Manitoba parish votes to join ANiC
The congregation of St Bede’s Anglican Church in Kinosota, Manitoba voted overwhelmingly yesterday, October 15, to come under the episcopal oversight of Bishops Donald Harvey and Malcolm Harding of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) and under the Primatial authority of Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. …
– Full press release at the Anglican Network in Canada.
Invitation to CofE members to support Vancouver churches
Members of the Church of England have been invited to express their support for the Anglican Network in Canada parishes, including St. John’s Shaughnessy, where David Short is Rector.
The petition, and background information, is available at this link. The actual petition reads:
We, the undersigned, as active clergy and lay members of the Church of England, stand with those parishes in Vancouver that are part of the Anglican Network in Canada, affirming that they are authentically Anglican.
Australian readers (who therefore cannot sign this petition) are urged to continue in prayer. Formore information, please see the St. John’s website.
(Photo: David Short and James Packer at St. John’s Shaughnessy.)
Reform Conference ‘discusses alternative oversight’
In a report for Times Online on the Reform Conference taking place in London, Ruth Gledhill writes,
“The Rev Rod Thomas, chairman of Reform, the conservative evangelical grouping that represents dozens of Anglican congregations, told parishes they should go ahead and seek alternative oversight, even if the Church of England fails to ‘accommodate’ this solution through its General Synod.”
(Bear in mind, of course, that the issue is not homosexuality per se, but theological liberalism.)
And Martin Beckford in The Telegraph reports,
“The Rev Rod Thomas, chairman of the Reform network of evangelicals, said some clergy and congregations may make the ‘radical’ move of secession from the established church because of the liberal direction in which it is moving on women bishops and homosexuality.
He claimed the differences are now so great that there effectively two religions within the church, one liberal and one conservative, and that at least 25 parishes are already seeking ‘alternative oversight’…”
Sydney affirms women’s ministry
Synod has strongly affirmed the ministry of women in the Diocese after the Rev Chris Albany’s motion calling the Archbishop to consider how different views on women’s involvement in ministry can be “creatively lived out” in the Diocese was lost…
– Full report on yesterday’s Synod debate from SydneyAnglicans.net. (Photo: Anglican Media Sydney.)
Melbourne Synod Charge online
The Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr Philip Freier, gave his Synod Charge to the Melbourne Synod last Thursday. It’s available on the Anglican Media Melbourne website (pdf file).
(Photo: Bryce Amner.)
Mateship doing it tough as cash cult cracks
Traditional Australian values of mateship, good neighbourliness and offering a helping hand to those in need could be seriously tested by the economic downturn, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has warned…
– The Sydney Morning Herald reports on last night’s Presidential address at Synod.
Archbishop Peter Jensen’s 2008 Synod Presidential Address
The audio file of Archbishop Peter Jensen’s Presidential Address to the 2008 Synod meeting of Sydney Diocese – given late this afternoon – is now available at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Connect09 and GAFCON were among the key topics covered. Worth hearing – the 28MB file runs for 80 minutes.
The text of Archbishop Jensen’s address is also available. (Photo: Anglican Media Sydney.)
The Archbishop speaks about Canon RBS Hammond, Rector of St. Barnabas’ Broadway in the 1930s. “RBS” is mentioned in this story about Arthur Stace, “Mr. Eternity” – a man who made Sydney his mission field in an innovative way.
ACL Dinner hears of GAFCON encouragement
The Chapter House of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, was tonight packed for the annual ACL Synod Dinner.
Dr Karin Sowada interviewed two of the Sydney participants at GAFCON – Bishop Glenn Davies and Rev Allison Street. Both bore testimony to the great encouragement it was to share fellowship with Bible-believing Anglicans from around the world. Both speakers also reported the excitement and enthusiasm of the GAFCON attendees over the Final Statement and the Jerusalem Declaration. (Sydney endorsement of the Jerusalem Declaration is set to be debated on Monday night October 20.)
ACL Synod Dinner and Synod Survival Guide
Get your invitation to the ACL’s Synod Dinner on Monday 13th October. (RSVP Thursday Oct 9th.)
– and also grab a free copy of The Synod Survival Guide (4th edition) by Robert Tong
– by clicking on the images at left.
Words of comfort for faithful feeling stress
“The Anglican Church should expect its congregations to experience more anxiety than has been seen for many years because of the economic crisis facing Australia and the world, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, is expected to tell the Sydney Anglican synod today.
Dr Jensen’s warning about the stress parishioners could face in coming weeks and months will be part of his address at the synod, which will focus on the Church’s multimillion-dollar mass evangelisation campaign, called Connect09…”
– Report from The Sydney Morning Herald. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
A Conversation: Keller, Piper, Carson
A wide-ranging hour-long conversation between Tim Keller, John, Piper, and D.A. Carson was video-recorded at the 2008 leadership meeting of The Gospel Coalition and has been posted on Facebook:
Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6. (hat tip Justin Taylor.)
Vic abortion bill ‘betrays humanity’
Catholic Church officials in Victoria have described the passing of the abortion law reform Bill is a betrayal of humanity.
The state’s Upper House last night passed a bill to remove abortion from the Crimes Act, by 23 votes to 17, rejecting all amendments.…
– Report from ABC News.
See also our post from February about the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne – but also see this press release issued before the vote by Anglican Media Melbourne on Thusrday night –
Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr Philip Freier, expressed concern tonight that the controversial Bill on Abortion legislation currently before the Upper House of State Parliament unless amended will make no provision “for conscientious objection for doctors and nurses who on account of their conscience cannot participate in the termination of pregnancies.”…
(Photo: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.)
Thinking about church planting?
Mark Dever interviews church planter Mike McKinley about the travails of planting and why we should plant churches WITHOUT a vision statement.
– Hear the audio file at 9 Marks.
News roundup from David Virtue
“The most sinister development of the week is that Katharine Jefferts Schori and her attorney David Booth Beers will put a resolution on the table at GC 2009 forcing all parishes to reconstitute their legal titles to reflect irrevocable trusts with their respective bishops as beneficiaries, and by extension, The Episcopal Church.”
– from David Virtue’s ‘Viewpoints’, a weekly roundup and commentary.
St. Bartholomew’s breaks away from Episcopal Diocese
Members of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church will become the first [Diocese of Western New York] congregation to break ties with the Episcopal Church since the contentious 2003 ratification of an openly homosexual bishop by the national governing body…
With average weekend attendance of more than 500 people, St. Bart’s ranks as the largest Episcopal congregation in upstate New York.
– Report from The Buffalo News. See also George Conger’s report for Religious Intelligence.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…