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April 25-26 conference plans are coming together
Don’t let the lack of conference information on the website – and registration forms – hamper your plans to attend the April 25-26 conference. (Please pray that the media attention and diocesan legal assaults would quiet down so we can focus on getting that material up for you to register!!) All the critical plans are firm – the facility (South Delta Baptist church) is booked and the main speakers are confirmed. The conference will be all day April 25 (Friday) with an optional (but highly recommended) dinner in the evening and all day Saturday. The big celebration event will be Saturday afternoon with Archbishop Greg presiding. Sunday services will be in various Vancouver area churches with global Anglican leaders speaking.
For out-of-towners, the recommended hotel – which is within walking distance of the South Delta Baptist Church – is the Coast Tsawwassen Inn. We’ve negotiated a good conference rate, but rooms are limited, so book very soon – and ask for the Anglican Network rate. We even have a poster.
Judges provides St George’s and St Hilda’s with temporary respite
On February 29, a Hamilton court room saw the first ANiC parishes brought before a judge by diocesan action. The judge decided the matter without needing to hear from the parishes’ lawyer. The Diocese of Niagara Archdeacon is quoted in the Anglican Journal promising further “action” will come. This ruling covers the next three Sunday’s. The next hearing is scheduled for March 20. Here’s the Diocese’s news release and our news release.
News coverage of the decision:
Toronto Star – Feb 29 08 & March 1 08
CBC News – Feb 29 08
St Catharines Standard – March 1 08
Reuters – Feb 29 08
CanWest News – Feb 29 08
Canadian Press – March 1 08
Michael Daley blog’s on the Diocese of Niagara’s news release
More congregations request episcopal oversight through ANiC
This past week, three more congregations voted to request alternative episcopal oversight from Bishop Don, under the Primatial care of Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone (in South America).
| Church |
In favour |
Opposed |
Abstained |
St. Matthias and St Luke’s,
Vancouver, BC |
133 |
1 |
7 |
Church of the Good Shepherd,
Vancouver, BC |
203 |
0 |
0 |
The Rev Simon Chin of St Matthias and St Luke’s says that he has received a number of notes of congratulations and support since the vote, but the one that most touched him was from a descendant of one of the founding families whose grandmother, parents and sister’s ashes are all buried in the church’s memorial garden. She wrote "It was with sadness and pride that I read the news of the decision of St Matthias and St Luke to leave the Anglican Church of Canada. I was sad because of what has been happening to the Anglican Church and how liberal teaching has been corrupting and dividing it but I am proud of the fact that you have taken a stand and are following our Lord above 'modern day thinking. Our family is holding you all in our prayers and will continue to do so... "
More clergy granted “Southern Cone” licences
Bishop Don has issued licences under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone to an additional four clergy members:
• the Rev Alex Lewanovicz (Faith Anglican Church, Ottawa),
• the Rev Desiree Stedman (Ottawa)
• the Rev Barbara Richardson (Toronto)
• the Rev Pat Coulombe (Ottawa)
Diocesan aggression continues
Toronto – The diocese enlisted police in their bid to claim the property belonging to the parish of St Chad’s. On the morning of February 29, while media attention was focused on the Diocese of Niagara and the Hamilton court proceedings that morning, the diocese of Toronto changed the locks on the building and posted signs on the door some time between 10:00 pm and 8:30 am. They then posted a policeman and security guard at the door and a news release on their website. The parish had voted on February 17 to seek episcopal oversight from Bishop Don and ANiC. Rev Barbara Richardson of St Chad’s was inhibited by the diocese on February 20. She then submitted her letter of resignation on February 23. While our legal team considers options, the parish will be meeting Sundays at 2pm at Patterson Presbyterian Church, 109 Harvie Ave, Toronto – just a few blocks from St Chad’s. The diocesan notice on the door invites people to attend their services at a neighboring church.
What is most troubling about this action by the bishop of Toronto is that he would rather see a church locked up and a congregation displaced, than allow a faithful congregation to worship in the building they have attended and supported for many years. One member of the parish, now in her 80’s recently told us she has attended St. Chad’s church since she was 6 years old. Now, this cherished building is closed to her. It is also interesting that the night chosen to lock the doors could be seen as an effort to avoid news coverage by being overshadowed by the court case in Hamilton. It is particularly troubling that the congregation has been locked out before the courts are able to express judgment on the issues relating to property ownership.
Niagara – In order to foster respectful negotiations and potential mediation, the 2 ANiC parishes agreed to allow the Diocese of Niagara to hold a Sunday worship service on February 24 in both St Hilda’s and St George’s for those the diocese claimed are “disenfranchised members of the parishes” after their overwhelming votes to align with Bishop Don and the Southern Cone. Prior to that Sunday service, parish members were astounded to find the diocese actively recruited people from other parishes to fill the pews. Earlier, the diocese appointed an administrator for each parish – having summarily “dismissed” the elected wardens (although we believe they lack any canonical or legal authority to do that). Here is the diocese’s news release following the service at St George’s and their news release on February 26, reacting to media coverage the previous day.
Despite the painful experience of having the diocesan service be used to further marginalize the congregations that hosted them, the St George’s service that followed was a joyful event with Bishop Don presiding. His sermon is posted to the St George’s website. St Hilda’s service was also a wonderful time celebrating God’s goodness.
New Westminster (Vancouver area) – The Rev Simon Chin (St Matthias and St Luke’s) and the Rev Stephen Leung (Church of the Good Shepherd, Vancouver) also received notices from Bishop Michael Ingham of “Presumption of Abandonment of the Exercise of Ministry” under Canon 19, Schedule C. So, that places them in good company with Rev Dr J I Packer and other clergy of ANiC parishes in the Diocese of New Westminster.
Action against Dr Packer instigates furor
Bishop Ingham’s notice to Dr Packer alleging “Abandonment of the exercise of the Ministry” has the blog world buzzing with the absurdity of such an accusation against one of the most eminent theologians of our day. Lesley Bentley, spokesperson for St John’s Shaughnessy where Dr Packer worships and has ministered, has written a letter regarding Dr Packer posted to Kendall Harmon’s blog.
The Anglican Church League has also come to Dr Packer’s defence, saying:
Professor Packer, one of the leading Christian voices of the twentieth century,,,, has now become a target for revisionist aggression. Once again the intolerance and anti-liberal heart of liberal Christianity has been exposed. This latest incident highlights what has been happening to authentic and orthodox Anglican men and women in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom in the past few years. Ministers have been deprived, congregations have been forced to leave their buildings, law suits have been instigated and campaigns of misinformation have been launched in the religious and secular press…. This use of coercion by revisionist bishops has not been publicly addressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury or by those who champion the so-called ‘Windsor Process’. Their silence is deafening and shameful. In the light of this it is little wonder that so many of us have very little confidence in this process or in the resolve of those behind it to focus on the most important issues.
Sue Careless writes on Dr Packer’s situation in the Anglican Planet and Sydney Anglicans express their outrage.
Media coverage
Archbishop Gregory Venables interviewed on CBC
A transcript of Archbishop Greg’s interview on CBC on Feb 25 is on StandFirmInFaith. This is the interview, he drove through the night on rural roads in order to do.
Parish decisions to join ANiC – particularly on February 24
Globe & Mail – Feb 25 08 – Feb 24 parish votes
Canadian Christianity.com – Major church vote widens Anglican rift
LifeSiteNews.com – Anglican Bishops Use Threats to Force Compliance…
Hamilton Spectator – Feb 19 08 – Local Anglican parishes vote to leave diocese
St Catharines Standard – Feb 22 08 & Feb 25 08 on Church of the Good Shepherd vote
Vancouver Sun – Feb 25 08
CBC – Feb 25 08
Diocese of Niagara takes legal action against ANiC parishes
Terrific National Post profile of Paul Charbonneau and St Hilda’s in Windsor (Feb 23 08)
Globe & Mail – Feb 26 08 & Feb 27 08 & Feb 29 08 on the legal issues
Globe & Mail – February 20 08 – on clergy suspensions
Hamilton Spectator – Feb 20 08 & Feb 26 08 & Feb 28 08 & another Feb 28 08
Canadian Press – Feb 20 08 & Feb 26 08 & Feb 28 08
Niagara Falls Review – Feb 28 08 – regarding Rev Brodie’s suspension by the diocese
Toronto Star – Feb 20 08 & Feb 21 08 & Feb 26 08
CBC – Feb 28 08 (Note video clip on upper right of page)
Shared facilities for Sunday services, February 24 08, at St George’s and St Hilda’s
Hamilton Spectator – Feb 25 08 – Separate services for diocese, churches
Toronto Star – and Feb 24 08 and Feb 25 08 (on St Hilda’s)
Other
Globe & Mail – Feb 20 08 – clergy in Niagara suspended
Globe & Mail – Feb 23 08 – on St Mary’s Metchosin
Goldstream Gazette – Feb 24 08 & Feb 29 08 on St Mary’s Metchosin (Victoria)
Globe & Mail – Feb 22 08 – Good profile of Bishop Don.
StandFirminFaith’s bloggers comment
Canadian Press – Feb 22 08 – Diocese of New Westminster charge of “abandonment”
National Post – Feb 20 08 – Anglican Catholic Church comment & Feb 26 08 – Q&A
The London Free Press – Feb 26 08 – Another diocese says “no split here”
Anglican Journal – Feb 25 08 – summarizes “disciplinary” action taken by various dioceses.
Canadian Christianity – Feb 28 08 Good overview of legal concerns
Toronto Star – Mar 01 08 and Michael Daley’s blog critique
St Catharines Standard, March 1 08 – particularly interesting letter to the editor
Toronto Star – Feb 28 08 – letter from Bishop Colin Johnson “Anglican Church is doing just fine”
Advice on working with media
With so much media coverage lately many of you have taken the initiative to respond by writing letters to the editor, talking to media and so on. Thank you! One word of advice… Please always be gracious and respectful. Reporters have a really tough job and can’t be expected to be experts on everything they write. Also remember that we are building long-term relationships with journalists. Newspaper, radio and TV stories are soon forgotten but relationships endure – maybe even for eternity!
New Network office
Most Network staff and volunteers work from home “offices” across the country. However, we now have a national office facility located in Burlington, Ontario, at the Crossroads Centre where we held our November national conference. On Feb 23rd, there was a large gathering at the office where Bishop Don blessed the site and there was a time of special prayer for all of ANiC, parishes and groups.
YouTube videos of Rev David Short and Dr Packer
St John’s Shaughnessy (Vancouver) created a DVD prior to their vestry vote to help the congregation think through the issues. The DVD has now been broken into 10 segments and posted to YouTube. Journalist Susan Martinuk interviews the Rev David Short and Dr J I Packer. The links are here.
If you could effectively use a copy of St John’s DVD in your parish – or to give to someone in another parish – please contact Jude in the Network office: Jcarriere@anglicannetwork.ca or 1-866-351-2642.
Ottawa-area church plant is christened
The church plant in the Ottawa area, led by the Rev Alex Lewanowicz is now Faith Anglican Church. The members held their first vestry, constituted the church and elected wardens and synod members. While still meeting in a house they are actively looking for another site. Please pray for a good location for this vibrant congregation.
The blog is smok’n
The Anglican Essentials blog has been averaging over 6200 hits/day this week – with over 8000 on Friday. This translates into close to 1700 visitors/day on average. You rock, Pete, Kate and Scott!
News shorts - Canada
The Anglican Journal reports that two more churches in the Diocese of New Westminster have asked to join the current eight churches in performing same-sex blessings. These were followed immediately by a third church in the diocese taking the same decision.
Anglican Church of Canada has posted a video of Archbishop Fred Hiltz discussing the “fracture” of the church, reiterating the ACoC’s position, challenging the impression this represents a “crisis in faith” and appealing to the Anglican “capacity to live together gracefully with difference”.
Essentials blogger Scott Gilbreath tells us that Dr Robert Gagnon, who wrote the definitive study of biblical teaching on homosexuality, will teach a two-week course at Regent College (Vancouver) this summer. See what Scott has to say about it on the blog.
News shorts – USA and North America
Bishop John Howe, Diocese of Central Florida, provides details of a variation of an Episcopal Visitor scheme that would allow Orthodox US Episcopal Church (TEC) dioceses to remain in the TEC but have their bishop linked to orthodox Primates overseas. Calling it “Bishops in Communion’, the plan was created by four TEC bishops and seems to be backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. See the full story on the Living Church News Service. Blogs are buzzing, discussing this development, but the consensus seems to be that it is another temporary measure.
Drell’s Descants describes the scheme: “In short, the group has taken the Episcopal visitor plan and melded the same with alternative primatial pastoral oversight for the Episcopal visitors, which addresses the pastoral needs of conservative bishops. The Presiding Bishop (PB) has three roles - CEO of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (the corporate arm of the church but which is not the church), presiding officer over the House of Bishops (she runs the meeting), and chief pastor, which includes being a pastor to the Bishops, much as a bishop is the pastor to the clergy in their Diocese. The Anglican Communion partner bishops are not seeking to undermine the PB’s role as the duly elected PB for the first two functions, but the third, pastoral oversight, is relational and therefore requires an alternative arrangement.”
Lambeth and GAFCon
In addressing Sydney’s Standing Committee, Archbishop Peter Jensen explained his position on attending GAFCon and not Lambeth.
News shorts - International
The Anglican Province of Myanmar has a new Primate. The Rt. Rev. Stephen Myint Oo Than was enthroned on February 17.
Dr Victoria Matthews, former bishop of Edmonton, is reported to be well-along in the process of being ratified as the bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand. The Anglican Journal confirms the story.
The Anglican Church of Tanzania has elected a new primate. Valentino Mokiwa, of the Diocese of Dar es Salaam, will succeed Archbishop Donald Mtetemela, who will retire on May 25.
Please continue to pray for the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe and Kenya. In Zimbabwe, acting Anglican Bishop for the Diocese of Harare, Sebastian Bakare, says those in political power have created strife in the church. Pray for peace and a return to good government. In Kenya, a power-sharing deal has been struck. Pray that it will succeed in ending the violence and bringing stability.
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Christian Science Monitor offers a sympathetic profile of the Archbishop of the Canterbury, saying he is a man of great intellect, knows seven languages, was Oxford’s youngest ever professor of divinity at 36, is a self-declared “hairy leftie” and loves poetry.
Here are more accounts of Shari’a law in action and why the Dr Williams has faced such a backlash for his suggestion that aspects of it be incorporated in Britain. Chuck Colson weighs in too.
Worth reading
Thanks to Network member Robert Kiesman for drawing our attention to this US News cover report entitled “A return to tradition: A new interest in old ways takes root in Catholicism and many other faiths.” The lengthy article examines the trend, especially among the young, to return to more traditional and liturgical worship in search of rootedness and community.
Women’s ordination
Because of persistent misinformation circulated to media, ANiC issued a correction this week to media clarifying that ANiC DOES accept and support ordained women in ministry and also will ordain women to ministry. In fact, Bishop Don has issued licences to three ordained women already. At the same time, we will protect the conscience of those who do not accept the ordination of women.
And now a Word from our Sponsor…
Have you noticed how “alive” the Bible becomes during our times of difficulty?
Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly…. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Philippians 1:12-14 & 27-29 (NIV)
May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests.
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
O LORD, save the king! Answer us when we call!
Psalm 20 (NIV)
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.
Acts 5:41 (ESV)
When the people of Israel were fleeing Egypt and were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, “…Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent."
Exodus 14:13-14
Food For Thought
From St Aidan’s e-newsletter, The Messenger: "Worry looks around, sorry looks back, Faith looks up."
“Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.”
“We don’t change God’s message; His message changes us.”
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