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Handle with prayer!
News – ANiC and AEN
One day spiritual life conference to precede synod
ANiC’s 2011 synod will be
in Victoria, BC on November 3 & 4, preceded on November 2 by both a Clergy
Day and a concurrent spiritual life conference for laity. Online registration
will be available after Labour Day. The synod hotel is the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour and the negotiated ANiC rate is $129/night. Billets will also be available. Mark
the days on your calendar and plan to come!
Welcome to ANiC
Bishop Donald Harvey has welcomed the Rev Stephen
Ashton into ANiC and given him a licence to officiate within ANiC. The Rev Ashton announced his decision
to leave the Anglican Church of Canada to his parish in Halifax following the
Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI’s move to embrace same sex blessings.
Saint Matthew’s move to new home
The congregation of Saint
Matthew’s left their long-time building and walked the short distance to their
new premises on Sunday, 10 July 2011. The people of nearby Grace Church have
opened their building to Saint Matthew’s following the Supreme Court of Canada’s
refusal to hear the appeal of the four Vancouver-area ANiC parishes, including
Saint Matthew’s, of a lower court decision to award ownership of their properties
to the Diocese of New Westminster.
In the service of departure held
in the old building, Saint Matthew’s rector, the Rev Mike Stewart welcomed
those assembled saying:
Welcome to this historic occasion
not only in the life of this church but also historic for our Community-for the
Anglican Community Worldwide and for the Whole Body of Christ scattered
throughout the globe.
What we participate in today is
the consequence of our stand for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we
have sought to be faithful to and bear witness to in fellowship with God’s one
Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church with all of you who are here today. The
courts of this land have ruled that the building belongs to the Anglican Church
of Canada, and the Diocese of New Westminster.
We therefore leave this building
that has been a place of worship and witness for so many years. Our love for
this building is great but our love for Jesus Christ, our belief in the
Authority of the Holy Scriptures and our desire to maintain and uphold the
great tradition of the Christian Church is greater. We believe that the Cloud
of God’s Holy Presence goes before us and behind us. We will follow Him!
The congregation then walked to
their new church building, lead by the crucifer, their rector holding high the
Bible, Bishops Don Harvey, Stephen Leung and Ron Ferris, Archbishop Lazar Puhalo and a fellow clergyman from of the Russian Orthodox Church, Father
Michael Gillis of Holy Nativity (Antiochian) Orthodox Church, a number of Anglican
clergy, and other ecumenical supporters. The service then continued at Grace Church with a capacity
congregation of 450-500 people. Bishop
Ron Ferris preached and Bishop Don Harvey presided at the Eucharist. Bishop Ron’s message was: “go” in
obedience to God, “travel light”, letting go of physical and emotional
entanglements that would weigh us down, and “do the will of the Father”. You
can find video of Bishop Ron’s sermon on the Saint
Matthew’s website and text of his sermon on
VirtueOnline; photos of the event are on the ANiC website.
News coverage included articles
in the Abbotsford
News and Abbotsford
Times. An Anglican
Church of Canada member wrote the
Abbotsford News with her spin on events and the Chancellor of the
Diocese of New Westminster engaged in a discussion of this letter on the AEC
blog.
St
John’s Vancouver’s plans take shape
On its website,
St John’s Vancouver notes that the congregation will relocate to the facilities
of Oakridge Seventh Day Adventist Church – which is within about two
kilometres of its current location. While mid-week ministries will move earlier, the Sunday worship services
are expected to move later in September, with the last services in the old
buildings on September 18 and the first services at the new location on
September 25. Please pray for new
space to be found quickly for St John’s office needs, as the Seventh Day
Adventist building can’t accommodate their offices.
Bishop
Don reappointed as Dean of ACNA
At the
recent ACNA House of Bishops meeting in Long Beach, CA, ANiC’s moderator Bishop
Don Harvey was reappointed to another one-year term as dean of the province.
Congratulations Dean!
St
Hilda’s parishioner confronts human trafficking
Christina
Bender, a young adult from St Hilda’s (Oakville, ON), is organizing an awareness
campaign for human trafficking with a display planned for August 3-4 at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto. The display, titled Unveiling the Myths,
is designed to expose the horrendous crime of modern slavery in our country
and, through building public awareness, bring it to an end. One million children are thought to be
trapped in the sex trade worldwide. And now a new crime is emerging: child abduction for the purposes of
organ harvesting. For more
information on human trafficking and how to be involved in the initiatives to
stop this injustice, go to Unveiling the
Myths online and visit the display in Toronto which launches of the
human trafficking awareness campaign. Several informational videos are now posted to YouTube on human
trafficking and child organ
harvesting.
Mission team members return, but
leave their hearts in China
The Asian Mission in Canada team
has returned from Sanmenxia, China where they invested two weeks in the lives of
mentally and/.or physically handicapped orphans. Writing on
their blog, team members say, “…we didn’t want to leave. Orphans
have a way of getting into your heart and it is so easy to love them as your own.
I think we almost love them that little bit extra because they are disabled
orphans. They have become a part of us, so it hurts to leave them behind… They
have given each one of us a precious gift; they have taught us so much about
our Father and His great love. When you are holding an orphan everything else
in this world really fades away. With great simplicity and without knowing it,
they have given us the gift of who they are with their unique personalities and
disabilities. We are changed as a result.”
Bishop Stephen Leung, who leads
ANiC’s Asian Mission in Canada ministry, hopes to repeat both the Thailand (to
Karen refugees) and China (to disabled orphans) mission trips within the next
two years. Please start praying
now about whether you should be part of these teams next time.
Harry Robinson eulogized
ANiC member Dr Donald Lewis wrote a compelling
eulogy for the late Rev Harry Robinson, one time rector of St John’s
Shaughnessy that was published in the Globe and Mail on July 4. He notes that
St John’s was in serious decline when Harry became rector but, “On his
retirement in 1992, it was the largest Anglican congregation in Canada.”
Parish news
St John’s (Vancouver, BC) has
a young adult’s mission team currently working in India, returning on July
27. And in August a second team
comprised of three families from St John’s will be in Malawi working with St
John’s partner Diocese of Upper Shire. Pray that the team members will serve God faithfully and that He will
use them to further His Kingdom and change lives for Him. Pray for the safety
and health of all.
Calendar of upcoming events
– for your interest and prayer support
July
22-24 – St Matthias
& St Luke’s church camp with Bishop Don
July
23, 7pm – Ordination at Good Shepherd Vancouver of
the Rev Paul Leung and Mr Anson Ann
Aug
5-6 – ACNA Grand
Ultreya, Sewickley, PA
Sept
12-14 – Simeon
Fellowship annual gathering in Dallas, TX (of ACNA clergy &
church planters)
Sept 22-25 – A traditional
silent retreat is planned for ANiC’s clergy in New England
Oct
15-17 – A clergy retreat with Bishop Nazir-Ali will be held at St Peter
& St Paul’s (Ottawa)
Nov 2
– ANiC Clergy Day, Victoria, BC
Nov 2
– ANiC laity conference, Victoria, BC
Nov
3-4 – ANiC synod,
Victoria, BC
Nov
10-11 – Liturgy &
the Arts conference, Durham, NC
Mar
6-8 – Anglican 1000’s 2012 Church
Planting Summit in Plano, TX.
June
7-10 – ACNA Provincial Assembly, Ridgecrest, NC
ANiC in the news
Anglican
Planet – June 27 2011 – Supreme Court
rejects appeal
On the front lines:Growing
and planting churches
ANiC parish profile: St Bede’s Anglican Church
(Kinosota, MB)
The rising water on Lake Manitoba
isn’t expected to crest until next week but is already threatening
parishioners’ homes. However, St Bede’s church building will likely be spared,
says the Rev Jona Weitzel. In
1922, the building was moved from the lakefront to higher ground due to
flooding. Houses are protected by hastily erected dykes and sandbags, but
already, when the east wind blows, the waves threaten to spill over.
Kinosota, a rural remote
community on the west shore of the lake, is two hours north-west of Winnipeg
and one hour east of Dauphin. It
is one of four ANiC congregations in Manitoba. The parish was founded in 1842, so next year will celebrate
its 170th birthday.
The parish is doing “very well”
reports Jona, with a membership actively engaged in serving parish ministries
and an average Sunday attendance of 38 people – including children.
Attendance doesn’t begin to reflect membership however, as many members work in
the larger communities and come home to Kinosota irregularly. Other parishioners have seasonal work
that takes them away for long stretches. However, bi-weekly Sunday
congregational lunches allow parishioners to stay closely connected.
On October 2, Bishop Trevor will
come to confirm five more young people. And the upcoming Vacation Bible School
(VBS) is expected to attract up to 35 children, including many from the
community as well as parishioners’ young relatives who choose this week to
visit. The church is known in the community for caring for those in need,
especially for offering financial help to those who have to travel to Winnipeg
for medical treatment.
“Joining ANiC is the best move we
could have made,” says Jona. We
feel well loved and cared. Bishop Don, for example, has already visited three
or four times. We’re so grateful
that we had a place to go when we realized the Anglican Church of Canada no
long reflected our Christian values.” Demonstrating the ANiC family spirit, two years ago, the youth of St
George’s Burlington spend part of their summer vacation helping St Bede’s,
first with vacation Bible School, then painting graffiti-covered buildings in
the nearby community of Amaranth and building friendships with community youth.
Jona says she’s seen a real change in the youth of that community since. Many
are now going to a church youth group and the freshly painted buildings remain
graffiti-free!
News – Anglican Church in
North America (ACNA)
World magazine: Anglican
resurgence in North America
An article in the World magazine begins, “Anglicanism has
begun a global and North American reformation, according to Archbishop Robert
Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)…” Is calls the ACNA “a province-in-formation within the
worldwide Anglican Communion, the ACNA” and notes that it “unites 100,000
Anglicans in nearly 1,000 congregations across the United States and Canada and
represents four former Episcopal dioceses.” It adds that “…in spite of property lawsuits, the ACNA grew
from 706 to 952 congregations during its first 18 months, and of the nearly 250
new churches, at least 130 were new church plants.”
Baptisms in ACNA noted
The July 6th weekly Anglican
Perspective video notes that the almost 1400 adults baptised in ACNA
churches in the past year – most of whom would be people who have
recently come to Christ.
ACNA Hispanic ministry conference
Caminemos Juntos!, a Consultation on Hispanic/Latino ministry in North America is planned
for August
12-13, 2011 in Chicago. See the Anglican1000
website for details.
More ACNA news
ACNA – Anglican1000
replanting Biblical Anglicanism in North America
News – Canada
Lutheran national convention approves
same-sex blessings
The national convention of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCiC), meeting July 14-17, approved a social
statement approving same-sex marriages and the ordination of non-celibate homosexual
clergy. Solid Ground Ministry, the counterpart to Anglican Essentials Canada, worked
to oppose these changes to the churches teaching and practice. A disheartened Lutheran, writing to the
AEC blog, asks our prayer support as orthodox Lutherans now face
difficult decisions.
The
Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) actively supported the ELCIC national convention with ACoC staff providing communication and
website support – much as ELCiC staff supported the ACoC National Synod
last summer.
In a response to
these decisions by ELCIC, the leadership of the Lutheran Church
– Canada (LCC), the second largest Lutheran body in Canada, wrote an open
letter to ensure Canadians understood that the decision of the ELCIC does not
represent the theology and position of many Lutherans in Canada. Noting that “nearly 40 percent of
Canadian Lutherans who worship every week belong to congregations outside the
ELCIC”, they write to affirm the Biblical and historic teaching on marriage “…as
the lifelong union of one man and one woman... In holding this position, LCC is
not speaking from the margins, but from the overwhelming consensus of Christian
churches for the last two millennia, and also from the mainstream of ecumenical
conviction today… We want
Canadians to know that… there are Lutheran Christians in this country still
deeply committed to the Bible as the authoritative Word of God, and still
dedicated to its clear witness on human sexuality, marriage and standards for
ministry.”
The Canadian Association of
Lutheran Congregations also
responded comparing the ELCiC to the proverbial prodigal son and
calling on Christians to pray that they would “come to their senses and return
home”.
Same-sex blessings begin in the
Anglican Church of Canada’s Diocese of Toronto
An email from Bishop Colin
Johnson informs his clergy that the “first blessing of a same-sex union according to the Pastoral
Guidelines for the Blessing of Same-Gender Commitments” took place
last week. St John West
Toronto, one of three churches in the diocese with “formal
permission to offer same-gender blessings”, was the venue for the event. According to Bishop Johnson’s email
another six churches, selected by the bishop, are considering joining their
ranks.
“Ex-gay” support groups
threatened with loss of tax exempt status
LifeSiteNews
reports that the New Democratic Party, now Canada’s official
Opposition, has passed a resolution at its party convention calling for the
removal of charitable status from “ex-gay” organizations. Commenting on
this, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada says such a move would be
the beginning of “a very slippery slope” and would be “a potential attack on the heart of all… types
of… [faith-based] ministries, not just those offering services to gays and
lesbians.” Zacchaeus Fellowship is a Canadian
Anglican ministry to ex-gays and those struggling with unwanted same-sex
attractions.
In a
similar vein, a man who came out of the gay lifestyle, writes that “…because even one ex-gay proves
that homosexual behavior is not innate or immutable, the gay lobby’s fear of
their former members results in false claims and attacks aimed at preventing
homosexuals from exercising their right to self-determination. They cannot bear to have even one
homosexual leave homosexuality… I know because I am ex-gay myself. I
suffer more harassment as a former homosexual than I ever did as an out and
proud homosexual.”
More Canadian news
Anglican
Planet – June 27 2011 – Six bishops
unite in ‘gracious restraint’
News – United States
Texas governor calls on US
leaders to pray and fast on August 6
Texas governor Rick Perry has called on all states governors as well as President Obama to join him in declaring
August 6, 2011 as a Day of Prayer and Fasting, seeking God's wisdom in
addressing the issues facing the US. Predictably, this has drawn
fire from secular humanists who are attempting to use the courts to
block it.
Surprisingly, contrary to
established wisdom, the so-called principle of “separation of church and state”
was instituted by the founding fathers of the US to ensure government did not
unduly interfere in the affairs of the church not, as commonly thought, to keep
government untainted by religion. In fact, numerous presidents have repeatedly,
through the years, declared days of prayer and fasting. American Christian historian David
Barton, from his thorough
analysis of historical documents, declares that "’Separation of
church and state’ currently means almost exactly the opposite of what it
originally meant.” He adds, “The Founding Fathers were so emphatic in
their belief that that prayer was to be an integral part of daily
publiclife and public service that by 1815 they had called the people to
pray 1,400 times! …originally
Congress… began every session with two continuous hours of prayer.”
New York diocese tells clergy they must marry their
same-sex partners
Now that the state of New York
has legalized same-gender marriages, several bishops in the state are telling
their clergy in same-sex relationships to marry their partners reports the
Episcopal News Service. Bishop Lawrence Provenzano (Long Island) has given these clergy nine
months to marry or live apart. Bishop Mark Sisk (New York) told his clergy that he expects those in
same-sex partnerships to marry “in the spirit of the opportunity provided by
this new law”. He said this was “an
especially high priority for priests and deacons because in their ordination
vows they promised to pattern their lives and that of their families and
households "in accordance with the teachings of Christ" so that they
may be "a wholesome example" to people.” While five of the six Episcopal Church bishops in the state
of New York are ardent supports of this new legislation, the Diocese of
Albany’s Bishop William Love recently wrote his
people to remind them of the diocese’s stand that marriage is exclusively
between a man and a woman.
Presbyterian minister calls on clergy to reconsider
their vows
Following the decision by the Presbyterian Church of
the US (PCUSA) to ordain those actively involved in the homosexual lifestyle,
an ordained minister writes her
fellow clergy and lay members to inform them that she is voluntarily
setting “aside my ordination until my denomination repents of its corporate sin
and returns to a shared standard of ordination aligned with the Scriptures.” In an eloquent and insightful letter, the
Rev Carmen LaBerge. President of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, writes, “…the elimination of all explicit standards of sexual behavior for church
leaders require that each ordained officer in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
reconsider their vows… I will not participate actively nor passively as any
presbytery or congregation within the PCUSA ordains or installs anyone who
persists in behavior defined by the Bible as sin. As one who knows God’s
righteous decrees I cannot approve of those who do not practice them and
thereby place myself under the same condemnation (Romans 1).”
More US news
Church of England Newspaper–
July 14 2011 – Questions
remain for Nevada on abuse case
Church of England Newspaper
– July 8 2011 – Silence from
NY on clergy abuse case
News – International
Church of England General Synod
Having just returned from a trip
to Africa, the Archbishop of Canterbury is reported by The
Independent to have told the Church of England General Synod that
the dedication of church members in the Congo “left me wanting to be a Christian”. He talked of the “transforming” work of
the church there, where members had daringly rescued young people conscripted
by militias.
General Synod also was
confronted with demographic challenges and declining church
membership. One member noted that
some studies suggested the Church of England would be “functionally extant” in
20 years due to its aging congregants, who today average 61 years old. The Telegraph
adds that “In the last 40 years the number of adult churchgoers has
fallen by half, while the number of children regularly worshipping in public
declined by 80 per cent”. The
average number of parishioners in church on Sunday in the Church of England is
now 1.13 million.
Historical perspective on leadership and evangelism in
the Church of England
Speaking at the UK conference, the Rev John
Richardson offers an interesting
overview of evangelicalism in the Church of England over the last 65
years. He recounts the ebb and flow of various evangelistic movements within
the Church and traces the beginning of different streams of evangelicalism in
England. In the second half of the
20th century, he says, evangelicals
”… found themselves as a minority within an organization whose outward style
was predominantly Anglo-Catholic and whose underlying theology was increasingly
liberal.”
The Rev Richardson decries the division among
evangelicals and the failure of evangelicals to use their influence to
transform and equip the Church to proclaim the Gospel. He points out that “…with good leadership, it is possible even for the Church of England to
get its priorities right. But the sad truth is that we have generally had bad
leadership… Evangelicals ought to be at the forefront of evangelism. It is only
a ministry which seeks conversions that deserves the label ‘evangelical’. But
they ought also to be aiming at nothing less than making the Church of England
itself ‘evangelical’.”
More on the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE)
Welcoming the Anglican Mission in England,
the Rev Richard Coekin of the Co-Mission,
a group of London Anglican churches which have been in impaired communion with
their bishop since 2005, said the AMiE is committed to re-evangelising England through the biblical Gospel and the
power of God. He says the
doctrinally orthodox and missionally minded clergy in the Church of England are
often marginalized and obstructed in their ministry, under-represented in the
House of Bishops, and ignored in the halls of power. Co-Mission churches, he says, have longed for orthodox
episcopal oversight that will support Biblical teaching and their church-planting
movement. Finally, they will
receive this oversight through the Church of England bishops in the AMiE.
While the AMiE has met with
hostility from the Archbishop of Canterbury and other institutionalists, the
Rev Coekin says AMiE is neither strange nor novel. He says, “AMiE is simply another mission society established within the Church of England for the
evangelisation of England… A.M.I.E. has been established to enable orthodox
clergy and congregations to remain Anglican as we engage in gospel mission. Its doctrine is the historic Anglican understanding of the Bible… It is run by a steering
committee with a panel of English Anglican Bishops… who are all
signatories to the Jerusalem Declaration. They are willing to provide different
aspects of Anglican oversight for clergy and churches across England… A.M.I.E.,
like other such legally constituted societies in the Church of England, is
certainly not a rival or alternative denomination.”
The Rev Coekin’s goes on to
recount how, because of their impaired communion with their diocesan bishop, he
and three ordinands flew to Kenya so the young men could be ordained to the
diaconate by the Primate of the Church of Kenya for ministry in England. The Archbishop of Kenya and AMiE are
now calling on the Archbishop of Canterbury to recognize the ordinations of the
new deacons.
A recent
Anglican TV conversation between veteran Anglican journalist George
Conger and Kevin Kallsen touches on the leadership deficit in the Church of
England and the creation of the Anglican Mission in England.
Anglican Consultative Council
loses last shreds of credibility
The Church of
England Newspaper reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s
barring of members of Churches in violation of the moratoria from ecumenical
councils is proving to be a sham. It reports that one US Episcopal Church
clergy who had been dismissed from a council has subsequently been restored,
doing the same work, but now given the title of consultant”. By contrast much
of western church life was “self-indulgent”, he said.
From around the Communion and the
world
Sudan – On July 9, South
Sudan became an officially recognized country, and was soon admitted as the 193rd member of the United Nations. But
important issues remain – and peace is illusive.
The
Reverend John Chol Daau, a priest in the Episcopal Church of Sudan, in a report on
South Sudan says: “As
the new nation of South Sudan gains its independence, there are many concerns
awaiting its leadership. These include issues with borderlines between the
South and North, the rules of citizenship, the national debt, and plans for the
sharing of oil. South Sudan lacks many basic services and infrastructure,
such as health care, clean water and an education system. Most of the
population in South Sudan lives under abject poverty. However, there is
no doubt that the people of South Sudan are hopeful to celebrate their
Independence Day on Saturday despite the lack of adequate functional institutions
and systems. Many South Sudanese are devoted and eager to take part in
building their devastated nation.”
In their pastoral letter released to coincide with
the celebration of independence by the South, Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul and
the House of Bishops gave God the glory for the Independence of the South and reminded
everyone that peace was still elusive and much work was yet to be done. The bishops committed the Church to
meet the spiritual and physical needs of Sudanese, and urged everyone work for
peace, reduce the devastating effects of tribalism, and promote equality of
opportunities, human rights and access to justice. While the vast majority of Christians live in South Sudan
and the Church is headquartered there, the Episcopal Church of Sudan still
encompasses both Sudan and South Sudan. The Anglican Church in North America has posted a prayer of
blessing on South Sudan.
Alarmingly, there are now
reports of massacres within Sudan, just north of the new
border. Satellite images show
newly dug mass graves in the south of Kordofan state which lies along the new
border but within the North’s boundaries. The reports tell of bombing and mass systematic killings of civilians in
this area by the (northern) Sudanese armed forces and militias – as the
north tries to eliminate southern sympathizers. The New York
Times reports, “Much of the violence is focused on the Nuba people,
a mostly Christian minority that fought alongside the south during many of the
decades of its 50-year independence struggle.”
An Episcopal
News Service article quotes Bishop Andudu Adam of the Diocese of
Kadugli saying, "...friends, brothers and sisters, children, my flock, have
been killed mercilessly and are lying now in mass graves in Kadugli." The article also suggests that the
scene of the mass graves is adjacent to the Episcopal Church of Sudan compound
in Kadugli.
Please continue to pray –
especially for Christians in the Sudan along the border.
Horn of Africa – The UN has
declared a state of famine in Somalia, while large areas of Uganda, Ethiopia,
Djibouti and Kenya are also experiencing a crisis brought on by severe drought. A Barnabas
report notes that in southern Ethiopia food prices have risen 60 to100
per cent since March. An article in
the Anglican Journal says that a refugee camp in Northern Kenya
built for 90,000 people now is struggling to handle 360,000 Somalis –
many of whom walked 15 or more to reach the camp. Another camp for Somali refugees is in Ethiopia. Associated
Press reports that the al-Shabab, a militant Islamist group that
controls much of south-central Somalia, is preventing aid agencies from
reaching 2.2 million desperate, starving Somalis and calls the UN declaration
of famine is nothing but propaganda. Do pray!
Nigeria – Barnabas Aid
reports that Islamist militants, who are associated with al Qaeda, “are
stepping up attacks in Northern Nigeria with churches and Christians among
their main targets”. These attacks
are expected to escalate at the end of July as the Islamists mark the
anniversary of their leader’s death. Earlier in July, two churches were bombed with four deaths and many
serious injuries. In June, “Another church in Maiduguri was bombed twice in the
space of a week; ten people died in the blasts… Some churches are reportedly
shutting down or rescheduling their services in a bid to outmanoeuvre militants
who plan their attacks around service times to cause most carnage.” The Islamists issued a statement in
June saying that their “commandos” had completed training in Somalia and would now
be “stepping up attacks in the coming weeks in all northern states”. Nigeria’s
president is considering declaring “a state of emergency in Borno State to
bring the escalating situation under control”. Pray for Christians in Nigeria.
Egypt – The Assyrian International News Agency
reports that Islamists in Egypt are kidnapping young Christian girls
and using sexual coercion to force their conversion to Islam. Father Filopateer Gamil of St Mary’s
Church in Giza claims that, “The number of Christian girls abducted and coerced
into converting to Islam since the Egyptian “January 25 Revolution” has
skyrocketed.” The revolution has
emboldened Muslim Salafists “who believe strongly that converting a Christian Infidel
is in some ways like earning a ticket to paradise – not to mention the
earthly remuneration they get from the Saudis… The
investigation by Egypt4Christ, carried out under secrecy, exposed a highly
organized Muslim ring centered in the Fatah Mosque in Alexandria. The
investigation also uncovered a systematic "religious call" plan,
where young Muslim males in high school and university are urged to approach
Coptic girls in the 9-15 age group and manipulate them through sexual exploitation
and blackmail.”
Israel –Arab states are pressing for a United Nations resolution in September to unilaterally declare a
Palestinian Arab State in the West Bank and Gaza. According to
Canada Free Press, creating a Palestinian state, however, would
ignore existing international law, the UN’s own Charter and Security Council
Resolutions, and the half million Jews now living in the territory suggested
for the Palestinian state. The report
states, “Until the PLO and Hamas revoke their Charters calling for the
destruction of Israel - the UN should refuse to entertain passing any
resolution recognizing any Palestinian Arab state.” In response, a Restoring
Courage Event will take place in Israel, August 21-24, to show
global support for the country.
India – A fascinating article in Christianity
Today tells how the rapid social and economic changes in India have
opened the door to the Gospel and millions have come to faith in Jesus Christ
over the past few years. Author
Tim Stafford writes, “Today, broad economic and cultural reforms are sweeping
Indian cities, and villages feel the spirit of change. Indians are choosing new
ways of life—and many more are embracing the gospel and following Christ…
The newly Christian India is found mostly at the bottom rung of society… typically
poor and illiterate "broken people" (the literal meaning of Dalit).” Estimates of the number of Christians
among India's population (of more than one billion people) range from 58-79
million…. The 2001 Indian census placed Christians at just over 2 percent of
India's population. But currently, Operation World puts the figure near 6 percent and notes that "Christian researchers in
India indicate much higher results, even up to 9 percent.” However, “Operation
World counts 2,223 unreached people groups in India, over five times as
many as there are in China, the next most unreached nation.”
Praise God for what He is doing!
More international media coverage
Church of England Newspaper
– July 8 2011 – Archbishop’s
arrest warrant quashed
Living Church – July 18
2011 – Co-Mission
plays role in AMiE’s launch
Church Times – July 8 2011
– Lambeth
rebuke for Kenya ordinations
Soul food
Community outreach opportunity
Community
outreach – Sunday, September 11 is the 10th anniversary of the
tragedy in New York City. This day
presents an opportunity for our churches to connect with our communities. Consider honouring first responders in
your community – fire fighters, police, paramedics and search and rescue
personnel – by inviting them to your service on September 11. In the service, the church could
express its appreciation, pray for and commit to continuing to pray for these
people who often put their own safety in jeopardy in order to serve and protect
us. Like the idea? Start planning now, so you can get the
invitations out in good time. If
your church is in a large community, you could partner with other like-minded
churches in the area to send joint invitations and then “divvy up” those who
accept the invitation.
Resources
Why
Anglicanism? – The ACNA Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic has compiled and
released a booklet of very short essays on the meaning of Anglicanism entitled
“Why Anglicanism?” You can download it
from their website.
Winning
the right to witness by caring for the poor – In the July 20th Anglican Perspective video, a two minute segment put out by the
American Anglican Council, Canon Phil Ashey very effectively speaks to the
Biblical imperative to care for those in poverty. Using Isaiah 58 as his text, he says that in caring for the
poor, hungry and homeless, we transform communities and earn opportunities to
witness for Christ.
Abortion: Chuck Colson in his July 8th Break Point commentary addresses the “Tragedy of sex selection
abortion”. He clearly draws the
link between the 160 million “missing” women in the world – women who
were never born – and sex slavery. This female deficit has fueled the sex trade and resulted in young girls
in impoverished countries being sold into sex slavery.
Marriage – Dr Jennifer Roback Morse, speaking at a
conference in Hong Kong of Western and Chinese scholars gives an
excellent presentation on the ancient Christian teaching on family, love and
marriage.
Just kid-ding
Catching her in the act, I
confronted our 3-year-old granddaughter, "Are you eating your little
sister's grapes?" I demanded."No," she replied innocently, "I'm helping her share."
Little boy: "Oh, Gramma, I
sure am happy to see you! Now maybe Daddy will do the trick he has been
promising us."
Grandmother: "What trick is that?"
Little boy: "He told Mommy that he would climb the walls if you came to
visit us again!"
Little Johnny's new baby brother
was screaming… again. He asked his
mom, "Where'd we get him?"
"He came from heaven, dear,"
his mom said sweetly.
After a moment’s thought, Johnny glumly
replied, "No wonder they threw him out!"
www.mikeysFunnies.com
Food for thought
It's amazing what you can
accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.
Please pray...
For
ANiC synod planning and preparations.
For
our bishops and clergy and their
families – especially for Ceri Hynes, Howard and their children. Pray
that God would be pleased to grant healing.
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 ANiC
congregations settling into new facilities. Praise God for His provision.
For ANiC
churches still involved in litigation and property disputes with Anglican
Church of Canada dioceses, especially St
Aidan’s (Windsor) and the judge who is heard and is now deciding their case. Also pray for St George’s (Burlington,
ON), St Hilda’s (Oakville, ON) and Good Shepherd (St Catharines, ON) who face
threats of further court action.
For ARDFC’s
new Congo project which is helping war-torn communities become reestablished
and promote peace-making. May God use it to bless Congolese and bring many to Christ
For an
end to the horrific crime of human trafficking
For
peace and an end to the killing in the Sudan. For God’s hand of protection to
cover His Church.
For persecuted Christians in Egypt and
Nigeria who are being terrorized by Islamists.
For
the nation of Israel. Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem
For
the GAFCon Primates & Fellowship of Confessing Anglican leaders as they
plan meetings of Biblically faithful Anglicans in 2012 & 2013. Pray also for the new Anglican Mission
in England.
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 repentance
and revival in our hearts and in our
nation, for a hunger for God and His Word
And now a word from our sponsor
“Is not this the fast that I
choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread
with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the
naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth
like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness
shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord
will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from
your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour
yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall
your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you
continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones
strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose
waters do not fail. And your
ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many
generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to
dwell in.
If you turn back your foot from
the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a
delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your
own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;then you shall
take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the
earth;I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the
mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 58:6 -14
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