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Handle with prayer!
News – ANiC and AEN
Church planting wisdom
Bishop
Ron Ferris has prepared a brief
report summarizing the key lessons he has learned from planting an
ANiC church in Langley, BC – Church of the Ascension. For example, Bishop Ron says he’s
learned that “All that you really need for a church you can carry in two filing
boxes…”, and that the most effective way to grow membership is through personal
invitations, and “Rental space liberates a parish from the worries of
maintaining a property” allowing more focus on discipleship and community
building.
Primate of Southeast Asia to
visit, September 18-19
The Anglican
Relief and Development Fund Canada is bringing Archbishop John Chew
(Southeast Asia) to the Anglican Network Church of the Good Shepherd (Vancouver)
for the weekend of September 18-19. Although details are still being worked out, the planned schedule of
events for Archbishop Chew’s visit are:
Saturday, Sept 18 (all events at
Church of the Good Shepherd, Vancouver)
Morning –
by-invitation-only meeting with the clergy and leaders of ACNA and our partners
Afternoon –gathering open
to all focused on mission in the Global South
Evening – celebration
banquet open to all
Sunday, Sept 19, 11am –
Archbishop Chew will preach at Good Shepherd
“Sir, we would see Jesus”
A theme has been chosen for
ANiC’s 2010 synod, slated for November 4-6 in Ottawa. This theme, selected by our Moderator, comes from John
12:21, which tells of people approaching a disciple with an earnest request, “Sir,
we would see Jesus.” (KJV) Bishop
Donald Harvey chose this theme to ensure that the synod – which will
focus on constitution, by-laws, elections and other administrative details
– not lose sight of our primary purpose: to know Jesus and to make Him
known. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali will be a featured synod speaker. Please pray
for those planning and preparing for synod.
Clergy events planned –
Save the dates!
In addition to the Clergy Day
planned for November 3 in Ottawa, immediately prior to ANiC’s 2010 synod,
clergy can look forward to ANiC’s annual clergy retreat, March 29-31 near
Abbotsford, BC. Be sure to save
the dates!
Parish and ministry news
Asian Ministries, Anglican
Network Church of the Good Shepherd (Vancouver & Richmond) – Three
evangelistic events were held in July, primarily reaching out to restaurant
workers in Richmond. At an event in the late evening of July 6 (when restaurant
workers are done their shifts), one of Hong Kong’s top five chefs, Tong LI shared
how he had surrendered to Christ and now sought to honour God through his life
and work as a chef. 94 restaurant workers and others attended the gathering. On July 17, a full-day training course
on gospel preaching for restaurant workers was conducted by Esther Lin and Amen
Tang, evangelists from Herald International of Los Angeles. A total of 41 people
from various Vancouver-area Chinese churches participated in the training.
Then, following the training, on July 19, a late evening evangelistic meeting
attracted 66 restaurant workers and others. Praise the Lord that four made
decisions for our Lord Jesus Christ and ten others resubmitted themselves to
God.
Good Shepherd House ANiC project
(Sioux Lookout, ON) – Please pray for God’s blessing on two upcoming
community outreach events:
| • |
As part of the town’s Blueberry
Festival, Good Shepherd House will hold a “Madame Blueberry Tea” Saturday, August
7 at which the Veggie Tales movie will be shown and visitors will be served
tea, punch and cake. |
| • |
August 9-13, Good Shepherd House
is holding a VBS (Vacation Bible School for children). Pray for a response from the kids and for
connections with families in the community.
|
Holy Trinity Church (Marlborough, MA) – ANiC’s
moderator, Bishop Donald Harvey ordained Michael Bickford to the sacred priesthood
on July 23 – the 15th anniversary of his ordination as a
minister in the United Church of Christ. Since becoming an Anglican, the
Rev Bickford has completed a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) degree at General
Theological Seminary and is now a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of
Religion and Religious Education, Fordham University. He is also writing
a book entitled, Everybody Dies, But Not Everybody Lives which applies the
monastic idea of a “rule of life” to our everyday Christian journey.
Father Bickford assists at Holy Trinity Church.
All Saints’ Mission (Rutland, VT) – Father
Michael McKinnon also reports that “Bishop Harvey presided and preached at Solemn High
Mass for the Feast of St James the Greater on Sunday, July 25 at All Saints’
Mission, Rutland, VT (a Mission of Holy Trinity Church, Marlborough, MA).
During the Eucharist, he received four persons into this Fellowship of Christ’s
holy Catholic Church. It was a wonderful and joyous occasion. All
Saints’ Mission, Rutland, VT continues to grow both spiritually and
numerically.”
St
Matthias & St Luke’s (Vancouver) – Having recently returned from a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Rev Simon Chin and parishioners will hold a
“show and tell” on Sunday, August 29 at 8pm at the church during which they
will share what they saw and learned. The choir will also participate in the celebration. See photos of their trip on the ANiC
website.
Calendar of upcoming events
– for your interest and prayer support
Aug 13-15 – Anglican 4th Day Ultreya gathering in Bedford, Texas with Archbishop Duncan
Sept 13-16 – BC Court of
Appeal hearing in Vancouver
Sept
17-19 – St Luke’s, Spiritual renewal seminar with Bishop Malcolm & Ven
Paul Crossland
Sept 18 – St George's
Ottawa,Day of Prayer in preparation for ANiC synod (with Garth Hunt)
Sept 18-19 – Archbishop
Chew visits Vancouver on behalf of the ARDFC
Sept 24-25 – St Timothy’s
(Montreal), Pursuing Intimacy with God led by the Rev Garth Hunt
Sept 25 – ACA
conference at St Brides, Clarkson, ON entitle “The plans I have for
you”
Nov 3 – Clergy day, Ottawa,
ON
Nov
4-6 – ANiC synod with featured speaker Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Ottawa,
ON
March
29-31 – ANiC’s 2011 pastors’ retreat near Abbotsford, BC
News shorts – Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)
Archbishop Duncan speaks to
Insights 2010 conference in Virginia
You can watch an
AnglicanTV video of Archbishop Robert Duncan sharing his perspective
at the Insights 2010 conference at The Falls Church in Virginia.
Nigerian primate challenges ACNA diocese
The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) –
a diocese of ACNA and a mission of the Church of Nigeria – held its
annual council meeting in Virginia last week, welcoming Nigerian Archbishop Nicholas
Okoh. In his address,
Archbishop Okoh offered bold counsel and called the Western Church to “avoid
selective preaching”.
He said, “We must avoid dressing sin in a new garment of
words in order to neutralize its offensiveness before those we pastor, thus
hindering their chances of repentance… This is the greatest challenge you face,
my brothers and sisters. The Western world has become afraid or is unwilling to
acknowledge that there is right and wrong – that there is good and evil...
We are Christians. We must affirm our faith and identity, while we make
allowance for others to affirm theirs as part of the grace for a plural
society. We must, as orthodox Anglicans, uphold and continue to defend the
biblical understanding of the family and its moral implications… Like those
missionaries who came to my nation many years ago, who preached the gospel in
Nigeria, I now appeal to you in North America to declare the full gospel of
Christ.”
The Nigerian Church has been accused of “cross-border
intervention” and dividing the Communion. However, Archbishop Okoh told the Christian
Post that Nigeria’s intervention in fact helped to hold the Anglican
Communion together. “If the
Nigerians didn't step in, the global Anglican family would have lost a lot of
people… We came because we love the Anglican Church and we do not want the
Anglican Church to split… That would've been the case if we didn't come
in."
ACNA’s Anglican 4th Day “Ultreya” gathering
ANiC members who were involved in
Cursillo will be interested to know that ACNA’s version of Cursillo, Anglican 4th Day is holding its first Ultreya, a province-wide gathering, August 13-14 in
Texas. The full schedule for this
Ultreya is available
online. For more information see the ANiC website or the Anglican 4th Day website, or contact
ANiC’s Anglican 4th Day coordinator, the Rev Gary Stobbs, by email or by calling >604
854-5380.
Our primate interviewed on AnglicanTV
Archbishop Bob Duncan, primate of
the Anglican Church in North America, in a 10-minute interview on
AnglicanTV, offers his evaluation of the significance of the Global
South meeting in Singapore and the recent degeneration of Communion governance
which he called a “sad trajectory”. He mentioned that the Standing Committee, a key governing body in the
Communion, now represents about 20 per cent of those in the Communion and adds
that the current structure of the Communion reflects outdated colonial
structures. He also explains further the reason the Anglican Mission (formerly
known as AMiA and ACIC) chose to become a ministry partner with ACNA rather
than be integrated into ACNA. Talking about the ambitious church planting goals in ACNA, he says that
the Anglican1000 office is receiving an average of about one call each day from
people seriously interested in pursuing church planting.
ACNA job openings
The Anglican Church in North
America is seeking a communication director – as well as candidates to
fill a number of other ministry positions. For full details and to apply, see the ACNA website.
Other ACNA news
Savannah Now – July 29 2010
– Christ church
files appeal to state Supreme Court
Living Church – July 26
2010 – Nigerian
Archbishop bolsters CANA
News shorts – Canada
Anglican Catholic Church of Canada (ACCC) votes to unite
with Rome
The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada
(ACCC), a member of the 500,000 member global Traditional Anglican
Communion, has voted at its recent synod to accept the pope’s invitation and become a Canadian
Anglican Ordinariate within the Roman Catholic Church. The ACCC consists of about 36 parishes
across Canada.
A group of ACCC clergy and
parishioners on Vancouver Island have decided not to join the rest of their
church in becoming Roman Catholic, as reported
earlier by VirtueOnline. This group is now reported to be joining the Anglican
Province of Christ the King, which left the Episcopal Church in 1977
and currently consists of over 40 parishes across the US. This group is not associated with the
Anglican Church in North America.
ACoC makes partnership with the
Diocese of Jerusalem top priority
The Anglican
Church of Canada says its partnership with the Diocese of Jerusalem
is “emerging as an international priority”.
Anglican Church of Canada priest
gives dog communion
A priest has created some
embarrassing publicity for the Anglican Church of Canada by giving a
dog communion during Eucharist on June 27 at St Peter’s Anglican Church in
downtown Toronto. The Rev
Marguerite Rea offered communion to a visitor to the church as well as to the
dog the man had brought with him. The story has been widely canvassed in the media. The story has also received wide
coverage in international media including: the BBC, the Daily Mail,
the Telegraph,
the AFP news
agency and the Catholic
News Agency.
The National Post quotes ANiC’s Chancellor Cheryl Chang explaining that “Communion is a symbol of
the sacrifice of Jesus’ body…” Although one article refers to “wrath” “anger” and
“offense” taken by Christians or Anglicans, and others media reports imply similar
reactions, Cheryl was clear in talking to reporters that she did not personally
harbour such sentiments. She merely explained how this was another symptom of
the profound theological differences which caused the split between the ACoC
and ANiC.
Lutherans meet, hope to form
Confessional Lutheran Network in Canada
Representatives
from a number of Biblically-faithful Canadian Lutheran organizations met in
June under the theme: “Toward a Confessional Lutheran Network in Canada.” According to
a news release, it is hoped that this meeting will lead to more
gatherings at which the groups will seek to find common ground.
Anglican
Communion Alliance plans conference
Anglican Communion Alliance is hosting a
conference on Saturday, September 25 at St Brides Church in Clarkson,
ON (near Toronto) featuring the Rev Dr Ephraim Radner from Wycliffe
College. The conference, entitled "The plans I have for you",
will include four workshops:
1. A presentation by Zacchaeus Fellowship.
2. Biblical Sexuality
3. Catechism
4. Tools for Linking Churches
Cost is $25 per person. Cheques should be mailed to Essentials
Niagara, PO Box 688, Virgil, Ontario, LOS 1TO.
Anglican Church of Canada general
synod reprised in the Anglican Planet
The summer (14 July 2010) edition
of the Anglican Planet – a
publication worth supporting – features a series of articles evaluating
the Anglican Church of Canada’s 2010 general synod. What follows are excerpts from these interesting analyses.
In GS2010
– a series of very polite events, the editors say:
For those of us who have been
dreading the moment when the church crosses the threshold, I think we can
breathe a sigh of relief as we have another three year reprieve.
What was touted as the great
success of General Synod is the ‘respectful dialogue’ surrounding the major
issue of the day. If speaking respectfully is the best we can do as a church,
then things really are in a dire state.
What we saw in Halifax was
essentially a re-framing of the question from one of blessing same-sex unions
to one of remaining a full member of the Anglican Communion...
So we are still together, not
unified in understanding, nor meaningfully discussing the real questions facing
us as a Church, but politely waiting for external forces to pass…
There has been a growing
awareness amongst many that our divisions are causing us to become more and
more a congregationalist church… Certainly it is a distortion of our glorious
Anglican ecclesiology… Dr. Ephraim Radner, who keeps a keen eye on the Anglican
Communion, has gone so far as to suggest that we should employ
congregationalism as a strategy for the next decade while things at the
Communion level get worked out.
Why local
option legislation floundered in Halifax discusses the same-sex
blessing issue:
Although the “local option”
motion failed on the floor of General Synod in 2007, over the next three years
it became the de facto practice in five dioceses (New Westminster, Huron,
Niagara, Montreal, Toronto) and two other areas (the Anglican Parishes of the
Central Interior, and the Military Ordinariate)…
Neither did the Primate, the
Council of General Synod nor the House of Bishops discipline those seven bodies
exercising the local option…
So why did local option
legislation fail?
First, the very fact that such an
exodus from the ACC had occurred after Winnipeg [General Synod 2007] may have
caused many liberals to fear another even larger exodus...
Second, the inclusion of more
First Nations voices in the discussion groups…
And third, just days before the
Halifax Synod the Archbishop of Canterbury had issued a… warning of removal
from international committees of representatives from any national church which
“formally” authorized public rites of same-sex blessings by its Synod…
In Dropping the
ball at General Synod, Sue Careless questions why so much time was
devoted to team-building games and so little to substantive topics like the
Anglican Covenant. She also asks why the synod required nine days –
costing delegates about $900 each just for meals and accommodation –
while the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada requires only four days. She also notes that delegates were not
given the information needed to make informed decisions. For example, elections for the Prolocutor
and Deputy Prolocutor – important offices – were held without
delegates having time to review information on the candidates. Also, only one
binder of official proceedings was provided per table and delegates were not
always given adequate time to read resolutions displayed on the screens prior
to votes.
In Old stats
need updating: Anglican stats in Canada are almost a decade old, we learn that
the “Anglican Church of Canada has released no new official
statistics since those of 2001… The national church used to release fresh
figures annually… All parish clergy are required by their diocese to collect
and submit stats on Average Sunday Attendance (ASA)… It would not be hard to
file these diocesan stats electronically with the national office and then have
them integrated and released to the public. What is Church House trying to
hide”?
Other Canada news
National Post – July 23
2010 – An Anglican
who no longer feels safe
News shorts – United States
Presiding bishop says conflict in
the church is a “a gift from God”
The Christian
Post reports that the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in
the US, Katharine Jeffers Schori said in a webcast this week, “If there's no
conflict, it means that we're dead… There has always been push and pull in the
church. It's a sign that the diversity among us is passionate and that is a
gift from God, not something to be squelched." Presiding Bishop Schori was reporting on the Anglican
Communion Standing Committee meeting. [See more on that meeting below]
Other US news
San Antonio Express News – July
19 2010 – National
debate prompts breakup…Episcopal church
Modesto Bee – July 18 2010
– Land disputes
still raging on
Pew Forum– July 16 2010
– Foundation
donates $400K for Episcopal gay liturgies
New York Times – July 29
2010 – Episcopal committee
is working on gay rite
News shorts – International
Discredited Standing Committee
meets at Lambeth Palace, July 23-27
The Anglican
Communion News Service reports that Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary
General of the Anglican Consultative Council, told members of the recent Standing
Committee meeting in London “that the credibility of the Primates' Meeting and
the ACC was being openly questioned by some and this criticism was increasingly
focused on the Standing Committee itself.” The Archbishop Rowan Williams also reportedly questioned
whether the Anglican Consultative Council’s committee structure was appropriate
for this new century.
In addition, one lay committee
member, Dato’ Stanley Isaacs (an attorney from Malaysia) is reported to have argued passionately that the US Episcopal Church should be barred from
participation in the Standing Committee and other Communion governing bodies
due to its refusal to abide by Communion consensus. While his motion failed, the Standing Committee later agreed to
a token resolution stating it “regrets ongoing breaches of the three moratoria
that continue to strain the life of the Anglican Communion; regrets the
consequential resignations of members of the Standing Committee which diminish
our common life and work on behalf of the ACC and the Primates' Meeting;
recognises that the ACC and the Primates' Meeting are the appropriate bodies to
consider these matters further."
A Virtue Online
commentary by Canon Gary L’Hommedieu makes the point that, by
refusing to enforce the Communion consensus on Biblical standards of morality
as expressed in Lambeth
resolution 1.10, the ACC is actually changing the Communion’s
standards.
The committee’s decisions
included:
| • |
Adopting new Articles of
Association which were made public for the first time and
transformed the ACC into a UK/EU based company. The Anglican
Communion Institute an analysis of the pitfalls of this change,
including:
- As a company, the ACC is now
subject to UK/EU laws.
- The new constitution gives the
Standing Committee greater authority than the ACC.
- It infringes on the authority of
the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates
Meeting and reduces the role of
the member Churches in the governance
of the Communion. |
| • |
Ratifying the
appointments of two members who were ineligible under the constitution
in effect at the time of their appointments – specifically Bishop Ian
Douglas (US) and Canon Janet Trisk (South Africa). However, the Anglican Communion News Service justifies the
appointments, saying, that under the new Articles of Association, which are
designed to allow the committee “maximum flexibility” in filling vacancies, the
appointments were valid.
|
| • |
Changing the committee’s name
from “The Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion” to “The Standing
Committee”. |
The Standing Committee is said to
be one of the four “Instruments of Unity” in the Anglican Communion. It is chaired by the Archbishop of
Canterbury and is comprised of members drawn from both the Anglican
Consultative Council and the Primates meeting. With the wave of recent resignations of ‘conservative’
members – including Archbishops Orombi, Akrofi and Anis, and Bishop Azad
Marshall – and the controversial appointments of new members, the
credibility and authority of the now largely ‘liberal’ committee has been
severely diminished and deepens the rift with the Global South. For more information on the Standing
Committee, see a Q&A on the Anglican
Communion website.
Additional analysis and
discussion of the Standing Committee includes:
Church of England Newspaper
– July 16 2010 -- ACC
membership rules ‘are discretionary’ says official
Anglican Curmudgeon -- July 19
2010 – Explaining much,
but not all: New ACC articles filed
Anglican Communion governance in disarray
Immediately prior to the Standing
Committee meeting and in response to widespread criticism, a spokesman for the
Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) told media that observance of the
organization’s constitution and bylaws were “discretionary”. The Church of
England Newspaper ably explains the controversy around the
unconstitutional appointment of Committee members which has destroyed what
little credibility the Committee still had. It reports that “An aide to a senior African primate said the
general mood among the GAFCon primates was weariness with the machinations of
the ACC. They are so disillusioned with the Communion structures that they have
“now taken a hands-off approach and are willing to let them just hang
themselves…” Canon Phil Ashey, chaplain of the American Anglican
Council, also wrote an
interesting piece on the matter in the AAC’s weekly newsletter of
July 16.
Following the Standing Committee’s meeting, Canon lawyer A S
Haley (aka the Anglican Curmudgeon), in his analysis of the discredited body, says, “The listing by geography [of Committee members]
shows that none of the major African provinces of the Communion, with more than
60% of its total members, is even represented on the Committee. It follows that
the current make-up of the Committee is designed to effectuate the will of a
minority within the Communion. This conclusion is borne out fully by the
actions the Committee took as soon as it met.” Haley’s conclusion is not hopeful considering the Standing
Committee is currently designated as the body overseeing the Anglican
Covenant. He says:
Thus
the "Anglican Communion" is in the process of redefining itself. On
the outward side, we have the Covenant adoption process, which will take
another six to ten years. But internally, we have the "Standing
Committee", which is establishing itself -- including as the
decision-maker in the event of disagreements about the Covenant -- as
representing only the [theologically liberal] minority of those in the Communion.
This
is a recipe for schism and breakup. Those who cannot achieve fair
representation on the "Standing Committee" (which decides all
discretionary matters under the Covenant) will not sign on to the Covenant. And
those who believe themselves so represented, but who object to the current
provisions in the Covenant, will not sign either. The Covenant will as a result
become an irrelevant joke. And the Anglican Communion as we know it will be no
more.
More on the Church of England
synod and women bishops
A number of high profile leaders
in the Church of England (CoE) continue to comment on the possible
repercussions of the decision by the recent synod to consecrate women bishops
with minimal protection for those who believe the Scriptural model is male
headship in the Church. Canon Dr
Chris Sugden wrote in the
American Anglican Counsel newsletter, “The issue to be decided was
not whether there will be women bishops, but how much room will there be for
those who cannot in conscience accept them. The present answer is 'some' room
at the discretion of the bishop, but not statutorily guaranteed room as of
right.”
In an interview on
AnglicanTV, Canon Sugden also noted that synod handled the issue
according to a secular human rights notion of power rather than from a New
Testament perspective – which many believe presents a model of church
governance that is contrary to the modern worldview. He found it interesting that “the voices that were so
clearly heard on diversity and inclusivity on women’s legislation were nowhere
to be heard on behalf of the view not in favor of women’s legislation.”
Additional information and media
coverage includes:
Thinking Anglicans -- July 17
2010 – Generosity
– a news release from WATCH
Church Times – July 26 2010
– Traditionalists
lament “broken promises”
Church Times – July 16 2010
-- Traditionalists
face threadbare future as Measure is passed
Catholic.net – July 15 2010
– How Women
Bishops Affect Anglican-Catholic Dialogue
Free Republic – July 18
2010 – Vatican
official: Anglican women bishops an ‘enormous obstacle’ to Christian unity
All Africa Bishops Conference
planned for Uganda
The Church of Uganda, under the
auspices of the Council for Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), is hosting an
“All Africa Bishops Conference”,
August 23-29 in Entebbe. The theme
will be Unlocking our potential (Hebrews 12:1-2). New Vision reports 400 bishops are expected to attend.
News in brief from around the world and the Communion
Uganda – The Church of
England Newspaper reports that the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab
took credit for the July 11 terror bombings in Kampala that killed at least 74
people and injured dozens as they gathered to watch the World Cup. Archbishop Henry Orombi responded in
a pastoral letter by strongly condemning the attacks but called upon
Ugandans not to seek revenge. He said, “I ask you to fix your eyes on the cross of Jesus. The cross is a reminder of
human cruelty to an innocent person; the agony of pain He went through enables
Him to share in our pain as well. He had to pay a price for us to receive our
freedom. The blood of the Ugandans spilled on Sunday will bring to Ugandans
peace.”
The Anglican Church in North America has called on us to
pray for Uganda. The ACNA website reports that Canon
Alison Barfoot, who serves as Archbishop Orombi’s assistant for International
Relations, said the bombings have affected Ugandans in much the same way the 9/11
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon affected
Americans.
Burundi – Archbishop
Bernard Ntahoturi has been unanimously
reelected for a second five-year term as primate of the East African
Church.
Nigeria – There has been
more violence near Jos. Christian Concern for our Nation
reports that, once again on July 17, “Christian villagers in Mazah,
a small village near Jos, Nigeria, woke up to gunfire in the night. As they ran
out of their homes in fear, they were butchered by extremist Islamists armed
with machetes. At least eight villagers were killed and ten houses burnt down.”
Pakistan – Two pastors were
shot and killed in Faisalabad by masked gunmen as they left the courtroom where
they were on trial for “blasphemy” charges laid earlier in the month. Christian
Today reports that the families of the pastors are too fearful to
register a case against the suspects.
Zimbabwe – Anglicans in
Zimbabwe continue to suffer at the hands of a previous bishop, Nolbert Kunonga,
who was defrocked by the Church of the Province of Central Africa for politicizing
the Church with his avid support of Dictator Robert Mugabe and alienating the
majority of parishioners. He left
the Church, but with the Mugabe-backed protection of the police, continues to
control the buildings. The Guardian
reports that Anglicans in Zimbabwe have asked not to be forgotten as
thousands are forced to worship in tents or in the open. However the article also notes that “the
recent… gathering in honour of Zimbabwe's first martyr… the largest gathering
in recent memory, was witness to the fact that persecution and harassment
strengthen the Christian faith.”
India – The Diocese of
South India has been dissolved – and is being reorganized – as a
result of the ongoing criminal and civil cases against Bishop Manickam
Dorai. The Church of England
Newspaper reports the bishop is facing charges of embezzling funds,
taking over $1 million USD in kickbacks from construction projects and
threatening bodily harm to a priest in his diocese.
Meanwhile a bishop in the Church
of North India, Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy, is requesting prayer for the
people of Kashmir following weeks of rioting by Muslim separatists against the
Hindu majority that has killed many. The Church of
England Newspaper reports that the “…minority Christians have come
under the crossfire of both Muslim and Hindu extremists.”
Israel – The former bishop
of Jerusalem and personal friend of the late Yassar Arafat, Riah Abu al-Assal, has been banned from entering diocesan church property and his claims to ownership of a
Nazareth school have been rejected. Charges were laid after the former bishop transferred diocesan assets at
the Nazareth school, where his son was employed as headmaster, together with
about $1.5 million USD in tuition fees to his personal charitable trust. He claimed the school had been built
with funds raised from personal relationships rather than under the
diocese. The court’s decision follows
a three year trial during which time Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis, primate of Jerusalem
and the Middle East, expressed concern that the dispute was embarrassing and “breaking
the heart” of the Jerusalem diocese. The case follows a history of litigation in the Anglican Church in
Jerusalem, including an unsuccessful attempt by the diocese while under Bishop
Riah, to gain control of Jerusalem’s Anglican International School – a
school belonging to Christ Church Ministries Jerusalem (CMJ), an independent
mission society.
Congo – Anglican
Communion News Service reports that Congolese Anglicans are pleading
for more prayer. It says, “Thousands
of people have been displaced and are pouring into towns in the eastern part of
the Democratic Republic of Congo as an upsurge in violence in the Lubero and
Beni territories takes its toll.” It is reported that internally displaced persons lack food and basic necessities
and that people are sleeping in schools and churches. Please pray for these
innocent civilians, especially women and children, who suffer at the hands of
rebel groups in the Congo.
Other international news
London Telegraph – July 12
2010 – Hundreds of… clergy
poised to leave Church of England
Anglican Planet – July 14
2010 – Global South
issue communiqué from Singapore
Christian Post – July 21
2010 – Breakaway
groups prevented Anglican split, Nigerian Primate…
Anglican Planet – July 14
2010 – Global South
issue communiqué from Singapore
Church Times – July 30
– 2010 – Standing
Committee blocks move to expel US
Soul food
Christianity and the Canadian media
National Post
religion reporter, Charles Lewis, discusses the need for
conservative religious voices in the media. He also says that, “The number of issues confronting society
in which the rights of the religious are coming into conflict with the rights
of the secular are becoming more numerous.” As a result, there is more, not
less, need for reporting on religious issues. “Religious people deserve a voice, and not just from the
religious media. It is worth reminding those who would ignore religious
citizens that it is most often the churches, in the name of Christ, who feed
and house the homeless, who care for society’s discards and care deeply about
their fellow citizens. If they are ignored in the mainstream media, our
democracy will suffer for it.”
Resources
Although written from the US
legal context, the Rev Matt Kennedy, an ACNA priest, shares advice, based on
his experience, in “21 Lessons
Learned during the Lawsuit”.
A Presbyterian pastor offers advice to help fellow pastors become better listeners. Pastors, he says “are horrible listeners… some of the worst
listeners I have ever been around”!
Chuckles
at work
In the
course of a job interview, the human resources director asked the young
applicant: "If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead, who
would it be?"
Nonplussed,
the nervous applicant replied: "The living one."
A sergeant in a parachute
regiment often took part in night-time exercises. Once, seated next to a nervous-looking
lieutenant fresh from jump school, the sergeant tried to make
conversation.
"Scared, lieutenant?" he
asked.
"No, just a bit
apprehensive," came the reply.
"What's the
difference?" asked the sergeant.
"It
means I'm scared, but with a university education.”
Patient: How much will it cost me
to have this tooth extracted?
Dentist: $300
Patient: $300 for just a few
minutes work?! Man, that's expensive.
Dentist: Okay, I'll pull it out
slowly if you prefer.
Courtesy: Mikey’s Funnies, www.mikeysFunnies.com
Computer
“bumper sticker”
As for
me and my mouse, we will serve the Lord!
(Courtesy:
Mikey’s Funnies, www.mikeysFunnies.com)
Please
pray...
For a speedy recovery for ANiC’s Chancellor
Mrs Cheryl Chang who recently had arthroscopic surgery to relieve chronic
shoulder pain.
For the Rev Brian Kirby (Parksville, BC) who was recently in hospital with acute angina.
For our bishops and clergy and
their families – especially clergy wives battling illness.
For ANiC projects, church plants
and parishes, and for their proclamation of Good News to those in their
communities who desperately need new life in Christ. Especially pray for:
| • |
The Asian Ministries outreaches
in the Vancouver area to Chinese restaurant workers |
| • |
Good Shepherd House (Sioux
Lookout, ON) outreaches to the community |
For the planning and preparations
for ANiC’s 2010 synod in Ottawa, November 4-6.
For funding of the Anglican
Relief & Development Fund Canada’s Kenya Malaria
Prevention Project. Donations
are urgently needed to begin this life-saving and life-changing project.
For much
needed donations to the legal cases and disputes involving ANiC congregations:
| • |
For the Vancouver-area
parishes appealing the earlier court decision, including a recent costs award
against the parish trustees, as well as for their legal counsel Geoff Cowper
& Stanley Martin as they prepare for the appeal to be heard Sept
13-16. Particularly pray for St
Matthew’s Abbotsford as the Diocese of New Westminster seeks to hold services
in their church. |
| • |
For the Ottawa congregations which are newly embroiled in legal action. |
| • |
For St Aidan’s in Windsor,
as litigation is about to move forward, increasing 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 dioceses pursuing eviction of and legal damages against ANiC congregations and wardens. |
| • |
That we would seek to glorify God by our
conduct in all court proceedings. |
For those in positions of
leadership and influence in the Anglican Communion, that they would seek to
honour and obey God above all else.
For Christians in Pakistan,
Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Uganda and Congo who are suffering violent opposition.
For repentance and revival
in our nation – a new hunger for God and a thirst for His Word.
And now a word from our sponsor
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit
says, “Today, if you hear his voice,do not
harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the
wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty
years. Therefore I was provoked
with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they
have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my
rest.’”
Take care, brothers, lest there
be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the
living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,”
that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come
to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end…
So then, there remains a Sabbath
rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested
from his works as God did from his.
Let us therefore strive to enter
that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.For the word of God is living and active, sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of
joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the
eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 3:7-14; 4:9-13 ESV
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