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Handle with prayer!
News – ANiC and AEN
Asian Mission in Canada Conference
great success
The inaugural conference of the Asian Mission in Canada
(AMiC) was a tremendous success; before the first day was over participants
were already asking when the next conference would be held. AMiC is a ministry of
ANiC under the leadership of Bishop Stephen Leung, rector of Good Shepherd (Vancouver).
The conference held March 21-22 in Vancouver at Regent College and Good Shepherd
and entitled Discerning Contemporary Culture: Challenges
& Christian Ministry in a Permissive Age drew 170 registrants, from all over North America.
The excellent line-up of speakers included the Rev Dr Brian Stiller, president of
Tyndale University College and Seminary (Toronto) and the Rev Dr David Pao,
associate professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield,
Illinois). When the DVDs are available for order, there will be a notice in the
newsletter with pricing information.
Congratulations
Our hearty congratulations to Bishop Trevor Walters
and Dede Johnson on their wedding on March 26 in Phoenix, Arizona. We pray God’s rich blessing on their
marriage and ministry.
Last chance to register
for the Plant and Grow seminars in Ottawa & Burlington
Having completed two successful sessions in BC, Plant
and Grow conferences continue across Canada. The sessions focus on both
planting new churches and growing established churches. Don’t miss this great
opportunity for both pastors and laity. Register now!
Synod 2011 plans taking
shape
Planning is underway for our next synod on November
3-4 in Victoria, BC. Immediately prior to synod, on November 2, there will be
two very important events: Clergy Day for all ANiC clergy; as well as a full-day
spiritual life conference for laity. The synod hotel will be the downtown Marriott and some of the sessions will be held in
the nearby facilities of the Church of Our Lord Reformed Episcopal
Church – an ACNA parish. More details will be available in
several months.
Good Friday offering
Traditionally churches designate their Good Friday
offering for something special. If your parish hasn’t already decided where you
will send your Good Friday offering, one option is to designate it for the work
of Christ Church Jerusalem. Any donations for Christ Church Jerusalem can be
sent via the ANiC office – with a note clearly stating your designation.
Diocese of Maseno West
provides update on malaria reduction project
Posted on the Anglican Relief
and Development Fund Canada (ARDFC) website is the most recent project update
from the Diocese of Maseno West. They are making excellent progress in
implementing the malaria reduction project for which ARDFC is raising funds. You
can read the short
report here and see the
latest photos here. (Scroll down to “Phase 2”.) Information on the
project is posted on the ARDFC website.
ANiC in
the Anglican Planet
A number of
interesting articles have been posted to the most recent edition of the Anglican Planet including a piece called “Three Toronto
Priests Join ANiC”. Sue Careless
writes:
“In January three prominent Anglican
priests in the Diocese of Toronto relinquished their licenses with the Anglican
Church of Canada and were accepted as priests into the Anglican Network in Canada
(ANiC).”
“They are
the Rev. Andy Leroux, chair for the past decade of the Archbishop of Toronto’s Committee
on Spiritual Renewal and rector of St Ninian’s in Scarborough for 14 years; the
Rev. Robin Guinness, an honorary assistant at Little Trinity in downtown Toronto
and former President of Barnabas Ministries; and Canon Brian McVitty, rector of
Trinity Church, Barrie.”
“All three
priests were disturbed that the Toronto College of Bishops had permitted same-sex
blessings unilaterally without taking any synodical vote first. (The bishops
claimed that the majority of diocesan clergy were supportive of SSBs and argued
that a vote would be divisive.) All three priests said they went with their
former bishops’ blessings.”
Other
articles of interest on the Anglican Planet website articles include:
Vancouver ANiC
churches to appeal to Supreme Court
Peaceful
settlement in Ottawa
New Bishop
for the Diocese of Ontario
RIP: Robert Darwin
Crouse (1930-2011)
In addition, the hard copy of the Planet contains
an interview with the Rev Andy Leroux, who is now rector of one of ANiC’s
newest churches, Living Hope Christian Church (Scarborough, ON). Andy explains
why he relinquished his Anglican Church of Canada licence and moved to ANiC: “It
was difficult to think of leaving my parishioners. I have been at St Ninian’s
for over 13 years and I cared for them deeply. I knew however, if I truly was
their ‘shepherd in Christ’ I had to stand for the authority of the Scriptures. I
had to show them by example that obedience to God’s Word is the most important
value in life.”
In talking about his new ANiC church, Andy says, “We
have had three services so far which were wonderful! There was such a sense of freedom and joy. We could feel God’s
pleasure! Many of my old parishioners have come to the new church
which has made my leaving easier. There is a great sense of anticipation
about God’s plans for our future. We know that He provides and blesses and uses
those who trust and obey Him.”
St David’s the Faithful (Winnipeg,
MB) featured on the front page
St David’s, ANiC’s
one-year-old project overseen by the Venerable Paul Crossland, was on the front
page of Winnipeg’s Christian
Week newspaper. The article featured lay leaders Daryl Duke and Wes
Schroepfer who expressed confidence that the project would grow into a
biblically minded parish. The article also mentioned that ANiC is “committed to
the Anglican Communion and is working to ensure that orthodox Canadian
Anglicans will always be able to be a part of it.”
Parish News
The Open Gate (Victoria, BC) – The Rev Sharon Hayton is retiring as rector of the Open Gate
Church. Open Gate parishioners held a dinner party on March 25 to
celebrate Sharon’s ministry and wish her well in her retirement. See photos.
Sharon continues to serve on the ANiC Council.
Swan River Fellowship, Swan
River, MB – Members of the ANiC project
in Swan River had the privilege of attending an International Leaders School of Ministry in Winnipeg earlier this month.
They report that this one-week course “trains leaders in the tools of
revival, particularly focusing on our relationship with God. Through the gifted
and anointed ministry of the leaders, we were refreshed at the springs of
living water.”
Manitoba
congregations – Redeemer (Dauphin), Resurrection (Brandon), St Bede’s
(Kinosota), St David’s (Winnipeg) and Swan River Fellowship (Swan River)
– held a joint worship service in Dauphin on March 6 with Bishop Don Harvey. See photos.
Calendar
of upcoming events – for your interest and prayer support
March 29-31 – ANiC’s 2011 clergy retreat near Abbotsford, BC
April 2 – Ottawa, ON church planting workshop
April 6 – Burlington, ON church planting workshop
April 7 – Calgary, AB – AEC’s “Transformational discipleship in the 21st
Century” conference
April 9, 10am-noon – Barrie, ON – Quiet
morning for clergy and spouses at Celebration Church
April 9, 2pm – Barrie, ON – Official launch of Celebration Church
April 12-14 – Gospel Coalition conference, Chicago,
Illinois
April 17 – Church of the Epiphany & St
Peter by the Park (Hamilton) – Palm Sunday
family event
May 28 – Moncton, NB church planting workshop
June (TBD) – Marlborough, MA church planting workshop
June 6-20 – Asian Mission short-term
mission trip to Thailand and the Karan refugee camps
June 30 – July 14 – Asian Mission short-term
mission trip to China, working with disabled orphans
Nov 2 – Clergy Day as well as spiritual life
conference for laity – both in Victoria, BC
Nov 3-4 – ANiC synod, Victoria, BC
On the front
lines: Profiles of ANiC church plants and projects
As is becoming our custom, we continue to get to
know the plants and projects of ANiC by tracking stories of their journeys. For
this edition, we hear from the Ottawa Valley.
Eternal Hope Anglican
Church, Carleton Place
David Kemp, lay minister of Eternal Hope, recently
wrote: “We are happy to announce that Eternal Hope Anglican Church in Carleton Place, Ontario is now entering our fourth year as an Anglican Network in Canada church.”
Eternal Hope held its first meeting on 29 November
2007 – just one week after ANiC became an ecclesial organization –
with Bishop Malcolm Harding and Archdeacon Desiree Stedman attending. The
congregation began Sunday worship services the following Palm Sunday, 15 March
2008, in the local library, calling themselves the Lanark Christian
Fellowship. Two years ago, they moved to a Seventh Day Adventist church. Dave
says, “We have been blessed with growth from our outreach to non-Anglican
families and individuals in our area, now averaging 23 people per Sunday.”
Happy Anniversary Eternal
Hope! We pray that God will bless your faithful ministry in Carleton Place with
much fruit.
Eternal Hope meets
for worship and praise at 117 Victoria Street (at Emily Street), Carleton
Place, every Sunday at 10am. Bible study is held
every Wednesday evening at 7:30pm. All are welcome!
News
– Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)
Surprising
video from Archbishop Duncan’s trip to Israel
A
video from Archbishop Bob Duncan’s recent trip to Israel with 80 other pilgrims
contains a highly symbolic surprise. He had been emphasizing the need for
Scripture memorization. To demonstrate, one of the pilgrims gave a dramatic
recitation of Mark 10:46-52 – which was videoed. To see the surprise,
read Archbishop Bob’s short letter and watch the video on the ACNA
website.
Effective
Parish Website training offered
The American Anglican Council is offering a free
online training session to help parishes develop and maintain effective parish
websites. The next session is Thursday, April 14 at 3pm Eastern time. If you're interested, register soon as space is limited.
For more information and to register for this special encore presentation, go
to www.aacwebinar.com.
Sure Foundation parish training program opportunity
The American
Anglican Council (AAC) has developed training for parish leaders
based on a needs survey of ACNA parishes. They identified several priority
needs among congregations - including the need to develop a strategic growth
plan, goals and applications for evangelism, discipleship, community outreach,
church planting and global mission. Working together with Acts 29 Ministries, the AAC has developed the Sure Foundation project. Currently,
as a pilot project, nine congregations and 80 clergy and lay leaders from the ACNA
Diocese of the South are participating.
Now the program is being made more widely available
through a four day program at Nashotah House Seminary (Nashotah, WI) that will take place on June 26-30. Clergy
and parish leadership teams are welcome to participate and learn how to grow
your church. Registration deadline is May
31. For more information, see www.americananglican.org/surefoundation.
Canadian flag flies proudly
Outside the ACNA head office in Ambridge,
Pennsylvania, the Canadian flag flies proudly beside the US flag and the ACNA
flag. See the photo.
ACNA’s
US military chaplains may come under increased pressure
USA Today
reports that “The Army has started training
chaplains on the repeal of the ban on openly gay military members, saying those
who are unable to follow the forthcoming policy can seek a voluntary departure.”
A January news release from ACNA stated that, of it’s more than 100 clergy
serving as chaplains around the world, nearly 60 per cent serve US governmental
agencies including the military. See the ACNA’s Deanery for the Chaplaincy for background information.
ACNA Diocese of San Joaquin looks for new bishop
The Fresno Bee
reports that the Diocese of San Joaquin has announced four nominees
to replace Bishop John-David Schofield who is retiring in October. The new
bishop will be elected on May 14 in a special convention.
More ACNA news
North
County Times – March 25 2011 – Christ Church
begins anew – again – in own space
News –
Canada
ACoC incorporates Earth
Day into Good Friday liturgies
Since Earth Day coincides
with Good Friday this year the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) has decided it is
a good opportunity to mix modern environmental themes into the ancient Good
Friday worship service. The news release
states: “The Greening Anglican Spaces task group has developed
special liturgical material for Anglicans to incorporate themes from [Earth
Day] into [Good Friday].” The chair of the task group, the Rev Kenneth Gray of
Victoria, BC, says these Good Friday / Earth Day materials were inspired by
John 3:16 (“God so loved the world…”). He says, "The reason why we think
Good Friday is a good day to talk about this is because essentially we are
crucifying the earth and I think the imagery there is quite dynamic."
ACoC Primate attends TEC
House of Bishops meetings
The Episcopal
News Service tells us that Archbishop Fred Hiltz is attending the
Episcopal Church (TEC) House of Bishops meeting in North Carolina from March
25-30. He is one of three foreign primates in attendance; the others are Archbishop
Henri Isingoma of the Congo, and Archbishop Paul Kim of South Korea.
Diocese of Nova Scotia
and PEI to consider same-sex blessings motions
The AEC blog
notes that the Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI will address four
motions related to the blessing of same-sex couples at its May Synod, including
the following motion: “Moved, that this Synod request
the Bishop as chief liturgical officer of the Diocese to provide for a liturgy
for blessing covenanted or committed unions outside of marriage.” This motion,
as AEC blogger David points out, allows for the blessing of a wide and
undefined range of relationships.
Bishop Ingham declares
that all “tried and true” religions lead to God
The Anglican Samizdat has
posted a short video
clip from an interview with Bishop Michael Ingham (New Westminster) in
which he states his belief that all the great religions of the world “lead us
to God, however you might name God.”
Should the Anglican
Church of Canada change its name?
A guest
editorial in the Anglican Journal suggests that the Anglican Church
of Canada (ACoC) change its name to the Episcopal Church of Canada. “By this change we declare our church’s autonomy with its own form of
governance and our readiness to respond wherever the Holy Spirit may lead us.”
Diocese plans to plant a
“vibrant new community” in St Alban’s building
The AEC blog
points out an article in the Diocese of Ottawa’s April newspaper.
The article tells us that, once the ANiC parish of St Alban’s leaves its
building and changes its name to Church of the Messiah, the diocese will plant
a “…vibrant new community with a membership drive aimed at former parishioners
who were alienated by the direction taken in the years leading up to the ANiC
regime…” The parishioners and leadership of St Alban’s agreed to leave their
building in a negotiated settlement with the diocese which involved financial compensation for the ANiC parish. From media reports,
the expected primary use of the church building will be as a drop-in centre.
The Anglican
Samizdat highlights a similar move by the diocese of Niagara which is turning the former church building of
ANiC’s St Peter by the Park into a community centre.
Freedom of religion under
attack
Evangelical
Fellowship of Canada Legal Counsel Faye Sonier spoke on 100 Huntley Street about the recent Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decision which restricts the
right of individuals to act according to their religious beliefs in the public
sphere. The court found that marriage commissioners in Saskatchewan do not have
the right to decline to perform marriages that are contrary to their religious
beliefs – even if they are willing to refer these couples to other
marriage commissioners who will perform the ceremony. The decision sets a new
precedent for people of any faith in the public sector, giving same-sex desires
precedence over freedom of conscience and religion. One marriage commissioner
responded to the decision by saying “I have no objection to gays getting
married. My only objection is forcing me into doing it.” He concluded, “I’m not
going to resign. They’ll have to fire me.”
Meanwhile
in New Brunswick a florist has been harassed and vilified after graciously and
respectfully declining to supply the bouquets for the wedding to two women. The
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Don Hutchinson has provided a side of the story ignored by the secular media.
Combating poverty and homelessness
If you
have a heart for justice issues, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s StreetLevel
Roundtable on Poverty and Homelessness invites Christians engaged in
social justice ministry to connect with Roundtable members as they travel
across Canada during 2011. The Roundtable gathers those who are interested in
engaging in social justice issues, providing opportunities for support,
celebrate and collaboration. Email Dion Oxford,
Roundtable chair, to connect.
News
– United States
TEC Presiding
Bishop finally corrects Wikipedia bio
According
to Virtue Online,
recent changes have been made to 175
participants Presiding Bishop Katharine
Jefferts Shori’s Wikipedia biography, removing suspect credentials. Previously,
the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (TEC) had listed among her
qualifications for office, positions in institutions that had neither formal
accreditation nor independent existence. (For background see a 2006 World Net Daily article.)
Consultation
held on liturgies of blessing for gay and lesbian couples
The Episcopal
Café reports that – thanks to funding from the Arcus
Foundation – a consultation was held recently on the liturgy being
developed by the Episcopal Church (TEC) for same-sex couples. LifeSiteNews
reports that the Arcus Foundation, funded by Jon Stryker, a
billionaire intent on promoting the homosexual agenda, funds “various groups that promote acceptance of homosexuality under the guise
of representing concerned members of the Judaeo-Christian community”. Arcus has shelled out a reported $6.5
million since 2007 to various “Christian” front groups waging war against
established Church teaching on moral issues.
Diocese
of Springfield installs new bishop
One of
the few remaining theologically “conservative” dioceses in the Episcopal
Church, the Diocese of Springfield, has
consecrated its new bishop, the Right Rev Dan Martins. Liberals in
TEC were unsuccessful in their campaign to derail his election by encouraging
other dioceses to withhold consent.
More US
news
Church
of England Newspaper – March 7 2011 – Episcopal
priest banned from practicing Islam
Anglican
Curmudgeon – March 19 2011 – Texas Court… makes
a mockery of “Neutral Principles”
Canton
Repository (Ohio) – March 27 2011 – Malone alum
to start Anglican church in Stark
News
– International
Communion contemplates
theological basis of advocating for persecuted Christians
The Anglican Consultative Council Standing
Committee has been meeting this past week. While little of note has been
reported from the meeting, we do learn that,
when asked by a member to consider how the Communion could better support and
advocate for persecuted “Christian minorities”, members agreed “…to encourage the holding of a discussion
of the theological principles underpinning human dignity at ACC-15…” ACC-15
is the next meeting of the full Anglican Consultative Council in 2012 in Auckland,
New Zealand.
The ACC Standing Committee also heard that the recently created Anglican Alliance for Development, Relief and
Advocacy is holding a conference in Nairobi, Kenya, April 11-16, co-hosted by
the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA).
Proposed
Anglican Covenant continues to cool
The
Wakefield diocese in England is the first diocese in Britain to vote against adoption of the Anglican Covenant – the document endorsed by the
Archbishop of Canterbury intended to help hold together the fractured global
Communion. So far, Mexico, Myanmar, and the West Indies have approved the
Covenant. No provinces have explicitly voted to reject it.
Nigerian
Bishop John Akao, writing in
the Church Times discusses the covenant, saying, “The present covenant,
to the African Anglicans, is crafted to persuade orthodox Anglicans to accept
and commit to fellowshipping with revisionist groups who have perpetrated
aberrations but who unrepentantly defy various moves and resolutions to bring
them back on course.” Bishop Akao then lists seven reasons African Anglicans
are not embracing the covenant in its present form. In conclusion, he says, “As
long as there is no cohesion, the idea of a covenant will remain impracticable.”
Chronicling
the demise of the Instruments of Unity in the Communion
VirtueOnline
has posted an
article written by the resident theologian of a TEC church in
Maryland that recounts the demise of the “instruments of communion” and with
them conciliarism in Anglicanism. The article concludes: “If, then, there is to
be a revival of Anglican conciliarism, it will have to come not from the
Instruments in their now compromised state but instead out of churches of the
Global South, together with their Western allies. These churches have laid a
basis for it already in Gafcon, their conference in Jerusalem in June 2008.
There the Spirit was clearly at work, producing conciliarly the extraordinary
Jerusalem Declaration.”
From
around the Communion and the world
Japan – In the wake of the recent 9.0 earthquake and devastating tsunamis in
Northeastern Japan, the Anglican Communion News Service posted a
letter from The Rt Rev’d John Hiromichi Kato requesting prayer. Included
are stories of hope and encouragement. The bishop himself is directing
rehabilitation and collecting information in the diocese. He said “the eventual challenge is to rebuild our diocese. With God’s blessing I pray
that we will accomplish this task.” The Christian
Post reports that a number of Anglican parishioners are still missing.
In a
more recent Church of
England Newspaper article, Japan’s Archbishop Nathaniel Makoto
Uematsu explains that the infrastructure is not able to accommodate volunteers
right now, “However, once the extent of the damage is known to the churches and
homes of the people of the Tohoku and Kita Kanto dioceses, there will be a need
for volunteers to help rebuild.”
Wikipedia currently records that
the March 11 earthquake and tsunami caused “11,004
deaths, 2,778 injured, and 17,339 people missing across eighteen prefectures,
as well as over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.” Japan's government
said the cost of the disaster could reach $309 billion, “making it the world's
most expensive natural disaster on record.”
If you wish to help, you can donate online or send a cheque to ARDFC, Box 1013,
Burlington, ON, L7R 4L8. Please clearly designate your donation for Japan
relief work. US donors can donate through the US-based ARDF.
Less
than 2 per cent of Japan’s population is Christian. Please pray for the country
and for the Japanese church, especially for the region that was hardest hit by
the tsunami.
Israel –
A British MP recently spoke out
against the BBC’s biased coverage of Israel – specifically in
regard to recent terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, including
the Fogel family
massacre two weeks ago.
A
Jerusalem bus bombing on March 23rd wounded 39 people and killed one – Mary Jane Gardner, a 59-year-old Wycliffe
Bible translator and student at Hebrew University. An email from a resident in Israel
says, “(Mary) recently completed translation of the New Testament into the Ife
language in Togo… (H)er sudden death is a devastating
loss to all… (It) reminds us of the spiritual battle we face… “Israel is
experiencing a serious upgrade in missile attacks, hitting further into the
interior, as far as Beersheva, and Ashdod. The declining infrastructure in
Egypt, due to the recent flight of President Hosni Mubarak, has set in motion a
loose border, with many weapons crossing into Hamas in Gaza.” Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem.
Britain – The Catholic
Herald reports that “The Pope has honoured three former Anglican
bishops, the first members of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, with
the title of monsignor.” However, Church of England Bishop Jonathan Gledhill
(Lichfield) told his
diocese that while some members of the diocese were expected to take
up the pope’s offer, “the Pope’s ordinariate won’t undermine 40 years of
ecumenical friendship.”
The Daily Mail
reports that the Manchester Cathedral is to host a New Age festival
featuring “tarot
card readers, crystal healers, dream interpretation, and a fire-breathing vicar…
But the move is certain to anger traditionalists, who feel the Church has
already strayed too far from tradition”. The article quotes the Bishop of
Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, saying “he
wanted to celebrate 'all forms of spirituality'.”
Malaysia – The Church of
England Newspaper reports that Bibles translated into the
Malay-language must be stamped with an inscription reading, “for the use of
Christians only. By order of the Home Minister.” Each Bible must be numbered
and registered with the government.
North
Africa – Bishop Mouneer Anis, Primate of Jerusalem and the Middle East, told the
Church of England Newspaper that, as of mid-March, “The Anglican
flag remains flying in Tripoli” with the assistant rector of Christ the King
Church still serving the Libyan church. The Rev Hamdy Doud, like many other
African Anglicans, has not been able to evacuate. The report continues: “St
George’s Anglican Church in Tunis had sent a team to assist… in providing aid
for refugees” at the border with Tunisia. Bishop Anis said they were “cooking
for up to 10,000 people at the border, which includes brothers from our
Arabic-speaking congregation. Please pray for them.”
Africa –
Canon Chris Sugden writes in
the Church of England Newspaper of challenges facing the African
Church, especially the cultural imperialism practiced by western governments
and churches imposing liberal western morality on these traditional societies. Specifically
he mentions the “charm offensive” evident in the recent meeting in Tanzania involving
Anglican Church of Canada bishops, including Bishop Michael Ingham, and an
Indaba Consultation in Ghana. He adds, “There are many others travelling to
Africa at the moment seeking to persuade African Church leaders that the march
of western enlightenment in the arena of human rights is both obvious and
inevitable.” He says moral and human rights issues “…are critical issues with
which the church in Africa is engaging and to which it needs to find its own
voice.”
Southern
Africa – The Church of
England Newspaper reports that the Fellowship of Confessing
Anglicans (FCA) in South Africa has called on the Synod of Bishops of the Anglican
Church of Southern Africa “to clarify their ambiguous statements on human
sexuality.” The House of Bishops wrote: “It is difficult to give blanket guidelines [on
same-sex blessings] because the position is starkly at variance in the legal
systems of the seven countries where we work.” While civil unions are legal in
South Africa, they are illegal in the six other nations in the province. FCA
called on the bishops to “guard the faith” because “sexuality is the touchstone in this Anglican fragmentation”.
Zambia – The Anglican
Communion News Service reports that the Church of the Province of Central Africa has installed its sixth
Primate, Archbishop Albert Chama.
Nigeria – The Church of
England Newspaper reports that tragedy was narrowly averted
recently in Jos when "…bombs
destined for two packed churches exploded prematurely, killing the would-be
assassins." One bomb headed for the Evangelical Church Winning All detonated
prematurely killing the two motorcyclists carrying it. A second bomb, also
carried by two motorcyclists, failed to detonate at the Mountain of Fire and
Miracles Church.
The Archbishop of Jos, Dr Benjamin Kwashi is quoted
saying, "No one is willing to
accept that the Christian church is under attack. It is difficult for people to
understand that Jos could be overrun. The government has been negligent, and
the world will not help.” While Archbishop Kwashi is urging Christians
not to seek revenge, he says, "People
have had enough of this. It's been going on for 30 years… But you know, the only real answer is prayer. I trust God to defend us. I
have been threatened with death personally three times. In all three times, the
Lord has rescued me."
Pakistan – Compass
Direct News reports that, “Two Christians were gunned down and two
other are in serious condition with bullet wounds after Muslim youths attacked
them outside a church building in Hyderabad last night…”
Other international media reports
Church of England Newspaper – March 18 2011
– Brazil to
have protestant majority in 10 years…
Telegraph
(London) – March 28 2011 – Zimbabwe’s
Anglicans forced to worship in pubs
Soul
food
Of interest
Dealing with life’s
wounds – A lovely first person
account in Christianity.ca relates how one woman, with God’s help,
chose to turn the hurts that left holes in her life into something beautiful.
Apple bows to homosexual
lobby again – Chuck
Colson and the organizers of the Manhattan Declaration –
which articulates a traditional stand on moral issues – have issued a
bulletin regarding censorship of traditional views. They write: “Last fall,
Apple banned the Manhattan Declaration from iTunes store after protests by
gay-rights groups. Now, similar protests have claimed another victim: the app
created by Exodus International, a great Christian ministry that helps people
who want to leave the homosexual lifestyle to do so. Gay-rights groups will
target every Christian app that dares to dissent from their views on issues of
sexuality and marriage… Make no mistake about it; the gay lobby is not just
trying to win their argument in the public square. They are trying to
marginalize, intimidate, and ultimately silence anyone who dares to oppose
their viewpoint.” Exodus
International debunks the myths leading to the banishment of their
iPhone app.
Talking about the homosexual agenda – The Christian
Post profiles a new book, A Queer Thing Happened to America: And What a Long
Strange Trip It’s Been. The author says the book was
intended to start a dialogue on the “homosexual civil rights movement and the
change it brought to American society”. However, no one seems to want to talk. The
book’s author, Michael L Brown, has found that,
like the secular media, “gay rights activists… don’t want to have public
discussions about homosexuality”. He says, “It’s as if those who came out of
the closet fighting for what they said was equality and tolerance want to put
us in the closet who take respectful difference.”
The
article describes Brown’s book as “… a compilation of essays describing how
homosexuals have moved from being the oppressed minority to being everywhere:
in the news, on television and movies, and out on Capitol Hill. The stories in
each chapter show how the market place of ideas surrounding the topic of
homosexuality has been constricted to one narrowed, take-it-or-leave-it view.”
Abortion
and baby girls – First Things
reports that, “The
widespread use of sonogram technology—coupled with liberal abortion
laws—has made it easier than ever for women to identify the sex of their
child so that those without a Y chromosome can be killed before they’re even
born. In a speech before the United Nations, demographer Nicholas Eberstadt
revealed the details of this frightening trend:
“Over the past five years the American public has
received regular updates on what we have come to call “the global war on
terror”. A no-less significant global war—a war, indeed, against nature,
civilization, and in fact humanity itself has also been underway in recent
years. This latter war, however, has attracted much less attention and comment,
despite its immense consequence. This world-wide struggle might be called ‘The
Global War Against Baby Girls’.”
“…Recent
analysis by the Canadian Medical
Association Journal confirms that in large parts of China and India,
there will be a 10 to 20 percent excess of young men because of sex
selection—and that this imbalance will have societal repercussions….
“The
West constantly frets about the alarming levels of global CO2 emissions. But we
should be even more concerned about the imbalance in the level of global
testosterone. As we will soon realize, changes in our global climate are a
minor threat compared to the havoc that will result from the changes in global
demographics.”
Resources
Discipleship course – VirtueOnline
draws our attention to a course in discipleship developed by the
former president of Trinity School of Ministry, the Rev Dr Peter Moore. A Step
Further – the Journey in Discipleship can be ordered online.
Gnostic heresy exposed in Anglicanism – David Virtue
provides a helpful review of the book, The Episcopal Church: The Way
of Balaam: False Teachers and the re-appearance of ancient Gnostic beliefs, by
Dave Doveton, canon theologian in the Anglican Diocese of Mauritius. In the
review, Virtue chronicles many of the manifestations of Gnosticism in western
Anglican Churches.
Just for fun – Election humour
Three friends -- a surgeon, an engineer and a
politician -- were discussing which profession was the oldest.
The surgeon said: "Eve was created from Adam's
rib - a surgical procedure. My profession must be the oldest!"
The engineer replied: "Before Adam and Eve,
order was created out of chaos. That was an engineering job! My profession is
the oldest."
Then the politician said, "Yes, but who do you
suppose created the chaos?"
www.MikeysFunnies.com
Please pray...
For the Clergy Retreat this week.
For our bishops
and clergy and their families
For ANiC
projects, church plants and parishes, and for their proclamation of the
Good News to those in their communities who desperately need new life in Christ
For the four Vancouver-area ANiC parishes and their
legal counsel as they await the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada on
their application for leave to appeal
For other ongoing legal challenges faced by ANiC
parishes, including the ongoing litigation involving St Aidan’s (Windsor) and the ANiC parishes that were formerly in
the Diocese of Niagara –
and their mounting expenses
For all the congregations involved in court proceedings and disputes. Pray for a continued focus on, and blessing
upon, their ministry in the midst of this turmoil. Pray for peace for the wardens and trustees who are on the
front lines and bear the burden of risk and responsibility
For the leaders
and parishioners of the ACoC dioceses pursuing eviction of and legal costs against ANiC congregations and wardens
For donations to the ANiC legal defense
fund which supports parishes in disputes with their former dioceses
For the implementation by the Diocese of Maseno
West (Kenya) of the malaria prevention project,
sponsored by the ARDFC. May God
use it to bless Kenyans and
bring many to Christ
For the people of Japan and Christchurch, NZ. May they turn to God and find comfort and
hope
For persecuted Christians, especially in Egypt, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Iraq,
Somalia, India and other Muslim and Hindu lands
For countries in Africa and the Middle East where radical Muslims are seeking to
leverage the political instability to gain control
For a speeding resolution to outstanding issues in the Sudan and a peaceful division of
the country
For repentance and revival in our hearts and in our nation and for a
hunger for God and His Word
For Canada as we enter an election campaign. May
God’s will be done.
For all those in positions of leadership and
influence in the Anglican Communion,
that they would seek to honour and obey God above all else
For the GAFCON
and Global South Primates of the Anglican Communion as they plan for meetings of orthodox Anglican
leaders
And now
a word from our sponsor
“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind,
you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there
is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the
beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall
stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the
east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring
it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
“Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are
far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
and my salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my
glory.”
Isaiah 46:8-13 ESV
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