Nevada Anglicans

As the Anglican Church of North America is being birthed, three new churches have been planted in Nevada. Little Church in the Valley, Reno, Sierra Anglican, Reno and Jesus the Good Shepherd, Henderson..

Little Church in the Valley is a parish consisting of orthodox Anglican, Lutheran, and United Methodist members. Their priest, Fr. Karry D. Crites, graduated from CDSP in 1990, and was ordained priest that same year. He was pastor of St. Francis Episcopal / Grace United Methodist Church, Lovelock, Nevada from 1990-6, ELM Community Church - Reno, Nevada from 1997-2008, and transferred to the Anglican Church of Uganda in December 2008. Fr. Karry is also a hospice chaplain. Little Church in the Valley is a friendly congregation that seeks to be transformed by their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The parish has an active Bible Study program as well as other special activities including an annual camping trip with Sunday Worship at a local lake. They meet at Little Church in the Valley, 9301 Lemmon Drive, Reno , Nevada 89506. Their website is www.littlechurchinthevalley.org . Fr. Karry can be reached at frkarry490@aol.com.

Sierra Anglican Church, also in Reno, is pastured by Fr. Ron Longero. Before Fr. Longero recently arrived, they had been served by Fr. Brian Foos of St. Andrews Academy and Christ the Redeemer Church in nearby Lake Almanor, California. They were also blessed by Fr. Jim Obermeyer from Phoenix, Arizona who is part of the Anglican Missions in the Americans-AMiA.

In May of 2008, Fr. Ron Longero relocated from Kansas to his home town of Carson City, Nevada. He was invited to lead his first service at Sierra Anglican on February 15th. Rev. Longero is a graduate of the Nashotah House Seminary. He is in the process of being received into the AMiA network of oversight and supervision.

They are meeting at Mountain View Montessori School, 565 Zolezzi Lane, Reno, NV, 89511. Their websited is www.sierra-anglican..org. Fr. Longero can be reached at ron_longero@sierra-anglican.org.

Jesus the Good Shepherd Anglican Church is currently meeting in private homes through Lent and will launch on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009! They will be meeting at the Hampton Inn and Suites at 421 W. Astaire Rd, Henderson, NV 89014.

Fr. Howard and his wife, Deacon Erin Giles are clergy of the Diocese of San Joaquin and met at CDSP in 2000. They were subsequently married, graduated, ordained and have been serving churches in the Central Valley of California since 2005. Along with a strong core group, they are praying for a church that will be catholic, evangelical and charismatic. The Lord has given them the 34^th chapter of Ezekiel, specifically verse 16 as a founding text. Fr. Howard says that “We are committed to seeking those who are lost, bringing again those who were driven away, binding up those who are broken, and strengthening those who are sick.�

Their website can be found at www.goodshepherdhenderson.info. Fr. Howard can be reached at howard@goodshepherdhenderson.info.

Nevada Anglicans are committed to the Common Cause, to GAFCON and are looking forward to being united in the Anglican Church of North America. Please join them for worship and fellowship as they serve the Lord our God!

Anglican Coalition in Canada Welcomes New Province

Written by aciccom

Saturday, 06 December 2008 18:06

Dec 6^th 2008- Vancouver, Canada

The Anglican Coalition in Canada is pleased to announce its full participation in the emerging Province called the Anglican Church in North America. This new province was called into existence by the GAFCON Primates, representing the vast majority of the Anglican Church worldwide.

The Rev Barclay Mayo, National ACiC Network Leader, commented: “Who would have believed 10 years ago when we were in the midst of painful challenges that we would see the day when faithful Anglicans would be working together in unity? We were told repeatedly that it couldn't be done, that we were too divided, that our differences were too great. God has shown the impossible to be possible.”

Peter Turner, a Canadian member of the Provincial ACiNA Council which just met in Chicago, said that “we are excited to be full founding partners with our other Canadian Anglican jurisdictions, including ANiC, CANA, and the Reformed Episcopal Church. We are committed to working together in unity for the sake of blessing Canada and North America.”

Over 700 congregations representing around 100,000 faithful Canadian and American Anglicans have come together in the birthing of a new Anglican Province for North America. We are uniting across theological, ethnic, and cultural lines that many thought would not be possible. Bishop Bob Duncan of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is functioning as the leader of this new province. A unique feature of the new Provincial constitutions and canons is that they are driven by mission rather than structure.

This new province is bringing order out of the recent Anglican chaos, and ensuring a vibrant united Anglican voice in North America. Eleven founding Anglican partners are coming together, some of which have been in existence for over 130 years. The gracious Provincial leadership is allowing for greater unity in essentials, while respecting appropriate diversity in non-essentials.

Provisional Canons http://www.united-anglicans.org/about/provisional-canons.html

Provisional Constitution http://www.united-anglicans.org/about/provisional-constitution.html

The original article is here.

New American Province Looms

by George Conger

The Third Province movement in North America will be the topic of a special meeting at Lambeth Palace today (Dec 5). The Archbishop of Canterbury is scheduled to meet with the Gafcon primates’ council and will be briefed on plans to form a province for traditionalist Anglicans in the United States and Canada.

On Nov 11, Kenyan Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi told The Church of England Newspaper that a meeting had been tentatively set with Dr. Rowan Williams in London for Dec 5. He said the timeline under which the Gafcon primates were working was that on Dec 3 the leaders of the Common Cause Partnership would gather in Wheaton, Illinois to endorse a draft constitution for the emerging province.

The Gafcon archbishops: Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, Peter Akinola of Nigeria, [Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda] Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone, Valentino Mokiwa of Tanzania, Henry Orombi of Uganda, Justice Akrofi of West Africa would then meet on Dec 4 in London to receive and endorse the agreement and bring it to Dr. Williams the following day.

Speaking to the congregation of Truro Parish in Fairfax, Virginia on Nov 30, Bishop Martyn Minns publicly confirmed the proposed timeline adding that the Gafcon primates were also planning on briefing the primates standing committee the day before the start of the Jan 31-Feb 6 Alexandria Primates meeting-however, US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will likely miss the pre-conference session as she is scheduled to attend the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council meeting from Jan 29-31.

A Lambeth Palace spokesperson told CEN that Dr Williams would meet Archbishops Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, Peter Akinola of Nigeria, Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone and Henry Orombi of Uganda at the Old Palace in Canterbury today. The meeting had been set “at their request” the spokesperson said. However, she declined to describe the proposed agenda.

Read the entire article at George Conger's blog

GAFCON Communiqué on establishment of Primates Council and Fellowship

Setting up the Council and the Fellowship

The first meeting of the GAFCON Primates’ Council has taken place in London on Wednesday 20^th to Friday 22^nd August. The twofold task of the Council is ‘to authenticate and recognise confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith.’ The Primates have therefore laid the basis for the future work of both the Council and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA). The GAFCON movement continues its advance.

The Council will consist of Primates assisted by an Advisory Board which will work with them on fulfilling the aims of the movement. In addition, a Secretariat has been created. We are very grateful to God for his guidance and blessing on the Jerusalem Conference. We believe that the Jerusalem Declaration provides for a viable way of helping to deal with the crisis in the Anglican Communion brought about through the disobedience to Scripture by some in North America and elsewhere.

The present reality

We maintain that three new facts of the Anglican Communion must be faced. We are past the time when they can be reversed.

First, some Anglicans have sanctified sinful practices and will continue to do so whatever others may think. Second, churches and even dioceses affected by this disobedience have rightly withdrawn fellowship while wishing to remain authentic Anglicans. So-called ‘border-crossing’ is another way of describing the provision of recognition and care for those who have been faithful to the teachings of Holy Scripture. Third, there is widespread impaired and broken sacramental communion amongst Anglicans with far-reaching global implications. The hope that we may somehow return to the state of affairs before 2003 is an illusion.

Any sound strategy must accommodate itself to these facts.

Developing the GAFCON movement

GAFCON remains a gospel movement. It is far from saying that its membership are the only true Anglicans or the only gospel people in the Anglican Communion. We thank God that this is not the case. But the movement recognises the acute spiritual dangers of a compromised theology and aims to be a resource and inspiration for those who wish to defend and promote the biblical gospel.

The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans will function as a means of sharing in this great task. We invite individuals, churches, dioceses, provinces and parachurch organisations who assent to the Jerusalem Declaration to signify their desire to become members of the Fellowship via the GAFCON web-site or written communication with the Secretariat. The Fellowship will develop networks, commissions and publications intended to defend and promote the biblical gospel in ways which support one another.

At the same time, the Council and its Advisory Board will seek to deal with the problems of those who have confessed the biblical faith in the face of hostility and found the need on grounds of conscience and in matters of great significance to break the normal bonds of fellowship in the name of the gospel. For the sake of the Anglican Communion this is an effort to bring order out of the chaos of the present time and to make sure as far as possible that some of the most faithful Anglican Christians are not lost to the Communion. It is expected that priority will be given to the possible formation of a province in North America for the Common Cause Partnership.

Lambeth 2008

Noting the reference to building bridges with GAFCON in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s concluding Presidential Address at Lambeth, and that the Lambeth Conference itself made no decisions about the future of the Communion, we are grateful that there is an acknowledgement that Lambeth 1.10 of 1998 remains an authentic expression of the mind of the Communion. We also note the renewed call for moratoria on the consecration of bishops who are homosexually partnered and the blessing of same-sex unions as well so-called ‘border-crossing’. Likewise there is mention of the creation of a ‘Pastoral Forum’ to look after disaffected parishes or dioceses and continued work on an Anglican Covenant.

We hope in due course to offer a longer response to Lambeth. Meanwhile we are saddened that the Conference did not offer a more effective way forward than what is proposed. Our immediate difficulty is that the voice of Lambeth 2008 is seriously weakened because it merely repeated what has been said by the Primates’ Meeting (in Gramado early 2003, Lambeth October 2003, Dromantine, February 2005 and Dar es Salaam, February 2007) and which has proved to change nothing. Indeed the Windsor Continuation Group itself made the same point, ‘The three moratoria have been requested several times: Windsor (2004); Dromantine (2005); Dar es Salaam (2007) and the requests have been less than wholeheartedly embraced on all sides… The failure to respond presents us with a situation where if the three moratoria are not observed the Communion is likely to fracture.’

But the Communion fractured in 2003, when our fellowship was ‘torn at its deepest level.’ It seems that the facts which we have identified as the new reality have not yet been recognised as such, and we are therefore continually offered the same strategies which mean further delay and unlikely results. Indeed, delay itself seems to be a strategy employed by some in order to resolve the issue through weariness. The Anglican Covenant will take a long time to be widely accepted and may have no particular force when it does. The idea of ‘moratoria’ has never dealt with the underlying problem as is shown by the equivalence of cross-border care and protection with the sexual sins which have caused the problems.

In any case, some North American Bishops appear to have indicated already that they will not keep to them. It appears that people living in a homosexual unions continue to be ordained in some dioceses in contravention to Lambeth 1.10. In principle, this is no different from consecrating a bishop who adopts the same pattern of life, or indeed, of blessing same-sex unions. The idea of the Pastoral Forum has only now emerged but has never been discussed with those actually affected by the innovations which have created the problems with which we are trying to deal (see the appended letter ). If the Panel of Reference did not work, it is unclear how the Pastoral Forum will succeed.

Given that some esteemed colleagues from the Global South have strongly commended the Windsor Process to us, we are reluctant to say that it cannot work. But there is nothing new here such as to make us hesitate from the course we are taking, given the urgency of the situations with which we are dealing and the realities already on the ground. As they themselves remark, ‘the Anglican Communion as a communion of ordered churches is at the probable brink of collapse’. We warmly appreciate the good words which they have written about GAFCON and look forward to co-operation with them in the future as we ourselves try to avoid that collapse and renew the Communion.

The Most Rev Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria

The Most Rev Gregory Venables, Primate of The Southern Cone

The Most Rev Emmanuel Kolini, Primate of Rwanda

The Most Rev Valentino Mokiwa, Primate of Tanzania

The Most Rev Benjamin Nzmibi, Primate of Kenya

The Most Rev Henry Orombi, Primate of Uganda

Common Cause Partnership Welcomes Jerusalem Declaration

The Common Cause Partnership leaders issued a statement today welcoming the Jerusalem Declaration and the statement on the Global Anglican Future and pledging to move forward with the work of Anglican unity in North America.

We, as the Bishops and elected leaders of the Common Cause Partnership (CCP) are deeply grateful for the Jerusalem Declaration. It describes a hopeful, global Anglican future, rooted in scripture and the authentic Anglican way of faith and practice. We joyfully welcome the words of the GAFCON statement that it is now time ‘for the federation currently known as the Common Cause Partnership to be recognized by the Primates Council.’

The intention of the CCP Executive Committee is to petition the Primates Council for recognition of the CCP as the North American Province of GAFCON on the basis of the Common Cause Partnership Articles, Theological Statement, and Covenant Declaration, and to ask that the CCP Moderator be seated in the Primates Council.

We accept the call to build the Common Cause Partnership into a truly unified body of Anglicans. We are committed to that call. Over the past months, we have worked together, increasing the number of partners and authorizing committees and task groups for Mission, Education, Governance, Prayer Book & Liturgy, the Episcopate, and Ecumenical Relations. The Executive Committee is meeting regularly to carry forward the particulars of this call. The CCP Council will meet December 1-3, 2008.

The Common Cause Partnership links together nine Anglican jurisdictions and organizations in North America. Together, the American Anglican Council, the Anglican Coalition in Canada, the Anglican Communion Network, the Anglican Mission in the Americas, the Anglican Network in Canada, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas, Forward in Faith North America and the Reformed Episcopal Church represent more the 1,300 Anglican parishes in the United States and Canada. The Common Cause Partnership Executive Committee is: The Rt. Rev’d Robert Duncan, Moderator; The Venerable Charlie Masters, General Secretary; Mrs. Patience Oruh, Treasurer; The Rt. Rev’d Keith Ackerman, Forward in Faith North America; The Rt. Rev’d David Anderson, American Anglican Council; The Rt. Rev’d Donald Harvey, Anglican Network in Canada; The Rt. Rev’d Paul Hewett, Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas; The Rt. Rev’d Martyn Minns, Convocation of Anglicans in North America; The Rt. Rev’d Chuck Murphy, Anglican Mission in the Americas; The Rt. Rev’d Leonard Riches, Reformed Episcopal Church; The Rt. Rev’d Bill Atwood, Anglican Church of Kenya and The Rt. Rev’d John Guernsey, Church of the Province of Uganda.

Bishop Schofield Recognized by Archbishop of Canterbury

14 July 2008
Dear Bishop John-David and Beloved Brothers & Sisters of the Diocese of San Joaquin,

I greet you in the name of the Lord from the UK where the Lambeth Conference is only just about to begin. First of all, let me thank you for the wonderful prayer support so many offered when Sylvia was injured a few weeks ago. Although it was a difficult time, we were sustained by those prayers and are happy to report her recovery. Please keep praying.

Though I will be in touch about the Lambeth Conference at a later date, at this critical time in the Anglican Communion, I have several things to share with you to address some of the aspects of the current crisis. Let me tell you what a wonderful experience the GAFCON gathering in Jerusalem was. There was Christ centered worship, biblical teaching from some of the best leaders in the Anglican Communion and unified fellowship centered in Christ.

The Anglican Communion has been in chaos for a number of years. As a whole, the structures of the Communion seem to have been unwilling to speak clearly and definitively about theological foundations and limits. There has also been an unwillingness on the part of some Provinces to moderate their behaviour even when told how destructive their actions are to other Provinces. GAFCON clearly articulated Anglican theological foundations that many innovating Provinces have proven they are not willing to accept. It also recognized the cooperation and mutual accountability of a group of small (but growing) group of Primates who are willing to be clear in affirming the authority of the Bible and other Anglican tenets. We have agreed that we will seek consensus before implementing changes that impact other Provinces in the circle. That is the way the whole Communion should be operating. We also agreed with the historical perspective that the structural authority of the bishop of a diocese is not absolute. The church has always taught that bishops are accountable for their teaching and their actions. The difficulty in our day has come when there are Provinces that are unwilling to hold bishops accountable to any discipline in the face of unbiblical actions and pronouncements.

We have not broken with the Anglican Communion. We have not broken relations with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Sadly, a number of people have attempted to paint GAFCON as a breaking away from the Anglican Communion and from the Archbishop of Canterbury. That may reflect their desire for us to leave so they can change the faith without challenge, but we are not going anywhere. We remain committed to be linked by shared theological principles and shared relationships that, quite frankly, should be the way the whole Communion operates. After a great deal of prayer and conversation, it is our hope that our commitments can widen a circle of health in the Communion and bring some fresh order to what has been chaos for a number of years. Though there have been some noble attempts by the Primates to address the crisis in the Communion at Dromantine and other gatherings, with the Windsor Report, the Panel of Reference and the Dar es Salaam Communiqué, these attempts have not born fruit of any substance. At GAFCON we agreed to standards of faith and order by which we will live within the Anglican Communion in hopes to build a more orderly (and less chaotic) fellowship. If there are those who reject the Jerusalem Declaration from GAFCON, I would ask the question, “Why?” What part of genuine Anglican or Christian faith do they think the Declaration forbids? What in it do they think is not compatible with being Anglican Christians?

As I write to you from the Lambeth Conference, there are painful reminders that all is not well and that the clarity, hope, and charity of GAFCON are desperately needed. Those who have by their action “torn the fabric of the Communion,” are being welcomed as if all is well, and tragically many godly bishops and archbishops are not present having decided that they are bound by conscience not to attend with others who have disregarded the faith. Other godly leaders have not even been invited despite the fact that they were consecrated lawfully and in broad consultation and agreement with many provinces. This is not a joyful time, quite the contrary. For me, it is one of those necessary times to attend to the order of the church even when it is painful. Remember, the situation has been created by the actions of the Episcopal Church. Despite the fervent requests and the fact that the consequences of choosing a unilateral course would precipitate anguish at levels the Anglican Communion has not previously known, they proceeded. There are many, like you in San Joaquin, that are unwilling to continue with such moral and theological compromise. As you know, by the concerted and agreed action of both the House of Bishops and the Provincial Synod, we are glad to give you full membership and a safe haven in the Southern Cone while a long term solution is found. The imperatives of the Gospel give us clear direction.

In addition, I have been in conversation with Archbishop Rowan. Over the weekend I received the following message from him:

“I understand that Bishop John-David Schofield has been accepted as a full member of the episcopal fellowship of the Province of the Southern Cone within the Anglican Communion and as such cannot be regarded as having withdrawn from the Anglican Communion. However, it is acknowledged that his exact status (especially given the complications surrounding the congregations associated with him) remains unclear on the basis of the general norms of Anglican Canon Law, and this constitutes one of the issues on which we hope for assistance from the Windsor Continuation Group. Bishop Schofield has elected to decline the invitation to the Lambeth Conference issued to him last year although that decision does not signal any withdrawal from the Communion. I hope there may be further careful reflection to clarify the terms on which he will exercise his ministry.”

This statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury is clear, even though we are in somewhat new territory; you remain within the Anglican Communion. Given the rigors of international travel and the work that there is to do in the Diocese, I am in agreement with Bishop John-David’s decision not to attend the Lambeth Conference. I am also aware of statements by Bishop Jerry Lamb in which he makes statements and demands that miss the mark of Christian leadership and fall short of what many consider propriety. I would encourage the clergy and lay members of the diocese to ignore this.

We are glad to have you as full members of the Southern Cone. As you can see, you are well regarded as members of the Anglican Communion. May God richly bless you!

2 Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard- pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

Your brother in Christ,
+Greg

The Original Sin of Anglicanism

As we enter into a period of radical change, equal to the Reformation of the 16th century, Anglicans are being asked to consider, to study and to adopt various statements or declarations defining Anglicanism. Documents such as the Common Cause Theological Statement and the Jerusalem Declaration have been proposed and adopted by the reforming orthodox in order to secure the foundations of our faith and common life.

The danger inherent in any Anglican statement or federation is the great original sin of Anglicanism: disobedience to authority. The Jerusalem Declaration addresses this problem in article 13: "We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord." Inherent in the rejection of the authority of the heterodox is the acceptance of the authority of the orthodox.

With these foundational statements and articles being written and promoted, our strongest temptation will be to promote and publish these declarations with no intention of actually following them.

This temptation is the strongest for me in the puzzling omission of the last three Ecumenical Councils and in the wholesale acceptance of the 39 Articles. The rejection of the Ancient, undivided church and the acceptance of a Reformation era statement of a local council is highly problematic for a church that yearns to be universal and apostolic.

From the Jerusalem Declaration:
4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.

From the Common Cause Theological Statement:
7. We receive the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1562, taken in their literal and grammatical sense, as expressing the Anglican response to certain doctrinal issues controverted at that time, and as expressing the fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief.

From article thirty-four of the 39 Articles: "Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly and purposely, doth openly break the Traditions and Ceremonies of the Church, which be not repugnant to the Word of God, and be ordained and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, (that others may fear to do the like,) as he that offendeth against the common order of the Church, and hurteth the authority of the Magistrate, and woundeth the consciences of the weak brethren."

At this point in the life of Anglicanism, the only way forward that I can imagine that will lead to unity and that will prevent disintegration is radical submission to authority. For my part, this would mean the end of reserving the Holy Sacrament. I would have to travel to our new preaching station every Sunday rather than consecrating enough bread and wine for several Sundays.

Also, since I believe that the unwritten reason that the Reformers could not accept Nicaea II and the end of Iconoclasm was that they were Iconoclasts, this would mean that we would have to remove or drape our icons and cease the Benediction and the elevation of the Blessed Sacrament. Without the clear statements on veneration and the place of Holy Objects that led to the Triumph of Orthodoxy in Nicaea II, our services would be impoverished but in true submission to the authorities that have adopted the CC Theological Statement and the Jerusalem Declaration.

I believe that the clergy and laity in churches and dioceses should submit to this authority while petitioning the Primates to include all Seven Ecumenical Councils and to reconsider the wholesale adoption of the 39 Articles, specifically in light of the articles dealing with Predestination and the Holy Sacraments (17, 35 and 38). The voluntary submission of those who yearn for a more catholic and apostolic expression of Anglicanism will only be able to effectively unite and defend an Anglicanism that is rooted in the submission to authority. While I believe that this is also true for women's ordination, that we should suspend all ordinations until the mind of the Communion is united, that is for another article and author.

Church of England crisis: Mass defections loom as rebel faction appeals to English clergy

· Hundreds may be ready to leave Church of England
· Traditionalists' conference swamped by 750 delegates

• Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent
• The Guardian,
• Wednesday July 2, 2008

Hundreds of English clergy appear poised to defect from the Church of England to join a new conservative movement after a conference led by rebel archbishops was swamped with delegates in London yesterday.

The 750 delegates attending the meeting in central London were asked to pledge their allegiance to a 14-point manifesto issued last weekend in Jerusalem by the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), a coalition of traditionalist clergy who have challenged the authority of the archbishop of Canterbury.

According to the conservative website, Anglican Mainstream, clergy and churchwardens are asked to "stand in solidarity" with Gafcon by registering their support online.

The popularity of the event caught organisers and speakers by surprise, as only half that number were expected. The attendance level, in addition to the 50 serving English clergy sponsoring the meeting, indicated the disillusion felt by conservative evangelicals.

Read it all at Guardian.co.uk

Gafcon can save Anglicanism

We are a response to the current authorities' unwillingness to check the flouting of Bible teachings and can lead it forward without a split

By Chris Sugden

• guardian.co.uk,
• Wednesday July 2, 2008

For five years, the Episcopal church in US, the Anglican church of Canada, and elements of the Church of England and church in New Zealand have acted precisely like the student unions of the 1970s and Militant tendency in putting facts on the ground and defying the authorities to do anything about it. Some bishops and others have been presenting a different Christian gospel, expressed in disobedience to the teaching of the Bible, and continue to persecute and harass those who resist and object.

If the current dispute is merely a matter of different perspectives and emphases, as the Archbishop of Canterbury suggests, why are the bishops who are promoting this different gospel driving people out of their churches and removing licences from priests such as Dr Packer?

Gafcon became necessary following the persistent failure of the current authorities in the Anglican Communion to do anything about this deliberate flouting of Christian teaching and decisions of the whole Anglican Communion and its leadership.

What would be an ideal response of the Archbishop of Canterbury? The Gafcon pilgrimage was about relationships above all else. The pilgrims came to meet with God, through prayer and worship, through study of his word, and pilgrimage to recall his mighty acts of redemption in history. They came to meet with each other in fellowship, Bible discussion, meals, and pilgrimage together. One presiding bishop of a dispersed Anglican group in America, the Reformed Episcopal Synod, said he now had a family.

An ideal response of the archbishop would be to focus on relationships: to meet with the primates' council of Gafcon on neutral territory: not at the Lambeth conference, which is already a compromised gathering since those who initiated this crisis, the consecrators of Gene Robinson, will be present, and since the issues are fundamental questions about the authority of scripture in the church.

Read it all at the Guardian.co.uk

Anglican Conservatives Step Back From Split Threat

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

All Things Considered, June 30, 2008 · When nearly 300 bishops from Africa, South America and breakaway churches in the U.S. gathered in Jerusalem last week, the big question was: Will they declare schism from the more liberal churches in the West?

The answer turned out to be easy.

"We all sat around the table, and pretty well with one voice, we said, we are not leaving the Anglican Communion," Archbishop Greg Venables, who oversees several countries in South America, said from Jerusalem. "We are not going to break away and form another church."

There had been talk preceding the meeting of a theological divorce. The group did not split because, Venables says, "we are the true Anglicans."

"We don't accept that we can hand over the franchise of Anglicanism to people who suddenly, without consulting anyone, decided to create a new version of Anglicanism," he says.

Read or listen to the entire article at NPR

GAFCON Report by Cn Bill Gandenberger

GAFCON REPORT: Monday, June 30, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am writing you on the last day of the GAFCON, or Global Anglican Future Conference, in Jerusalem. It has been a long 10 days since the Bishop and I arrived, with the bulk of my time spent in our hotel, working with the other delegates on a statement that will provide the groundwork for a new, biblically orthodox, mission-focused, global Anglican movement.

The Final GAFCON Statement, which has been bathed in much prayer, was received with joy this Sunday morning by the 1148 delegates representing perhaps 70% of the world’s Anglican Christians. It lays out in relatively simple language what we stand for, in terms of historic Anglican theology, with the Holy Scripture as the ultimate authority. The Statement contains a segment called the Jerusalem Declaration. In addition, it calls for a Primates Council (of archbishops) that will lead a new global Anglican structure. For North America this will include a new orthodox Anglican province to be formed by these Primates, initially made up of the Common Cause Partnership of which we are members. The GAFCON statement with the Jerusalem Declaration may be found at www.GAFCON.org and you may watch keynote speakers’ addresses and sermons at ANGLICANTV.org I would particularly recommend the address by Os Guiness, and the closing sermon by our own Archbishop of the Southern Cone, Greg Venables.

Personally I am delighted and encouraged by both the conference and its results. There is no question that the Holy Spirit has been here, guiding our deliberations in a miraculous way. I am sure that there will be questions about the content of the statement, and its intentions and subsequent actions and reactions, and the Bishop and I look forward to going through it with our clergy prior to his departure for Lambeth. Dates for such a gathering, probably at the Cathedral, are now being considered.

Although I did not go on any tours, I was able on Saturday to wander, visit and pray at various sites in Jerusalem, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Calvary), the Church of St. Peter of Galicantu (cock-crow), the Upper Room, and the Western (Wailing) Wall. I had almost an hour to pray at the Wall for the Diocese of San Joaquin, our congregations, clergy and numerous individuals, placing numerous prayers on paper into the Wall itself. It was a sweet time with the Lord, who protected me from too much of a sunburn. I was able to explore the recently uncovered City of David and Pool of Siloam (see John 9) and my conference friend and I entered the first 50 feet of the Hezekiah Tunnel that is knee deep with clear rushing water. As it was Shabbat it was formally closed, but the Arab gatekeeper opened the various gates to let us in for about 10 minutes. (This may be on the tour that I help lead next April 29-May 8th.)

The Bishop is relaxing today prior to our pick up for the airport this afternoon. We are scheduled to take off at 11:30 PM, so please pray there are no delays, that our connections are made, and that the flights are uneventful.

Thank you for your fervent prayers. God has answered, and continues to answer, them in very powerful ways! May Jesus be praised!

Yours Faithfully in Our Risen Lord,

Bill+

Note: They have returned to Fresno safe and sound! VM+

GAFCON Final Statement

Sunday, June 29, 2008

STATEMENT ON THE GLOBAL ANGLICAN FUTURE

Praise the LORD!
It is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. (Psalm 147:1-2)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, send you greetings from Jerusalem!

Introduction

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it. The movement is global: it has mobilised Anglicans from around the world. We are Anglican: 1148 lay and clergy participants, including 291 bishops representing millions of faithful Anglican Christians. We cherish our Anglican heritage and the Anglican Communion and have no intention of departing from it. And we believe that, in God’s providence, Anglicanism has a bright future in obedience to our Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and to build up the church on the foundation of biblical truth (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:20). [the statement continues]

Read it all at GAFCON.org

ABC Responds to GAFCON Statement

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has responded to the final declaration of the Global Anglican Future Conference with the following statement:

The Final Statement from the GAFCON meeting in Jordan and Jerusalem contains much that is positive and encouraging about the priorities of those who met for prayer and pilgrimage in the last week. The ‘tenets of orthodoxy’ spelled out in the document will be acceptable to and shared by the vast majority of Anglicans in every province, even if there may be differences of emphasis and perspective on some issues. I agree that the Communion needs to be united in its commitments on these matters, and I have no doubt that the Lambeth Conference will wish to affirm all these positive aspects of GAFCON’s deliberations. Despite the claims of some, the conviction of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as Lord and God and the absolute imperative of evangelism are not in dispute in the common life of the Communion [the letter continues]

Read it all on the Anglican Communion News Service

Conservative Anglicans form breakaway church in revolution led from the south

[Note: The title of this post, which was the Guardian's headline, is misleading. Conservative Anglicans are not forming a "breakaway Church". As the article describes below, they are working to preserve Anglicanism and establish reform within the Anglican Communion.]

"All around the world the sleeping giant that is evangelical Anglicanism and orthodox Anglicanism has been aroused by what happened in Canada and the United States of America. It was an act of folly." - Archbishop Jensen (Sydney)

Conservative evangelicals representing half of the world's Anglicans launched a new global church yesterday, challenging the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury and vowing to rescue people from the forces of "militant secularism and pluralism" created by a "spiritual decline" in developing economies.

The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, Foca, will sever ties with the main churches in the US and Canada, whose leaders they accuse of betraying biblical teaching. Foca architects will tomorrow go to the conservative evangelical church of All Souls, in central London, to discuss global Anglicanism and English orthodoxy.

Hundreds of disgruntled clergy, representing many Church of England parishes, will be in the audience and the speakers will include the Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, and the Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi.

Great swaths of Anglican provinces, including Africa, South America and Asia, are furious with their counterparts in the northern hemisphere, accusing them of being in thrall to contemporary culture, with the ordination and consecration of gay New Hampshire bishop Gene Robinson acting as a turning point. The creation of Foca is a schism in all but name.

Outraged over the "false gospel" being promoted in the west, Foca pledges a return to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, ignoring 21st-century additions and interpretations. It will train its own priests by sending them to hardline theological colleges such as Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and Oak Hill, London, and will insist on more orthodox practices in its churches.

There will also be a primates' council, comprising senior bishops and archbishops who attended the Jerusalem summit that led to Foca's inception.

At a press conference Jensen said they would bring "order to a situation of turmoil" and help to deal with "the chaos caused in the Anglican church through revisionist activities". [the article continues]

Read it all at The Guardian

Rebel bishop accuses Dr Rowan Williams over ‘apostasy’

June 23, 2008

by Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent for the TimesOnline

The Archbishop of Nigeria accused the Western Church of apostasy last night and attacked the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, for leading it into error.

Dr Peter Akinola told more than 1,000 conservative delegates at the Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem: “We must rescue what is left of the Church from the error of the apostates.”

His comments added to the problems facing the Anglican Church as a result of innovations such as gay blessings and the consecration of an openly gay bishop in the United States.

Several of the bishops in the audience in Jerusalem last night are drawing up secret plans to form a “Church within a Church” in an attempt to counter Western liberalism and reform the Church from within.

Senior sources said that the most likely outcome of the divisions over homosexuality and Biblical authority was an international “Anglican Fellowship” that would provide a home and structure for orthodox Anglicans.

In an incendiary passage, Dr Akinola compared the Episcopal Church in the US and its liberals to those who enslaved Africans in the 19th century.

He continued: “Having survived the inhuman physical slavery of the 19th century, the political slavery called colonialism of the 20th century, the developing world economic enslavement, we cannot, we dare not, allow ourselves and the millions we represent to be kept in religious and spiritual dungeon.”

And he warned: “We will not abdicate our God-given responsibility and simply acquiesce to destructive modern cultural and political dictates.”

Addressing signs of disunity within the ranks of conservatives themselves, he accused the Archbishop of Canterbury and the US Church of a policy of “divide and rule” and said that they had used “money and other attractions to buy silence and compromise from some gullible African and Global South Church leaders”.

In a section of the prepared speech that was omitted from his delivery, Dr Akinola had also raised the issue of Dr Rowan Williams’s recent controversial speech on Islamic law.

He said: “In the face of global suspicion of the links of Islam with terrorism, Lambeth Palace is making misleading statements about the Islamic law — sharia — to the point that even secular leaders are now calling us to order. We can no longer trust where some of our Communion leaders are taking us.”

The speech was greeted with applause and whistles by the delegates, who included 300 bishops, about 200 of whom are boycotting the official Lambeth Conference organised by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Kent University next month.

The new fellowship for orthodox Anglicans would have a leadership of six or seven senior conservative bishops and archbishops, such as the Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Right Rev Bob Duncan, who chairs the US Common Cause partnership that acts as an umbrella for American conservatives, Archbishop Henry Orombi, Primate of Uganda, and the Church of England’s Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali.

The aim is not to split with the worldwide Anglican Communion, which counts 80 million members in 38 provinces, but to reform it from within.

Formal ties will be maintained with the Archbishop of Canterbury but fellowship members will consider themselves out of communion with provinces such as the US and Canada.

Members of the fellowship could attempt to opt out of the pastoral care of their diocesan bishop and seek oversight from a more conservative archbishop, either from their own country or abroad. [the article continues]

Read it all at TimesOnline

Report from GAFCON - Monday, June 23

The following is an abridged report from the Rev Canon Bill Gandenberger in Jerusalem:

The opening session began after dinner. Archbishop Kolini of Rwanda had the honor of introducing Archbishop Peter Akinola as the keynote speaker. ++Peter did a masterful job of outlining how GAFCON came into being – that it is a reaction to the downward slope of theology and morality within the Communion, primarily from the US and Canada. That we are not attempting to split the communion but instead to be a healing force for the continued life and vitality of the Anglican Communion. That statement, and some by other leaders, gives me hope for the Communion, but also frustrates efforts to create a true reformation of the establishment. We’ll have to wait to see what actually is produced here. It has been said by a number that this gathering must not be just another venue for another statement – almost all of the former being ignored by Lambeth, TEC, etc.

Yet the anticipation here is palpable and the enthusiasm contagious. Many of the pilgrims are housed at other hotels, some more than 20 minutes away, and still there are more people arriving each day. Even this evening Archbishop Greg and Sylvia Venables just arrived due to scheduling and other issues.

This Monday morning we started with a 6:30 breakfast and then went to board buses at the other tower. Our Bishop boarded the bus and was actually placed in the front seat beside the bus driver, a position I’d seen him in on our first tour of Israel. The other available seat was in the center of the rear seat, and I had the pleasure of sitting next to Bishop Peter Smith of AMiA and his wife, and an Nigerian Bishop and his wife. Bishop Chuck Murphy of AMiA, his wife and two daughters, were a few seats ahead. We struggling through heavy Monday morning traffic making our way to the top of the Mount of Olives. Our Israeli tour guide told us that along with approximately 1,000 of us, another group of 500 pilgrims from Russia were to be arriving at there that morning. As the second bus in line it was easier for +John-David to exit the bus and enter the cue heading down a slope towards our meeting place overlooking the whole ancient City of Jerusalem. The Bishops had been urged to bring rochets and shemere and Bill and I found a rock ledge which +John-David could rest against as he was vested. Luckily, we had been encouraged to purchase straw hats the night before, because the sun was extremely hot as we waited to organize for a number of pictures and he eagerly wore his hat (although it did sit tiny upon his head – one size does not fit all!).

We were organized with our backs to the city, while being entertained by the Nigerian Youth Praise Band and Fr. Greg Brewer of Good Shepherd, Paoli, Pennsylvania on the keyboard. That group has ministered to all our plenary sessions. A service from our GAFCON worship booklet was geared to praying for Jerusalem, the dioceses and congregations we had left behind, and those who had not yet been reconciled to God through Christ around the world. It was actually quite moving despite the crowd. Interestingly participants from CANA and AMiA helped lead the worship and were welcomed as equals by all the other jurisdictions present, something that Lambeth has not done. Perhaps that is one of the key victories of this whole event. Just as the Diocese of San Joaquin has been somewhat hidden within the Anglican Communion Office website and directories, our other Common Cause Partners are very present and recognized by the orthodox leaders around the globe. Numerous Diocesans made a point of coming over to our Bishop to acknowledge, congratulate, and enquire how we were progressing in our new found freedom from TEC. Our Bishop and Diocese are well known in the Communion, despite the efforts of the established Church.

Both a still photographer, and then a helicopter arrived to take shots of us. There were certainly numerous TV and news photographers there as well. We were disappointed that the copter seemed to stay so far away, but I believe Israeli air space restrictions may be the problem there. Some of us hoped to feel the wind from the rotors to cool us off, but that didn’t happen. Regardless, after the whole group was “shot”, they were asked to leave the bishops behind and retire until the Purple Pictures were taken. A separate picture for Archbishops only was supposed to be taken, but there was sufficient confusion and congeliality abounding that I don’t know if that was ever accomplished. Herding cats may be easier than directing such a gathering of bishops. I believe proofs will be available for sale tomorrow and I hope to purchase a few of them for display later.

That crowd was then to remove their vestments, and then join the other pilgrims to begin a walk down the Palm Sunday path to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. We had already decided that we would take a cab back to the hotel instead. Bishop Schofield has been there at least six times and would not have been able to walk that distance anyway. It is a most gorgeous and glorious place to spend some time in contemplation, but surrounded by 1,000 of our pilgrims in addition to other tourists made it seem better to go back another time. Traffic to the hotel was extremely backed up, and for good reason as the French Prime Minister was in motorcade to or from the Knesset and many roads were blocked. Once we had the opportunity to see his vehicles pass by, surrounded by about 20 motorcycles and other security vehicles we had a quicker time getting to our hotel.

Lunch today was followed by the opening Eucharist. A grand procession of bishops took three full songs to accomplish, and then Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi of Uganda was led to the pulpit. His luggage was somewhere else in the world, but he did have a suit to preach in. His accent is much easier to understand than Akinola and despite the after lunch drowsiness he was able to keep the vast majority enthralled with a sermon from John 5. The man at the Pool of Bethesda was asked if he wanted to get well. We were asked whether WE, the Church, wanted to get well. Since his sermon should be on AnglicanTV.org I won’t go into the details of his message, but it was effective. The praise music was perfectly suited to the eucharist. Most meaningful for me was the use of the Kenyan Rite for this service. The congregational participation was so much more visible, and welcomed in this setting. I’d love to see this Rite used more commonly within our own congregations.

Frankly, after that service I felt jet lag kicking in and went up to close my eyes for just a bit prior to a presentation by Dr. Os Guinness, a presentation entitled “The Gospel and Secularism.”. I woke up a half hour after he finished, and hurried down to join the crowd. Our Bishop and others present thought it was outstanding and I do hope to be able to see it later on video.

Please keep us in your prayers. Pray that our efforts as a Diocese, and those of our Common Cause Partners, will produce both a structure for effective work for the Lord and formal recognition within the world-wide Anglican Communion. And pray for the effective use of this time for all the participants, as well as our delegation, here at GAFCON in Jerusalem. May we make a difference that translates to our home congregations as well as our Diocese and the surrounding territories.

More to come.

Yours faithfully,
Bill+