Anglican Coalition in Canada welcomes new Province
Dec 6th 2008 – Vancouver, Canada
The Anglican Coalition in Canada is pleased to announce its full participation in the emerging Province called the Anglican Church in North America. This new province was called into existence by the GAFCON Primates, representing the vast majority of the Anglican Church worldwide. Read more
Anglican Church of Canada on Facebook
The Anglican Church of Canada, looking for a new way to reach the faithful, has launched its own official page on the popular social networking site Facebook.
“It’s an exciting new step for us,” Brian Bukowski, Web manager for the church, told the Anglican Journal…
– Story from The Toronto Star.
Anglican Church of Canada slashes budget
Directors at the General Synod office have been asked to slash $1.3 million from the 2009 budget, a move designed to break a recurring pattern in recent years of huge budget deficits. …
Archbishop Hiltz … cautioned against looking at the situation negatively, saying, “The ship is not sinking; rather it’s moving in another direction…”
– Report from The Anglican Journal of the Anglican Church of Canada.
Anglican Network in Canada: Open letter to Primates
5 September 2008
Open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion
After consulting with my Primate, Archbishop Gregory Venables, I report with great sadness that two Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) churches under my jurisdiction – St Matthews (Abbotsford, BC) and St Matthias and St Luke’s (Vancouver, BC) – received letters on 26 August 2008, informing them that the Bishop of New Westminster had taken action on 10 July 2008 to seize control of those parish properties. The letters also notified the wardens, trustees and parish councils that Bishop Michael Ingham had dismissed and replaced them and ordered the clergy to vacate the church buildings by mid-September. It is clear that our other two ANiC parishes in Vancouver, St. John’s Shaughnessy and Church of the Good Shepherd, will receive the same action in the near future.
This is the fourth Canadian diocese to act in this way against ANiC churches which have come under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. …
– Read the full letter from Bishop Don Harvey, Moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada as a 48kb PDF file (direct link).
See also our earlier stories –
New Westminster takes steps against Southern Cone clergy.
New Westminster moves to seize control of ANiC parishes.
St. John’s Shaughnessy responds to New Westminster.
New Westminister letters to parishioners.
Up, Down and Out in Canada: J I Packer
My wife and I moved from England to Canada in 1979. Principal James Houston has recruited me to teach theology at Regent College, which, though over age, I still do. God’s call was clear, and our only uncertainty was where we might find a spiritual home. New Westminster Diocese, of which Vancouver is the see city, was decidedly liberal, and its few evangelical clergy seemed to be keeping their heads down lest they be noticed.
But in 1978 my oldest friend among Canadian clergy, Harry Robinson, became rector of St. John’s Shaughnessy, only a mile and a half from where God, by a happy providence, gave us a place to live, so that problem was solved. Called as I am to be a pastor, I had found fulfillment before in an honorary parish appointment alongside teaching duties, and I became Harry’s honorary assistant the moment we arrived. …
– Dr Jim Packer tells his story – at VirtueOnline. (Photo: Ed Hird.)
Anglican Church of Canada sets stage for same sex marriage
“Anglican Church of Canada Council of General Synod – Highlights from May 24
Revision of the marriage canon
…the following resolution was adopted: the Council of General Synod –
- concurs in the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee’s understanding that it is to address the particular category of “legally qualified persons,” i.e. same-sex couples at least one of whom is baptized Christian;
- agrees that development of a theological rationale for the marriage of such couples should precede the preparation of any draft amendments to or revision of the Marriage Canon;
- requests the committee to report to the COGS no later than November 2009, and
- directs that, if the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee develops such a rationale, it should, in conjunction with the Handbook Concerns Committee, prepare draft amendments to, or a draft revision of, the Marriage Canon for consideration by the COGS in March 2010 for possible submission to the 2010 session of the General Synod.”
from the Anglican Church of Canada’s Council of General Synod meeting in Mississauga, Ontario. Emphasis added.
Archbishop of Canterbury ‘recognises only Anglican Church of Canada’
The propaganda war hots up prior to tomorrow’s deadline for former New Westminster clergy who have aligned with the Anglican Network of Canada. From the Diocese of New Westminster website:
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the only church body in Canada that belongs to the Anglican Communion is the Anglican Church in Canada. …
The letter from the Archbishop, who heads the Anglican Communion… was in reply to a letter of concern from the Brandon bishop about the activities of the Anglican Network in Canada.
From the New Westminster website.
See also this story from three months ago and another from last weekend.
Anglican Church of Canada chooses litigation over negotiation
News Release from the Anglican Network in Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada’s House of Bishops has rejected an overture from the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) to seek negotiated settlements of property disputes rather than pursue litigation.
Bishop Donald Harvey, moderator of ANiC, expressed his disappointment, and said that, while he was fully aware of the sensitivities of “diocesan autonomy” and wasn’t surprised at this response, “I had hoped the Primate would have attempted to facilitate negotiations between the dioceses and the Anglican Network parishes.” Read more
Canada upholding Windsor Process?
Just in case you still believe that the Anglican Church of Canada is upholding the Windsor Process that has been so fondly pointed to by some in the ACC, we have this bit from Ottawa.
Some of you will recall that a couple of years ago, Peter Coffin – then Bishop of Ottawa – granted his permission to a female priest (Linda Fisher-Privitera) to minister in the Diocese of Ottawa. Fisher-Privitera came to Ottawa with her partner, Melissa, whom she had married in a civil union in Massachusetts, prior to arriving. …
Bishop Chapman, now bishop of Ottawa, has granted a full appointment to Fisher-Privitera at St. Michael & All Angels in Ottawa. …
Story from LC.net/Canada. (Photo: St. Michael & All Angels in Ottawa.)
More Canon XIX Charges in Canada
The Rev George Sinclair, despite relinquishing his licence for ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC), has been issued a Notice of Presumption of Abandonment of the Exercise of the Ministry according to ACoC Canon XIX by the Bishop of Ottawa.
He joins good company with Dr J I Packer and the rest of the Vancouver-area ANiC clergy who received the same notice earlier from the Diocese of New Westminster. …
– from the Anglican Network in Canada newsletter. George is on the leadership team of the Anglican Network of Canada. (Images courtesy St. Alban the Martyr.)
Realignment and Gospel Unity in Canada
Over the weekend, more Canadian churches voted on their relationship with the Anglican Church of Canada –
Islanders split from national church
“Parishioners from a Vancouver Island Anglican church have become the latest Canadian congregation to separate from the national body, primarily over the issue of same-sex marriage. … St. Mary, located in the rural Victoria suburb of Metchosin, will now align with the Anglican Network in Canada…” Read more
Canada vote encouraging, says bishop
Retired Sydney bishop Ken Short says the strength of the vote to break with the Anglican Church in Canada by the Vancouver congregation led by his son, the Rev David Short, will encourage other congregations considering a similar move. …
Russell Powell reports for SydneyAnglicans.net
Canadian Archbishop Linda Nicholls to retire by October 2024
“ ‘I am discerning the exact date of my retirement’, she says.
Anglican clergy have difficulty deciding things, they have to discern them instead. …”
– David Jenkins comments at Anglican Samizdat about the yet-to-be-determined date of Archbishop Linda Nicholls’ retirement.
Related:
Canadian General Synod ponders financial future as revenues drop – Anglican Journal.
Image from the 2023 Canadian General Synod.
The Doctrine That Doesn’t Matter Remains Unchanged
“When the first rites of blessing for same-sex couples came out in the Anglican church, they were accompanied by a lot of bluster about how they were not to be equated with marriage rites and that they did not constitute a change in doctrine.
In 2003, the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster in Canada published a form of blessing for same-sex couples. Then-Bishop Ingham made a point to distinguish these blessings from the sacrament of marriage. …”
– At Crisis Magazine, former Episcopalian priest – and now Catholic – James Merrick argues that changing Pastoral Practice might be more significant than changing Doctrine. It’s happened in the Anglican world, and is now happening in the Roman Catholic world.
Photo: Then-Bishop of New Westminster, Michael Ingham, in 2002.
Kanishka Raffel: We must not lose sight of this simple Christmas message
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has written this editorial which was published in The Daily Telegraph today.
What can we say when people come face to face with evil? How can we make sense of this desperate world? We need a word from God, which is exactly what Christmas is. God has spoken through his Son, Jesus.
Full text below:
The beginning of this year seemed to offer a ‘fresh start’ as we came out of COVID. Yet, as 2023 unfolded, the cost of living rose beyond the means of many, we witnessed with grief and horror, man-made calamity in war and conflict, as well as natural disasters, tragic accidents, and terrible crimes.
We in Australia were not isolated from the international conflicts. Many have family and friends in war-torn areas and watch helpless as the television news brings the horrors into our lounge rooms. In Gaza, Israeli hostages are held by the terrorists while civilians have been tragically killed or displaced. The salt in mothers’ tears is the same, whether they are in Ukraine, Sudan or the Middle East. In far too many places around the world, children suffer in wars and conflicts not of their own making.
Neither have we been insulated from rising inflation and the consequent effect on interest rates. The price of grocery items soared as home-owners were hit by five increases in interest rates this year. According to the research by Anglicare in its Rental Affordability Snapshot, the crisis in housing security has deepened for those in low-income households and the most vulnerable family groups. Basic affordable housing is beyond the reach of single parents, or single people, on any of the various welfare payments. The crisis in affordability has been made worse by rental availability plunging to levels not seen for more than a decade.
During COVID, there was a rise in domestic violence and we continue to see cases resulting in the death of women of all ages. I am told that younger women, between the ages of 18 to 34 years, are at greatest risk. These are terrible statistics and I commend the work of services such as 1800 Respect (1800 737 732). No women should have to suffer any form of abuse or coercive control. This is not God’s way for our families.
The introduction, last month, of the Voluntary Assisted Dying laws is a backward step for our society. Although introduced with what many consider to be the strictest protocols, I believe this will create pressure on already under resourced palliative care and diminish our commitment to protecting and valuing every human life.
We have seen this play out in Canada, a country not unlike our own. While euthanasia was introduced in 2016, initially only for the terminally ill, it now accounts for 4 percent of all deaths in that country. New measures next year will extend the availability of assisted suicide in Canada to situations where a person’s sole medical condition is a mental illness.
The idea that all human life is inherently precious was not generally affirmed in the world into which Jesus Christ was born (although it was a tenet of Judaism). It spread with the growth of early Christianity and finds expression today in the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Laws create culture. Practices shape values and community expectations. For two thousand years, Christian teaching has asserted the inestimable value of the individual created in the image of God and precious by virtue of life’s sanctity, not merely life’s utility or quality. We abandon that principle at our peril.
The horrors we see overseas, reach deep into our society too, as the Middle East conflict has brought a rise in anti-semitic sentiment. Flag burnings and aggressive verbal incitements to violence against Jewish people have shocked and repulsed our city. The sin of antisemitism has a long and shameful history. It must be repudiated in the strongest terms, so in October, I joined other faith leaders in calling for national unity and harmony so that our multi-cultural, multi-faith community may continue to thrive without hate or violence.
What can we say when people come face to face with evil? How can we make sense of this desperate world? We need a word from God, which is exactly what Christmas is. God has spoken through his Son, Jesus. The Bible describes Jesus as the Word of God – he is God’s word to us in good times and in bad.
When God came into the world he came in the vulnerability of childhood. He was born, amidst whispers of scandal, to an unwed mother. His parents searched fruitlessly for a place to stay. The secular power of the day sought his death and propelled his family to flee their home. He was born, unmistakeably, into this world with all its threats and insecurities, especially for children and the poor.
Yet, Jesus came to bring a word from God. To those who received him he gave the right to become children of God, St John says in the majestic opening to his Gospel. To a world wearied by war, human wickedness, death and decay – Jesus speaks a word of life, light, hope and adoption into God’s family.
Rising costs may have forced a stripped-down Christmas this year yet when you strip away the tinsel you have the simple message of Christmas, so simple a child can believe and yet so substantial that its wonders and glories can fill our hearts and sustain us through life’s challenges. At its heart the message of Christmas is nothing other than Jesus, and nothing better than Jesus.
May I wish you and those you love a very happy Christmas.
____________________________
– See also the Archbishop’s shorter Christmas video.
(With thanks to Russell Powell for the text. Image: SydneyAnglicans.net)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…