vote. (See further details below.)


ANiC retreat for clergy & spouses agenda available
A tentative agenda is now available for ANiC’s annual clergy conference. Clergy and spouses can register online. For more information see our website.
Date: March 16-18
Location: Cedar Springs, Sumas, WA (just minutes south of the border near Abbotsford, BC)
Speaker: The Rev Canon David Roseberry, rector of Christ Church Plano (Texas), who is spearheading ACNA’s church planting thrust – accompanied by his wife Fran


Parish, project and ministry news
Asian MissionANiC’s Asian Mission, headed by Bishop Stephen Leung, is still looking for a project coordinator to organize a conference in Vancouver in October 2010. February 15 is the deadline for applications.

St Paul Anglican Church (Stoney Creek, ON) now has a website.

St George’s (Burlington, ON) is hosting a spiritual renewal conference with Bishop Malcolm on the weekend of Feb 26-28. All are welcome. For information and registration see St George’s website or email Betty Pristol. For information on Bishop Malcolm’s ministry see the ANiC website.

St Chad’s (Toronto, ON) got together with five other community churches on January 25 (evening) to mark the week of Prayer for Christian Unity. An offering was taken for Haitian relief. The Rev Barbara Richardson says, “We’re blessed by God to share fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and meet together to praise the Lord, hear His Word, pray and confess our faith."

St Andrew’s ANiC project (Delta, BC) is hosting a spiritual life conference with Bishop Malcolm and the Venerable Paul Crossland – called God’s Loving Touch – on the weekend of March 19-20, starting at 7pm on Friday and ending at 9:30pm on Saturday. For more information and to register, please email godslovingtouchconference@gmail.com or call 604-943-8727. Also see brochure.
Time: Friday, March 19, 7 – 9:30pm & Saturday, March 20, 8am - 9pm (Meals not included)
Place: Cedar Park Mennonite Church, 5300 – 44 Ave Ladner, BC
Cost: No charge. Free-will offering will be taken.


Calendar of upcoming events – for your interest and prayer support

Feb 8-12 – Bishop Don leads ACNA representatives at Church of England synod
Feb 21 – Celebration service with Bishop Charlie at Church of the Epiphany (Hamilton, ON)
Feb 26-28 – St George’s (Burlington, ON) – Spiritual renewal conference with Bishop Malcolm
Mar 16-18 – 5th Annual ANiC clergy retreat at Cedar Springs (near Abbotsford, BC)
Mar 18 – Ministry leadership seminar at Heritage Seminary, Cambridge ON
Mar 19-20 – St Andrew’s (Delta, BC) – Parish renewal with +Malcolm & the Ven Paul Crossland
Apr 7-9 – reFocus Canada, a preaching and theology conference, in Burnaby, BC
April 17-24 –Church of the Good Samaritan (St John’s, NL) mission to Guatemala
June 3-11 – Anglican Church of Canada General Synod, Halifax, NS
June 7 - 11 – ACNA House of Bishops, Provincial Executive and Council meet in Amesbury, MA
Nov 3, 4-6 – Clergy day followed by ANiC synod, Ottawa, ON


News shorts – Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)

Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit 2010
The agenda for this historic church planting summit, February 22-23, in Plano, TX is now available online. Speakers include well-known church planting authority Ed Stetzer, Archbishop Bob Duncan and ANiC’s own Rev Ray David Glenn (St George’s, Lowville) – among others. You can also watch a brief video of Ray David inviting potential church planters to the summit. More than 200 are already registered for the summit, including more than 30 Canadians!


Archbishop Duncan discusses growing recognition of ACNA
Speaking at the annual Mere Anglicanism conference in Charleston, South Carolina, Archbishop Bob Duncan revealed that the Archbishop of Canterbury addresses him as “Most Reverend”, tacitly acknowledging his leadership and the ACNA which he leads. According to VirtueOnline, he also said that, 22 of the 38 provinces in the Anglican Communion are in relationship with ACNA and that he expects Myanmar, SE Asia and the Middle East and Jerusalem to soon formally acknowledge a relationship. While the focus of the conference was on sexuality, Archbishop Duncan said
“homosexuality is a symptom of the trajectory in liberal Christianity” and the great issues were Scriptural authority and Jesus’ identity.

Video from the January Mere Anglicanism conference is now online at AnglicanTV. Speakers included Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Archbishop Duncan, Dr Edith Humphrey and Dr Robert Gagnon.


Anglican Mission in the Americas holds Winter Conference
VirtueOnline reports that more than 1400 attended the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) annual Winter Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina at the end of January. Bishop Don, Dean of ACNA, brought greetings on behalf of Archbishop Bob Duncan, while Dr J I Packer, ANiC’s theologian emeritus, offered daily Bible studies. AMiA is part of the ACNA.


Archbishop Peter Akinola (Nigeria) honoured by ACNA churches

The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (which is part of the ACNA) is holding a special celebration February 10 in Fairfax, Virginia to thank Archbishop Akinola for ministry in the Communion and in North America. Bishop Charlie Masters will represent ANiC at the event.


ACNA leaders attend Archbishop of Canterbury lecture at Orthodox Seminary
ACNA Archbishop Bob Duncan and five other ACNA bishops attended the January 30th lecture by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York at the invitation of the seminary’s dean.


News shorts – Canada


Diocese of BC to close parishes and repurpose buildings
The Diocese of BC has announced its intent to close 14 churches – including St Mary’s Metchosin which once housed ANiC’s Open Gate congregation. The Diocese had the congregation evicted pending the outcome of a trial over the ownership of the property. It is tragic that the Diocese would rather turn St. Mary’s into a diocesan conference centre rather than allow it to be used by a faithful and vibrant Anglican congregation for its ministries. The plan will be voted upon at the diocesan synod this spring. Bishop Cowan told the Anglican Journal that “the sale of properties could bring in millions of dollars”. The plan includes proposals to encourage the laity to be more “outward looking” and engage in evangelism, which Bishop Cowan defined as asking “Would you be interested in coming to church with me?”

The Anglican Samizdat reports that a similar shake-up seems to be coming to the Diocese of Montreal where a consultant’s report says only about half the churches are in strategic locations.


Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) faces cuts
The Anglican Journal reports that the PWRDF is slashing its budget by 26 per cent resulting in staff cuts. A subsequent article says the cuts are part a restructured intended to ensure PWRDF’s long-term sustainability. A third Journal article announces the departure of PWRDF’s executive director.


ACoC bishop urges church to reach out to the poor and marginalized
Speaking at a National Theological Conference in early January, National Indigenous Bishop Mark MacDonald said that one in three Aboriginal girls either attempts suicide or is pushed into prostitution. He urged the church to venture outside of our comfort zone to reach out to those who are poor and outcast. He also told the Anglican Journal that the church needs to focus on Christian education and “shared disciplines of prayer and worship” such as morning and evening prayers.


Christian leaders Connection events
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada – of which ANiC is a member – will be holding an excellent one-day seminar in more communities across Canada. These seminars address the theme "Being Evangelical in a Complex World: Stats, Facts and Trends". New dates and locations are:
February 16 - Belleville, ON
March 25 - Winnipeg (Otterburne ), MB
March 26/27 - Caronport (Briercrest), SK
April 13 - Ottawa, ON
April 21 – Cambridge, ON (FEB Central Regional Conference)


Canadian news
Oak Bay News – Jan 27 2010 – Anglican churches to close
CBC News – Jan 26 2010 – 14 Anglican churches in BC may close
Victoria Times Colonist – Jan 28 2010 – ‘Grieving process’ expected with Anglican church closures
Anglican Journal – Feb 1 2010 – Will Canada show the… Anglican Communion a way forward?


News shorts – United States

Bishop Gene Robinson’s astonishing views on the Bible and homosexuality
Speaking to CNSNews, Bishop Robinson claimed that in Romans 1,
“St. Paul was talking about people that he understood to be heterosexual engaging in same-sex acts.”


Legal wranglings
Diocese of Pittsburgh – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a Pennsylvania judge has “…issued an order detailing which assets are among the centrally held properties” he earlier awarded to the diocese created by the Episcopal Church when the original Diocese of Pittsburgh headed by Archbishop Bob Duncan voted to disassociate from the Episcopal Church (TEC). The ACNA Diocese of Pittsburgh had previously announced that it would appeal the earlier decision and now will seek a stay pending that appeal.

The Anglican Curmudgeon incisively dissects the decision and shows
“how it defied all legal logic to reach its forced conclusion”. He concludes, “Such are the follies that ensue when [TEC] churches try to play the shell game of pretending that entities [ie dioceses] recognized by the law can have their identities transmuted by episcopal fiat. Neither [TEC], its General Convention, nor its Presiding Bishop has any earthly power whatsoever to dictate that a [diocesan] corporation which is affiliated with one unincorporated association one day shall thereafter be regarded as being affiliated with a different association on the next.”

Presbyterian Church – A California Appeals Court has overturned an earlier ruling that had given two Presbyterian churches their properties. In reversing the earlier decision, the judge cited recent rules involving Episcopal Churches.


US courts have it wrong; TEC has no central hierarchy
Anglican Communion Institute lawyer Mark McCall has written a paper supporting his view that the Episcopal Church (TEC) does not have a central hierarchy. Recent US court decisions have rested on the premise that TEC is a hierarchical church. His points, which are substantiated at length, are:
1. “TEC is organized legally as a voluntary association of dioceses.
2. “TEC’s constitution does not have a Supremacy Clause making any of these bodies the supreme or highest authority.
3. “This omission of the concept of supremacy or hierarchy was intentional on the part of TEC’s founders, who were uniquely familiar with these concepts.
4. “TEC’s ordination vows do not establish or recognize a central hierarchy.
5. “The requirement that dioceses joining TEC accede to the constitution and canons does not supply the central hierarchy that is elsewhere unspecified.”


US news
Washington Times – Feb 1 2010 – Bishop to retire after lackluster tenure (re Bishop John Chane, Washington, DC)
The Ledger – Jan 30 10 – Regional Episcopal body resists trends (re Diocese of Central Florida)
New York Daily News – Feb 7 2010 – Crew of 9 at Episcopal Church Center abruptly fired…


News shorts – International

Primate of Middle East resigns from Standing Committee of Anglican Communion
When the highly respected Primate of the Middle East and Jerusalem, President Bishop Mouneer Anis, resigned from the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion (SCAC) – a recent creation of the Archbishop of Canterbury – his letter sent a clear signal that the leadership of the Communion was in trouble. The letter said,
“I have come to realize that my presence in the current SCAC has no value whatsoever and my voice is like a useless cry in the wilderness… I have come to the sad realization that there is no desire within the ACC and the SCAC to follow through on the recommendations that have been taken by other Instruments of Communion to sort out the problems which face the Anglican Communion and which are tearing its fabric apart. Moreover, the SCAC… has continually questioned the authority of the other Instruments of Communion, especially the Primates Meeting and the Lambeth Conference. The current SCAC provides no effective challenge to the ongoing revisions of TEC nor does it apply the recommendations of the Windsor Report and the Primates Meetings in Dromantine and Dar es Salaam.”

Bishop Anis goes on to decry the marginalization of the orthodox within the Communion, attempts to diminish the authority of the Primates, and the weakening of the Anglican Covenant and its inability to resolve the current crisis. He specifically says that provinces which are in violation of the spirit of the Covenant should be prohibited from signing on. However, he believes faithful dioceses in those provinces should be able to sign the Covenant and representatives from provinces which have not signed it should not be allowed to have representatives on governing bodies of the Anglican Communion. Regarding the infamous “Listening Process”, he says, “…it seems as if the aim of the Listening Process is to convince traditional Anglicans, especially in the Global South, that homosexual practice is acceptable. In our Communion where some churches depend financially on others, there is no guarantee of a fair, two-way listening process.” He says the bureaucracy of the Anglican Communion is western run and controlled and does not represent or reflect the majority of members in the Global South.

Anglican Mainstream explains that
“The Standing Committee, which usually meets annually but has met biannually for the past three years, oversees the day-to-day operations of the Anglican Communion Office and the programs and ministries of the instruments of communion. The Standing Committee is made up of 15 members elected from among the ACC and the Primates Meeting.”

Commenting on Bishop Anis’ resignation, Dr Stephen Noll says
“The letter from Bp. Mouneer Anis is a bombshell in the midst of the Covenant process”. He then urges the orthodox primates to take the Covenant process out of the hands of Canterbury and the Communion Office, address the issues raised by Bishop Anis, and then approve it.

Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini (Rwanda) expressed his gratitude for “the leadership and clarity of thought reflected in the Most Reverend Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis' recent announcement”. In light of the fourth Global South to South Encounter in Singapore in April, he says, “At this point in our journey, I pause to wonder if the urgency given the Anglican Covenant is an authentic resolution to the crisis of faith and leadership we face? Could it be yet another example of how amidst this crisis the Resolutions of the Primates are simply "voices disregarded and suppressed"?” He concludes, “…let us prayerfully reconsider the relationships and roles held by members of the Global South in the ACC and its associated bodies. Let us have the same courage and conviction that our brother in Egypt has demonstrated and forge a way forward that reclaims the historic roots of the faith as offered in the witness of the ancient undivided church.”

Dr Ephraim Radner, who was deeply involved in drafting earlier versions of the Covenant, expresses concern that the process “to which the Covenant is now thereby consigned is one that is inevitably shaped by the Covenant’s own enemies. And when that process is itself veiled, only partially declared in its authority, necessarily misunderstood and mistrusted by many, it is faithful common sense to resist it.” However, he then remarks that the GAFCon movement has not been a friend of the Covenant and bitterly opines “Archbishop Mouneer has felt marginalized in the meetings of the Communion: but that is not simply because liberal opponents outnumber him; it is also because traditional friends abandoned him. Those who claim that they have the best interest of the Communion and the Covenant at heart, yet who have done everything to sabotage the processes by which the Communion’s members have struggled, in the face of much difficulty and internal turmoil to be sure, to draw our churches into a renewed common faith and witness – such persons do not garner the trust of many Anglicans any more than do those in America who have dragged us into this turmoil in the first place, and because of which the Covenant’s promise was first extended as a ray of light. “

In an earlier paper, the Anglican Communion Institute, which includes Dr Radner, argues that the current Standing Committee has little credibility and urges the signatories to the Covenant to reformulate the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion.

The editors of the Anglican Planet reminds us that Anglicans already have a 500-year old covenant, saying,
“Our real and fundamental “Covenant” has always been the Book of Common Prayer, the traditional Ordinal*, and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.” The editorial adds, “It was (and is) the saving doctrine revealed in Holy Scripture that is the real “Anglican Covenant.”


Content from British conference on the Bible and sexuality now available
Videos from the “What can I possibly say” conference in London last month are now available online. You can also read the text of one of the presentations – Professor John Nolland’s “Is sex that important?” – in which he unpacks the Bible’s consistent teaching on strictly channeling human sexuality, saying it is because it is so precious to God and misuse defies God’s creation pattern and causes us harm.


Attempts to neutralize Church of England general synod motion on ACNA
Church of England (CoE) Bishop Mike Hill of Bristol has put forward an amendment to the original motion that seeks to have the CoE acknowledge theological communion with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). The amendment – which completely turns around the original motion – implies that ACNA has made the approach to be in communion, and then assigns the matter for further exploration and a report at the 2011 synod. The amendment and a very interesting discussion of it can be seen on TitusOneNine

The Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) have also mounted counter-attacks. ACoC priest Canon Alan Perry challenges the accuracy of the briefing paper offered by the mover of the original motion, Lorna Ashworth. The AEC blog responds to Canon Perry’s claims that,
“Not a single Canadian priest has been deposed for joining ACNA… none of those who have left to join Rwanda or Southern Cone have been canon­ically disciplined.”

The Episcopal Church, via Simon Sarmiento, blogger on Thinking Anglicans, has also responded with a rebuttal to the American Anglican Council’s accounting of how TEC
“…has spent millions of dollars in over 50 lawsuits, deposed or inhibited 12 bishops and more than 400 other clergy, and violated its own canons numerous times.” This precipitated a further rejoinder from the American Anglican Council addressing Mr Sarmiento’s factual inaccuracies regarding the number of clergy deposed and the method of deposition, TEC canons, and TEC’s propensity to sue laypersons.

StandFirm reports that, as part of its strategy to derail the motion before the CoE synod, TEC has distributed “talking points” which, among other things, assert its bishops’ and clergy’s orthodox Christian beliefs “as stated in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds”, states that ACNA is not a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and protests that, rather than ACNA being the “persecuted faithful”, it is those who have remained in TEC who have “felt deeply hurt”. StandFirm also reports rumours that TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will attend the Church of England synod which begins Monday, February 8. VirtueOnline has prepared a point by point rebuttal to TEC’s talking points, saying they are deliberately misleading.


Plan to allow women bishops in Church of England to move forward
Ruth Gledhill, religion correspondent for the Times, has written that
“The Church of England is to go ahead with the plan to create women bishops without giving in to demands from traditionalists for a separate structure of bishops and archbishops untainted by the hands of a woman… Traditionalists warned last night that the decision, to be announced at the General Synod today, will trigger an exodus from the Church of England of many thousands of priests and lay people. .. The historic decision, to be ratified by the synod in July, paves the way for women bishops to be consecrated as soon as 2012, once all parliamentary hurdles have been cleared… Opponents immediately spoke out against the decision. One effect will be to increase the numbers of Anglicans taking up Pope Benedict XVI’s offer to join the new Anglican Ordinariate.” See more details in a Telegraph article.


More on the Vatican’s provision for Anglicans
Queen concerned – The Telegraph reports that the Queen secretly sent a senior advisor – rather than the Archbishop of Canterbury – to quiz the Roman Catholic Bishop of Westminster about the pope’s offer to Anglicans shortly after it was announced.

Implementation talks underway – Archbishop John Hepworth, Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, will meet with Vatican officials at the end of February to get answers to remaining questions and to discuss the logistics of the implementation process. Immediately after this, implementation meetings will take place in Florida with the Anglican Church in America (ACA) and including Bishop John Broadhurst from the Church of England and chairman of Forward in Faith. ACA is the American province of the Traditional Anglican Communion. The Church Times has much more detail on what Archbishop Hepworth calls “becoming Anglican Catholics, not Roman Catholics”.

Pope urges bishops to welcome Anglicans – Pope Benedict XVI has urged reticent bishops in the UK to give Anglican clergy wanting to join the Roman Catholic Church a “warm and sincere welcome”, reports the United Press International.


News in brief from around the Communion and the world
ZimbabweMedia report that “at least 4000 worshippers” gathered outside a Harare Anglican cathedral on January 31 for an outdoor worship service. The service was designed to call attention to police harassment and the denial of access to church buildings.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have co-authored an article in the Guardian saying the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe is taking a leading role in rebuilding Zimbabwe despite ongoing political repression, corruption and disease. They argue that the church is one of the
“…best vehicles for delivering aid” because churches have established social and logistical networks.

Nigeria – Archbishop Peter Akinola has addressed the political crisis facing his country, calling for the President of Nigeria to step down. Although the president has been in a Saudi Arabian hospital for more than two months, he has refused to hand over executive authority to his vice-president creating a constitutional crisis. It is feared that a military coup could be triggered by the current leadership vacuum.

The Barnabas Fund says that Christians in Jos, Nigeria claim that the recent attacks by Muslim youths were unprovoked, that Muslim army commanders aided the attackers, that Muslim journalists have conducted a campaign of disinformation, and that the attacks were premeditated. However, they admit that some Christians did retaliate.

The Washington Times reports that Nigerian Anglican Bishop Peter Imasuen was kidnapped from his home in southern Nigeria on Sunday. He was released several days later.

Writing in Christianity Today, Bishop Ben Kwashi (Jos, Nigeria) says that the church in Jos is
“coming face to face in confrontation with Satan and the powers of hell, and only God can save us… What seems to be a recurring decimal is that over time, those who have in the past used violence to settle political issues, economic issues, social matters, intertribal disagreements, or any issue for that matter, now continue to use that same path of violence and cover it up with religion… Nigeria as a nation has a large and ever-increasing army of leaderless, lawless, unemployable, unemployed, demoralized, and near hopeless youth… Please pray for us… We have a gospel to proclaim, a gospel that brings light in darkness, hope in despair, courage in danger, and joy in sorrow. It is a gospel that brings life in all its fullness, and it is this gospel alone which can bring a lasting solution to the problems of the world and of Jos.”

Kenya – The Anglican Journal says that Christians in Kenya are protesting the government’s draft constitution because it appears to give Sharia law a foothold in Kenya.

Cuba – The Rev Griselda Delgado del Carpio has been appointed Coadjutor Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Cuba after two electoral synods failed to elect a bishop last year. She will succeed the current interim bishop when he retires soon. The appointment was made by the Metropolitan Council of Cuba which is comprised of Archbishop Fred Hiltz (Canada), Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori (US) and Archbishop Errol Brooks (West Indies).


International media coverage
Telegraph – Feb 6 2010 – Church set for new row over gay clergy


Soul food

God’s created order
Abortion – The annual March for Life in Washington, DC attracted 300,000 pro-lifers. A LifeSiteNews article says that the scant media coverage, however, was not just biased but fraudulent in downplaying and twisting the facts. A You Tube video of the event sets the record straight. However the Washington Post account of the march was more factual and reflects a growing fear on the part of the pro-abortionists that the tide is turning against them.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has been condemned by Canadian Catholic bishops for his demand that
“abortion must be included in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s initiative to mobilize international support for maternal and child health care in the world’s poorest countries”. Contrary to Mr Ignatieff’s assertion that the availability of abortion promotes maternal health, the National Post reports that the evidence from Europe shows easy abortion is linked to reduced maternal health and higher infant mortality. In Poland, maternal mortality has fallen 75% and infant morality has dropped by two-thirds since the fall of communism when the annual abortion rate was over 100,000 to the present when the annual rate is said to be a few hundred. The article states that the improvement in maternal and infant health can only be attributed to the drop in abortions since Poland has no money to spend on “reproductive health services”. Similarly, Ireland, the only other European country where abortion is illegal also boasts very low maternal mortality.

The Rev Albert Mohler discusses a recent article, Mugged by Ultrasound, in The Weekly Standard which reveals that increasingly abortion workers are turning pro-life. The article says this is due to:
the horrific reality of second trimester abortion which is done by “dilation and evacuation” (or D&E), involving involves dismemberment of the fetus in the womb.
ultrasound images which allow the workers to see the baby as it is being killed.

Perhaps this is why the abortion industry works so hard to keep images of aborted babies out of the public view. Recently a Kelowna television station pulled a prolife ad that showed the severed arm of an aborted child.

Marriage – A New York Times article confirms that “gay marriages” are less monogamous than traditional marriages. It cites San Francisco State University research which found that about 50% of “gay” couples have “open” relationships. It says, “None of this is news in the gay community, but few will speak publicly about it. Of the dozen people in open relationships contacted for this column, no one would agree to use his or her full name, citing privacy concerns. They also worried that discussing the subject could undermine the legal fight for same-sex marriage.”

Chastity – A Washington Post headline reads: “Abstinence-only programs might work”. It refers to a US study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine that found abstinence-focused programs are significantly more effective in delaying sexual experimentation by children.


Building a good foundation
Are you a young person who is serious about gaining a solid Bible foundation and growing in Christ? There are many excellent Bible schools in Canada and elsewhere which you could consider. One Bishop Charlie Masters suggests you check out is Taylor College in St John, New Brunswick. This school is a ministry of the Church Army and offers a one year certificate program and a three year diploma program. For more information, the Anglican Planet has an interview with Bruce Smith national director of the Church Army


Atheist says “liberal Christian” isn’t Christian in any meaningful sense

Author and atheist Christopher Hitchens, in discussion with a “liberal Christian” minister, told her,
“I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.”


Evangelism tool
The Gospel Coalition recommends Christianity Explored as an evangelism program for the church. The Alpha program is also used by some ANiC churches.


Worth reading
Haiti – For another perspective on the historic reasons for Haiti’s extreme poverty, read an article written by Bishop Gerald Seale, General Secretary of the Evangelical Association of the Caribbean

Testimony to God’s provision – Father Matt Kennedy (of StandFirmInFaith and an ACNA priest) has begun a series chronicling God’s provision for them and their congregation when the New York court awarded the parish assets to the Episcopal Church.


Just for fun



Copyright Gospel Communications International, Inc - www.reverendfun.com


Please pray...
For
ANiC projects, church plants and parishes – especially Church of the Epiphany (Hamilton)

For our
bishops and rectors.
For Bishop Don and for the Church of England general synod motion to affirm communion with ACNA.
For Bishop Malcolm and the spiritual renewal missions at St George’s (Burlington, ON) on Feb 26-28 and St Andrew’s (Delta, BC) on March 19-20.

For legal cases and disputes
For the four Vancouver-area ANiC parishes and their lawyers who are considering proceeding with an appeal of the November 25 court decision. May God grant clarity and unity.
For the Windsor case (involving St Aidan’s) which is being dealt with in London, Ontario.
For all the congregations involved in court proceedings and disputes. Pray for peace for the wardens and trustees who are on the front lines and bear the burden of risk and responsibility. Pray for a continued focus on, and blessing upon, their ministry in the midst of this turmoil.
For sufficient contributions to the Legal Defence Fund so that legal costs can be covered and the churchwardens and trustees are not at personal financial risk. The Ontario parishes, in particular, need greater financial support at this time.
For the leaders and parishioners of the dioceses pursuing eviction of and damages against ANiC congregations and wardens in court.
· That God will be glorified in all court proceedings.
Praise God for the interim negotiated agreement with the Diocese of Niagara providing stability for St George’s, St Hilda’s and Good Shepherd.

For speedy granting of charitable status to the
Anglican Relief & Development Fund – Canada.

For our fellow Anglicans and other
Christians facing violence, persecution and natural disasters in Haiti, Nigeria, Sudan, Malaysia and other Muslim lands as well as in Communist countries, especially North Korea.


And now a word from our sponsor
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 34



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