‘For the Feast of the Reformation’ — at the Cathedral
They’re doing something a little different at St. Andrew’s Cathedral for Reformation Day –
JS Bach — Cantata no.79 ‘For the Feast of the Reformation’
“In an Australian first – a performance of Bach’s magnificent Cantata 79: “God is our Sun & Shield”, within the context of our Sunday Service on October 27th at 10:30am.
Bach wrote this cantata for the Sunday morning service celebrating Reformation Day at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig in October 1725. His own choir of boys and men was almost the same size and age as the Choir of St. Andrew’s, making this the first time in Australia that the piece has been performed in the same context and with the forces that Bach would have heard it in 1725!
The Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, will be speaking on the Reformation festival itself; a celebration of the very heart of the Christian faith, and the congregation will be invited to join heartily with Martin Luther’s hymns that will frame the service, just as they did in Bach’s day.”
It’s at 10:30am on Sunday 27th October at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Download a 600kb PDF flier.
Bishop Charlie Masters talks about the Diocese of Niagara
“At GAFCON 2, Bishop Charlie Masters discussed how ANiC [Anglican Network in Canada] priests were treated by their former church. …”
– Anglican TV via Anglican Samizdat.
(Context: earlier posts mentioning Charlie Masters and St. George’s Lowville.)
Global challenge – the UK situation
Paul Perkin, Vicar St Mark’s Battersea Rise in London gave GAFCON attendees an update on the situation in the UK –
“The largest Anglican church in England has 23 ordained ministers and thousands of young people being discipled to follow Christ. It is producing over 30 ordinands every year. …
So Jesus is the sovereign, risen Lord, miraculously active in the UK, prospering gospel evangelism, pouring out his Holy Spirit, growing the churches and planting new ones, and bringing glory to himself in it all.
However, the opposite to the dream of the church penetrating the nation is the nightmare of a secular nation invading the church. This is the contrary scene and it is also happening in Britain.”
– Read his remarks via the GAFCON website
or watch them via Anglican TV (19 minutes).
Prime Minister says he will attend sister’s wedding, but not support the marriage
“Tony Abbott says he will ‘do the right thing’ and attend his gay sister’s wedding but could never support the marriage. …”
– Report from News.com.au.
(h/t SydneyAnglicans.net. Photo pm.gov.au)
Related: When a private act sends a public message – Albert Mohler.
The Grace of God OR the world of the West?
“My first really significant encounter with worldwide Anglicanism came at theological college.
It was 1990 and an east African priest was on secondment with us. He preached in the college chapel. He posed a question. Which gospel, he asked, which gospel do you westerners want us to believe? The one you came with or the one you preach now? Which gospel? I was horrified, not because what he said was not true. I was horrified because it was true.
My east African brother’s question has nagged away at me ever since. But how has it come about that we have a different gospel now from the one we first preached. What is this difference between what we westerners say now and what we said then? …”
– Dr. Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College, speaking at a GAFCON Plenary session. Full text PDF from GAFCON. Watch it here, courtesy Anglican TV. (Photo: Stephen Sizer.)
See also:
Archbishop Peter Jensen – “GAFCON is a way of delivering friendship and unity” – Sunday 20th October – transcript (GAFCON) and video (Anglican TV).
GAFCON 2013 Tuesday Highlights
A 2 minute 40 second video-montage of Tuesday at GAFCON in Nairobi.
The Global Challenge
Archbishop Dr Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans –
“The challenge we face is that the nations which were once the spiritual powerhouses of world wide mission have now become deeply secularised and even hostile to the Christian faith and the Churches of those lands have more often than not been strongly influenced by the societies in which they are set.
I am aware that for some of you, the threat of violence from Islamic extremism may be uppermost your minds, and we have had a painful reminder of that reality recently here in Kenya, but that which really rots the fabric of the Communion is the much more insidious process by which weak churches are gradually taken captive by the surrounding culture.”
– from The Chairman’s Address at GAFCON on Tuesday 22nd October. Read it all.
The official photo of Bishops and Archbishops attending gives some indication of the shift in global Christianity. See who you can spot in the full size version. (Photo: GAFCON.)
The Archbishop’s earlier greetings can be seen here from Anglican TV.
NSW Council of Churches supports High Court challenge
Here’s a Media Release from the NSW Council of Churches, 22 October 2013 –
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is to be commended for his Government’s support of uniform national marriage laws and the decision to vigorously challenge the ACT Government’s new same sex marriage laws in the High Court. Read more
GAFCON not ‘a breakaway movement’
“Leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference … refuted characterizations in the western press of the gathering as a breakaway movement, with recently retired Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney responding that ‘nothing could be further from the truth.’…”
– Report from GAFCON.
Edited highlights from the press conference may be seen here on Vimeo.
Nairobi conference confirms major realignment in Anglican Communion
“Although initially expecting 1100, the final total is 1,352 Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay people, men and women, from almost 40 countries. The number of bishops attending is 331, of whom 30 are Archbishops.. …” – from GAFCON.
Integrity ejournal – A journal of Australian church history from Moore College
“Students in their fourth year of the Bachelor of Divinity degree at Moore Theological College have the opportunity to research and write a 6,000 word essay in Church History on some aspect of evangelicalism in Australia or Britain (post-1600).
The excellent quality of some of these essays has encouraged the Church History Department to seek a way to share the fruits of the research and writing of these students with a broader audience. This is the reason for the launch of this new journal Integrity.”
– Download the first issue here.
St. Helen’s Training: Bible Overview
The next two videos (3 & 4 of a total of 6) in the St. Helen’s Training series on getting a Bible Overview are now online.
Archbishop Welby addresses GAFCON
Kevin Kallsen of Anglican TV has posted video of Archbishop Welby’s sermon at All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi yesterday.
‘Welby backs GAFCON vision for a renewed Church’
“The Archbishop of Canterbury offered his qualified personal endorsement to Gafcon today, telling the congregation of All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi his vision for the future of the Anglican Communion was of a Bible-based church dedicated to mission and evangelism – goals shared by the Gafcon movement of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA).
… he conceded the existing instruments of communion were no longer fit for purpose in ordering the life of the Anglican world. …”
– From George Conger at Anglican Ink.
Nairobi Cathedral welcomes Primates for GAFCON 2013
Thousands packed multiple services at Nairobi’s All Saints Cathedral on the eve of the Global Anglican Future Conference (Sunday 20th October).
Leading the joyous congregants was the Primate of Kenya and chairman of GAFCON, Eliud Wabukala, along with members of the GAFCON Primates Council and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Archbishop Justin Welby joined Archbishop Robert Duncan, Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, Presiding Bishop Tito Zavala of the Southern Cone, Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul of Sudan, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria and Archbishop Henri Isingoma of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Archbishops Duncan and Bishop Zavala joined in celebrating communion while Archbishop Welby preached, in a truly international event.
The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of a ‘new Anglican Communion’ saying new structures were needed for the 21st Century.
Later the Primates and Archbishop Welby attended a luncheon reception.
“It is a great privilege to have shared this lunch with you and to be here as you set off on this extraordinary week which I hope and pray will move the whole Anglican Communion forward.”
The General Secretary of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans Dr Peter Jensen said “I believe that the new Anglican Communion could be seen at the first GAFCON in 2008.”
“This great gathering in Nairobi is a model for our partnership with each other within the Anglican Communion, based on the truth of the Bible.” Dr Jensen said.
Source: GAFCON. Photo: Russell Powell.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…