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Handle with prayer!
News – ANiC and AEN
Synod only days away
Registration – With
synod starting in a couple days, you need to get your registration in quickly
if you wish to attend.
Transportation – If
you’ve already registered and would like to request transportation to and/or
from the airport or train station, you can make your wishes known by completing a
short online form. A
team of volunteers in Ottawa will try to meet your requests.
Prayer – There
will be people praying on-site, upholding ANiC and the synod before the Throne
of Grace. We encourage parishes to
also spend time during synod praying – preferably in a corporate fashion –
for our diocese and the meeting. Thank you!
Video/webcasting –
We had bad news this week. Kevin
Kallsen of AnglicanTV has had to cancel – due to family needs – and
now will not be able to come to synod. We are looking into alternatives, but
webcasting of synod is now highly unlikely – for which we sincerely
apologize.
Keynote speaker – Lauding
ANiC synod’s keynote speaker, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, for his courageous
engagement with culture and politics, prominent British columnist Melanie
Philips wrote in The
Spectator, “Such remarks illustrate once
again why Nazir-Ali is the lost leader of the Church of England. At this
critical juncture for the west, with its bedrock ethical values under such
threat from both within and without, Nazir-Ali would have made a fitting
Archbishop of Canterbury. Instead, he was effectively hounded out of Britain by
the craven liberal Church establishment.”
Report from Kenya – the ARDFC malaria reduction project is moving
forward!
We received an interim report on the malaria
reduction project from the Diocese of Maseno West. The initial training of 120 community health
volunteers – out of a planned total of 200 – is now complete and
the implementation will soon start. You can see some photos and read the
report.
How best to select
bishops?
That is what people were
discussing in this AEC blog
post. Interestingly,
many of the commenters seem to favour the way ANiC selected our bishops in
2008/9 – rather than the more common democratic election process. What do you think? Join the discussions on the AEC blog!
Evangelist Marney Patterson honoured; Invitation to Live Ministries
winding down
After 44 years of
ministry under the banner of Invitation to Live Ministries (ITL),
the Rev Dr Marney Patterson and his wife Joan announced at their annual
Thanksgiving Luncheon that ITL will wind down at the end of this year. Bishop
Charlie Masters, who represented ANiC at the celebration, reports that, in a
stirring testimony, Marney spoke of the Lord’s plans and ways and gave glory to
God as he reflected on his decades of evangelism ministry throughout Canada and
around the world. He made it clear that, while ITL – an organization Marney
founded and led – is closing down, as long as he has breath, he always
wants to preach the gospel and lead people to Christ. Then after the October 30th
luncheon in Burlington, ON, Marney did just that – he preached and
invited people to respond.
Bishop Charlie delivered and read a number of letters
of greeting. In his letter, Bishop Don Harvey reminisces that it was only one
year ago that Marney moved from under the direct jurisdiction of Archbishop
Venables of the Southern Cone to ANiC. Archbishop Bob Duncan’s congratulatory
note stated, “Marney…
You are the most senior active priest of the Anglican Network in Canada… you
have proclaimed the Gospel to more people around the globe than any other
Canadian Anglican in history.”
The Anglican Gathering of Ottawa has a new website
The Anglican Gathering
of Ottawa, a fellowship of biblically-faithful Anglicans in the
Ottawa area, has a new website.
2011 Liturgical calendar posted
The Rev Tom Carman (St Aidan’s, Windsor, ON) has
kindly prepared a 2011 Liturgical Calendar which is now available on the ANiC
website.
Now hiring…
Please remember these needs in prayer:
The Asian Mission in Canada, under Bishop Stephen
Leung, is hiring a Ministry Assistant, for a five-month project from December 1
to 30 April 2011. See details on the ANiC website (scroll down and look under News).
Anglican
Network Church of the Good Shepherd (Vancouver, BC) is seeking an associate
priest to work with Bishop Leung.
St Andrew’s (Tsawwassen, BC) is seeking a
priest who is also a church planter.
Parish news
Christ The King (Toronto) launched a new website just in time
for their commissioning service on October 24 – attended by over 100. They also announced
their new rector! The
Rev Ray David Glenn will assume the role in addition to his current pastoral
responsibilities for St George’s (Burlington). With Christ The King (Toronto) holding Sunday evening
services, the Rev Glenn will be able to serve both, much like a two-point
parish.
If your parish has news that would be of interest
to others in ANiC, please email Marilyn or call 1-866-351-2642 extension 4020.
Calendar of upcoming events – for your interest and prayer support
Nov 3 – Clergy day, Ottawa, ON
Nov 4-6 – ANiC synod with featured
speaker Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Ottawa, ON
Nov 14 – International
day of prayer for the persecuted church
Nov 12-17 - +Charlie speaks at
information meetings around New Brunswick
Nov 21, 3pm – Four to be ordained priests, Broadmoor Baptist Church, Richmond,
BC.
Jan 25-27 – ACNA 2011 church planting summit in Plano, TX with speaker Tim Keller
Jan 25-31 – Anglican Communion Primates Meeting
(Dublin, Ireland)
March 29-31 – ANiC’s
2011 pastors’ retreat near Abbotsford, BC
News shorts – Anglican Church in North
America (ACNA)
Archbishop Duncan’s address to the Lausanne Congress on World
Evangelization
Speaking recently at the Lausanne Congress on World
Evangelization in Cape Town South Africa, our Primate, Archbishop Bob Duncan focused on the spiritual value of suffering for the Gospel and the role of the Global
South in supporting those in developed nations who are marginalized for their
Biblically-faithful convictions. He said:
The ecclesiastical ruthlessness of the Episcopal
Church and the Anglican Church of Canada - removing bishops, clergy and even
lay leaders who stood in opposition, coupled with civil legal proceedings
confiscating congregational and diocesan properties - might well have succeeded
in crushing every one who dared to stand in opposition, but for one thing: the
intervention of orthodox Anglicans from the Global South… The
colonial ecclesiastical power structure was being turned upside-down. The
crisis in America - and the willingness of peoples formerly subjugated by the West
to "rescue" Westerners - is one of the principal factors in
explaining what is happening in world-wide Anglicanism today. This
"godly rescue," together with the willingness of many North Americans
to stand no matter what the cost, is why the Anglican Church in North America,
of which I am Archbishop and Primate, now exists, and why it is experiencing
extraordinary growth despite all that has come against us from the old
hierarchies and the wayward culture.
Archbishop Duncan also noted that, “The average Anglican is now a woman, an African, a
mother, and under the age of 20. We are not the Church of England anymore.” And later he added “For us in the
Anglican Church in North America we believe God has set us to planting 1000 new
churches in our first five years of life. 1 or 2 potential church-planters
contacts our office every day! 500 will gather at our Anglican 1000 Summit in
January. What is equally astounding is what I call “Anglican fever” on
university and seminary campuses. Five weeks ago, Dean Timothy George of Beeson
School of Theology in Birmingham, Alabama, a school of Baptist foundation,
informed me that “the fastest growing group of students are the Anglicans.””
Reminder…
Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit, January 25-27
Registration
is now open for the annual Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit featuring keynote speakers Tim Keller and Bishop Todd Hunter – both of
whom are leading church planting networks, one on the east coast and one on the
west. Summit 2011 is January 25-27, 2011 in Plano,
Texas. Special rates are available for active church planter and seminary
students; just email staff@anglican1000.org for more
information. Early bird rates last only through October.
Website – a church
planting tool
Hoping
to attract disaffected Anglicans and Christians interested in helping launch
ACNA churches in the San Francisco area, Father Ed McNeill has launched www.sanfranciscoanglicans.org.
Anglican Relief &
Development Fund (US) achieves accreditation for stewardship
The
US-based Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) has issued accreditation to the Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF). The ARDF is
the US-based relief and development arm of the ACNA and the counterpart to
Canada’s ARDF-Canada (or ARDFC). ARDF was founded in 2007; ARDFC was launched in 2010. The ECFA’s accreditation is based
on the ECFA Seven
Standards of Responsible Stewardship™, including financial
accountability, transparency, sound board governance and ethical fund-raising.
Litigation update
In the San Joaquin case, the panel of judges
hearing the appeal were reported
by the Fresno Bee to be confused by the issues and uncertain whether
the court had authority to rule on church matters. While TEC argues that it is
a hierarchical organization from which dioceses may not secede, the Diocese of
San Joaquin, which is now in the ACNA, argues that TEC is an association of
dioceses. The Anglican Curmudgeon provides more
detail on the case.
In Fort Worth, Texas, TEC has filed a fourth law
suit, this time against Bishop Jack Iker personally. All four suits are based
on “much the same grounds” according to the Diocese of Fort
Worth’s statement which notes:
“There can no longer be any doubt that this
litigation is intended to harass, intimidate, bankrupt, and divert the
Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, its Corporation, and its leadership –
particularly Bishop Iker – from carrying out the mission of the Church… Clearly, this suit is but the latest attempt to
demonize Bishop Iker and ignore the decision by an overwhelming majority of
delegates to two diocesan conventions – where the Bishop himself has no
vote – to separate from TEC. Over and over, the complaint speaks of the
Diocese, its Web site, parishes, assessment income – even the worship
services themselves – as if they belong to Bishop Iker personally. The
fact is that the TEC-led minority lost, but it has not been gracious. Its
leadership is embittered. The suit’s claims of “unfair competition” and “public
confusion and harm” are frivolous and would be laughable if not for the fact
that litigation and personal animosity damage the cause of the Gospel. It is time for this wasteful mockery of
Christian doctrine and of the civil court system to stop. However, if the
minority continues to bring trumped-up charges, we will continue to defend
ourselves.
Speaking at a Forward in
Faith gathering in Britain, Bishop Iker summarized
and explained the lawsuits. While he did so in a humourous way, he
concluded:
“…the Diocese of Fort Worth, up until this recent
lawsuit… has spent over one million dollars in attorney's fees defending
ourselves… It's expected that whatever happens… will get appealed... So our
attorneys… have estimated that we'll probably, before this is over, spend
between three and a half to four and a half million dollars in litigation. So pray for us that we don't get
consumed by all that and we can remain focused… on the mission of the Church --
building up the Body of Christ, reaching out to the world, to the unchurched…
“The last thing I'll say is that the (Anglican)
Ordinariate option is very much on hold for us because all the property in the
Diocese is involved in this litigation. So there is no way we can talk about
releasing a congregation with assets and building property and go into the
Ordinariate until the final decision of the courts in Texas about who actually
owns the property… [However] a total number of five of our young priests, some
of our brightest, most gifted, who since the Ordinariate concept was announced,
have decided they can't remain. They're going to go individually, with their
families, into the Roman (Catholic) Church.”
More ACNA news
Daily American
[Somerset, PA] – Oct 19 2010 – Two local
churches slated to get new homes…
Murrysville Star –
October 28 2010 – Anglican
churches participate in effort to read 100 Bible passages [in ACNA
Diocese of Pittsburgh]
News shorts – Canada
Conference on “changing landscape of Church & Mission, November
16-18, Toronto
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is inviting
pastors and ministry leaders to the Hinge
Conference on how to
respond to the changing landscape in Canada.
Parliament begins to
debate Coercive Abortion Bill
LifeSiteNews
reports that “Roxanne’s Law”, a private members bill designed to
criminalize the coercion of pregnant women into having abortions is up for
debate on November 1. The bill is nick-named after a young pregnant Canadian
who was murdered by her boyfriend in 2007 when she refused to have an abortion.
Earlier, the Prime Minister’s office denounced the bill, saying it was an
attempt to reopen the abortion debate.
Diocese of Toronto
quietly ordains priest in same sex marriage
VirtueOnline
reports that “The Bishop of Toronto, Colin Johnson, recently
ordained as priest a woman who is married to another female priest in the Diocese of Toronto. Now you should
know that Bishop Johnson sits on the International
Theological Commission of the Anglican Communion. So the question is:
how objective can he be about same sex marriages or openly gay priests?” Photos of the event are posted to Holy Trinity Toronto’s
website.
Anglican Church of
Canada (ACoC) House of Bishops meet
Based on the reports from the ACoC House of Bishops meeting, we learn
that:
Archbishop Fred Hiltz recognizes there is “a lot of tension within the
group” of global Anglican Primates scheduled to meet in January and “some
Primates seem unwilling to come to the table with everyone present.” According to the Anglican Journal, he suggested
to the gathered bishops that the Archbishop of Canterbury may accommodate this
concern by arranging separate prior meetings of the two factions.
In their statement, the bishops of the Anglican
Church of Canada indicated they are getting weary of talking about sexuality
and being lobbying by special interest groups. They also confirmed they will strictly limit media and
public access to their meetings.
The Journal reports that “The
joint meeting included 42 Anglican bishops and six bishops in the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada.”
Members of the laity also seem to be tiring of the ongoing dialogue
on sexuality with few responding to the most recent attempt – an effort
to elicit responses to the Pastoral Statement issued by the June 2010 general
synod. However, the Primate seems
to agree with the view that this statement, “bought us some time”.
The Diocese of Montreal looks at shared episcopal ministry
The Anglican
Journal reports that “Parishes and priests not on board with the
openness of the diocese of Montreal and its bishop to the blessing of same-sex
unions may get access in the new year to spiritual guidance from a bishop more
in tune with their views.” Bishop Barry
Clarke said he would reveal the details in a formal presentation to the
diocesan council in January – however he emphasized that the oversight both
be shared between himself and the alternative bishop. Suggesting that the move was designed to stem the
hemorrhaging of people from the diocese, he said recent decisions had “…pushed
people to leave our church…” However, the Church of
England Newspaper notes, “Past programmes for alternative episcopal
oversight in Canada have foundered, however, with liberal bishops and their
traditionalist congregations unable to agree on the bishops providing the
oversight and their powers.”
Other Canadian news
Church of England Newspaper – Oct 27 2010 – Igloo
Cathedral fundraising campaign half way…
Anglican Journal – October 26 2010 – Lutheran and
Anglican bishops brainstorm solutions…
Anglican Journal – October 21 2010 – Partnerships
department closed in… restructuring
News shorts – US
First TEC church joins Roman Catholic Church as an “Anglican-use” parish
A small Baltimore Episcopal Church (TEC) congregation
has voted to accept the Pope’s offer of October 2009 and join the Roman
Catholic Church while retaining aspects of Anglican worship. The Baltimore Sun
article suggests, “…the process is not easy and the members will
have to negotiate with the Episcopal Diocese to keep its building. Under
Episcopal canons, the property is held in trust for the diocese and national
church. However, the deed of the property is held in the name of the parish.”
The Presiding Bishop talks about leadership
In a video
interview with the Washington Post, Episcopal Church Presiding
Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori talks about leadership. The comments are interesting in light of
her actions. While she actively
pursues “scorched earth” litigation, she talks of her grand vision as a leader
of “a world where people live together in justice and at peace and where the
broken things are healed”. She
continues that “my challenges in the next few years are going to be about
governance and management. We have
a very complex governance structure that involves a great many people that’ not
agile or nimble. It’s not ready
and really capable of adapting to rapid change… we have to be more nimble… it’s
very hard for people who are deeply invested in their piece of the power
structure or their piece of tradition that they believe should be unchanging.” And so she acts unilaterally in
defiance of established church canons.
Speaking
later at a women’s conference, the Presiding Bishop said courage was
key to her leadership.
The growing campaign to derail orthodox Bishop-elect Dan Martins
Immediately after the Diocese of Springfield
elected orthodox priest, formerly of the Diocese of San Joaquin, the Rev Dan
Martins, liberals in the church have been working feverishly to thwart his installation. In TEC, other bishops and diocesan
standing committees must consent to the election of a new bishop. The Episcopal Church’s Episcopal
Café reports that a letter has now been sent to the dioceses and
bishops, “…before the consent process is in full swing, so that those Bishops
and Standing Committees receiving the letter will have a chance to review pertinent
information about Daniel Martins and his involvement in the attempted
separation of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin from the Episcopal Church.”
A group of California newspapers has published
a rather biased story which includes quotes from the Rev Martins in
which he explains that he worked behind the scenes to prevent the (now ACNA) Diocese
of San Joaquin from leaving the Episcopal Church despite his overt support for
the realignment and his orthodox beliefs.
More TEC dioceses sound alarm regarding power grab by Presiding Bishop
The Living Church
reports that the dioceses of Dallas and Western Louisiana have
joined the Diocese of South Carolina in expressing their alarm and concern
about changes due to be implemented next summer to TEC’s Title IV canons
regarding clergy discipline. Bishop James Stanton (Dallas) is quoted saying, “The more we looked at Title IV, we began to realize
what we have here is a constitutional crisis. Much of our concern has to do
with due process for clergy and protections for clergy… I think it’s important
for every diocese and clergy especially, to look very carefully at this.”
Legal costs create financial strain in the Episcopal Church
Although the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church (TEC) suggests legal costs are declining for her Church, others who have
examined the numbers find the statement incredulous. A Church of
England article states, “…according to an analysis performed by
canon lawyer Allan Haley, the national church and its dioceses have dedicated
over $21,650,000 to lawsuits and disciplinary actions against the clergy.” Despite
the church’s refusal to provide a detailed accounting of litigation expenses,
Mr Haley, who is known for his blog the Anglican Curmudgeon, has undertaken
extensive analysis of various church reports and financial statements.
In a recent blog, Mr Haley
reports that TEC’s executive council has approved taking out a loan
of up to $60 million dollars and mortgaging its headquarters building.
Meanwhile the executive council refuse to address the Presiding Bishop’s
unfettered spending on “dozens and dozens of lawsuits” across the country
directed against former Episcopalians. Haley concludes that, “The Church is in
a deadly, downward spiral of declining membership, declining revenues and
greatly increased debt.”
The Episcopal Church and the “havoc that is likely to ensue”
The Church of
England Newspaper offers an excellent insight into the state of
affairs in the Episcopal Church, shown through the courageous resistance by the
Diocese of South Carolina to the surreptitious but rapid expansion of the
Presiding Bishop’s powers.
Other US news
Anglican Curmudgeon – October 28 2010 – Bishop
Lawrence: How to do it right
News shorts – International
Lausanne – South Africa
Global Anglican leaders played a leading role in
the recent Lausanne Congress
on World Evangelization in South Africa – an historic,
evangelical, inter-denominational gathering. Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi (Uganda) served as honourary
chair of the event and a panel of Anglican archbishops, including ACNA’s
Archbishop Bob Duncan, addressed the Congress.
Some Anglican speakers of particular note included:
While in South Africa,
five Communion leaders – Archbishops John Chew (S E Asia), Henry Orombi
(Uganda), Robert Duncan (ACNA) and Mouneer Anis (Middle East) and Assisting
Bishop Glenn Davies (Sydney, Australia) – spoke to a special Lausanne
Congress meeting on issues facing Anglicans. VirtueOnline
reports that Archbishop Orombi told the meeting that “the Anglican
Communion is torn at the deepest level with no hope of ever being
repaired. A realignment is now
well under way and will conclude with the birth of a new [Anglican] baby. It
will be difficult, but all in good time.” He said while the “Global North” debated sexuality, the church in the Global
South was busy evangelizing and growing.
Archbishop Venables (Southern Cone) and the official Communion
structures
In an excellent
AnglicanTV interview, well worth 17 minutes of your time, Archbishop
Greg Venables candidly discusses the shift in power in the Communion’s official
structures. He says, “It’s just so
obvious that there is a growing… unconstitutional move to take hold of
authority and to steer things but… it hasn’t been discussed and it hasn’t been
approved…” Then he adds that if the official Communion structures listened to
the majority in the Communion, orthodox Christianity would hold sway. “Sadly, a
small minority have got hold of… the control of things so there is a complete
division between that small little group who are calling the shots and the vast
majority who can stand up and say that Jesus Christ is Lord…”
Speaking of the now infamous Indaba thrust within
the Communion, he indicated that the dialogue process is weighted on the
liberal side and is used to infiltrate faithful provinces and dioceses.
On the recent sanctions applied by Canon Kenneth Kearon,
Secretary General of the Communion, Archbishop Venables said, “we are flummoxed…
we are just rather amazed”. Contrary
to Canon Kearon’s statement, Archbishop Venables says he had spoken with the
Archbishop of Canterbury and had twice had telephone discussions with Canon
Kearon on the charges levied against the Southern Cone of cross-border
interventions in North America. In those calls, Archbishop Greg had said it
would be necessary for the Southern Cones’ House of Bishops and central committee
to meet in order to formulate an official reply as it was those bodies which
made the original decision to provide sanctuary to North Americans. Canon Kearon’s statement levying
sanctions against the Southern Cone came just two weeks before those bodies
were to meet.
Commenting on this interview, a Church of
England article notes, “The
fracas over Canon Kearon’s June letter is not the first breakdown in
communications between the ACC and the Southern Cone, as Bishop Venables told
AnglicanTV he never received a copy of the revised Anglican Consultative
Council constitution that was to have been distributed to the provinces before
it was adopted this summer. One
senior Global South leader told CEN he was troubled by the implication that
Canon Kearon could make demands upon the primates and the provinces. The
ACC secretary general has “no authority” to dictate to the communion, he
observed.”
Canon Phil Ashey of the American Anglican Council
wrote in the AAC’s October 29th, newsletter that, “The House of Bishops of the Anglican province of the Southern Cone will
be meeting this weekend to discuss a variety of matters. Among them will
be the unprecedented action by the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion,
purportedly on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Communion, asking
Bishop Tito Zavala of Chile [Church of the Southern Cone] to withdraw from the
Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order (IASCUFO).”
Canon Ashey provides a thorough review of the facts
leading up to this and concludes that “…there is no rational, doctrinal or
disciplinary ground to administer the same sanctions to Bishop Zavala as were
given to the representatives of TEC… the Southern Cone is in firm compliance
with Lambeth Resolution 1.10 and upholds it as among the reasons for its
cross-provincial intervention in North America to protect Anglicans distressed
by the innovations of TEC and ACoC.”
Please pray for Archbishop Greg Venables and the leaders
of the Southern Cone.
Archbishop Orombi interview: Growth in Uganda; No more games in
Communion
In a VirtueOnline
interview, Archbishop Henry Orombi, Primate of the Anglican Church
of Uganda, commented on the spiritual vitality of the Church in Uganda. He said, “We have more than 10 million
practicing Anglicans. We have a vibrancy in our churches and that is reflected
in our presence in the country. Both our president and the head of the military
are practicing Anglicans. We are growing so fast we are creating three more
dioceses in the next three years.”
When asked about the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr
Rowan Williams, Archbishop Orombi was very candid, saying, “Sadly he plays the
diplomacy game but we won't buy into it anymore. He talks to one group and
agrees with them and then he talks to Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori and
Archbishop Fred Hiltz (Canada) and agrees with them. We will no longer play
that game. It is over. We want to know definitively if he shares the theology
of Mrs. Jefferts Schori… Those who understood knew he was hiding something. He
double dealt. We never knew where he stood with the other group. He constantly
played hide and seek. No more. We won't play that game anymore with him. He
avoided any finality in discussions with him. He avoids a final scenario all
the time.”
On the Primates Meeting called by the Archbishop of
Canterbury for January in Ireland, He said, “No orthodox primate will go to
Ireland. Unless Rowan Williams uninvites the US and Canadian Primates, you can
count us out.”
Archbishop of Canterbury: "Despite
challenges, Anglican Communion life is strong”
While visiting in India,
Dr Rowan Williams told The Hindu newspaper that:
“The decision of the
American Church to go forward, as it has, with the ordination of a lesbian
bishop has, I think, set us back. At the moment I'm not certain how we will
approach the next primates' meeting, but regrettably some of the progress that
I believe we had made has not remained steady. Alongside that, and I think this is important, while the
institutions of the Communion struggle, in many ways the mutual life of the
Communion, the life of exchange and co-operation between different parts of our
Anglican family, is quite strong and perhaps getting stronger. It's a
paradox. We are working more
closely together on issues of development than we did before…We have also had
quite a successful programme on the standards and criteria for theological
education across the Communion. So, a very mixed picture…
“I feel that we may yet
have to face the possibility of deeper divisions. I don't at all like, or want
to encourage, the idea of a multi-tier organisation. But that would, in my
mind, be preferable to complete chaos and fragmentation… to the extent that the
Communion has not fractured beyond repair and the Church of England is still
engaged in shared discussion of these things, I don't think I have yet failed
completely! But time will tell.”
News in brief from around the world and around the Communion
Iraq – The BBC reports that a Roman Catholic Church was attacked by al-Qaeda and about 100 gathered
for evening mass were held hostage. After Iraqi security forces stormed the church, a reported 37 died,
included about 25 hostages.
England – Church wardens of St Peter’s,
Folkestone, a parish in Canterbury have written their diocesan bishop, the Archbishop of Canterbury, requesting a meeting to
discuss joining the Anglican Ordinariate being established by the Roman
Catholic Church. Meanwhile, Dr
Williams has suggested a joint Roman Catholic – Church of England working group to oversee
conversions to the Roman Catholic Church. Earlier Bishop John Broadhurst
(Fulham) announced he intends to convert and at least two other bishops are rumoured to be
considering the move. Others in
the Church of England are
attempting to insulate their members from the anticipated
consecration of female bishops by creating a Religious Society for conservative
evangelicals.
South Africa – Following the recent Lausanne
Congress in Cape Town, the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which grew out
of the GAFCon movement, held a second
national meeting in that country from October 27-29. Anglican Mainstream reports that two
ACNA bishops played prominent roles along side bishops from South Africa and
elsewhere in the Global South.
Pakistan – CatholicCulture.org
reports that “Violence against Christian girls is “unfortunately
common” in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.” The article recounts case after
case of young girls raped, abused and murdered – and their Christian
families so terrified of reprisals they do not press charges. The article concludes by quoting one
source saying, “Episodes of violence and abuse of Christian girls are part of
daily life. Those that make the news are just the tip of the iceberg.”
Compass
Direct News reports that Christians in Pakistan are being coerced
into slavery, and are tortured if they refuse – then the police charge
and jail the victims.
Uganda – the Church of
England Newspaper reports that 82,000 Ugandans participated in a
two-day interdenominational Christian rally in Kampala that united more than
1000 churches – including many from the Anglican Church of Uganda. The
rally was led by evangelist Andrew Palau.
Sudan – VirtueOnline
reports that the secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance
(WEA) – which represents 128 national evangelical alliances in seven
regions with some 420 million people – has pledged action to ensure that
the January 9 referendum on Southern Sudan's future is a success. To achieve
this, “the WEA will mobilize its entire global community to pray for a free,
fair and safe referendum; ask its National alliances to lobby their respective
governments to support the timeline of the referendum; send international
observers to the Sudan for the referendum; launch a Peace for Sudan Fund,
support holistic development and call upon all governments to play their part
in ensuring that the Khartoum government protects the human rights and
religious freedom of all people.” The fear is that the Muslim government in Khartoum will attempt to
thwart a free and fair referendum since the South is likely to vote for
independence. The specter of a civil war is very real.
Other international news
Church of England Newspaper – Oct 22 2010 – Sydney synod
backs lay presidency of… Eucharist
Soul food
Just for laughs
The minister gave his Sunday morning service, as
usual, but this particular Sunday, it was considerably longer than normal.
Later, at the door, shaking hands with parishioners
as they moved out, one man said, "Your sermon, Pastor, was simply
wonderful -so invigorating and inspiring and refreshing."
The minister of course, broke out in a big smile,
only to hear the man add, "I felt like a new man when I woke up!"
www.mikeysFunnies.com
Thought
A man without mirth is like a wagon without
springs. He is jolted disagreeably
by every pebble in the road. ~
Henry Ward Beecher
October 31 – Reformation Day
Writing on
the blog Between Two Worlds, Justin Taylor reminds us that “This
Sunday is Halloween. But more importantly, it’s Reformation Day—when the
church celebrates and commemorates October 31, 1517. It was on this day (a Saturday) that a 33-year-old theology
professor at Wittenberg University walked over to the Castle Church in
Wittenberg and nailed a paper of 95 theses to the door, hoping to spark an academic
discussion about their contents. In God’s providence and unbeknownst to
anyone else that day, it would become a key event in igniting the Reformation.”
Please pray...
For ANiC’s 2010 synod in Ottawa, November 4-6. For
safety in travel. For a stirring of the Holy Spirit. For unity in mind and
Spirit.
For our bishops and clergy and their families –
especially those 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.
For the three BC Court of Appeal
judges considering their decision regarding the use and beneficial ownership of
four ANiC parish properties and a bequest, as well as the awarding of court
costs.
For the other legal challenges
faced by ANiC parishes, including:
| • |
The mediation process involving St
George’s & St Alban’s (Ottawa) and their former Anglican Church of Canada
diocese. |
| • |
The ongoing litigation involving St
Aidan’s (Windsor) and the ANiC parishes in the Niagara Diocese region,
resulting in mounting expenses |
For all the congregations involved in court proceedings and disputes. Pray for a continued focus on, and blessing upon, their
ministry in the midst of this turmoil. Pray for peace for the wardens and trustees who are on the front lines
and bear the burden of risk and responsibility.
For the leaders and parishioners
of the dioceses pursuing eviction of and legal damages against ANiC
congregations and wardens.
For much needed donations to the
legal cases and disputes involving ANiC congregations.
For funding of the ARDFC’s malaria prevention project in Kenya.
For persecuted Christians,
especially in Muslim lands.
For a fair and peaceful
referendum in the Sudan in January.
For repentance and revival in our
hearts and in our nation – as well as a hunger for God and a thirst for
His Word.
For Archbishop Greg Venables and the leaders of the
Southern Cone as they are now being persecuted by Anglican Communion leaders
for assisting us in North America.
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.
And now a word from our sponsor
We
who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and
not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to
build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The
reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in
former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through
the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
May
the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with
one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,that together you may with one
voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome
one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
For
I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's
truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in
order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise
you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
And again it is said, “Rejoice,
O Gentiles, with his people.”
And again, “Praise the
Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.”
And again Isaiah says, “The
root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will
the Gentiles hope.”
May the God of hope fill
you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy
Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:1-13 ESV
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