Time for lay administration
Posted on October 12, 2008
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“When I first attended our diocesan Synod (= denominational ‘parliament’) 10 years ago as a new Anglican Parish Rector (= Senior Pastor), I expected to sit quietly and get a feel for how things worked, reading the business papers and listening to speeches from ‘old hands’ to shape how I’d vote on the various motions and ordinances (= denominational laws).
Somewhat to my surprise, I found myself on my feet, seeking the chance to enter a debate.…”
– Sandy Grant, Rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral Wollongong, writes at the Sola Panel.
Vic abortion bill ‘betrays humanity’
Posted on October 11, 2008
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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?
Posted on October 11, 2008
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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
Posted on October 11, 2008
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“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
Posted on October 10, 2008
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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.
Free audio book – Spurgeon’s ‘All of Grace’
Posted on October 10, 2008
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This month’s free audiobook from ChristianAudio is a reading of C.H. Spurgeon’s “All of Grace”. Use the code OCT2008 at the checkout.
The mp3 files are around 100MB and run for over three hours – available free until the end of October.
Farewell to Tearfund (UK)?
Posted on October 9, 2008
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“My family has supported a little girl through Tearfund for a decade or so and I have flown Tearfund’s flag and donated to it in various ways over the years. No more, however. I redirected our sponsorship from Tearfund to another Christian group which, I am told, will be able to continue to support our child in South America.…”
– Dr Lisa Severine Nolland writes about Tearfund in the UK and the importance of theology – at Anglican Mainstream. (Photo: Tearfund UK.)
GAFCON Theological Resource Group at work
Posted on October 9, 2008
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Natasha Percy at SydneyAnglicans.net has posted a report on the GAFCON Theological Resource Group meeting last week.
ACL President Dr Mark Thompson has just returned from the meeting in Uganda.
– Read the article here. Related: The Jerusalem Declaration.
The Courage to be Protestant
Posted on October 8, 2008
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On last weekend’s (October 5, 2008) broadcast from The White Horse Inn Dr David Wells, author of ‘The Courage to be Protestant’, and numerous other books, was the special guest.
Dr. Wells has some very helpful observations on the accommodation of churches to the surrounding culture – and some challenging words on preaching.
Hear it at The White Horse Inn. (See our earlier posts.)
The great Anglican divide
Posted on October 8, 2008
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While about 20 parishioners pray under the old wooden beams of the church, most of the congregation is farther south…
Last February, most of the St. George’s congregation broke away from the umbrella of the Niagara Diocese, citing creeping liberalism in the Anglican Church of Canada… This weekend, the congregations of two more churches – one in Ottawa and one in Hamilton – voted to join the Anglican Network in Canada.
– Report from The Hamilton Spectator in Ontario. (Photo: St. George’s Lowville.)
The Lord’s Supper in Human Hands
Posted on October 8, 2008
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The Australian Church Record and the Anglican Church League’s publication ‘The Lord’s Supper in Human Hands’ will be available from October 20.
The book is an attempt to summarise the course of Sydney’s journey towards lay and diaconal administration of the Lord’s Supper and has contributions from John Woodhouse, Mark Thompson, Peter Bolt, Glenn Davies, and Robert Tong.
Details on how to order your copy are now on the Church Record website. (If you are a member of Sydney Synod, you will be sent a copy of the book
courtesy of the ACR/ACL.)
Diocese of Pittsburgh Convention video
Posted on October 8, 2008
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Anglican TV has made available their video of last weekend’s historic Pittsburgh Diocesan Convention.
A press conference held after the Convention starts 2 hours 43 minutes into the video.
– At Anglican TV.
Ryan Ferguson recites from Psalms
Posted on October 7, 2008
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Back in May, we linked to the video of Ryan Ferguson giving memorised dramatic recitation of Hebrews 9 and 10 using the ESV.
At this year’s WorshipGod08 Conference, run by Sovereign Grace Ministries, he recited Psalm 22, Psalm 25 and Psalm 145. The video files have been posted on YouTube. (Hat tip Challies.com)
In addition, audio files of the talks and seminars from the conference are available here.
Two more Ontario parishes join Network
Posted on October 6, 2008
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The congregations of St George’s in Ottawa and the Church of St Peter in Hamilton both voted with overwhelming majorities today to come under the episcopal oversight of Bishop Donald Harvey, Moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) and under the Primatial authority of Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.
The two congregations demonstrated strong unity in making these decisions. At St George’s the vote was 130 in favour and 27 opposed, while at St Peter’s, 42 voted in favour and one was opposed. Attendance at both parish vestry meetings was unexpectedly high. …
– See the full press release from the Anglican Network in Canada.
(Photo: St. Peter’s Hamilton.)
Pittsburgh leaves TEC, joins Southern Cone
Posted on October 5, 2008
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“Deputies to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s 143rd Annual diocesan convention voted by strong margins on October 4 to join the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.
Vote totals on the key constitutional provision that opened the way for the change were as follows. A total of 191 laity voted. 119 voted in favor. 69 voted against, 3 abstained. A total of 160 clergy voted. 121 voted in favor. 33 voted no. 3 abstained. 2 invalid ballots were cast.
‘We deeply value our shared heritage and years of friendship with those still within that denomination, but this diocese could not in good conscience continue down the road away from mainstream Christianity that the leadership of The Episcopal Church is so determined to follow,’ said the Rev. Peter Frank, director of communications for the diocese.
The passage of the vote by the diocesan convention, the diocese’s highest governing authority, means that the entire Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, including all of its congregations and clergy, is now part of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. The diocese expects a small group of 210 clergy and a minority of its 70 parishes to withdraw from the diocese and reorganize under the authority of The Episcopal Church. The diocese is committed to making such decisions of conscience as easy as possible for all those involved. …”
– Press release continued at the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
See also: Diocese Begins Process to Recall Bishop Duncan.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…