Anglican Network in Canada Easter Message
“Imagine someone announcing that:
- The problem of death has been dealt with completely.
- The power of sin has also been broken so that complete forgiveness is available to all and so that guilt is gone and the power to live a new and worthy life is now possible.
- Satan and all his demonic realm – who have long ruled this dark world wreaking evil havoc, cruelty, violence, all sorts of injustice and abuse, filling the world with lies – has received a death blow that guarantees his and their condemnation.
This, of course, is exactly the message we bring and would remind you of …”
– Bishop Charlie Masters’ Easter Letter.
Canada: Anglican Church faces falling membership, deeper divisions
“More than 15,000 packed Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Crowds thronged the lobby of the Royal York Hotel. Two hundred reporters scrambled for news and The Globe and Mail splashed the story on its front page.
Not for the Beatles or Muhammad Ali, but a congress of the Anglican Church. It was late summer, 1963, and the Anglican Church, bastion of the old order, was at its demographic peak in Canada. …”
– The Globe and Mail in Toronto reports on the Back to the Anglican Future conference held last week.
‘Anglican Church of Canada worship returns to St. John’s Shaughnessy’
“The Venerable John Stephens, Archdeacon of Vancouver has arranged a rota of clergy to conduct Sunday services and musicians to lead the music in worship beginning Sunday, September 25th at 11am with a Celebration of Holy Communion. …”
– from the Diocese of New Westminister website.
Related: Largest Anglican Church congregation in Canada leaves historic church home.
And from the St. John’s Vancouver website:
“We will pray that He will continue to use this space for His glory, and that many may come to know Him in it in the future.”
“On September 18, we will have regular services at 8am, 10am, and 6:30pm. The 10am service will finish differently. Near the end of the 10am service we will thank God for his grace at giving us our home at St. John’s Shaughnessy for the better part of the last century. We will pray that He will continue to use this space for His glory, and that many may come to know Him in it in the future. We will then depart the building together and drive to our new location at 5350 Baillie, arriving together. We will thank God for his grace and provision and sing . After this, at approximately noon, a light lunch will be served at our new location and there will be an opportunity to explore where ministries will be happening and enjoy our new home.”
Largest Anglican Church congregation in Canada leaves historic church home
Sunday 18th September will be the last Sunday for St. John’s Vancouver (formerly St. John’s Shaughnessy) at the place where they have been meeting for 100 years.
This would be an especially good time to continue in prayer for the congregation, the ministry team led by David Short, and for their expanded, gracious, proclamation of the Lord Jesus in the city of Vancouver.
They’ve just published this news release: Read more
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada approves statement on human sexuality
“Following more than two hours of debate, delegates of the 2011 ELCIC National Convention approved a Social Statement on Human Sexuality. The results came late in a day and were done by written ballot, with 213 votes in favour of the motion and 134 against. …
Delegates voted on whether to call the question and the results were announced as 166 in favour and 162 against. As convention moved on to consider the adoption of the social statement, a steward announced that there had been an error with the previous count and the majority of delegates had voted not to call the question.
After a brief time of reflection, Bishop Johnson … ruled the decision to call the question stood, since delegates had proceeded in good faith according to information from the stewards. …
The original vote to approve the proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality resumed, and after voting, delegates heard a presentation and several announcements. … At around 7:30 p.m., Bishop Johnson announced the statement had been adopted by a vote of 213 to 134…”
– from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. (h/t Anglican Essentials Canada blog.)
Related: Bishop Johnson and Archbishop Hiltz’s Christmas greetings 2010.
Supreme Court of Canada dismisses appeal, congregations to be evicted
David Short, Rector of St. John’s Shaughnessy:
“the way we respond is a God-given opportunity to bear witness to Christ. As those who are disciples of Jesus Christ, this is not just about ‘what’ we do but also ‘how’ we do it. In some ways nothing will change with the decision on Thursday. We are still God’s family, and he has placed us in Vancouver to spread his glory.”
News release from the Anglican Network in Canada:
“The trustees of four Vancouver-area Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes are preparing to vacate their church buildings after the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed their case and awarded legal costs to the Anglican Church of Canada Diocese of New Westminster. The four churches are: St John’s (Shaughnessy), St Matthews (Abbotsford), Good Shepherd (Vancouver), and St Matthias & St Luke’s (Vancouver). Read more
United Church of Canada: ‘celebrating post-theism’
“The United Church of Canada, which was formed 86 years ago with the grand vision to bring Protestants together “in one glorious national church,” is undergoing one of the most precipitous slides in modern religious history.
In the midst of a breathtaking erosion in its membership, the church is undertaking what some call a great experiment to redefine itself through an intense engagement with the surrounding secular world; whether it be through advocating for the environment, fighting for the rights of homosexuals to marry or taking on the cause of the Palestinians, the church has attempted to blur the boundaries between religion and the broader society.…”
– Opinion-piece by Charles Lewis in the National Post of Canada.
(As the Anglican Essentials Canada blog points out, it makes the Anglican Church of Canada “look like a bastion of orthodoxy”. Example. Photo: UCC Moderator Mardi Tindal from her Easter message.)
ANiC Parishes file application for Leave to Appeal to Supreme Court of Canada
Parishes File Application for Leave to Appeal to Supreme Court of Canada
News Release from the Anglican Network in Canada
14 January 2011
“Today, the Trustees of four Vancouver-area Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) churches filed an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, the BC Court of Appeal decision (November 15, 2010) which removed their right to use their church buildings and awarded the church properties to the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) Diocese of New Westminster. The four churches are St John’s (Shaughnessy), St Matthews (Abbotsford), Good Shepherd (Vancouver), and St Matthias & St Luke’s (Vancouver). Read more
Vancouver churches to appeal to Supreme Court of Canada
This news release is just in from the Anglican Network in Canada:
“This is not the path any of us would have preferred; however, we initiated court proceedings when threats to replace trustees began to be carried out and when the Diocese caused banks to freeze two parishes’ bank accounts.”
Parishes initiate appeal to Supreme Court of Canada
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12 December 2010
Vancouver, BC – After several weeks of consultation within the parishes, the Trustees of four Vancouver-area churches have instructed their legal counsel to file an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada of a BC Court of Appeal decision (November 15, 2010) which removed their right to use their church buildings. Read more
Diocesan mergers ahead in the US and Canada
“Aging congregations and falling attendance may force the mergers of the dioceses of Montreal and Quebec, the Montreal Anglican reports. …
Last year Bishop Drainville [Quebec] told the Canadian House of Bishops his diocese was ‘teetering on the verge of extinction.’ Of the diocese’s 82 congregations, 50 were childless and 35 congregations had an average age of 75.”
– George Conger reports for The Church of England Newspaper.
(h/t Anglican Essentials Canada blog.)
See also the June 2010 Montreal Anglican PDF.
Anglican Church of Canada’s synod guide for talking about sex
“According to the Windsor Report 2004, scripture is the channel through which the supreme authority of the triune God is exercised (WR section B paragraphs 53–54). However…”
– The Anglican Essentials Canada blog has posted some excerpts.
Anglican Church (of Canada) facing threat of extinction
“The Anglican Church in Canada – once as powerful in the nation’s secular life as it was in its soul – may be only a generation away from extinction, says a just-published assessment of the church’s future.”
– The Globe and Mail reports.
Greetings to the bishops-elect of the Anglican Network in Canada
To Bishop Donald Harvey, and Bishops-elect Stephen Leung, Charlie Masters and Trevor Walters –
From Archbishop Peter Jensen, Secretary of GAFCON Primates Council:
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the whole armour of God so that you can take your stand. Preach the word, correct, rebuke and encourage. With our love, prayers, support and encouragement for your ministry.
Read the greetings from other Anglican leaders at Anglican Mainstream.
(Photo: Anglican Essentials Canada.)
The United Church of Canada’s uncertain future
‘
It’s not the only religious organization in Canada to suffer from a lack of interest. But more than others, perhaps, the United Church has tried to find relevance and attract attention by offering what many complain is an all-inclusive, interpretive and ‘watered-down’ brand of faith. …
At least one church has become a virtual no-God zone.
Gretta Vosper is the minister at West Hill United Church in Toronto and author of With or Without God: Why the way we live is more important than what we believe. …’
– read the full article at the religion blog of the National Post.
(Photo courtesy West Hill United Church.)
Canada case concerns us all
“Last week I attended a fascinating talk given at St Andrew’s, Roseville by Mrs Lesley Bentley, a churchwarden at St John’s, Shaughnessy in Vancouver. Sydney Anglicans have a greater interest in St John’s than most Canadian churches because Canon David Short, a Sydney-trained minister, is the rector…”
– Bishop Glenn Davies writes at SydneyAnglicans.net. (Photo: Russell Powell.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…