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ANiC’s first synod – Nov 13-15 in Burlington
Summer isn’t the best time to start planning a major event, but that’s what we’re doing. With our first general synod only four months away, we have no time to waste. The venue is now Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario – where ANiC’s first national conference was held a year earlier. We are beginning work on process and governance matters (eg how delegates will be selected) and the endless logistical work that goes into a major event.
Clergy conference 2009
In what has become a much anticipated ANiC tradition, the 2009 spring clergy conference is set for March 3 – 5. Once again it will be held in the lush, serene setting of Cedar Springs (Washington) – near Vancouver. Book your calendars now! And watch for more information on speakers and topic.
Court denies St Mary’s the right to appeal
On July 11, a BC appeals court judge denied the application for permission to appeal the May 30 BC Supreme Court decision ordering St. Mary’s congregation to leave their church building pending a trial regarding who owns the building. As no further appeal is being contemplated, this means that St. Mary’s will continue worshipping in alternate premises until a trial takes place or some settlement is reached. The ANiC remains open to alternative dispute resolution (i.e. negotiation, mediation and/or arbitration) to resolve the disputes over property, but so far, efforts in this regard have been rejected. For more details, see our news release.
Judge dismisses southern Ontario parishes’ request
On July 15, following the lead of the BC Courts, the Superior Court in Hamilton, Ontario similarly refused permission to appeal a May 5 decision ordering three ANiC parishes in southern Ontario – St George’s (Lowville), St Hilda’s and Church of the Good Shepherd – to share their church properties with the diocese. The sharing arrangement ordered has forced the congregations into alternate worship space on Sundays, although St Hilda’s and Good Shepherd have been using their buildings for ministry during the week. St Georges has ceased using their building altogether. No written reasons for the judgment were provided.
Hamilton Spectator – July 16 08 – Rebel churches denied bid to appeal.
Church of the Good Samaritan now officially an ANiC parish
Having elected their servant team and completed the application paperwork on July 13, the Church of the Good Samaritan in St John’s was officially welcomed as an Anglican Network in Canada parish. It joins St Stephen’s as the second ANiC congregation in Newfoundland. Good Samaritan is drawing an average Sunday attendance of over 100 and offers week-day Bible studies, a youth ministry and children’s program. The Rev Darrell Critch was officially appointed rector on July 13th, as well.
New GAFCon/Israel photos posted to ANiC website
Photos of Canadians at GAFCon are now on the ANiC website. If you were at GAFCon and have good quality photos of Canadian pilgrims you’d like to share, send them to Marilyn for posting to the ANiC website. You can also see more professional photos from Israel.
Tour of the Holy Land planned for Spring 2009
Have the all the photos of GAFCon and Israel aroused in you a desire to visit the Holy Land yourself? The Rev Sharon Hayton (rector of St Mary’s in Victoria, an ANiC parish) is hosting a 15-day tour to Israel, 26 April – 10 May 2009. Fabulous guides will offer spiritual, historic and cultural insight only possible in the setting of the Holy Land. Check it out.
News shorts – Canada
In the Canadian media & blogs this week
National Post – July 14 08 – Catholicism beckons Anglican clergymen
Toronto Star – July 14 08 – Gay US bishop laments Anglican rift
See also letter to the editor “It’s not what you ‘think’”
Toronto Star – July 13 08 – Excluded from church conference, gay bishop goes anyway
Globe & Mail – July 15 08 – What God hath joined together … (by Archbishop Fred Hiltz)
National Post blog – July 16 08 – … Anglican Church: Protecting extremist moderation
Anglican Journal – July 16 08 – Lambeth conference begins with solitude and Bible study
Anglican Journal – July 17 08 – Boycotting bishops at Lambeth cause ‘great grief’
Anglican Journal – July 18 08 – Lambeth prays for those present and those absent
Anglican Journal – July 18 08 – Marriage, Mitres and Myself is a portrait of bishops’ wives
Globe & Mail – July 17 08 – Row over gay clergy splits Anglican gathering
Metropolitan announces retirement plans
The Anglican Journal has announced the impending retirement of Archbishop Caleb Lawrence, metropolitan of the Province of Ontario and bishop of Moosonee – effective January 6 2010.
News shorts – USA and North America
The legal maneuvering in Pittsburgh is well underway
With the Diocese of Pittsburgh planning to hold a vote this fall on realigning with the Southern Cone, the Episcopal Church is doing all in its power to block this. A parish in the diocese that has long opposed the direction of the diocese and its bishop, Bob Duncan, has filed a court petition asking the court to appoint a monitor to oversee the property held by the diocese. Bishop Duncan had earlier moved the diocese’s convention ahead a month, to early October, due to Presiding Bishop Jeffert Schori’s clear intent to depose him at a House of Bishops’ meeting in September
Archbishop Greg writes the Diocese of San Joaquin
Writing from Lambeth, Archbishop Greg Venables reports on GAFCon, tells a bit about his perceptions at the outset of Lambeth, reaffirms the Diocese status within the Province of the Southern Cone and quotes the Archbishop of Canterbury’s ambiguous comments on the status of Bishop John-David Schofield. It seems Bishop Schofield is not attending Lambeth although he was invited and there is much speculation about the reason.
Bishop John Howe (Central Florida) leaves the ACN
Central Florida’s bishop has resigned from the Anglican Communion Network which is led by Bishop Robert Duncan (Pittsburgh). Bishop Howe, who is committed to remaining in TEC, says he is now aligned with the Anglican Communion Institute as he sees ACI focused on promoting orthodoxy within the Episcopal Church. So far, only three parishes in the Diocese of Central Florida have followed their bishop’s lead and withdrawn from the ACN.
Laity call for new North American Province
Remain Faithful <https://www.remainfaithful.org/> , a recently founded laity-led movement with over 700 members in 60 dioceses in the Episcopal Church (TEC), is supporting GAFCon’s call <http://www.star-telegram.com/religion/story/768647.html> for a new North American Province committed to orthodox Anglican practice and historic Christian theology.
News shorts – International
GAFCon says draft Anglican Covenant is seriously flawed
The GAFCon Theological Resource Team has prepared a briefing paper detailing the dramatic changes to the Anglican Covenant as it devolved from the original Nassau draft into the current, deeply flawed St Andrew’s draft. GAFCon also issued a news release listing the “serious theological” flaws in the St Andrew’s draft: a failure to address the issue; an illegitimate notion of autonomy; no biblical theology; a faulty anthropology; an absent eschatology; neglect of obedience; and an isolated and vacuous appeal to unity. It also points out concerns with the disproportionate authority prescribed to the four instruments of Communion which serves to silence dissenting primatial voices.
“This new draft of An Anglican Covenant is both seriously limited and severely flawed. Whether or not the tool of covenant is the right way to approach the crisis within the Communion, this document is defective and its defects cannot be corrected by piecemeal amendment because they are fundamental. The St Andrews Draft is theologically incoherent and its proposals unworkable. It has no prospect of success since it fails to address the problems which have created the crisis and the new realities which have ensued.”
More GAFCon news
The seven primates who currently form the GAFCon Primatial Council have responded to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s concerns with the Global Anglican Future conference (GAFCon) statement issued on July 29 08. (This response is also posted on the GAFCon website ) Their response covers: faith and false teaching, the uniqueness of Christ, the legitimacy and authority of the Primates Council, and discipline.
Religious Intelligence – July 19 08 – Gafcon leaders in rebuff to Archbishop of Canterbury
BBC2 will broadcast a documentary on GAFCon to be aired Monday, July 21 at 7-8pm (London time).
Here are some responses to the GAFCon conference from our Common Cause Partners:
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Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), Leonard Riches, reports to REC clergy and congregations |
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Bishop Keith Ackerman (Quincy) and the Forward in Faith delegation to GAFCon report to their constituency |
Lambeth conference begins
In an interview with the Anglican Journal on his thoughts on Lambeth, Archbishop Fred Hiltz Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) says he has advised his bishops, especially those from dioceses that “have passed resolutions” on same-sex blessings to be as clear “…as you possibly can in articulating what actually happened” in their synods. Archbishop Hiltz also revealed that two ACoC bishops – Archbishop John Clarke and Bishop Bruce Howe – will not attend due to health issues. Archbishop Hiltz also discusses Lambeth in this webcast. The ACoC also has provided a Lambeth page on their website with conference information links.
The Rev Dr Ephraim Radner writes an open letter to Bishops attending Lambeth reminding them of their responsibility at this critical juncture in the Communion and pleading for them to: 1) condemn the actions of TEC and ACoC, 2) seek reconciliation with segments of the Communion that will not be represented at Lambeth, 3) decide how to relate to North American bishops who remain faithful, and 4) expedite the work of the Anglican Covenant. He says, “If the Lambeth Conference cannot take it upon itself to act with clarity and evangelical coherence in the face of the threats to our common life, you abandon us.” He concludes: “The grave concern that many of us have is that your conference will come and go without any of these matters being dealt with straightforwardly and positively… be courageous and call for the work that needs to be done, and then do it…You are Esthers before the king, come for such a time as this…You must find a way to bring these matters before your colleagues; you must press them with vigor, charity, and focus...”
First Things has published an interesting article on Lambeth – The Anglicans at Lambeth: What’s at Stake by Jordan Hylden. He says, “…the average Anglican today … is a black woman in Africa, under the age of thirty, who supports three children on a salary of two dollars a day and finds the story of her life written in the pages of the Old Testament. The average Anglican represented at Lambeth is more likely a white man from New Jersey with a three-car garage who supposes that the world in which he lives is described quite well by the pages of the New York Times.”
Some of statistics he sites are:
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25% of Anglican bishops globally will be absent from Lambeth. They represent 40 million Anglicans or over 50% of those in the Communion. |
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The bishops who will be at Lambeth represent 37 million Anglicans (of the 77 million worldwide total). HOWEVER, 26 million of these are “members” of the Church of England and only 1 million of these are regular worshipers. So, at best, bishops at Lambeth represent 12 million active, committed Anglicans |
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About 25% of the bishops at Lambeth will be from the Episcopal Church (TEC) in the US, even though the 2.2 million members of TEC (which is a VERY generous estimate) represents less than 3% of the Communion’s membership
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Ruth Gledhill published some of the stinging content of the background paper commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and distributed to bishops arriving at Lambeth. The paper, written by the Inter Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Committee, sharply criticized bishops boycotting Lambeth and North American bishops seeking orthodox Primatial oversight from outside their provincial boundaries.
Bishop Frank Lyons (Bolivia, Province of the Southern Cone) has written the Archbishop of Canterbury to say that he could not attend the Lambeth Conference because “I have lost confidence in any of the Instruments of Unity.”
David Virtue reports that the Lambeth Conference has a financial shortfall.
Cherie Wetzel, on Anglican United & Latimer Press, reports that, in addition to Bishop John David Schofield being dis-invited from Lambeth, two bishops from Recife, Brazil were also asked to stand down. All are bishops under Archbishop Greg Venables.
Anglican Mainstream is publishing daily reports from Lambeth: 17 July 08; 18 July 08
Archbishop Greg on BBC
Archbishop Greg Venables was interviewed on BBC’s Hardtalk . In the almost 24 minute interview, he said the Anglican Communion has held contradictions together for a long time and it doesn’t look like we can hold it together any longer. “We’re Christians,” he said. “We believe in miracles… but we’ve spent the last 10 years trying to sort it out…” He expressed great sadness at the situation. Liberalism is becoming intolerant, he said. He even dared to use the “s” word – sin.
In the International media and on the blogs (mostly about Lambeth)
Time – July 09 08 – Could the Pope aid an Anglican split?
VirtueOnline – July 09 08 – Reflections: A new (unique) Anglican Province for North America
WalesOnline – July 10 08 – How globalization is making Anglican schisms easier
Financial Times – July 11 08 – Communion and discord
Telegraph – July 11 08 – … Katherine Jefferts Schori wades into women bishop row
Associated Press – July 11 08 – Religion in the news
EpiscopalLife online – July 11 08 – Hong Kong: Anglican primate criticizes GAFCON…
Church Times – July 11 08 – Central control not Anglican, says Williams
Church Times – July 11 08 – Defiant amid the doubters
International Herald Tribune – July 11 08 – A divide widens in the Anglican Church
Telegraph – July 12 08 – More than one in four bishops to boycott Lambeth Conference
Christianity Today – July 12 08 – Bishops waver as Lambeth beckons
TimesOnline – July 12 08 – As Lambeth beckons …rebels don’t know if they are … going
Telegraph – July 13 08 – Archbishop Tutu warns … leaders not to abandon … tolerance
Telegraph – July 13 08 – Gay bishop Gene Robinson criticizes Archbishop of Canterbury…
Telegraph – July 13 08 – Church could appoint Britain’s first gay bishop…
Telegraph – July 13 08 – Dr Rowan Williams’ … power to be tested at Lambeth Conference
Telegraph – July 13 08 – Dr Rowan Williams: Robust in the face of torment
Guardian – July 13 08 – What does the Bible really sat about homosexuality?
Guardian – July 13 08 – Ian McKellen accuses Anglican church of homophobia
Guardian – July 14 08 – Gay bishop accuses church leaders of mistake over invitation snub
TimesOnline – July 14 08 – Gay American Bishop … accuses opponents of ‘idolatry’
Telegraph – July 14 08 – Gay clergy split is “most perilous crisis’ in Church’s history
The Jerusalem Post – July 14 08 – Keeping the communion holy (includes lengthy interview with Bishop David Anderson of the American Anglican Council)
BBC – July 14 08 – Sexuality stance ‘embarrasses’ Anglicans
Financial Times – July 14 08 – Meetings resolve almighty issues
Christianity Today – July 14 08 – Dioceses of Lichfield and Singapore in … partnership
Guardian – July 15 08 – The Lambeth conference (Q&A)
Telegraph – July 15 08 – The Lambeth conference wafflathon
The Guardian – July 15 08 – …Williams needs a miracle to keep church intact
USA Today – July 15 08 – Anglican divisions lurk under the surface of Lambeth Conference
All Africa – July 15 08 – Uneasy calm as major split looms large in Anglican Church
Guardian – July 15 08 – Main players at the Lambeth conference
Guardian – July 15 08 – Lambeth conference: the absentees
Telegraph – July 15 08 – Anglicans hold out olive branch to opponents
Reuters – July 14 08 – Gay bishop calls for firmer leadership
The Independent – July 16 08 – Exclusive: Pope rides to Rowan’s rescue
BBC – July 16 08 – What is the Lambeth Conference?
Telegraph – July 16 08 – Benedict is encouraging Anglican converts
Telegraph – July 16 08 – Ex-Anglican communities to become Catholic, Rome confirms
Edinburgh Evening News – July 16 08 – Bishops braced for a battle
Daily Mail – July 16 08 – Archbishop of Canterbury snubbed as a … bishops boycott talks
Christian Science Monitor – July 17 08 – Boycott underscores Anglican rift
Guardian – July 17 08 – US bishop hits out at African church leaders
Telegraph – July 17 08 – Lords lament Lambeth
Telegraph – July 17 08 – Lambeth Conference won’t solve church’s problems
TimesOnline (Ruth Gledhill blog) – July 17 08 – Lambeth Diary: the ‘Clean and the Unclean’
Church Times – July 18 08 – Dr Jefferts Schori: ‘We can get beyond sexuality’
Church Times – July 18 08 – Bishops rally behind Dr Williams as Conference starts
Church Times – July 18 08 – Let’s talk modestly about God, Archbishop urges Muslims
Associated Press – July 17 08 – Anglican head says bishop boycott ‘wounds’ summit
VirtueOnline – July 18 08 – Lambeth conference no longer defines who is an Anglican
- NOTE: in the article above, David Virtue has compiled a lengthy list of Anglican bishops not at Lambeth – including those not invited
Guardian (blog) – July 18 08 – Americans are calling the shots … at Lambeth conference
Telegraph – July 18 08 – Archbishop of Canterbury faces calls to stop … clergy defecting
TimesOnline – July 19 08 – Credo: the average Anglican is a black, female teenager
The Telegraph lists its picks for the 50 most influential Anglicans
While the Telegraph clearly didn’t get it entirely right – after all, there’s only one Canadian on the list, Bishop Michael Ingham – here are some names you’ll recognize:
50. Ephraim Radner – North American theologian (now a Wycliffe)
43. Chris Sugden – Anglican Mainstream and driving force behind GAFCON
39. Ian Earnest – Primate of the Indian Ocean and chair of CAPA
38. Michael Poon – theologian (Singapore)
37. Bob Duncan – Bishop of Pittsburgh, head of the Anglican Communion Network and leader of the Common Cause Partners in North America
36. Kendal Harmon – blogger (TitusOneNine) and theologian
33. Philip Giddings - convener of Anglican Mainstream
32. Jane Williams – Theologian and wife of the Archbishop of Canterbury
26. John Chew – Archbishop of SE Asia
25. Benjamin Nzimbi – Archbishop of Kenya
24. Mouneer Anis - Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East
22. Nicky Gumbel – of Alpha course fame and vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton
21. Michael Ingham - Bishop of New Westminster
16. Martyn Minns - missionary leader of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America
15. Lord Carey - former Archbishop of Canterbury
14. Gregory Cameron - Deputy secretary-general of Anglican Consultative Council.
13. Kenneth Kearon - secretary-general of Anglican Consultative Council
12. Drexel Gomez - Archbishop of West Indies
11. Tom Wright - Bishop of Durham
10. John Sentamu - Archbishop of York
9. Michael Nazir-Ali - Bishop of Rochester
8. Peter Jensen - Archbishop of Sydney
7. Greg Venables - South American primate
6. Desmond Tutu – former Archbishop of Cape Town
5. Henry Orombi - Archbishop of Uganda
4. Gene Robinson - Bishop of New Hampshire
3. Peter Akinola - Archbishop of Nigeria
2. Katherine Jefferts Schori - Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the US
1. Rowan Williams - Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop Akinola to stay until 2010
Nigerian bishops have asked Archbishop Peter Akinola to stay in office until 2010. He had planned to retire by next January.
Excommunicated pro-gay Ugandan bishop to visit Lambeth
Christopher Ssenyonjo, a former bishop in the Church of Uganda who was defrocked in 2002 and later excommunicated by Archbishop Henry Orombi, is claiming he was invited to Lambeth Conference. However, Uganda’s New Vision website says the Archbishop of Canterbury denies inviting him. A spokesperson for Archbishop Orombi said that they understood Ssenyonjo’s visit to England was being funded by Integrity USA, an American gay lobby group. Archbishop Orombi and the bishops of the Church of Uganda have chosen not to attend Lambeth.
Church of England “Episcopal inflation”
The Times of London has an interesting visual showing the more that four-fold growth in the number of bishops in the Church of England (CoE) since 1850 at the same time as average Sunday attendance (ASA) has plummeted from about 3 million to less than 1 million and the percentage of babies born in England baptized in the CoE has gone from 80% to 15%. Bottom line: In 1850, one bishop per 115,000 ASA; In 2008, one bishop per 8,000 ASA.
Soul food
Just for laughs
This is thanks to “Tom” who included it in an AEC blog comment and comes from a Michael Green article…
Q - Why is the Anglican Church like a swimming pool?
A - Because most of the noise and splashing take place at the shallow end!
Some Churchill gems to ponder
Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on. – Winston Churchill
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. – Winston Churchill
Worth reading
ANiC member Ben Buan has written a thoughtful commentary on the honouring of Henry Morgentaler with the Order of Canada. If you wish to make your views heard on this matter, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has written a letter to the Governor General and has also provided guidance on what you can do. Perhaps it is because we have been silent so long that our country and our culture have become what they are today.
Prayer requests and answers
Lambeth conference – Please pray that God will work out His purposes. Pray for those attending who are committed to orthodox Anglicanism and are submitted to the Lordship of Christ. May they have the wisdom of Solomon, the humility of Moses and the boldness of Stephen. Remember especially our own Primate, Archbishop Greg. May he be a pliable instrument in the Master’s hands and a channel of Grace to those around him.
ANiC churches – Please pray for ANiC congregations surprised and disappointed by recent court decisions. Pray for grace as they continue to worship outside their long-time church buildings. Pray for churches in the Vancouver-area where the diocese has issued “eviction” notices to the clergy.
Rev Paul Carter – Paul has been a priest in the ACiC (our Common Cause Partner) in the Vancouver area. Eighteen months ago he suffered a devastating heart attack. Although he has recovered remarkably, his memory is still poor, preventing him from returning to ministry. Pray for his wife and three young daughters and for God’s will to be accomplished.
And now a word from our sponsor
Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered…
Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.
Ascribe to the LORD, O clans of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Say also: "Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise. Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!"
1 Chronicles 16:8-12, 23-36
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