Auckland Synod says no to ‘gay marriage’
“Auckland Anglicans have said no to gay marriage – despite church heads being in favour of it. A motion to press the issue has failed at this weekend’s conference, despite both Auckland bishops and a majority of clergy being in favour.”
– Report from FarmingShow (yes, that’s right). Image: Diocese of Auckland.
Diocese of Fort Worth: Living with litigation
Bishop Jack Iker of Fort Worth reflects on the lengthy legal battle imposed on his diocese.
“Living with litigation has become a way of life for us as members of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. For the past 4 ½ years, we have been under the cloud of a lawsuit brought against us by The Episcopal Church and its local supporters, seeking to deprive us of our buildings and assets. Read more
New Bishop of Waikato
The Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley has been elected as the 7th Bishop of Waikato in New Zealand. She will become the third woman bishop in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
Photo: Stephen Barker / Anglican Taonga.
Getting to know Archbishop Glenn Davies — Anglican TV interview
Kevin Kallsen at Anglican TV introduces the new Archbishop of Sydney to the wider Anglican world in this 14 minute interview.
What is the Problem?
“Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and symbolic head of the Anglican Communion, has issued his most serious and straightforward diagnosis of the crisis within the Anglican Communion.”
– The American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey thinks the Archbishop of Canterbury has made a serious misdiagnosis. Related: Tearing the Fabric. (PDF.)
Barnabas Fund urges prayer for Syria and Egypt this weekend
“This Sunday (1 September), we are urging churches and individuals to hold a time of prayer for Syria and Egypt’s Christians.”
– Details from Barnabas Fund.
And you can find a prayer for ‘the Forgotten Church in Syria’ here. (h/t Carl Trueman.)
“Archbishops past and present urge caution on Syria intervention”
“Both Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and his predecessor George Carey have warned of the consequences of military action in Syria. …”
– Report and photo from The Anglican Communion News Service.
“Archbishop urges Christians to ‘repent’ over ‘wicked’ attitude to homosexuality”
“The Most Rev Justin Welby told an audience of traditional born-again Christians that they must ‘repent’ over the way gay and lesbian people have been treated in the past …”
– Report from The Telegraph.
Archbishop Wabukala — with 2 months to GAFCON 2013
“As I write, we are now only two months away from GAFCON 2013. There is much still to do, but over the past month great strides have been made and I am confident that this will be another wonderful and historic occasion.”
– Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council, gives an update on preparations for GAFCON 2013.
Cardboard Cathedral opens in Christchurch
“Christchurch has officially opened a transitional cathedral made from cardboard in Latimer Square, replacing the neo-Gothic structure destroyed in a 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people in New Zealand’s second largest city.”
– report from ABC News.
Image from cardboardcathedral.org.nz
Egypt — a call for prayer
“As I write these words, our St. Saviour’s Anglican Church in Suez is under heavy attack …
Please pray that the situation will calm down, for wisdom and tact for the police and the army, for the safety of all churches and congregations, and that all in Egypt would be safe.”
– A call for prayer from Archbishop Mouneer Anis.
Update from the ACNS.
Ugandan primate calls for GAFCON support
“The primate of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali has likened GAFCON/FCA (Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans) to the East African Revival and called for believers to back the Nairobi conference to be held in October. …”
– from the GAFCON website.
The GAFCON Chairman on Nairobi 2013
In this video, on the GAFCON website, the Chairman of GAFCON, Archbishop Eliud Wabakula, discusses the upcoming GAFCON 2013 in Nairobi. He speaks about why he believes its a significant gathering – and about the history behind the conference location.
Appeals Court returns Recife church property to diocese
“The Pernambuco Court of Appeal … has stayed a lower court decision giving ownership of church properties in the state to the minority faction loyal to the national Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil (IEAB). The effect of last week’s decision is to return custody of the church properties to the Diocese of Recife and its bishop, the Rt. Rev. Miguel Uchôa, while the court conducts a de novo review of the dispute.”
– Story from George Conger at Anglican Ink. (Earlier stories on Recife here.)
First GAFCON 2013 prayer bulletin available
“A series of prayer bulletins is being issued in the weeks leading up to the October conference.
This allows provinces, churches, organisations and individuals to read about the preparations and to uphold GAFCON in prayer.”
– Download the first one from this page.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…