Easter Message from Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council
Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council, has sent this 2013 Easter message –
To the Faithful of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and friends from Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 Read more
Archbishop Peter Jensen on the new Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop Peter Jensen was asked for his thoughts on the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in a 3 minute segment on SBS TV.
He said the new Archbishop would be “enormously welcomed” and respected if he were to visit Australia.
See it here – ‘Anglican Aussies welcome new Archbishop of Canterbury’.
(Photo: SBS.)
Archbishop of Canterbury’s inauguration sermon
“For nearly two thousand years the Church has sought, often failing, to recognise in its way of being that Jesus is the Son of God. The wind and waves divided Jesus from the disciples. Peter ventures out in fear and trembling (as you may imagine I relate to him at this point). Jesus reconciles Peter to Himself and makes the possibility for all the disciples to find peace.”
– Read Archbishop Justin Welby’s sermon delivered at his inauguration ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral overnight. (Photo: Diocese of Durham.)
Archbishop Welby and the E-Word
“Archbishop Justin Welby very seldom uses the E-word – ‘Evangelical’. He mentions it only when amongst friends.
Speaking at New Wine, for example, in 2006 he declared: ‘I’m an orthodox Bible-believing Evangelical … Scripture is my final authority for all matters of life and doctrine.’ But it’s not a label he usually chooses to define himself. …
… Although the ‘Evangelicalism’ label will not often be heard at Lambeth Palace, that other momentous E-Word – ‘Evangelism’ – falls much more frequently from Welby’s lips. His abiding passion is for people to come to faith in Christ and for churches to grow.”
– In an article to be published in the Spring 2013 issue of Cross†Way, Andrew Atherstone provides a very informative profile of the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
BC cathedral congregation backs same-sex blessings
“The congregation at Christ Church Cathedral [in Victoria, British Columbia] has voted more than 90 per cent in favour of blessing married homosexual couples. … Rev. Logan McMenamie, dean of the cathedral, said he was pleased with the result of the vote and proud of the way the cathedral’s parishioners came to the decision.”
– Report from The Times Colonist. h/t Anglican Essentials Canada blog. Photo: Christ Church Cathedral.
Indaba with an MBA?
“It would be wonderful for His Grace to take note of the grave errors and blatant misconduct of the American Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, reflect on the evidence already provided during his predecessor’s tenure, and if, as some suspect, there is a need for the two North American Provinces to repent and return to Jesus Christ in the historic and Biblical sense, that they be called to do so and set to one side until they have.
What is not called for is making nice, photo ops, smiles and handshakes with those who have broken covenant and relationships unilaterally by their stubborn independence and arrogance.…”
– Bishop David Anderson of the American Anglican Council writes about the true nature of reconciliation and the task ahead of the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Related: The Archbishop of Canterbury’s latest sermon – on Reconciliation – “Faith and Conflict”.
Canterbury tale
Evangelicals Now, has an account of last month’s visit by Archbishop of Canterbury-Designate Justin Welby to a Vineyard church.
“Unusually perhaps for a senior Anglican, Justin Welby was very clear on the exact time and date he became a Christian and on the gospel he responded to.”
– Read the article here. (Photo: Diocese of Durham.)
New Archbishop for Tanzania
Bishop Jacobo Chimeledya, has been elected as Primate of the Anglican Church of Tanzania.
– Story from Anglican Ink.
Ordination in Kenya for church plant in Sheffield
“In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, statistics show that only 3% of the population regularly attend church. Back in 2002 the leadership team at Christ Church Fulwood were invited by senior diocesan staff to investigate the possibility of church planting…
Pete Jackson, who has been one of the associate ministers at Christ Church Central, is the founding minister [of Christ Church Walkley].
Although recommended by the Reform Panel of Reference and trained at Oakhill Theological College, Pete had not been ordained since Christ Church Central was not part of Sheffield Diocese. Concern that his ministry and that of the new church should be appropriately recognised led us to consult the leadership of the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), who subsequently wrote to the GAFCON Primates’ Council…”
– Read the full story at Anglican Mainstream.
‘Carbon fast for Lent’?
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on calls for “a Carbon Fast for Lent”.
Perhaps reminiscent of TEC’s Episcopal Relief and Development 2008 Stations of the Cross liturgy.
The Origin of the Thirty-nine Articles
“What were the Articles meant to do? … They were part of a wider program of establishing the Protestant character of the Church of England…”
– Church Society has posted online a 2011 Churchman article by Dr Mark Thompson on The Origin of the Thirty-Nine Articles. Available here as a PDF file.
Court moves to protect Diocese of South Carolina
“No individual, organization, association or entity, whether incorporated or not, may use, assume, or adopt in any way, directly or indirectly, the registered names and the seal or mark of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina as are set out below or any names or seal that may be perceived to be those names and seal or mark.”
– A S Haley, ‘the Anglican Curmudgeon’ quotes the Temporary Restraining Order issued to protect the Diocese of South Carolina.
He explains:
“The order goes into effect immediately, so it will essentially force the remnant group meeting this Saturday to adopt a different name for the entity it will form, and by which it will be known. The governing documents which are scheduled for approval (a Constitution and Canons based on the former diocesan version before changes were approved in 2011 and 2012) will need to be changed to remove all references to “the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina” and “the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.” The order will remain in effect until February 1, when a hearing will be held…”
Global South Primates ‘deeply concerned and worried’
The Global South Primates have added their voice to calls for the C of E’s House of Bishops to reverse its stand on Civil Partnerships. See the 12th January 2013 statement here. h/t Anglican Ink.
A wink and a nod?
In this extract from his weekly e-mail, Bishop David Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council, turns to the announcement from the C of E House of Bishops –
“Orthodox Anglicans, both within the CoE and worldwide, see this for the great mistake and stumble toward the precipice that it is…”
Read below – Read more
The Church of Nigeria responds to the Church of England Bishops and Civil Partnerships
The Church of Nigeria Responds to the Church of England Bishops and Civil Partnerships
“Sadly we must also declare that if the Church of England continues in this contrary direction we must further separate ourselves from it and we are prepared to take the same actions as those prompted by the decisions of The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada ten years ago.”
Full text:
1. The Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) meeting for their annual retreat held from Jan 7/11, 2013, at the Ibru Centre, Agbarha Otor, Delta State, Nigeria, heard with dismay the news of the recent action of the Church of England House of Bishops. The decision to permit homosexual clergy in civil partnerships to now be considered for the episcopacy is one step removed from the moral precipice that we have already witnessed in The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada. Read more
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…