G27 Recife: Kindling Global Prayer
From Archbishop Dr Miguel Uchôa Cavalcanti, Vice Chairman of the Global Anglican Council –
“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a great joy for me, together with the Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Global Anglican Council, and my fellow Council members, to invite our Global Anglican family to join us in prayer for G27 Recife, here in Brazil from 20–23 April 2027.
The vision of G27 is simple, but deeply important for this moment in the life of our Communion: to kindle a movement of prayer among Anglicans across the nations.
We want to bring together a few hundred lay men and women from around the world who love the Lord Jesus, believe his Word, and have a heart for prayer.
We will come not primarily for another conference, but to seek the face of God together: to listen to his Word, pray for one another and our nations, and ask the Holy Spirit to renew his Church and empower us for mission.
But G27 must be about much more than four days in Recife.
We want those who come to return home with a renewed passion for prayer, ready to gather others to seek God and pray for the renewal and mission of the Church.
What God kindles in Recife must not remain in Recife.
It will be a particular joy to welcome you to my home city and to the Catedral Anglicana do Espírito Santo. Our Church is preparing to receive our Global Anglican family with the warmth, joy and hospitality that are so much a part of who we are as Brazilians.
Our evenings will have something particularly Brazilian about them. Together with Brazilian church leaders and the wider Church, we will share nights of worship, prayer and revival, seeking the presence of God and praying for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Above everything else, I want us to come to Recife with one desire: to seek God.
We will come on our knees, hungry for his Word, open to the work of his Spirit, asking him to do among us what programmes, structures and human effort alone can never accomplish.
And yes, we will pray for revival.
We will ask the Lord to pour out his Spirit, renew our first love for Jesus Christ, deepen our confidence in his Word, and kindle a fresh passion for prayer, holiness and mission.
We long to see a praying Church becoming again a missionary Church, proclaiming Christ faithfully and courageously to the nations.
G27 will be limited to a few hundred lay participants, with invitations coming through the provinces, dioceses and branches of the Global Anglican Communion. Further information will be shared in the coming weeks.
But G27 does not need to begin in April 2027. It can begin now, with prayer.
Please pray with us: that God will call the people he wants to Recife and prepare us to hear his Word and seek his face.
Above all, pray that what begins in Recife will become part of a growing movement of prayer, renewal and mission throughout our Communion and among the nations.
We look forward to welcoming you. Esperamos vocês em Recife!
In Christ, our Lord and Saviour,
The Most Revd Dr Miguel Uchôa Cavalcanti
Vice Chairman of the Global Anglican Council
Thursday 3rd September 2026.”
– Source: Gafcon.
A Home for the Global Anglican Communion
A Communique from Archbishop Dr Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Global Anglican Council –
“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I am delighted to announce that the Global Anglican Council has agreed that the headquarters of the Global Anglican Communion will be established in Abuja, Nigeria.
This decision was made at our meeting in Recife, Brazil, on Saturday 22 August 2026, as we considered how best to strengthen and support the future life and ministry of our global fellowship.
Abuja already holds a significant place in our history — it was there at G26 earlier this year that the Abuja Affirmation declared that Gafcon has reordered the Anglican Communion into a truly Global Church.
As the Global Anglican Communion, it is fitting that the city where this new chapter was so clearly articulated should also become a physical home from which we serve Global Anglicans throughout the world.
While modern technology enables us to work together across nations and continents, we believe there is great value in a physical home and administrative hub for our shared life and mission.
In time, we hope this may become more than that — a place for gathering, training, and equipping leaders as together we seek the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of Christ’s Church.
Much work remains in shaping this new home, and we are grateful for the enthusiasm of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) as we begin exploring these possibilities together.
We pray that from Abuja we may serve Anglicans in every part of the world, giving thanks for the remarkable ways God is growing and strengthening his Church across the nations.
We ask for your prayers as we seek his wisdom for all that lies ahead.
Yours in Christ,
The Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman of the Global Anglican Council
Saturday, 29th August, 2026.”
– Source: Gafcon.
God’s Faithfulness in Brazil — Gafcon Communique
From Archbishop Dr Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Global Anglican Council –
“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ.
It has been a great joy to gather this weekend in Recife, Brazil, with leaders of the Global Anglican Communion to celebrate the installation of the Very Revd Gabriel Moreira Uchoa Cavalcanti as Dean of the Catedral Anglicana do Espírito Santo.
The service was filled with joy and hope as Archbishop Miguel Uchoa Cavalcanti passed the mantle of leadership of the Cathedral to his son, Gabriel.
This celebration also marked 30 years since Archbishop Miguel planted the church in 1996 with just 30 or so people.
We give thanks to God for all that has grown from those humble beginnings, as churches have been planted, leaders raised up, dioceses multiplied, and the Anglican Church in Brazil established as a faithful and growing province.
Yet amidst the joy of our celebrations was a recognition that these 30 years also tell a story of hope through significant trials. …”
Gafcon photo.
Gafcon Prayer Update: GFCA Trustees
Gafcon Prayer Update from a couple of days ago –
“Please give thanks to God for the faithful ministry of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GFCA) Trustees, whose governance and oversight provide the practical foundation that supports the life and work of the Global Anglican Communion. Give thanks for Bishop John Guernsey, the Trustees Chair, and Dr Laurie Scandrett, the Honorary Treasurer, as they provide wise and faithful leadership.
Pray for the Trustees serving from Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Rwanda, the United Kingdom and the United States. Pray that God will grant them wisdom, integrity and unity as they steward the resources entrusted to this global movement and exercise careful oversight of its ministry.
Please pray especially for the Trustees as preparations continue for GAFCON V in Athens in April 2028. Ask God to give them wisdom and discernment as they oversee the many financial and governance decisions already being made, provide every resource that is needed, and establish this significant gathering for the strengthening of his Church and the advance of the gospel.”
– A reminder that Gafcon Prayer updates can be found on their website – and if you use the free PrayerMate app on your phone, you can subscribe to their prayer feed.
Photo: Gafcon.
In Defense of the Abuja Affirmation
Writing in Covenant, the online journal of the American publication The Living Church, Bishop Glenn Davies responds to an article by the Rev. Dr. Matthew Olver about the Abuja Affirmation –
“I am grateful for the irenic article that the Rev. Dr. Matthew Olver published on Covenant on April 13, 2026, where he engages theologically with the Abuja Affirmation.
As a participant in the G26 Assembly in Abuja in March, I have a good idea of what was achieved in that extraordinary gathering, which was a celebration of the Global Anglican Communion launched by the Gafcon primates on October 16, 2025.
The heart of the issue that Gafcon has been addressing since its 2008 inaugural assembly in Jerusalem is the authority of Scripture in its plain, canonical sense. …”
– Glenn’s response is an important setting out of why Gafcon / The Global Anglican Communion is needed.
It is worthy of careful study.
________________
Related: (each will open in a new window)
The Kuala Lumpur Statement, 1997.
GAFCON Final Statement and the Jerusalem Declaration – 29 June 2008.
The Jerusalem Declaration – as a PDF file – formatted to two A4 pages.
The Abuja Affirmation – 2026.
A short video and prayer for Gafcon Sunday
If your church observes Gafcon Sunday tomorrow, this video and the notes below from Gafcon might be of use –
“Around the world, biblically faithful Anglicans like you are praying and giving to support the ministry and mission of the Global Anglican Communion. We invite you to join our General Secretary, Bishop Paul Donison, in praying the GAFCON collect today.
Around the world today, parishes like yours will be ministering in Word and Sacrament, and GAFCON Sunday is a great time for us to reflect on what the Lord is doing in His global Church.
Thank you for standing with us! Thank you for praying for the work of the Global Anglican Communion, and for your partnership with GAFCON. None of this would be possible without the faithful stewardship of generous partners like you.
So today, please
Pray — Lift the Global Anglican Communion before the Lord. Pray for our archbishops, bishops, clergy, and lay leaders — especially those in hostile and dangerous contexts who pay a real price for their faithfulness.
Share — Mention GAFCON Sunday from the pulpit or in your small group. Post about it. The breadth of this fellowship is its strength.
Give — Make a generous gift today. As Paul writes, “God loves a cheerful giver” — and there is much reason for joy in what your gift makes possible (2 Corinthians 9:7).
We are grateful for every prayer offered and every gift given.”
This Sunday is Gafcon Sunday
Archbishop Miguel Uchoa, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Brazil and Vice-Chairman of the Global Anglican Council, shares why GAFCON Sunday matters and why you should partner with us in prayer and with your most generous gift today.
From Gafcon:
“What began as a conference became a movement, and, by God’s grace, is now the home for biblically faithful Anglicans around the world.
The Global Anglican Communion announced at G26 in Abuja early this year is not a new communion, but the same Anglican Communion now reordered with leadership that is both biblically faithful and truly global.
And GAFCON Sunday is your opportunity to give generously to this work that is impacting millions around the world.
You are supporting our work in:
Theological education for the next generation of orthodox clergy and bishops, many in contexts where sound training is scarce or actively opposed.
Frontline mission among the unreached — including partnerships across the world, including in the Middle East region, and the re-evangelization of Europe.
Relational infrastructure that holds together our provinces across cultural, linguistic, and national divides — bound not by institutional power but by a shared confession of the Jerusalem Declaration.
Global Gatherings like our upcoming G27 prayer conference for laity in Brazil, and our next major assembly in Athens in 2028 for GAFCON V.
None of this happens without faithful, generous partners like you.
Three Ways to Participate on 28 June 2026
Pray — Lift the Global Anglican Communion before the Lord. Pray for our archbishops, bishops, clergy, and lay leaders — especially those in hostile and dangerous contexts who pay a real price for their faithfulness.
Share — Forward this email. Mention GAFCON Sunday from the pulpit or in your small group. Post about it. The breadth of this fellowship is its strength.
Give — Make a generous gift before or on June 28. As Paul writes, “God loves a cheerful giver” — and there is much reason for joy in what your gift makes possible (2 Corinthians 9:7).
We are grateful for every prayer offered and every gift given. You are not a donor at a distance — you are a participant in something the Lord is doing across the earth. Thank you for your partnership.”
Links:
GAFCON Sunday – 28 June 2026
News from Gafcon –
“At Abuja this past March, 347 Anglican bishops, 121 lay and clerical leaders from 27 provinces gathered under the Word of God — to confer, to celebrate, and to reaffirm that the Global Anglican Communion is founded on the person and work of Jesus Christ and the authority of his word.
GAFCON Sunday, 28 June 2026, is an opportunity to stand with us — to pray and give generously as we work to keep the Bible at the heart of a truly Global Anglican Communion.
Bishop John Guernsey, Chair of the GAFCON Trustees, shares a word about this moment and what your participation means.
More voices are coming soon — including messages from our Global Anglican Council Chairman, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, our General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison, and others.
Three Ways to Participate on 28 June 2026:
Pray — Join believers around the world in lifting up the Global Anglican Communion. Pray for our Archbishops, Bishops, clergy, congregations, especially those in hostile contexts.
Share — Tell your diocese, congregation, small group, and network about GAFCON Sunday. The strength of this movement is the breadth of its fellowship.
Give — Make a generous gift to support the ministry of GAFCON. Every dollar given sustains faithful Anglican witness — in theological education, frontline mission, and the next generation of orthodox leaders.
There is much work to do as we support the tens of millions of biblically faithful Anglicans around the world. We need your help. So please give, give generously, and give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7).”
Analysis: The Abuja “Contradiction” That Isn’t
We didn’t link to the article by Jay Thomas at First Things yesterday, it didn’t seem profitable. However, if you happen to have read it, George Conger at Anglican Ink has published a very clear and helpful rebuttal.
“Jay Thomas’s recent First Things essay ‘Anglicans and the Abuja Contradiction’ purports to expose fatal logical flaws in GAFCON’s Jerusalem Declaration.
In reality, it reveals something far more interesting: how easily appeals to ‘Anglican tradition’ can mask fundamentally un-Anglican premises. Thomas’s argument doesn’t just fail—it fails instructively, demonstrating precisely why orthodox Anglicans found GAFCON necessary in the first place.
Thomas’s thesis is straightforward: GAFCON stands guilty of rank hypocrisy.…”
– Read George’s response here.
Related:
Photo: G26 at Abuja, via SydneyAnglicans.net.
The Dawn has broken
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
There is an African Proverb that says, “However, long the night, the dawn will break.”
On this glorious day, Christians across every tongue, tribe, and nation gather together to proclaim the most world-changing truth in all of human history: the tomb is empty, death is defeated, and Jesus Christ reigns as Lord.
Easter is not just a symbol or a season. It is a fact — the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the first-fruits of a new creation.
Because He lives, we live. Because He has conquered sin and death, there is no corner of this earth, no depth of suffering, no weight of grief that stands beyond the reach of His resurrection power and endless love.
To our brothers and sisters around the world — in seasons of joy and in seasons of persecution — we say with one voice: Hold fast in the hope of the resurrection. The risen Christ holds you, He sees you, and He hears your prayers.
He who walked out of the grave on the third day is the same Lord who walks with you today. And as we joyfully proclaim every week in our services, Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.
This Easter, may the living hope of the resurrection fill your hearts, strengthen your faith, and send you out as witnesses to the world that Jesus Christ is alive — and that His Kingdom shall have no end.
Let us pray together:
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may, by your life-giving Spirit, be delivered from sin and raised from death; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Grace and peace,
The Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman of the Global Anglican Council
Easter Day, 5th April, 2026
Global Anglican Council official list
From John Sandeman at The Other Cheek –
“The official list of the Global Anglican Council, set up to lead in a reset Anglican Communion, was released by the Gafcon General Secretary, Paul Donison, overnight. It differs from the list published by The Other Cheek recently – which included people who are likely to join the council but have not yet. The Other Cheek apologises for this error.
It includes …”
Photo: Image: In the livestream from the Advent Cable Network Nigeria, Gafcon General Secretary Paul Denison announces the Global Anglican Council.
Explainer: Anglican re-ordering and Gafcon in Abuja
From SydneyAnglicans.net, a very helpful article to read and share –
“In early March 2026, headlines lit up around the world about the re-ordering of what’s known as the Anglican Communion – the grouping of Anglican churches around the world which emerged from the English missionary efforts of the 18th and 19th centuries and later.
The Global Anglican Future Conference, which has drawn together the majority of the largest churches in the communion, held a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.
Here are the answers to some key questions …”
These are the questions asked and answered –
What happened in Abuja?
What are the issues?
What does this mean for my local parish?
I’m concerned about talk of schism and division – why can’t we all just get along?
What happens to the Archbishop of Canterbury?
What does this mean for Sydney Anglicans and the Archbishop of Canterbury?
What does this mean for Sydney Anglicans and the Anglican Church of Australia?
The Global Anglican Communion, Abuja and the Australian Anglican Church — with Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
From The Pastor’s Heart –
“What does the reordering of the Anglican Communion actually mean for Christians in the Australian Church?
Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel on what it means for Anglican churches, clergy and church members in Australia.
We explore what ‘principled disengagement’ from the Canterbury Instruments will mean for Australian leaders and other Global Anglican Communion leaders.
Plus an update on implementing the Sydney Diocean goal of seeing five percent saved through conversion growth each year.
And Archbishop Raffel responds to criticism over his comments on Pauline Hanson, ‘We must reject hateful words and threats of violence.’”
A video report on the Global Anglican Communion to play in church on Sunday
From The Pastor’s Heart, here’s a video report on the Global Anglican Communion you could play in church on Sunday – with a bit of explanation beforehand as to what it’s all about.
– Watch here.
Laurent Mbanda: First extended interview with Chairman of the new Global Anglican Council
From The Pastor’s Heart –
“In this special episode of The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda, newly appointed chair of the council guiding newly inaugurated the Global Anglican Communion.
Speaking from Abuja, Nigeria, just days after the historic gathering that launched the new communion,
Archbishop Mbanda reflects on the extraordinary journey that brought him from displacement and poverty to global church leadership.
He shares the emotion and conviction behind the moment — why many Anglicans believe a new structure was necessary, why unity must be theological rather than geographical, and why the authority of Scripture remains central
Archbishop Mbanda also responds to narratives circulating in the media — that the new movement is about women bishops or opposition to LGBT people — arguing instead that the central issue is the authority of Scripture and faithfulness to biblical teaching.
Along the way, Mbanda warmly commends Vaughan Roberts’ Lausanne Conference address and new book Full of Grace and Truth, urging churches to hold together biblical conviction and Christ-like grace in their response to questions of sexuality.
This episode is brought to you by Anglican Aid.”
– Terrific interview – well worth watching. Watch here.
Plus, here’s the video of Vaughan Roberts mentioned above:
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…