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Handle with prayer! |
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ANiC news
ANiC
and ACNA events calendar
February
16 – Liveword Women’s Conference,
Vancouver, BC – Theme: “On eagle’s wings”
February
17, 2pm – Alan Arnold will be ordained a deacon at Saint Timothy’s (Montreal)
March 3,
3pm – Dave Kemp will be ordained a deacon at Eternal Hope (Carleton Place, ON)
March 4-6
– ACNA’s 2013 Anglican 1000 church
planting summit in Wheaton, IL
March 9
– Liveword Women’s Conference at Christ’s Church
Oceanside, Nanoose Bay, BC
March 11-13
– 2013 ANiC Clergy Retreat with Canon Phil Ashey at Cedar Springs,
Washington
March 13-15
– Leadership Training Institute, Part 2 at Cedar Springs, Washington
April 17-19/20
– ANiC regional
assemblies in both Vancouver and Burlington
May 13-15
– ACNA clergy women’s retreat in Woodbridge, Virginia
October
21-27 – GAFCon 2 planned for Nairobi, Kenya
Marking
Ash Wednesday and Lent
In his Lenten pastoral letter, Bishop
Don Harvey, our diocesan and moderator, addresses some of the disciplines which promote spiritual growth. He concludes:
“This Lent,
I call upon you to do two things.
“As
individuals, allow a deliberate time each day for silence. It is not an easy
request in our talkative society, but it is only through this gift that can
hear that "still, small voice" that the world, the flesh and the devil
is so anxious to drown out. Surely, it is as important to listen to Him as it is to speak to Him.
“As
parishes, I am calling on every congregation in our Diocese, to take on some
special activity or study, or prayer time, during the Lenten period. It may be
something new, or simply intensifying something you already are doing.
“And,
since this will be my last Lenten Pastoral to you, I would be touched if
someone from each congregation dropped me an email, telling me what you
attempted and what was accomplished.”
A children’s
Lenten calendar
can be downloaded from the ARDFC
website together with labels to make an accompanying Mite Box. The
calendar is a good way for children to mark Lent while having fun and learning
about Brazil, where ARDFC is partnering with the Diocese of Recife to build an
education and training centre which will provide life-changing opportunities in
a poor community. Learn more from the ARDFC website.
ANiC
regional assemblies, April 17-19/20
Preparations for the three regional assemblies in mid-April are coming
along. Draft agendas are almost ready to post and online registration will be
available by the end of the week. The bishops have begun to write to their
clergy, synod delegates and church leaders.
In a joint letter, Bishops Stephen Leung and Trevor Walters outline the
highlights of the two assemblies – western and Asian & multicultural
– planned to run concurrently with many joint sessions at Good Shepherd
Church in Vancouver. Speakers from Asia, Africa and England will address
pertinent issues of church growth, personal spiritual discipleship, serving new
immigrants and youth ministry. The joint assembly times will include workshops
lead by ANiC pastors and church planters, as well as networking times for
attendees to gather in smaller groups with those involved in similar ministries
in other congregations, allowing time to connect, encourage and learn from each
other.
Dr Saimond Ip,
the most recent addition to the speak roster, is an e-commerce business leader
in Hong Kong who is passionate about youth ministry. In fact, in addition to
his job in business, he is responsible for evangelism, pastoring and
discipleship of youth in his rapidly growing church – a church he helped
plant in 1998. Based on his extensive research and experience in growing a
dynamic youth ministry – a ministry which now ministers to 400 youths
– he developed and leads a seminary diploma program in pastoral youth
ministry. Last year he organized a youth ministry summit that attracted and
trained 300 pastors. He is also an author and expert and consultant on overall
church growth and development. His PhD is from the University of Cambridge,
England.
Information on the eastern assembly will be featured in the next
newsletter.
Clergy Leadership Training
Institute, part 2, March 13-15
With the March 11-13 clergy
retreat providing participants with part 1 of the American Anglican
Council’s Leadership
Training Institute program, why not continue on with part 2 of the
training, - as well as networking, fellowship and renewal – immediately
following the retreat, in the same location?
Canon Phil Ashey, Bishop
Kevin Allen (Cascadia) and ANiC’s Bishop Trevor Walters will deliver part 2
which will focus on clergy self-care and best practices for clergy in parish
settings. Part 2 runs from Wednesday (March 13) afternoon through Friday (March
15) lunch. Clergy from other ACNA dioceses will participate as well. The
sessions will also offer a sneak “peek” at the new draft worship services for
ACNA.
The fee
for the three-day, two-night training session (including lodging and meals)
will be $225 for a shared room or $275 for a single. Spouses are welcome; the
fee for spouses is $175. To register, please email Canon Harley Crain (Diocese of
Cascadia) as soon as possible.
Time to
build campaign
The Time to Build campaign, headed by the Ven Ron Corcoron, is
currently focusing on finding 2000 people whom God is leading to pledge $20 per
month for 20 months. The campaign is designed to place ANiC on a strong
financial footing as it responds to the demands of rapid growth by asking ANiC
members to participate. If you are committed to seeing God grow His Church
through ANiC, please pray about joining the ranks of people committing to this 20/20
Vision. If you wish to pledge or would like to invite Archdeacon Ron to speak
to your congregation see the ANiC website for contact
information.
Ordinations
On Sunday, February 17, Bishop Charlie Masters will ordain Alan Arnold as a Deacon at Saint Timothy’s Anglican Bible Church
(Montreal). The service will be at 2pm in Lakeside Heights Baptist
Church, 275 Braebrooke Avenue in Pointe-Claire, QC. All are welcome to support
Alan in this step of faith by your presence and prayer.
On Sunday, March 3 at 3pm, David Kemp will be ordained as a Deacon at Eternal Hope Anglican Church in
Carleton Place, ON. Dave has served that congregation as lay pastor
since Eternal Hope’s founding. Those in the Ottawa area are invited to support
Dave in this step. Eternal Hope meets at 117 Victoria St, Carleton Place, ON.
Our registrar, Canon Tom
Carman, tells us that 169 ordained clergy currently hold ANiC
licences.
Bishop
Trevor to address Reformed Episcopal synod
ANiC’s
Bishop Trevor Walters has been invited by Bishop Charles Dorrington (REC) to
address the synod of the other ACNA Canadian diocese: the “Diocese of Western
Canada & the Mission District of Cuba of the Reformed Episcopal Church”. The
synod is in Courtney, BC, February 22-23.
Bible-in-a-Day
course offered in the Vancouver area
The Bible-in-a-day course is coming to three
Vancouver-area locations this spring. This is a fantastic opportunity to
improve your Bible literacy and gain a “big picture” understanding of God’s
work in human history and how historical events fit together. If you are in the
Vancouver area, do try to attend. And invite friends and family to do the same.
You’ll
find out exactly why the Bible is the most inspired, powerful, and redemptive
book ever written; learn how the Old and New Testaments are part of the same
story; and get a unique overview of God’s one big overarching story from
beginning to end. Miracles included.
Dates
and locations are:
• Feb 16:
Vancouver, 320 East 15th Avenue, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church
• Apr 27:
Richmond, The Melville Centre for Dialogue, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
• May 6:
Downtown Vancouver, Robson Square
For
more information on scheduled seminars or to find out how to bring the
Bible-in-a-Day course to your congregation, see the website.
Photos
of recent events
You can
see photos of the recent Ontario clergy gathering on the ANiC Facebook
page. Photos from the Toronto-area men’s breakfast are posted online as well.
Parish
news
St John’s Vancouver (BC) is
beginning a 13-week support program on February 28 for
people who have experienced the death of a loved one. If you know of someone in
the Vancouver area who would benefit from this Grief Care
program, please let them know. For
more information see the St
John’s website.
Saint Matthew’s (Abbotsford, BC) is holding a four-week, Wednesday evening Lent course, entitled, Journey to the
Cross. It begins February 27 and explores Christ’s work of atonement. If you
live in the area, you, your friends and family are invited to join them in this
journey to the cross.
Saint
Matthew’s also is beginning a strategic planning process
which will prayerfully and intentionally provide direction for the next
five years.
Good Shepherd (Calgary) – Bishop Stephen reports that more that 150 people joined the dedication
service at which three adults were baptized – a real encouragement to
this new Cantonese congregation. Ecumenical guests included Dr Jason Yeung,
principal of Canadian Chinese School of Theology at Ambrose Seminary. The
presence of the Rev Ruthy Lillington and ten parishioners from Grace Anglican,
Calgary was also much appreciated.
Please email parish news to Marilyn or call 1-866-351-2642 ext 4020.
Anglican Church in North America
(ACNA) news
Anglican 1000: 1-2-3 Challenge
& Summit, March 4-6 in Wheaton, Illinois
In an engaging 45-minute video
interview, the Rev Alan Hawkins, Vicar of Anglican 1000 discusses
the strategy for achieving the 1000 new church plants goal. He also talks about
multi-cultural ministry and young adults’ ministry.
The concept is named 1-2-3
Challenge; “Every congregation is called to plant 1 new congregation in the
next 2 years, and there are 3 ways to plant it.” Canon William Beasley addresses
“Are 1000 new congregations really possible?” In the article he mentions that ACNA has planted
around 230 congregations, with 770 still to plant to meet the goal. With the
new 1-2-3 Challenge, he believes those 770 are possible. Read more about the
1-2-3 Challenge here.
The 2013 Anglican 1000 Summit – for clergy, church planters, would-be church planters, failed church
planters, laity, youth leaders and pretty much everyone else – is March
4-6 in Wheaton, IL. Register now and get full details on the Anglican 1000
website. A feature of this year’s Summit is LABS – limited
enrollment, 3-hour interactive sessions with an expert on a highly focused
topic. What a great mentoring opportunity! Learn more about LABS here.
The Rev Dan Alger also offers eight reasons to come to Summit 2013 –
including the affordable price, great speakers, excellence in training, relationship-building and more. And in a short video, Archbishop Bob invites everyone to
come to the Anglican 1000 Summit to learn more about how we can plant 1000
churches in ACNA.
AnglicanTV Interview with
Archbishop Bob Duncan
You
will find an AnglicanTV
interview with Archbishop Bob Duncan very informative. In the
28-minute interview, he discusses the importance of the Global Anglican Future
Conference (GAFCon 2) conference planned for Nairobi, Kenya in October and its
relationship to the Anglican Communion. He and interviewer Kevin Kallsen also
discuss developments and issues in the ACNA including the theological
commission looking at Bible teaching on gender and Holy orders, relationships
within the House of Bishops, Archbishop Bob’s recent audience with the pope, and
Archbishop of Canterbury Elect Justin Welby.
Archbishop’s Cabinet and
Provincial Executive meet
Bishops Don Harvey and
Charlie Masters and ANiC board member Claus Lenk were in El Paso, Texas this
past week for high level ACNA meetings. The bishops
both are members of Archbishop Bob Duncan’s Cabinet and Bishop Don and Claus
are part of the Provincial Executive. Reports of these meetings – which
Bishop Don called “very successful” – are expected soon. Bishop Don
stayed on in El Paso to preside and preach at the Church of St
Francis where Bishop Felix Orje, who is currently in
Nigeria, serves as rector. Bishop Orje ministered at St John’s (now) Vancouver
many years ago.
Archbishop Bob responds to pope’s
surprise resignation
Pope Benedict XVI has announced he is resigning effective February 28 because he is too old to carry on. He is
the first pontiff in nearly 600 years to step down. In responding, Archbishop
Bob Duncan writes, “…The Church throughout the world has been
blessed by the theological acuity and pastoral wisdom of this great man of God.
Anglicans will particularly miss this pontiff and successor to St. Peter. Benedict
XVI has been a great friend to us, particularly to orthodox Anglicans in North
America. His warm reception at the Papal Audience just ten weeks ago is a very
fresh memory…”
Archbishop Bob goes on to
recall the words of the pope in 2003, prior to becoming pope, when he wrote to
orthodox Anglicans in North America saying, “I assure you, Bishop Duncan, of my
heartfelt prayers…The lives of these saints show us how in the Church of Christ
there is a unity in truth and a communion of grace which transcend the borders
of any nation. With all this in mind, I pray in particular that God’s will may
be done by all those who seek that unity in truth, the gift of Christ himself....”
The
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, also responded to the news by writing, “I speak for… Anglicans around the world in giving
thanks to God for a priestly life utterly dedicate, in word and deed, in prayer
and in costly service, to following Christ…”
A
conclave to elect a new pope is anticipated in March. The National Post
reports that Cardinal Marc Ouellet, a Canadian, is considered by
some to be the favorite to succeed Pope Benedict.
ACNA in the news
You can
read an inspiring
article about a young church plant, St Paul’s City Church in
Murrieta, CA, which is committed to breaking down cultural barriers and reaching
their multi-ethnic city.
And you
can read about 15 ACNA bishops joining as many as ½ million marchers, by some estimates, who
packed Washington DC in support of pro-life and in opposition to abortion. Living Church
report includes the following quotes:
Archbishop
Bob Duncan: “We’d all like to see the culture of death turn into a culture of
life, wouldn’t we? I’d very much like to see the mass killing of babies brought
to an end. We’ll do what we have to do, and speak as we have to speak.”
Bishop
Steve Breedlove: “It’s unbelievable how many people are here. I want to
catalyze our churches to be involved. I have a determination to rally our
church around this.”
Other news in brief
Canada
Trinity Western University in Langley, BC has to defend – once again
– its Christian identity as reflected in its mandatory student pledge to
adhere to Christian morality. The school plan to open a law school is being
opposed by Canadian Council of Law Deans which claims
that the pledge discriminates against those who wish to engage in a homosexual
lifestyle. LifeSiteNews
notes that “In 2001, the Supreme Court of
Canada ruled that the BC College of Teachers could not refuse to approve TWU’s application
for accreditation of its teacher education program based on its disagreement
with the “Community Standards”.”
United States
A
South Carolina court now has made permanent a temporary restraining order which
forbade any person or entity from claiming to be or using the name, symbols and
seal of the diocese of South Carolina apart from Bishop Mark Lawrence and the
officers of the diocese. The diocese left the US Episcopal Church (TEC) last
fall, but TEC, following its standard practice, created confusion by organizing
another entity and then claiming this new entity was the historic diocese. According to Anglican
Ink, attorneys for TEC did not contest the order, which will stand
until the litigation between the diocese and TEC is concluded.
The American Anglican
Council has called
upon Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to apologize for her
defamatory characterization of Bishop Mark Lawrence and his Diocese of South
Carolina in her speech to TEC-loyalists in South Carolina on January 26. In her
speech, she called Bishop Lawrence a local tyrant and likened his – and
his diocese’s – mindset to that of school
shooters and terrorists. You can see her full text
here.
England
According to the St Paul’s
Cathedral (London, England) website, Justin Welby legally assumed
the title of Archbishop of Canterbury on February 4 in a ceremony at St Paul’s.
The Church Times
states that “From
this point, he is officially Archbishop, though his public ministry will not
begin until after his enthronement in Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March.” His full title is now: The Most
Reverend Justin Welby, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England
and Metropolitan.
The House of Bishops of the Church of England
remains consumed by the failure of the proposed women bishop’s legislation. At
the conclusion of its most recent meeting the bishops issued a
statement saying:
“The House of Bishops of
the Church of England has today expressed its encouragement and support for new
robust processes and steps in bringing forward to General Synod the necessary
legislation to consecrate women to the episcopate.
“At a special meeting at
Lambeth Palace today, the House reviewed the progress to develop proposals to
enable women to become bishops at the earliest possible date. The meeting also
considered changes to future meetings so as to ensure that eight senior women
clergy will be participants in all meetings of the House and its standing
committee...”
The Telegraph
reports that Canon David Porter, the director of the International
Centre for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral has been called into lead a
team attempting to mediate a solution to the crisis. Canon Porter honed his
negotiating skills in Northern Ireland working behind the scenes with both the
IRA and loyalist paramilitary groups to pave the way for peace talks. The
newspaper says that the House of Bishops has fast-tracked the process and “…have set themselves a deadline of May 21 to try reach the outline of a
deal to be put before the Synod in July”.
Syria
The National Review
reports that “Under the cover of war and
chaos, this group [Christians], which alone lacks militias of its own, is easy
prey for Islamists and criminals, alike. These assaults are driving out the
Christians en masse. This 2,000-year-old community, numbering around 2 million,
is the largest church in the Middle East after Egypt’s Copts, and it now faces
extinction… Christian Assyrians are fleeing… from threats, kidnappings, rapes
and murders. Behind the daily reporting about bombs there is an ethno-religious
cleansing taking place, and soon Syria… [will] be
emptied of its Christians.”
Iran
After a short sham trial, Iran has convicted Pastor Saeed Abedini
– a US citizen – and sentenced him to eight years in one of Iran's
most brutal and deadly prisons – merely because he is a Christian. Breakpoint
has the full
story – and information on how you can help.
Egypt
Anglican Ink
reports that President Muhammad Mursi of Egypt declared a “state of
emergency” placing the cities which saw violent rioting recently, as well as
their surrounding provinces, under martial law. Recent clashes between police
and protestors, particularly in Post Said, killed at least 60. Soon afterward, in an effort to stem the anarchy, a meeting was held
involving Egypt’s top government and opposition leaders as well as religious
leaders, including Presiding Bishop Mouneer. The meeting agreed on a statement which, amongst other things, renounced violence
and pledged to respect and protect all Egyptians regardless of their religious
or political views. Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis asks us to pray
for Egypt.
In the February 4th
edition of the Anglican Unscripted news video, commentator Kevin
Kallsen calls us to pray for Egypt, for Bishop Mouneer Anis and the rest of
North Africa and the Middle East where God is at work in spite of Islamist
activity.
Indian Ocean
Archbishop Ian Ernest is appealing for prayer and financial support to help the Diocese of Seychelles which suffered heavy
losses from flooding. The Seychelles is comprised or 115 islands in the Indian
Ocean.
Mozambique
The Anglican
Communion News Service reports that Mozambique also suffered
flooding from the heavy rain storms. 70,000 people are
displaced; thousands of homes, public buildings and infrastructure are
destroyed; crops have been lost; and at least 36 people have died.
Malawi
Malawi has also
been hit by the heavy rains. Bishop Brighton Malasa of
the Diocese of Upper Shire, a diocese with which St John’s Vancouver has a
close relationship, is appealing for humanitarian aid to help the estimated 33,000 people who have been
displaced – and whose futures are in jeopardy – due to the
flooding.
Uganda
The Anglican
Communion News Service reports that Bishop
Zac Niringiye, a retired Ugandan assistant bishop and an anti-corruption
activist, was arrested recently for distributing pamphlets calling for an end
to high-level corruption.
Kenya
Writing in
the American Anglican Council’s weekly global
update, Bishop Bill Atwood recounts the fascinating story of the pivotal
role played by an Anglican bishop – now archbishop – in subduing
the violence that followed Kenya’s last election. With Kenya facing another
election, Bishop Atwood asks us to pray for peace in Kenya.
Nigeria
Nigerian
media report that an Anglican priest has been kidnapped and is being
held for ransom. The Rev James Achugbu is reported to have
been abducted February 2.
Zimbabwe
Following
the restoration of churches properties to their rightful owners, Bishop Chad
Gandiya (Harare) says the great need now is for healing and forgiveness.
Columbia
The Evangelical
Fellowship of Canada asks us to pray for Columbia where Christians
are being targeted by illegal militants and guerrilla groups. Recently a pastor and his wife were threatened and then murdered by
these groups. The EFC provides good background on the situation in Columbia.
Soul food
Resources
Prayer
Book – The Diocese of Sydney (Australia) has launched “Common Prayer: Resources for gospel-shaped gatherings”. The book has been
three years in the making. It was designed to authentically reflect the Gospel,
while being contemporary and flexible.
Just for laughs
A couple's lawn mower was
broken, and the wife kept hinting to her husband that he should get it
repaired. But the message never sunk in. She finally thought of a way to make
her point.
One day the husband arrived
home to find her seated in the grass busily snipping away with a pair of
scissors. He watched silently for a short time, and then went into the house.
He returned a few moments
later, handed her a toothbrush and said, "When you finish cutting the
grass, you might as well sweep the sidewalk."
The doctors say he should
be able to walk again, but always have the limp.
www.mikeysFunnies.com
Thought
Bishop
Bill Atwood, writing about navigation, radical Islam and secularization, makes
the following observation – but read the whole article!
“Nations
have the same struggle. As they meet the challenge of how to move forward,
there are competing agendas that are vying to be preeminent. This is
particularly obvious in North Africa following the Arab Spring, but is also
true for the United States where the consequences of decades of rootless decision making are beginning to take a toll. Superficial
society has expected the fruit of righteous life without the foundation which
produces it”.
And now
a word from our sponsor
The
steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they
are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
“The
LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The
LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
It is
good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations
3:22-26 ESV
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