Bishop’s Note – Assembly 2019: Renewing our Call to the Great Commission

Bishop Eric Menees

This week I’ve been in Dallas Texas for the 2019 Assembly of the Anglican Church in North America. This has been a busy week, beginning with meetings of the College of Bishops where we re-elected Archbishop Foley Beach for a second term as Archbishop of the Province. This re-election comes on the heels of his appointment as Chairman of the Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON) Primates Council. We are all extremely proud of our Archbishop and the impact that he, the ACNA, and GAFCON have had in the spread of the gospel worldwide.

The College of Bishops also presented to the Church the 2019 Book of Common Prayer. What a beautiful gift the prayer book has been to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church! This new prayer book captures the historic faith dating back to the first centuries but also provides us with the tools for Common Prayer and Worship for the twenty first century! It is my expectation that, except for specific missional purposes, the new 2019 BCP will be the standard for prayer and worship in the Diocese of San Joaquin.

The Provincial Council met next and established new structures for ministry throughout the province with five primary categories or “round tables.” The five round tables are:

Every Tribe and Nation Network - Under this round table will come the ministry that reaches out to immigrants from all over the world. Our first meeting had representatives from Uganda, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Mexico, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Matthew 25 - Under this round table will come the Mercy Ministries of the province, such as work with prisoners, the homeless, legal aid clinics, victims of violence and those enslaved in human trafficking.

Always Forward - Under this round table will come Church Planting Ministry of the province. In 2018 25 new congregations were planted in the province.

Next Generation - Under this round table will come ministries focused on raising up, training, equipping and deploying the next generation of leaders in the province.

Global Mission Partners - Under this round table will come our ministry to the Global Anglican Communion.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Assembly 2019 was the emphasis on Discipleship and Renewing Our Call to the Great Commission through Worshipshops, and plenary sessions devoted to “Making Disciples of All Nations.”

What an honor it has been for me to represent the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin along with Fr. Jack Estes, Dr. Bill Atwood, Mr. Jim Doe, Ms. Beth Conkle, Fr. David & Betty Miller, Ms. Dolores Vargas, Ms. Anne Marcalo, Mr. Dewayne McDowell, Mr. Andy Ehrhart, and Dcn. Melinda Barrow.

May the Lord bless and keep you all!