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ANiC news
ANiC
and ACNA events calendar
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
12-13 - Men’s seminar offered at Blackburn Hamlet Community Church
(Ottawa, ON)
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
ANiC
regional assemblies, April 17-19/20
Online registration for the three regional assemblies is now open! On the ANiC website you’ll find newly posted links to
online registration as well as agendas for all three assemblies. In addition,
we’ve provided information on speakers, locations, accommodation and (very
affordable) costs.
The eastern
assembly meets at Crossroads Centre in Burlington, ON, from April
17-19. Following clergy day, which ends at 3pm on April 17
(Wednesday), the assembly opens with Eucharist at 7pm. The Primate of
the Southern Cone, the most Reverend Hector (Tito) Zavala, is the featured
guest speaker. He will share what's happening in the Southern Cone and also, as
one of the GAFCon primates, report on developments in the GAFCon movement. Five
workshops will be offered on various aspects of personal spiritual growth and
congregational ministry – all focused on equipping for gospel
proclamation. Delegates will have opportunity to share about developments in
their own congregations’ ministry. And the four Bible teaching times will focus
on the proclamation of Jesus in Old Testament passages.
Liturgical
calendars
Canon
Tom Carman has kindly created three - yes three - 2013 Liturgical calendars. One
following the BCP tradition, one is in line with the BAS, and the third synced
to Common Worship (Church of England). These are particularly helpful for
clergy and altar guilds, but are great for all of us who follow the church
year. The calendars can be downloaded (in pdf format), along with an
introductory letter, from the ANiC
website.
Time to
build
ANiC’s Time
to Build campaign – which is designed to place
ANiC on a better financial footing as it responds to the demands of rapid
growth – is full steam ahead, reports Archdeacon Ron Corcoran. He has
presented to two churches on Vancouver Island and is scheduled to speak at:
• St Peters and St Paul’s (Ottawa, ON) – March 9
• St Luke’s (Pembroke, ON) – March 10
• Grace Anglican (Calgary, AB) – April 6 & 7
Archdeacon
Ron is available to visit parishes across the country. To set up a visit,
please work through your Archdeacon.
Bishops
request prayer
ANiC’s
leadership will be meeting in the Toronto area this week and covet your prayer
support. The House of Bishops meets Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning;
the bishops and archdeacons meet Wednesday and Thursday morning; and the ANiC
council, ANiC’s highest governing body between synods, meets on Thursday
afternoon and all day Friday.
Clergy
retreat & leadership training
The
agenda for ANiC’s annual clergy retreat – which will be held March 11-13
at Cedar Springs, just across the US border from Abbotsford, BC – is now posted on the
ANiC website. The guest speaker is Canon Phil Ashey and the topic is
Leadership. Please register ASAP.
Immediately
following the retreat Part 2 of Canon Ashey’s clergy leadership training
program will be offered in the same location (March 13-15). For information and
to register, please see the ANiC
website.
Writing
about this clergy leadership training in the latest American
Anglican Council newsletter (received by email), Canon Phil Ashey
says:
“For
those of you who may not know about our Clergy Leadership Training Institute,
the CLTI is for the development of clergy beyond seminary in the four
"C's" of leadership: Character, Competency (ministry life skills),
Compounding Results (multiplying leaders) and Church Conflict… Our goal is to
equip clergy leaders with healthy boundaries - spiritual, emotional and
professional - and effective skills to lead growing and healthy Anglican
churches in North America. We do this through three gatherings over an 18-24
month period, with speakers who have proven and fruitful ministries in the four
"C's" of leadership. We provide one-on-one coaching/spiritual
direction for each participant during our gatherings, and on-site intercessors
are available for prayer ministry. You can see the testimonies of this first
CLTI group here…
“You
can find out more about our CLTI here…
“On
March 11-13 I will be at the Cedar Springs, WA Retreat Center to do the first
session of our CLTI on "The Character of the Leader" for clergy in
the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC). After a short break, the clergy from the
Diocese of Cascadia will join those ANiC clergy who wish to stay for our second
session of CLTI on "The Competency of the Leader," March 13-15. Our
main speakers will be Bishops Trevor Walters of ANiC and Kevin Allen of
Cascadia. And I will be there to assist and speak on how leaders can maintain
healthy boundaries, especially during church conflict.”
Clergy
count = 163
In the
last issue of the newsletter, we overstated the number of ANiC ordained clergy;
the number given included lay pastors working in ANiC congregations. ANiC registrar Canon Tom Carman tells us the correct number
of ordained clergy is 163.
Ottawa-area
men’s seminar
"Rise
Up O Men of God", a “don’t miss” event for men, is coming to Blackburn Hamlet
Community Church (Ottawa, ON) on the weekend of April 12-13. The Rev Garth Hunt
leads this men’s seminar designed to encourage and equip men to be all that God
intends them to be. It is open to all men in the Ottawa region – and
beyond. See the church
website for times and address. Register by emailing the church.
If you
would like Garth+ to bring this seminar to your community, please see the ANiC website for
contact information.
ANiC
monk celebrates 90th birthday
Bishop Don will be in
Ottawa March 2 to help observe the 90th birthday of Father Frere Kennedy, a
monk – the only monk in ANiC – who is also
honourary assistant at St Peter and St Paul’s. Bishop Don will preside at a
special celebration of the Holy Eucharist to offer thanks for Father Frere's
long ministry, followed by small luncheon in his honour. Fr Frere’s ministry
focuses on spiritual direction, counseling and intercession.
Parish
news
Saint Matthew’s (Abbotsford, BC) invites all those within driving distance to join them as they Journey to
the Cross. Held four consecutive Wednesday evenings – February
27 to March 20 – this series explores the meaning of the Cross of Christ
for our lives, our communities and our world.
St Matthias and St Luke’s (Vancouver,
BC) is hosting a Passover Seder Supper in association with Bethlehem
Lutheran Church on Maundy Thursday, March 28 at 6pm in the parish hall, 320
East 15 Avenue, Vancouver. All fellow Christians are invited to join the
congregations in experiencing the Passover Seder. The event will help
participants understand the Lord’s Supper in the context of the Passover Seder.
If interested, please register before March 21, 2013 by emailing info@smslchurch.ca or calling 604-876-4320. Seating is limited. Participation is by donation. Please
note that the full Seder Supper will last at least a couple of hours.
All Saint’s (Rutland, VT) officially received parish status in ANiC on Sunday and Father Dwight McPherson
was installed as rector. Bishop Don Harvey also confirmed six candidates.
Please email parish news to Marilyn or call 1-866-351-2642 ext 4020.
Anglican Church in North America
(ACNA) news
ACNA Primate joins other
evangelical leaders in US Immigration Reform statement
The ACNA website reports that
Archbishop Bob Duncan recently joined two dozen
other heads of evangelical denominations in signing the Evangelical
Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform.” Matthew Soerens,
author of Welcoming the Stranger and a member of ACNA’s Church of the Resurrection (Wheaton, IL), helped
frame the statement which offers Christian principles to guild the formation of
new United States immigration policy.
The ACNA article notes that “… there are 11.5 million undocumented immigrants
in the United States… Most live in the shadows and have no recourse or path to
change their legal status or pursue citizenship.” “There are currently 50
Hispanic congregations within the Anglican Church in North America. Many of our
brothers and sisters in these congregations are undocumented and face a
multitude of challenges.”
The
statement calls for a new policy which:
• Respects the God-given
dignity of every person
• Protects the unity of
the immediate family
• Respects the rule of
law
• Guarantees secure
national borders
• Ensures fairness to
taxpayers
• Establishes a path toward
legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become
permanent residents
Other news in brief
Canada
The bishop
of Anglican Church of Canada Diocese of British Columbia has announced his
resignation effective August 31. The Anglican
Journal notes that a retired Primate of the Anglican Church of
Canada, Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, will serve as administrator of the diocese
in the interim until an election is held for a successor diocesan bishop.
The Church of
England Newspaper reports that “[The Anglican Church of] Canada’s
Diocese of Moosonee will be dissolved upon the retirement of its current
bishop, the Rt Rev Thomas Corston, and its churches formed into a mission area
of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario…”
The
Canadian government has appointed its first ambassador of religious freedom. Andrew
Bennett will focus on promoting freedom of religion, belief and conscience
around the world and ensure that this value is reflected in Canadian foreign
policy. In making the appointment, Prime Minister Stephen Harper noted that the
post was inspired by the assassination in 2011 of Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s
minister of minorities who was targeted because of his Christian faith which inspired him to passionately defend religious
minorities in his country.
Listing
some of the most notorious countries of persecution, Mr Harper is quoted in the
National Post saying, “The list, appallingly, goes on. In the face
of these injustices and atrocities, Canada will not be silent. Indeed, Canada
has not been silent… But we are compelled to do more by the sheer number and
gravity of the offences against this fundamental right around the world and the
assault it implies on democracy itself. The cause is just. The need is urgent.
And our responsibility is clear.”
In a Cardus
interview, Janet Epp Buckingham provides more perspective.
Jonathan
Kay writing in the National Post
supports Trinity Western University (Langley, BC) in its bid to
establish a law school despite the opposition of law school deans from other
universities. While not adhering to TWU’s statement of faith himself, Kay
defends Christians’ right to hold to Biblically based belief. He states, “While
acceptance of gay rights has become a welcome feature of Canadian political
life, our courts have made it clear that religious institutions are free to hew
to their traditional views on sexuality, and to embed them in on-campus
behaviour codes… Accepting true “diversity” of belief in the Canadian
marketplace of ideas must mean accepting those views that are politically
unfashionable… Canada already has almost two-dozen non-Christian, left-leaning
law schools whose curriculum and faculty comport well with Mr. Flanagan’s [dean
of Queen’s Law School and a vocal opponent of TWU’s bid] views. The world will
not stop spinning on its axis if the country gains a new school that happens to
be animated by English Canada’s founding Christian creed.”
Don
Hutchinson of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada comments on the media furor over Government of Canada funding of the humanitarian work
undertaken by Crossroads Christian Communication to provide sanitation and
clean water to an impoverished region of Uganda. Referring to a headline which
screamed, Canada funds
anti-gay group’s work in homophobic Uganda, he writes, “The story
seeks to draw an insidious and non-existent link between an evangelical
Christian ministry providing necessities of life – clean water, latrines
and hygiene awareness – for the impoverished in Uganda (and several other
countries), CIDA funding (spread over multiple years) and Ugandan government
policy against homosexuality… Crossroads Relief and
Development has an impressive track record of development and relief in a
number of countries, providing aid for a number of constituencies, regardless
of race, faith or sexual orientation. The CIDA funding identified is a
small part of their multi-country development budget, spread over multiple
years and completely unrelated to Ugandan government policy. “
United
States
A recent
article in the Washington Post discusses the merits of the court
cases in both South Carolina and Texas involving dioceses that have left the
Episcopal Church.
Anglican Ink
reports that the Episcopal Church has named a twelve-person task
force to study marriage and “try to find a theological rationale for the
church's recent change in doctrine on gay marriage.”
England
One of
Archbishop Justin Welby’s first acts in assuming the see of Canterbury was to appoint Canon David Porter as
part-time director for reconciliation on the Archbishop’s personal staff at
Lambeth Palace. Canon Porter has vast experience from working behind the scenes
to bring an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
The Rev
Matt Kennedy, a StandFirm in
Faith blogger, fears that this signals a continuation of Archbishop
Rowan Williams-initiated endless ‘indaba’ discussions of irreconcilable, core
gospel- differences.
VirtueOnline reports that many GAFCon primates may
decline to attend Archbishop Justin Welby’s enthronement in March if US
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is invited – and, according to
the US Episcopal Church website, she has received an invitation and
will be attending. The speculation is that this may be the motivation behind
the appointment of a director of reconciliation. This, however, fails to
recognize that the divide in the Anglican Communion is not merely a broken
relationship, but a principled stand in opposition to heresy. Without
repentance and a turning from the false teaching, the theological tear in the
Communion is irreconcilable.
Julian
Mann adds “The GAFCON leaders will be doing a great service to orthodox Anglicans in the
liberal-dominated Western provinces by continuing to refuse to attend primatial
meetings if Mrs Jefferts Schori is present. The theological stand GAFCON is
taking is hugely helpful in making crystal clear that lines of biblical
conviction have been crossed and that indaba with false teachers cannot be
given spiritual legitimacy… It is worth remembering amidst the ancient lustre
of a Canterbury enthronement where the future of vital Christianity lies. The
UK, for example, is becoming so anti-Christian that it could get to the point
that British Christians end up seeking asylum in GAFCON countries due to the
impossibility of earning a living in their own country, let alone preaching the
gospel.”
Anglican
Mainstream reports that another Anglican minister in England has
been ordained in the Anglican Church of Kenya under the auspices of the Chair
of GAFCon and Primate of Kenya, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala.
Britain’s
Baroness Warsi, a practicing Muslim, says that “people who do
God, do good… [V]ery often faith is the basis for good deeds. It influences, it inspires, it impels at every turn.” The Telegraph
notes that new research “lays bare the scale of Britain’s growing
dependence on religious groups to meet social needs in the midst of
recession. Churches alone are providing almost 100 million hours of unpaid
volunteer work on social projects a year, up by more than a third in two years,
while donations for such work are up by a fifth, it found.” The Baroness’
comments echo Archbishop Justin Welby’s call for churches to seize the
opportunity by stepping in to meet community needs the state can no longer
meet.
Portugal
Received by email) All Saint’s Anglican Church in Algarve, Portugal is
seeking an experienced pastor and Bible teacher to oversee two congregations. The
pastor would be a “house for duty priest”. Applicants are expected to be in
agreement with the Jerusalem Declaration and Statement. Information is on the Anglican
Mainstream website.
Egypt
Christian
Today reports continued attacks on church buildings in Egypt. In the
face of the growing hostility to Christians, Patheos
reports that leaders of five different Christian streams in Egypt
have begun meeting as the United Council of Egyptian Churches. The article goes
on to quote Brian Stiller, global ambassador for the World Evangelical
Alliance, saying, “The Arab Spring has become a Christian Winter… Egypt faces
an exodus of its Christian population similar to those that have already been
seen in other Middle Eastern states in the grips of Islamist governments. This
will be tragic for Egypt.”
Ethiopia
The Church of
England Newspaper reports that “The Ethiopian Evangelical Church
Mekane Yesus (EECMY) has broken with the Church of Sweden, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and all “churches who have
openly accepted same-sex marriage.””
Kenya
In an earlier
report, Bishop Bill Atwood gave an inspiring account of the roll of
the current Primate in stemming the violence following the 2007 elections in
Kenya. In the February 12
American Anglican Council newsletter, he reports on his time in
Kenya working with the Primate to prepare the country for a peaceful election
in the coming weeks. Bishop Atwood reports the full content of a powerful
letter written by the Primate to the politicians, people and church of Kenya
calling for repentance, forgiveness, fasting and prayer.
Tanzania
Anglican Ink
reports that the Anglican Church of Tanzania has elected Bishop
Jacobo Chimeledya as its new Primate, to be installed in May. The current
Primate, Archbishop Valentino Mokiwa was unsuccessful in his re-election bid.
China
Fox News
reports that “Christians and human rights advocates are alarmed over
an aggressive crackdown on house churches in China, where the faithful are
forced to call their gatherings "patriotic" assemblies or sent to
prison where they can face torture, according to a new report. Cases of the
government persecuting Christians rose 42 percent last year, amid a three-phase
plan by Beijing to eradicate the home-based churches, according to China Aid, a
Texas-based human rights group.”
Soul food
Resources
Praying
for persecuted Christians around the world – The Middle East
Forum reports that “As usual, the month of
Christmas saw an uptick in Christian persecution under Islam, in a variety of
forms, from insults to murders.” It lists incidents of attacks on churches from
Denmark to Indonesia; imprisonment and murder
in Algeria to Pakistan; abductions, rape and forced marriage of Christians
girls to Muslim men. The report concludes, “…whatever the anecdote of
persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for
churches and other Christian symbols; apostasy and blasphemy laws; sexual abuse
of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of
jizya (tribute); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed
"dhimmis" (barely tolerated citizens); and simple violence and
murder. Oftentimes it is a combination thereof.” The frequency and geographic
range of this persecution, the author concludes, shows “…that such persecution
is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is
rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.”
Abortion – A newly released book – Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Dr
Megan Best – is being hailed as the “must read” book on reproductive ethics and abortion. Dr D A Carson says
in his review, ““At last—a single volume examining beginning-of-life
issues that is equally competent in biology, theology, philosophy, and pastoral
care.”
Heresy
creep – Pastor Kevin DeYoung, writing on
The Gospel Coalition blog, summarizes the standard process for “how
denominations come to tolerate, accept, and then endorse homosexuality”. Regrettably, his own denomination, the Reformed Church in America,
seems to be embarking upon this well-trodden path.
Mere
Anglicanism – If you didn’t make it to South Carolina for the recent Mere
Anglicanism conference you can still feast on its spiritual buffet. Videos of
sessions with Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop Paul Barnett, Eric Metaxas, Dr
Allen Ross, the Rev David Wenham and the Rev Peter Walker – and others
– are posted on the
AnglicanTV website.
Apologetics
conference – The annual Apologetics
Canada conference will be in Abbotsford, BC, March 1-2. Top-notch
speakers include Dr William Lane Craig, Dr Andy Bannister, Dr John Patrick and
J Warner Wallace. Well worth your time!
Evangelicals
in danger – VirtueOnline
points us to an excellent article by Carl Tueman of Westminster
Theological Seminary discussing the danger to our churches and faith by
focusing exclusively on God’s love to the exclusion of His other attributes,
including justice and wrath, and by our “pick-n-mix Bible where consumer, not
Creator, is king”. He urges us to “give the whole Bible its proper place in our
lives, thinking and worship”. As a remedy, he recommends returning to the
Psalms for worship/singing and not neglect the Old Testament as we strive to
“understand each passage, each verse, within the theological and narrative
structure of the canon as a whole”.
In the
latest Anglican
Unscripted weekly news video, commentators Kevin Kallsen and George
Conger discuss the problem with “ashes to go” without true repentance, the lack
of information about the proposed GAFCon 2 conference in Nairobi later this
year, the resignation of Pope Benedict, and Archbishop Justin Welby’s first
actions upon assuming the office of Archbishop of Canterbury. They give
Archbishop Welby 10 out of 10 for his refusal to be controlled by his staff.
Just for laughs
A tour bus arrived at
Runnymede, England. The guide asked the tourists to gather around and then announced,
"You are standing on the very spot where the barons forced King John to
sign the Magna Carta."
A man in the group asked,
"When did that happen?"
"1215," the guide
answered.
The tourist looked at his
watch, "Rats!" he said, "Missed it by half an hour."
www.mikeysFunnies.com
Addressing
cell phones in church
Clergy,
are you frustrated by cell phones going off during services? Enjoy one church’s
tongue-in-cheek solution to that problem – an announcement video posted to YouTube.
Thought
If you
can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
www.mikeysFunnies.com
And now
a word from our sponsor
Wisdom
cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of
the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being
simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate
knowledge?
If you
turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my
spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.
Because
I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one
has heeded, because you have ignored all my
counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you, when
terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when
distress and anguish come upon you. Then they
will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will
not find me.
Because
they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my
reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill
of their own devices.
For the
simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys
them;
but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread
of disaster.”
Proverbs
1:20-33 (ESV)
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