Southern Cone declines to ratify Bishop of Uruguay’s election

“The House of Bishops and provincial executive committee of the Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur (de América) have declined to ratify the election of the Ven. Michael Pollesel as Bishop of Uruguay.

At the close of their 21 – 25 May 2012 meeting in Montevideo the bishops released a statement saying that ‘after discussion and prayer and in accord with its canons the Provincial Executive of the Cono Sur together with its College of Bishops did not ratify the election of the Ven. Dr. Michael Pollesel as bishop-coadjutor for Uruguay’…

Last December, Dr. Pollesel, the former general secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada … was elected Bishop of Uruguay by the diocesan synod to succeed Bishop Tamayo who retires in June.

Concerns whether Dr. Pollesel shared the Cono Sur’s doctrinal and Scriptural views or followed those prevalent in the Anglican Church of Canada were raised after his election…”

– Full story at Anglican Ink.
(Photo of ACA Archbishop Fred Hilz with Dr Michael Pollesel: Anglican Journal.)

The costly faithfulness of The Falls Church

“The Falls Church is one of hundreds of congregations across the country that have given up their buildings rather than stay affiliated with a branch of their church they believe denies the final authority of Scripture. …”

– Alicia Constant writes about Falls Church at The Gospel Coalition. (h/t Tim Challies.)

Bishop McIntyre breaks ranks on homosexuality

How does this square with the Australian Bishops’ Protocol?

The Synod of the Diocese of Gippsland met in Sale, 18–20 May 2012. In his Presidential Address, Bishop John McIntyre spoke of the “new place” to which he had come in his understanding of homosexual people and the church. He said –

“I will appoint to office in our diocese those whom I believe God is calling to minister among us … and I am willing to live with any consequences that may arise from remaining true to that commitment.”

Read the full text of his address – linked from the diocesan website (PDF) – also quoted at length in The Gippsland Times (“Anglican Bishop enters gay marriage debate”, 19 May 2012).

Related posts. (Photo: Diocese of Gippsland.)

Papers from the FCA leaders conference available

More papers from the FCA leaders conference in London have been uploaded to the GAFCON website.

See this page for the complete listing of resources from the GAFCON website.

The newly available papers are –

What is the Gospel? – from a seminar led by Drs Ngozi Okeke & Mark Thompson

Ecclesiology:

A Summary of Anglican Ecclesiology – Ashley Null
16th Century Anglican Ecclesiology – Ashley Null
The Anglican Mind in Caroline and Tractarian Thought – Arthur Middleton

Faithful and Effective – Evangelism and Church Planting.

Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire elected

“The Rev. A. Robert (Rob) Hirschfeld was elected bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire today at St. Paul’s Church, on the first ballot. In January 2013 he will succeed Bishop Gene Robinson as the Xth Bishop of New Hampshire. …

Rev. Hirschfeld is married to Polly Ingraham… and has two sons and a daughter.”

– New Hampshire elects a bishop coadjutor. (Photo credit: Reynolds Winslow.)

How will Anglicans react if New Hampshire Episcopalians elect another Gay Bishop?

Time asks the question, and includes mention of FCA and quotes a response from Archbishop Peter Jensen –

“‘Having once made an appointment which defies both orthodox Christian teaching and the commitment of the majority of their fellow Anglicans, it would not be surprising that the Episcopal Church would continue its intransigent path,’ he wrote…”

– Story at Time. (Photo credit: Forester Photography, Concord NH via Dioc NH.)

Falls Anglican Church Virginia has last Sunday at property

“A departing Anglican congregation held its final services at a Virginia church property that they lost to The Episcopal Church in a years-long court battle.

The Falls Church Anglican, a congregation that broke away from the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia years ago over the increasingly liberal theology of the denomination, held two services on Sunday, leaving the property to a much smaller Episcopal congregation…”

– story from Christian Post. Photo: Falls Church.

New West Synod moves to lift same sex blessing ‘partial moratorium’

From a report on the Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster, which concluded yesterday –

“Of interest to many was the passing of Motion #1 on the afternoon of May 12th by a substantial majority of Synod.

In this motion, Synod requested that the Bishop lift the partial moratorium that has been in place since 2005 and authorize priests of the Diocese of New Westminster to bless the civil marriages of gay and lesbian couples in those parishes that support this pastoral act. …

Bishop Michael responded by saying that he will think about this decision and that he plans to confer with many members of the diocese…”

– from the New Westminster website. (Photo: Dioc. New Westminster. h/t Anglican Essentials Canada blog.)

Related: The Anglican Debacle: Roots and Patterns by Dr Mark Thompson, 2008.

Jesus, Lord of His Church and of the Church’s Mission

The transcript of Bishop Michael Nazir Ali’s address to the Leaders Conference of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans in London last month, has now been posted online.

It’s entitled “Jesus, Lord of His Church and of the Church’s Mission”.

“I was once at a very grand assembly of a denomination in the West, let’s put it like that. It was very grand, very awe-inspiring. But in the middle of it, I had this sense that they had the form of godliness but not the power. You know what I am talking about.

What makes the church has to do with the Gospel, that is to say, everything that the Church needs in its ministry – its life together, its preaching, the celebration of the sacraments – comes about because of the nature of the Gospel itself. In other words, how we are church is not different from what the Gospel is. The Gospel produces what is authentically church.

This is a lesson we must learn again and again if the ecclesia is to be semper reformanda: again and again to check how we are church against the Gospel, and you’d be surprised at how much resistance there is to such an idea in some circles if you put it forward.”

Photo: GAFCON.

New Bishop for Wellington, NZ

“Justin Duckworth has been announced as the next Anglican Bishop of Wellington.

And he may just be the least likely-looking bishop ever elected in New Zealand. He has dreadlocks, for starters. He’s usually in shorts and bare feet, too. But the voters in the Diocese of Wellington saw past that…”

– Report from Anglican Taonga. More from the Diocese of Wellington.

Stories from FCA Leaders Conference — Dr William Philip

Dr William Philip from the Church of Scotland was an observer at the FCA Leaders meeting in London. He’s interviewed by Russell Powell in this 2 minute video.

Related: Video of Ministers and Elders Meeting, June 2011 (esp. #3) at St. George’s Tron in Glasgow.

Archbishop Peter Jensen at the FCA Conference: Audio

Hear Archbishop Peter Jensen’s address on “The issues the face us” – given at the  Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans Conference evening session on 26th April 2012. (Photo: Russell Powell.)

Reform welcomes FCA commitment

Tuesday 1st May 2012

Rev’d Rod Thomas, Chairman of Reform, the conservative evangelical network in the Church of England, has welcomed the recent statement of commitment at the conclusion of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) conference in London. (to see the FCA statement click here)

He said: “Archbishop Wabukala of Kenya hit the nail on the head when he said the crisis at the heart of the Anglican Communion is ‘not only institutional but spiritual’.

“We see a prime example of this here in the UK. Recent statements from some church leaders in England on issues of human sexuality indicate the full-scale departure from traditional Biblical teaching that a tiny minority are seeking to impose on the Church of England. Their gospel of radical ‘inclusion’ is undermining the Biblical gospel of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. God welcomes those who come to him knowing they need forgiveness. Those who simply want God to affirm their lifestyles have not understood the gospel.

“It is very encouraging therefore to know that the leaders who represent the vast majority of the world’s Anglicans are willing to stand with and support those who wish to hold to the Biblical gospel as being good news from God for a world in desperate need.

“We also agree with Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali’s assessment that the Anglican ‘Instruments of Unity’ have failed dramatically, and encourage the FCA to model an alternative way forward of working together within our Communion across the globe to fulfill Christ’s command to make disciples for Him.

“Here in the UK the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) has been established to do just that – model a new way of working within an Anglican framework and fellowship, with a panel of orthodox Bishops providing oversight to those churches who need it. This solution will not suit all, but it is a much-needed encouragement for some to know that their ministry is recognized and affirmed by a worldwide fellowship of Anglicans.”

– from Reform.

The uniqueness and sufficiency of Christ

Dr Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College, preached on Hebrews 1:1-4 at the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans Conference in London this week.

Watch his most encouraging, edifying and challenging exposition – at the GAFCON website.

Missing the biggest story of the week

Each week, the Anglican Communion News Service publishes a weekly roundup of news from all around the Communion. Interestingly, this week’s roundup makes no mention of a meeting in London of  two hundred leaders from thirty countries – representing the majority of Anglicans worldwide.

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