Sydney will not attend Lambeth – official
This Statement was made by Archbishop Peter Jensen – speaking after the service of ordination of 48 deacons at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney today –
“With regret, the Archbishop and Bishops of the Diocese of Sydney have decided not to attend the Lambeth Conference in July.
They remain fully committed to the Anglican Communion, to which they continue to belong, but sense that attending the Conference at this time will not help heal its divisions.
They continue to pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference.”
From the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin
This letter has been sent to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin –
“Friday, February 01, 2008
We have received your letter dated January 25 in which you state that you do not recognize us individually as members of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin. We find your statements, published by ENS on the internet and read in Hanford prior to most of us receiving the actual letter, to be unhelpful. While you may hold any personal opinion you wish as an individual, the office of Presiding Bishop does not have the legal, canonical or moral authority to proclaim for the Episcopal Church non-recognition of duly elected members of a diocesan Standing Committee. …”
Read the full letter sent from the San Joaquin Standing Committee to Katharine Jefferts Schori.
48 New Deacons in Sydney
This morning 48 men and women were ordained as deacons by Archbishop Peter Jensen at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.
Please give thanks to the Lord for each and pray for them as they begin new ministries.
(Thanks to David Ould for the photo. More photos here courtesy of Ramon Williams. And a report here from SydneyAnglicans.net)
Anglicans keep Lourdes anniversary
Eight Church of England bishops are together planning to make an unprecedented group pilgrimage to the Roman Catholic shrine of Lourdes on the 150th anniversary of the reported appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St Bernadette.
… the Society of Mary, one of the Church of England’s Catholic Societies, has organised a pilgrimage for a large group of Anglican bishops, along with about 400 lay worshippers. …
Full story from The Church Times.
(For a very helpful resource on the difference between Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs, see Ray Galea’s Nothing in My Hand I Bring published by Matthias Media.)
Statement from Archbishop Peter Jensen on church music
In response to this ABC Radio PM item (“Archbishop of Sydney ‘vandalising’ Anglican culture”, Wednesday, 30 January 2008) and an article in The Spectator, Archbishop Peter Jensen has released this statement:
“I am disturbed by an attack on the musical tradition of St. Andrew’s Cathedral featured in the Spectator and aired on ABC Radio recently.
No opportunity was given to respond to these remarks before they aired.
There are inaccuracies in the reports about which I will say nothing, but I am compelled to speak to correct the record and to protect the real victims of such an attack, the musicians who do a splendid job, week in and week out, in congregations across Sydney, and not least at our Cathedral, St. Andrew’s.
Christ Church Plano – The Anglican Initiative for Mission
David Roseberry, Rector of Christ Church Plano, reports from the first meeting of The Anglican Initiative for Mission: an annual workshop to inspire, train and support the planting of new churches in America.
The workshop was held as a prelude to the AMiA Winter Conference last week in Dallas.
Watch David’s report via Youtube. See also the The Anglican Initiative for Mission website.
Archbishop Akinola thanks GAFCON Theology Resource Team
Members of the Theology Resource Team for GAFCON met in Lagos, Nigeria from January 28-30. They came from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Australia, Ghana, India, and England.
(They are pictured here with Primate of Nigeria Archbishop Peter Akinola, centre. ACL President Rev. Dr. Mark Thompson is second from the left in the second row.)
At at the conclusion of their meeting, Archbishop Peter Akinola spoke at a press conference. Archbishop Akinola said: Read more
Day of Thanksgiving for Rain – Armidale
The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Armidale, Dr. Peter Brain, has asked each of the churches in his region to take time on Sunday February 10th, to offer special prayers of Thanksgiving for the recent rains.
“Since we have set aside some special days of prayer for rain during the past 5 years of drought and God has been pleased to answer these prayers by graciously sending widespread rains, we want to give Him special thanks,” said Bishop Brain.
Kenyan pastors tell of surviving the violence
“At one stop, an entire village lay in shambles. Pastor Samuel, who had led the local Baptist church, quickly picks his way through piles of burned corrugated tin, keeping a watchful eye on the forest and hills nearby for signs of danger.
For weeks, this area was cut off from the rest of the country. Even the media and Red Cross didn’t venture into this dangerous territory. Gangs of youth blocked the roads, keeping anyone from coming or going. Samuel stops in front of a piece of charred, ashen ground. ‘Here,’ he says quietly. ‘Here is our Baptist church.’…”
This story from Baptist Press gives some idea of the effects of the violence in Kenya.
Bishop of Central Florida: Church Litigation a Travesty
Bishop John W. Howe of the Diocese of Central Florida:
“There are those who simply have to leave The Episcopal Church for conscience sake… I understand that. I don’t agree, but I don’t believe we should punish them. We shouldn’t sue them. We shouldn’t depose the clergy. Our brokenness is a tragedy. The litigation that is going on in so many places is a travesty. And although some seem to be trying to do so, I don’t think you can hold a church together by taking everybody you disagree with to court.” …
Full report by George Conger for The Living Church.
(See also the Diocese of Central Florida.)
Agreement to be signed by local Anglican and Roman Catholic heads
In a sign of warming relationship between the Anglicans and the Catholics in NSW, a formal covenant will be signed between them with the Anglican Archbishop of Newcastle, Dr Brian Farran, saying it was an indication of the common value they shared together and a step towards ‘healing’ the differences. …
Story from Christian Today.
South Carolina Episcopalians get bishop
Just call him Bishop Lawrence, finally.
Mark Joseph Lawrence endured two elections in a year’s span and waited patiently for confirmation that he would be the 14th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. His election was approved in October, and on Saturday, he was consecrated in a liturgical ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul in downtown Charleston. …
Story from the Charleston Post and Courier.
See also this interview on Stand Firm, in March 2007, after the first election had been declared ‘null and void’ by the Presiding Bishop.
Who is running the Anglican Communion?
“Readers of the Anglican Communion Office’s website might begin to wonder who is running the Anglican Communion. …
Curious… that the ACO website lists the Diocese of San Joaquin as ‘vacant’ – curious, because it isn’t. …”
John Richardson is perplexed – at Anglican Mainstream.
San Joaquin Standing Committee not recognised
Presiding Bishop on January 25 wrote to inform each member of the standing committee elected at the last convention of the Fresno-based Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin that she does not recognize them as the standing committee of that diocese. She also assured continuing Episcopalians of financial and legal support in reconstituting the diocese. …
Report from Episcopal Life Online. The letter may be seen here (pdf).
Lambeth Conference to go ahead ‘with most of the bishops present’
“Seventy per cent of bishops have said yes to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s invitation to attend this year’s Lambeth Conference. …”
Full report from The Church Times
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…