Category : Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)
(Tribune-Review) All Saints Anglican moves into former Cranberry church in the Pittsburgh Area
The congregation of about 100, led by the Rev. Paul Cooper, took up residence in the former Crossroads Community Church at the intersection of Rochester and Haine School roads in January, ending its three-and-a-half year journey to find a permanent home.
Formerly St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Marshall, the congregation was one of 41 to leave the Episcopal diocese in 2008 over theological differences. The congregation joined the more conservative, biblically oriented Anglican Diocese of North America, but legal differences with the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh over property left the parish without a house of worship in spring 2010.
“We just laid down our labors and said, ”˜OK we’re leaving,’” said Cooper, 41.
Anglican Church in North America Announces a New Catechism
The Anglican Church in North America is pleased to announce the release of To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism produced by the provincial Catechesis Task force.
Led by the Rev. Dr J.I. Packer, the Task Force has developed a unique and powerful resource for helping inquirers come to an understanding of the Christian faith, and for helping disciples deepen their relationship with God. Written in a “Question and Answer” format, this Catechism, in the words of Packer, “is designed as a resource manual for the renewal of Anglican catechetical practice. It presents the essential building blocks of classic catechetical instruction: the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue). To these is added an initial section especially intended for those with no prior knowledge of the Gospel; as such, this catechism attempts to be a missional means by which God may bring about both conversion to Christ and formation in Christ.”
Read it all and note the link at the bottom to the text of the catechism itself.
ACNA: Communique from the College of Bishops
January 10, 2014
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1
The bishops of the Anglican Church in North America met in Orlando, Florida from January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany, to January 10th. We were blessed to be joined by the Rt. Rev. Humphrey Peters, Bishop of Peshawar, Pakistan.
St. Mark’s Anglican Church purchases back its building from the TEC Diocese of Georgia
A few years ago I wrote an article for the Moultrie Observer regarding the purple bows that were on the wreaths on the doors at St. John’s Episcopal Church at 609 South Main Street. In 2012 there were no purple bows or wreaths on the doors, as the church sat empty when the members of St. John’s left The Episcopal Church to form St. Mark’s Anglican Church. However, 2013 will mark the return of the purple bows, and the new spiritual home of St. Mark’s Anglican.
On September 30, 2013, St. Mark’s was able to purchase the building from the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia….
In Mississippi Two new priests ordained for All Saints Anglican
Two local men have been added to the priesthood of the Anglican Church after an ordination ceremony that was held Nov. 9.
The ceremony, which took place at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on the U.S. 45 Bypass in Jackson, included the ordination of the new priests, the Rev. Wesley Adam Gristy and the Rev. Brian Patrick Larsen Wells.
The ordination ceremony was conducted by the Right Reverend Bill Atwood, bishop of the International Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. Atwood lives with his wife, Susan, in Frisco, Texas.
Retired Anglican bishop John-David Schofield RIP
Retired Anglican bishop John-David Schofield, who in 2007 as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin led a movement out of the U.S. Episcopal Church over debate about same-sex marriages and the consecration of a partnered gay priest, died early Tuesday. He was 75.
Current Anglican Bishop Eric Menees said on the diocese’s website that Schofield died peacefully at home sitting in his favorite green chair and was found Tuesday morning by friends.
Read it all and the message from Bishop Menees.
Latest Update – Archbishop Duncan still in hospital and has had a second surgery
From the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh (via George Conger at Anglican Ink)
Dear Friends of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh,
Please continue to pray for our Archbishop Robert Duncan. We received word from Nara this morning that he is to have a surgical procedure performed today at 6:00 p.m. Nairobi time ”“ which is 11:00 a.m. here in Pittsburgh (EST). It is hoped that this will enable him to be well enough to return home on Saturday. His Grace will remain recuperating in the hospital until then.
[Note: Abp. Duncan is suffering from an abscessed tooth and infection. He entered the hospital in Nairobi on Tuesday morning to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment.]
(Anglican Ink) ACNA keeps the filioque clause
The omission of the filioque clause in the draft text also spoke to the disproportionate number of Anglo-Catholic and philo-Orthodox bishops and organizations within the ACNA’s organizational structure.
Like the Episcopal Church, the ACNA’s appeared to be in thrall to enthusiasts. Special interest groups who are dedicated to a particular cause have often been able to press their agenda onto the wider church. Changing the Episcopal Church’s teaching on abortion, the Book of Common Prayer, women clergy and homosexuality was driven by dedicated special interest groups — not by mass appeal.
The filioque controversy has been discussed within Anglican circles for about 125 years. However interest in this topic had been a highest among Anglo-Catholics who had sought to justify a non-Roman type of Catholicism by an appeal to the Eastern church.
Anglican Church in North America Announces the introduction of Texts for Common Prayer
The Anglican Church in North America is pleased to announce the release of Texts for Common Prayer.
Included here are the Offices of Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, and the Holy Communion (Long Form and Short Form), as well as Supplemental Canticles for Worship. These are all the “working” forms approved by the College of Bishops for use in the Province. Also bound with these working texts is The Ordinal which has been adopted and authorized as The Ordinal of the Province.
Read it all and note the link for the FAQ.
(Soundings) Dale Matson–GAFCON II: A Way Forward For Anglicanism
The Church of England and ++Welby are culture bound. They formerly sent missionaries to the far corners of the earth. Much of the pushback against Canterbury is from lands Canterbury missioned through the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The prophetic voice for Anglicanism is from the Global South not Canterbury. It should be Canterbury speaking truth to power not cowering and renting her garments because she is ashamed of her guiding documents and Lord. Does accommodating the cultural change make the church more relevant; more genuine; more truthful; more liked? Does ++Justin Welby actually speak the mind of the WWAC any more than the former ABC ++Rowan Williams? His collaboration, while cloaked is progressivism not true reconciliation or repentance.
The bitter irony is that Canterbury in an attempt to be more relevant and responsive to her immediate culture has made herself less relevant to the Christian church in general and the WWAC in particular. Since when does taking the majority side make the church right or more liked? Does Canterbury even understand that lukewarm Christianity is no match for Islam which will ascend to power by demographics alone? England is in danger of having a new and less tolerant established religion.
The title of my article is “A Way Forward For Anglicanism”. It is different than two years ago. We are further down the road. There is more clarity. GAFCON II will be meeting in Kenya in October. I am hopeful.
(Journal-Star) Retired Bishop Keith Ackerman returns to central Illinois
Bishop Vicar of Quincy Keith Ackerman once again lit up smiles of parishioners at Christ Church Limestone where he performed service Sunday morning.
Ackerman, the retired eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy for the Anglican Church in North America, came back to the Hanna City church after current Bishop Juan Alberto Morales of Quincy asked him to return to the area for a diocene convention.
Ackerman spoke about the importance of giving thanks to God, family and friends.
ACNA Leader Bob Duncan–How it All Fits Together
“The Anglican Church in North America says that the Church’s mission is chiefly done through its mission agencies, and those agencies are chiefly local congregations. That’s how the transforming love of Jesus Christ reaches the local community. That’s how the transforming love of Jesus Christ reaches the nations.
What holds the Anglican Church in North America together? What’s the coherence? That’s the question I’m often asked, and the question I am going to answer.”
Where I am going this Evening with Bishop Mark Lawrence
The Primate of Rwanda Onesphore Rwaje and others are consecrating David Bryan at Church of the Apostles in Columbia, South Carolina and I am following along to learn and get a chance to have fellowship with those present.
(LA Times) St. James Anglican congregation moves out after court ruling
Parishioners from St. James Anglican Church in Newport Beach wiped tears from their eyes as they left the church after its final service, leaving a house of worship filled with memories.
Jim Dale, 63, said he had been attending church at St. James since he was a boy.
“Being in there today, all the memories came flooding back,” he said after services Sunday. “There are so many memories: my Communion, meeting my wife, marrying my wife.
“It all happened here,” he added.
(OC Register) St. James' Anglicans bid farewell to special worship space of generations
About 80 people Sunday attended the last Mass that will be celebrated at St. James Anglican Church. It was a bittersweet service that brought some parishioners to tears.
The Anglican parish, which has been feuding with its parent affiliation for nearly a decade, was ordered by an Orange County Superior Court judge in May to surrender the property to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.
“We’re obviously disappointed,” the Rev. Richard Crocker said….
Eric Menees–Why I am an Anglican Part IX : Because We're International
In May of 2012, I was blessed to addend a FCA (Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans) meeting in London, where the international flavor of Anglicanism – which had always been theoretical to me – became real. How powerful it was for me to have dinner with the Archbishop of Chile, the Bishop of Iran, and a Bishop from Uganda. We shared a meal together, prayed together, and spoke of our faith in Christ. As we did, it became clear that while we came from very different cultures and backgrounds, we shared the same Christian Culture – based on a common understanding of Christ, the Church, and our Mission in the world.
We have the evangelical spirit of the English Reformers to thank for our international flavor and expression – for a truly catholic (universal) church. In short, where the English Navy and economic traders went, the Church of England went also. This missionary zeal took extra focus with the formation of the Church Mission Society in the eighteenth century, under the leadership of many evangelicals, not least of whom was William Wilberforce. In a short time, the CMS began to focus on Africa and India. They then focused on the South Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand. Today, millions of men and women have come to Christ through the efforts of those original missionaries and their successors.
However, the focus was not only calling individuals to conversion, but also engaging the culture, with the intention of transforming all of society.
Clergy and Laity from ACNA partner with African American Pentecostal churches
his past month, clergy and laity from the Anglican Church in North America and Jubilee, a network of 12 African American Pentecostal churches centered in South Los Angeles, California, gathered to worship together at Penuel Missionary Baptist Church in LA. The Venerable Canon Dr. Jack Lumanog, Canon to the Archbishop, was the Keynote Speaker for these gatherings which were marked by exuberant praise and worship and the sharing of Holy Communion.
“It is a remarkable thing to see these dear brothers and sisters in Jubilee drawn to the Anglican Church in North America,” said Canon Lumanog. “Our life together as Anglican Christians must be dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit in order to reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ. What a joy it was to share in the joyful celebration with Jubilee! God is certainly on the move in our Province.”
Describing the time together, one attendee stated, “We were nourished by Word and sacrament and overwhelmed by God’s presence in our worship together,” while another said, “[M]y hope is renewed. I can begin to see the manifestation of a prayer being answered.”
A Roanoke, Virginia, Anglican church goes high-tech to spread the gospel
“Dude, I preached from an iPad the week the first iPad came out,” [Quigg] Lawrence said. “I wasn’t trying to be showy with it, but a lot of times my printer is down or I don’t have ink. So it’s just easier to put it on the iPad.”
Church of the Holy Spirit, the Anglican ministry in southwest Roanoke County where Lawrence preaches, is one of the only churches in the area with its own smartphone app designed to serve its members.
The app has been downloaded 880 times in the year it has been available ”” not bad considering the congregation consists of less than 1,500 members.
Read it all and the church website is there.
(Savannah Now) Court to hear appeal on Christ Church Anglican's proposed new home
The Bill of Rights ensures Christ Church Anglican members the freedom to worship.
Different documents dictate where the congregation can build its place of worship, though.
The Rev. Marc Robertson and his flock intend to build a new sanctuary on the corner of Drayton and 37th streets. Neighbors and other Thomas Square residents opposed to the church’s plans are arguing the mid-city rezoning ordinance prohibits the facility being built as proposed.
Bishop Mark Lawrence–S.C. Diocesan Delegation Observers at ACNA's Provincial Council
As many of you know I am at Nashotah House in Wisconsin at the Anglican Church in North America’s Provincial Council (which just concluded yesterday with a Festival Eucharist””an inspiring and joyful worship). This morning they will begin their House of Bishops Meeting. I am present as an observer. Joining me at the Provincial Council was The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson, Dean of the Cathedral, and Mrs. Suzanne Schwank, a member of our diocesan Standing Committee. They returned this morning to South Carolina and I will stay on for the House of Bishops Meeting and return on a late flight Friday in order to be at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center for its 75th anniversary this weekend.
As I told the Diocesan Council last month and said at various deanery gatherings, not to mention many parish forums, it has been my intention to attend various gatherings within what I’ve referred to as the Anglican Diaspora in North America to learn the various players and seek greater unity as may be appropriate. So when I met with Archbishop Robert Duncan at the recent New Wineskins Conference, he invited me to attend this Council as an observer and bring a delegation. This struck me as a good way to follow-up on my expressed intentions.
It has been an enlightening and, frankly, encouraging few days.
Robert Duncan Addresses the 5th Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America
The Bishop and a member of the Clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina are with us as observers. Will they find us the kind of Church they believe they are being called into union with? I surely hope so. Whether we keep the main thing the main thing will affect their assessment, I am sure. An observer from the Jubilee Pentecostal Fellowship of Churches is also here. That Fellowship is on the Nairobi (Canterbury) trail. Will the Anglican Church in North America be found to be the body with whom they can journey forward? Can we keep the main thing the main thing in order to find a godly, creative and Anglican way for such a union to take place? As with South Carolina, I hope so. Imagine what these two unions would say ”“ in very different ways ”“ about 21st century Anglicanism and about the place the Anglican Church in North America might have in the effort to re-evangelize this continent. “A biblical, missionary, and united Anglicanism.” “Reaching North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ.”
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus instructs the twelve that they are to:
Preach as you go, saying, ”˜The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts”¦
[Matthew 10:7-9]
As it turned out, few of us got to take any gold or silver or copper”¦ But our whole story has been that “freely [we] have received.” That’s our story as a Province.
(Living Church) 2 Bishop Nominees in new Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest
Two priests are nominees to become bishop of the nascent Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest. The diocese in formation awaits approval by the Anglican Church in North America’s College of Bishops, which meets June 20-21 at Nashotah House Theological Seminary and Olympia Resort and Conference Center in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
The nominees are the Very Rev. Robert S. Munday, former dean and president of Nashotah House, and the Rev. Stewart Ruch III, rector of Church of the Resurrection, Wheaton. Under the ACNA’s canons the bishops may appoint one of the two nominees as bishop or choose another person.
Egyptian bishop will visit Bernards, New Jersey, Reformed Episcopal Church today
The Most Rev. Mouneer Hanna Anis of the Diocese of Egypt of the Anglican Church will speak on Sunday, June 16, at the Covenant Chapel Reformed Episcopal Church, a member of the Anglican Church in North America, located at 126 West Oak St. in Basking Ridge.
Episcopal Church regains control of two buildings in California; some Anglicans must move
St. Paul’s Anglican Parish in Bakersfield is looking for a new home following a courtroom decision that hands control of its church property back to the Episcopal Church.
The Anglicans are on the move following a little-noticed ruling in February that parishioners in two of several breakaway Kern churches lacked the authority to disaffiliate from the Episcopal Church.
Even though Anglicans at St. Paul’s and St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Ridgecrest both held their own titles to church property, Kern County Superior Court Judge Sidney P. Chapin ruled that they had to vacate.