Rwandan Archbishop

Call for The Anglican Mission to fast and pray for
the election of new Rwandan Archbishop
The Anglican Mission Prayer Leadership Team

On September 17, 2010, there will be the election of the next Archbishop of Rwanda. Our bishops function as missionary bishops of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and they serve under the authority of the Archbishop and the House of Bishops of Rwanda. Therefore, let us as a body humbly join together with our brothers and sisters in Rwanda to seek the face of God for the man who is to be the next Archbishop.

Throughout Holy Scripture and church history the people of God have come together to pray as one, in times of great decisions, in times of change, and in times of challenge to the people of God. We find ourselves in such a time as this. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is threatened on many levels in the world and tragically even in the church. We now call Anglican Mission in the Americas, as a body of followers of Jesus Christ, to a focused time of devoted prayer and fasting during the weeks before, as well as on the day of this election.

We ask that the prayers for this election be offered up each Sunday during the Prayers of the People or wherever the individual church decides is the best for them. We also ask that individuals and groups be encouraged to add this to their regular prayer times and that fasting be encouraged. The following is a prayer point suggestion that may be used during individual prayer times. There also is a prayer that may be added to the Prayers of the People on Sundays. We ask that the Holy Spirit would guide each church in responding to this call.

Prayer Points:

1. Praise and Thanksgiving: for all that the Lord has done in the past through Archbishop Kolini and Freda and for what the Lord will do through the new Archbishop and his wife.

2. Confession of Sin: for personal sin and for the times when the church has fallen short of the will of God; things done and things left undone.

3. The Wonder of God: for His calling Anglican Mission into existence and His faithfulness in leading and directing us this past 10 and more years.

4. Faith: for our trusting the Lord to direct our future together.

5. Petition: for the man of God’s choosing to be raised up, elected, and anointed by God for the office of Archbishop of Rwanda.

6. Thanksgiving: that the Lord hears the cries of His people and moves on their behalf for his purposes.

Suggested prayer to be used every Sunday until the election of the new Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda:
Sovereign God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, we ask that you guide and direct those who will choose the next Archbishop of Rwanda; an archbishop who will continue to have your heart, listen to your voice and guide us in the fulfillment of your kingdom purposes.

African Conference Statement

Preamble

The second All Africa Bishops Conference, organised by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), met in Entebbe, Uganda, from 23rd to 29th August 2010. Participants included 398 bishops representing the following Provinces: Burundi, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indian Ocean, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa and the Diocese of Egypt. Also in attendance were some invited partners and guests.

The Anglican Provinces of Africa would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Our Lord God for His mercy and guidance during this conference; our host Archbishop Henry Orombi and the members of the Church of the Province Uganda for their kind hospitality and warm welcome; to the President of Uganda His Excellency Yoweri Museveni and the Right Honourable Professor Apollo Nsibambi Prime Minister of Uganda, and the Government and people of Uganda; the leadership of CAPA especially the Chairman the Most Rev Ian Ernest supported by the Secretariat.

The first conference, with the theme ‘Africa Has Come of Age’, was held in Lagos, Nigeria in October 2004. The theme for our second conference in Uganda was ‘Securing our Future: Unlocking our Potential’ (Hebrews 12:1-2). Its aim was to mobilise bishops to overcome obstacles to their ministry and mission and provide them with the information, skills and tools to accomplish their ministry.

Our meeting was honoured with the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the head of the Anglican Communion, The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Dr. Rowan Williams; the Chairman of the Global South, the Most Reverend Dr John Chew (Primate of South East Asia) and the Most Rev Bob Duncan, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America.

Our conference was rooted in the context of daily Eucharistic service, and challenging Bible reflections on the Beatitudes and on the formation and development of New Testament churches.

Presentations on the theme included:

1. Nurturing Family Life and Building Healthy Populations.
2. Nurturing Harmonious and Dignified Communities.
3. Securing Our Economic Future.
4. Empowering the Vulnerable.
5. Making Leadership work to secure our Future and unlock our Potential.

Commitments

1. The Anglican Churches in Africa have continued to witness growth so that the centre of gravity of Christianity today appears to be shifting to the continent. Nonetheless, the church’s relevance and impact on global mission and to social, economic and political transformation of the continent remains a challenge.
2. The Anglican Churches in Africa will maintain its stand on the protection of Anglican orthodoxy and authority of Scripture as a rule of developing a Christ-centred life to uplift human lives and dignity.
3. The Anglican Churches in Africa recognises its historic contributions to the growth of Christianity right from its inception and propagation of the gospel throughout the continent and, in particular, the role of the African Church fathers and martyrs. We also recall its immense contributions during the missionary era to the provision of social facilities such as education, healthcare and the production of the African elite. Based on this, the Church mobilises its resources and takes its responsibility in shaping the Christian minds of the church worldwide in the third millennium.
4. We affirm the Biblical standard of the family as having marriage between a man and a woman as its foundation. One of the purposes of marriage is procreation of children some of whom grow to become the leaders of tomorrow.
5. Whereas we accept the rationale for an Anglican Covenant, we realise the need for further improvement of the Covenant in order to be an effective tool for unity and mutual accountability.
6. There is a more urgent need today for bishops to listen to their flock if they are to make this the African century of the Christian Church in terms of energy, growth and vision. To this end, lay participation in the ministry of the church is to be vigorously enhanced.
7. While we will always be prepared to listen to voices from other parts of the global Communion, it is pertinent that the rest of the world listens to the unique voice of the Churches in Africa. In this context, the Anglican Churches in Africa commit itself to a renewed engagement in global mission, recognising that in the 21st Century mission goes from ‘everywhere to anywhere.’
8. The African continent continues to grapple with the problem of religious intolerance which, in many cases, negatively affects the rights, the ministry and the welfare of the church. While the conference calls upon Christians in Africa and elsewhere to be tolerant of other faiths, we must stand for the defence of the human and constitutional rights of Christians and churches in various countries. We will not compromise the commitment of the church to global mission.
9. After a long period of African underdevelopment and misconceptions of African identity, it has become increasingly pertinent for Africans to take their destiny into their own hands. By setting and achieving their own strategic goals, based on the Biblical model of Christ’s mission, African Christians can define their own identity, recover their self-esteem and reach their potential under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
10. We must be actively involved in working with partners at all levels to ensure equal access to medical care, food security and promoting good health practices to prevent the major causes of death on the continent, with particular attention to primary health care for African families, especially mothers, children and elderly.
11. We call for and actively work to bring about an end to all forms of abuse and forms of slavery. We demand the protection of our people, particularly our women and children, from human trafficking, sexual immorality, abuse and violence, and structural, cultural and domestic violence.
12. The successful hosting of the World Cup by South Africa, and other achievements in the continent, demonstrated how Africa’s potential can be unleashed. This should inspire and motivate the Church as well as political leaders to proactively promote and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
13. The Anglican Churches in Africa must join the global movement that refuses to stay silent about the current socio-economic and political state of affairs. We should stop agonising over the deplorable state of African underdevelopment and start organising towards a proactive, pragmatic engagement with good governance and infra-structural development.
14. The prevalence of poverty and underdevelopment on the continent is due mainly to mismanagement of resources and lack of effective leadership across the continent. For Africa to take its proper place among the continents of the world, our political leaders are urged to have a hard look at the style of leadership that has so far engendered corruption, poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment, and endeavour to exhibit the charismatic, visionary, and patriotic style of leadership. We encourage the leaders who are already making efforts in this direction.
15. We will build on our previous commitment to respond to HIV and AIDS realities by reducing stigma, shame, denial, discrimination, inaction and ‘mis-action’, and by promoting moral practices such as abstinence and marital faithfulness as well as access and availability of treatment, voluntary testing and empowerment of communities, in addition to other public health measures.
16. The children and the youth are the embodiment of the future and the church seeks to unlock the inherent potential in this generation. Therefore, the Church in Africa commits itself to providing biblical upbringing of children and youth and give a special attention to their needs and rights.
17. Africa is also suffering the devastating impacts of climate change: rivers and lakes are shrinking, animals are dying in large numbers, crops are failing, major flooding and an increase in killer diseases. With its reach and influence the Anglican Church in Africa, in collaboration with its partners, will use its resources and energy to mitigate this major threat to our people. It will promote existing successful environmental conservation initiatives including tree planting and bio gas schemes, particularly through establishing ‘knowledge centres’ at the community level.
18. The Church has a crucial role to play to develop a theology for the total transformation of African communities. The existing inherited model of theological formation and education has been identified to be inadequate in addressing the emerging socio-cultural realities of the African Church. To this end, the church will develop theological curricula that will empower her leaders to be more relevant to the practical and spiritual needs of contemporary society.
19. The Anglican Church in Africa, guided by the Holy Spirit, will continue to work for unity among ourselves by growing actively in prayer and home fellowships in order to be able to reach out to the unreached and to work for unity with our ecumenical partners. In that manner, we can bear a visible presence of hope and healing among communities.
20. The Anglican Church in Africa is committed to a transforming servant- compassionate leadership that is determined to work tirelessly and diligently to reduce suffering on our continent by challenging all abusive structures and relationships.
21. The Anglican Church in Africa is grateful for the assistance it has received from its partners worldwide. We encourage the Church at all levels to make efforts to explore the various investment opportunities available so as to be financially self-sustaining in order that it can carry out its holistic mission successfully.
22. We express deep concern that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan could be undermined by unfulfilled commitments. We therefore call upon the international communities, particularly Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and the United Nations to put more pressure on the National Congress Party and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement to hold a free, fair and peaceful referendum on the 9th of January and to respect the decision of the people of Southern Sudan as stipulated in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We also call upon the various rebel factions in Darfur and the Government of Sudan to return to the negotiating table to agree a peaceful solution to the conflict.
23. The Anglican Church in Africa is deeply concerned about the last bomb attack in Kampala, Uganda, that killed many innocent people. We take this opportunity to present our condolences and sympathy to the Government and the people of Uganda and especially to the families of the victims. We condemn in strong terms such criminal acts and will passionately pray against future acts of violence.
24. The Anglican Church in Africa expresses deep concern over the continued sexual violence against women and children by armed groups operating in the Eastern Congo. We call upon UN forces to do more in protecting civilians and assist the Government in stabilising the region.
25. We are concerned about the problem of insecurity, lack of democracy and freedom in Madagascar and appeal to the international community to support the ongoing peace process undertaken by the Malagasy actors.
26. Recognising the loss of life and great pains in Kenya associated with the post-election violence after the 2007 elections, we commend the recent peaceful referendum and the promulgation of the new constitution.

Appreciation

We give thanks to God for the ministry of our retired or retiring fathers Most Rev Bernard Malango – Province Central Africa, Most Rev Peter Akinola - Province of Nigeria, Most Rev Njonkulu Ndugane – Province of Southern Africa, Most Rev Bernard Mtetemela – Province of Tanzania, Most Rev Remi Rabenirina – Province of Indian Ocean, Most Rev Fidele Dirokpa Balufuga – Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Most Rev Robert Okine – West Africa, Most Rev Benjamin Nzimbi – Province of Kenya and Most Rev Emmanuel Musaba Kolini – Province of Rwanda. We pray for their continued good health and ministry.
We also honour the memory of the late Most Rev Joseph Marona – Province of Sudan.
We also want to express our profound appreciation of the Chairman of CAPA the Most Reverend Ian Ernest, CAPA’s Secretariat and the Organising Committee, and all delegates, facilitators, rapporteurs and other guests.

“Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

(Matthew 5:1-12, NIV)


The document is then signed “On behalf of the CAPA Primates”

by

(The Most Rev.) Ian Ernest , CAPA Chairman, and (The Most Rev.) Emmanuel Kolini, CAPA Vice-Chairman

African Bishops

Love your culture, say African bishops

By Stephen Otage
Monday, August 30 2010

Kampala

The second All African Bishops conference ended yesterday with the primates calling on Africans to stick to their culture and reject Western ways tearing the church a part.

While addressing a press conference yesterday, the clergy men, led by Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, said Western cultures like homosexuality should be shunned. He said they will not change their stand on homosexuality, saying the practice is against the scriptures.

Archbishop Orombi warned people going to polls today and in the general elections next year, to resist being bribed with material things. “In choosing your leaders you should know the importance of your ballot.” “Every leader should know that there is accountability. It is not about just going to get allowances.”

The archbishop said he was disappointed by the behaviour of some leaders who are not working for the people but their own interests and called on every Ugandan to pray for peace. The conference which was organised by the council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, started on August 23. About 400 bishops from all over Africa attended.

Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland
Modern logo of the Church of Ireland
Primate	Alan Harper
Headquarters	See House, Cathedral Close, Armagh, BT61 7EE, Northern Ireland
Territory	Ireland
Members	365,000
Website	www.ireland.anglican.org
Anglicanism Portal

The Church of Ireland (Irish: Eaglais na hÉireann) is a Protestant church, an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland, and the largest non-Roman Catholic religious body on the island. Like other Episcopal churches, it considers itself to be both Catholic, in that its beliefs and practices are based on a continuous tradition dating back to the early Church, and Reformed, in that it does not accept the universal jurisdiction of the Pope.

When the church in England broke communion from the Roman Catholic Church, all but two of the bishops of the Church in Ireland followed the Church of England, although almost no clergy or laity did so. The new body became the State Church, assuming possession of most Church property (and so retaining a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed). The substantial majority of the population remained strongly Roman Catholic, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Despite its numerical minority, however, the Church of Ireland remained the official state church until it was disestablished on 1 January 1871 by the Liberal government under William Ewart Gladstone.

Today the Church of Ireland is, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest denomination in the island of Ireland and the largest Protestant tradition (the second-largest in Northern Ireland after Presbyterianism).

Pusey House Conference

It has been good this past week to share in this high powered, over subscribed conference, via internet audio recordings:

DOUBTS have been raised about whether former Church of England clerics would have distinctive “transferrable skills” to bring to the Roman Catholic Church, if they ceased to be part of the Anglican Communion.

At a meeting on Saturday at Pusey House in Oxford, the Revd Jonathan Baker SSC, Principal of Pusey House, said that a group was gathering to reflect on what was the “distinct tradition” within the Anglican Church, fostered since the Reforma tion, which was “potentially capable of finding its way to enrich the life of the wider Catholic Church”.

Under the norms of Benedict XVI’s Anglicanorum Coetibus, clergy trained in seminaries in the pro­posed Ordinariate (News, 23 Octo ber) would be tutored in “those aspects of Anglican patrimony that are of particular value” to the RC Church.

One speaker, Eamon Duffy, Pro fessor of the History of Christianity at Cambridge, and an Irish Roman Catholic, asked what “transferrable skills” Anglicans would bring. He said that what was distinctive was that they had been “shaped” by the Royal Supremacy, which had had a “moderating impact” on the differ ences in the Church of England between Catholics and Protestants.

“A fundamental part of the nature, identity, and patrimony of Anglican ism comes from the enforced co-existence of the Catholic dimension of Anglicanism within other more Protestant streams within an estab lishment,” Professor Duffy said. There would be “big problems ima gining how it would retain its coherence and Anglican identity outside those constraints. . . Could choral evensong survive in a min ority uniate Church . . . within Roman Catholicism?”

Canon Robin Ward, the Principal of St Stephen’s House, said that the Pope, when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, had seen in Anglicanism “a significant Catholic potential — a self-renewing Catholic principle”. Part of the Pope’s motivation in Anglicanorum Coetibus was to find a “juridical and theological way” in which this worthwhile distinctive ness could make a contribution to the greater communion of the catholica.

Anglican moral theology within an Ordinariate would not provide different answers to contested questions (such as contraception, divorce, and homosexuality), but it could bring “the virtue of religion”, the way in which, in Anglicanism, worship, piety, and external religion were formed into a national “sacral landscape”. Anglicans could demon strate that “a moral ethic based on custom does not mean disorder”.

The Revd Philip North, Team Rector of Old St Pancras, London, warned that the opportunities for mission would be reduced because “we have the furniture of the Church of England,” which occupied a legal and cultural role. This was part of the nation’s self-understanding, respon si ble for whole communities. “Is that patrimony importable?” he asked.

Clergy in the Ordinariate would have to be in secular employment because the Roman Catholic Church could not raise the money — £64,000 in his case in London — to keep them in a house and stipend. Fr North said that the Ordinariate could become irrelevant: “If we reach a point where staying is not an option, then traditional conversion is far more likely to offer the kind of enrichment and ministry that we know now.”

Global South Communique

Fourth Trumpet from the Fourth Anglican Global South to South Encounter

Singapore, 19th – 23rd April 2010

1. The Fourth Anglican South to South Encounter took place in Singapore from April 19^th through April 23^rd, 2010. The theme for this encounter was: “The Gospel of Jesus Christ - Covenant for the People; Light for the Nations.” We marveled at the power of this Gospel as we met together from all corners of the globe united in our commitment to Jesus the Christ and the proclamation of His message of eternal assurance and transformation open to all people. We were renewed in our determination to assist each other in fulfilling the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and to do all that Christ has commanded.

2. Grateful for the gracious guidance of the Holy Spirit a total of 130 delegates from 20 provinces in the Global South (Comprising Africa, West Indies, Asia and South America) gathered together. We represented the vast majority of the active membership of the Anglican Communion. We were also joined by a number of our partners in the Gospel from Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. The entire delegation from the Province of West Africa and invited participants from the UK and Ireland were unable to be present because of travel difficulties.

3. We were immensely grateful for the wonderful hospitality provided for us by Archbishop John Chew and the people of the Diocese of Singapore and, in fact, the entire Province of South East Asia. The ministry among us by the former Primate of South East Asia, the Most Rev’d Datuk Yong Ping Chung as Encounter Chaplain was also a source of great blessing. The warmth of their welcome and hospitality provided a context in which we were able to pray, study, worship and take counsel together so that we might more clearly discover a united and prophetic voice about matters that affect our beloved Anglican Communion and our world.

4. We gave thanks to God for the visionary leadership of the Most Rev’d Peter J. Akinola, recently retired Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) as Chair of the Global South Primates Steering Committee for the past ten years. We welcomed the election of the Most Rev’d John Chew as the new Chairman, the Most Rev’d Henry Orombi as Vice-Chairman, The Most Rev’d Mouneer Anis as Secretary, the Most Rev’d Nicholas Okoh as Treasurer, and The Right Rev’d Albert Chama and the Most Rev’d Stephen Than as members.

5. We were encouraged by the warm welcome given to the Primates at the Istana (Presidential Palace), by the President of the Republic of Singapore, His Excellency Mr. S.R. Nathan. Singapore is a rich multi-cultural tapestry that provided great encouragement for us to have eyes to see clearly the various people groups in our own nation’s context of ministry.

6. We were appreciative of the greeting given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, by means of a brief video that was shared at the beginning of our time together. We rejoiced in the welcome given to us by Elder Fu Xianwei, Chairman of the National Committee of the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) of the China Christian Church and the presence and warm greeting offered by His Grace Bishop Suriel representing His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

7. We met under the shadow of a serious global ecological crisis as a volcanic ash plume from Iceland resulted in a massive disruption of international air travel. We were reminded yet again of the fragility of our earthly existence and our utter dependence upon the grace of God for life itself.

8. We were mindful of the many difficulties confronted by the nations that we represent. These include natural disasters that have led to enormous devastation, deprivation and the loss of life, political instability that has too often resulted in corruption and violence and the ever-present challenge of living in a world of multiple religions and competing truth claims. We are grateful for those many places where it is possible to live out and promote our Christian convictions without threat but we know that this is not the experience of all our members and we honor those whose Christian faith has led to their marginalization, persecution and sometimes their violent deaths. We uphold all of them in our prayers.

9. We received presentations on the Gospel of Christ, mission and ministry from the Nigerian, West Malaysian and Ugandan settings. Huge political, social and economic changes are taking place as we begin the 21st Century. The global shift in Christian demography brings with it new opportunities for evangelistic outreach. However, we also need to understand afresh the challenges that are confronting the Church and the wider society. We encourage Provinces to develop intentional plans and structures for Church growth in the post-Christendom context of today’s world. Above all, we call for a new quest for personal and corporate holiness in the Communion.

10. We responded positively to the call to declare the next ten years a Decade of Mission and Networking and urge our respective Provinces to take up the matter, especially in expanding mission sending capacity to enhance networking among Global South Provinces. We call upon our Churches to pay greater attention to the role of Christian professionals in the mission, ministry and witness of the Christian community. We also need to pay particular attention to the pastoral needs of the laity, especially women and young people, who are witnessing to their faith at the cutting edges of mission.

11. We rejoiced to receive the report from the Global South Anglican Economic Empowerment Track that was established in the Third Encounter. We affirm the actions already taken in the past four years that focus on:

• Developing in each Province an Economic Empowerment Fund;
• Developing sustainable Empowerment strategy;
• Promoting biblically-based teaching on stewardship;
• Promoting regional partnerships;
• Networking and increasing active engagement of both public and private sectors in improving the economic livelihood of local communities.

12. The youth leaders from the Provinces of Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Southeast Asia met together to celebrate their Anglican heritage. We agreed that the future of the Communion lies in winning the next generation for Christ. We urge each region to adopt initiatives to better understand the needs and characteristics of this new generation so that we might better communicate the Gospel and Christian values to them. It is essential that the ethos and traditions of the Church be imparted to the youth in creative and dynamic ways so that they will be equipped to live for Christ for their generation and beyond.

13. During our plenary sessions, bible studies and small group discussions we were called back to a fresh vision of God, of the Church and of Christian leadership. We saw God in His stunning holiness and absolute sovereignty through Isaiah’s vision (Is 6: 1-13), and correspondingly saw our own ingrained sinfulness and utter foolishness in trusting man rather than God alone. We caught a “ big” vision of the Church from her role as ‘servant of the Lord’ (Is 42: 1-9) to bring God’s justice or ‘right order of living’ to the nations of the world. This established the absolute necessity and priority for the Church to disciple her members under the authority of the inspired Scriptures so that they may transform their societies and reach the nations with the Gospel. The fresh call upon the Church’s leadership, from the Servant of the Lord’s costly obedience (Is 50: 4-9), is to be courageous and fully confident of the Lord’s sustaining grace and final vindication.

14. Upon this biblical foundation, we looked afresh at the theological underpinnings of the Encounter’s theme, found renewed strength to pursue its practical outworking and renewed our commitment to network with one another for mission, prayer and economic empowerment strategies so that we might enlarge the capacity of our provinces and dioceses to fulfill the Great Commission.

15. As a sign of our fellowship and an encouragement to our purpose, at the beginning of our assembly God sent into our midst two Nepalese Anglicans, members of the new Anglican Church in this principally Hindu and Buddhist nation. They shared with us about new Anglican initiatives that are bringing the gospel to their people and the way in which the Word of God has brought life and hope and peace, along with suffering. We rejoice with them in their newfound faith and their determination to be obedient to the Word of God in a setting where such obedience is very costly.

16. In contrast, we continue to grieve over the life of The Episcopal Church USA (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada and all those churches that have rejected the Way of the Lord as expressed in Holy Scripture. The recent action of TEC in the election and intended consecration of Mary Glasspool, a partnered lesbian, as a bishop in Los Angeles, has demonstrated, yet again, a total disregard for the mind of the Communion. These churches continue in their defiance as they set themselves on a course that contradicts the plain teaching of the Holy Scriptures on matters so fundamental that they affect the very salvation of those involved. Such actions violate the integrity of the Gospel, the Communion and our Christian witness to the rest of the world. In the face of this we dare not remain silent and must respond with appropriate action.

17. We uphold the courageous actions taken by Archbishops Mouneer Anis (Jerusalem and the Middle East), Henry Orombi (Uganda) and Ian Ernest (Indian Ocean) and are encouraged by their decision not to participate in meetings of the various Instruments of Communion at which representatives of The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada are present. We understand their actions to be in protest of the failure to correct the ongoing crisis situation.

18. Some of our Provinces are already in a state of broken and impaired Communion with The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada. Their continued refusal to honor the many requests¹ made of them by the various meetings of the Primates throughout the Windsor Process have brought discredit to our witness and we urge the Archbishop of Canterbury to implement the recommended actions. In light of the above, this Fourth South-to-South Encounter encourages our various Provinces to reconsider their communion relationships with The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada until it becomes clear that there is genuine repentance.

19. We were pleased to welcome two Communion Partner bishops from The Episcopal Church USA (TEC) and acknowledge that with them there are many within TEC who do not accept their church’s innovations. We assure them of our loving and prayerful support. We are grateful that the recently formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a faithful expression of Anglicanism. We welcomed them as partners in the Gospel and our hope is that all provinces will be in full communion with the clergy and people of the ACNA and the Communion Partners.

20. For many generations Anglicans have lived together with a shared understanding of our common faith; indeed among our great gifts has been the Book of Common Prayer that has provided a foundation for our common life. In recent years the peace of our Communion has been deeply wounded by those who continue to claim the name Anglican but who pursue an agenda of their own desire in opposition to historic norms of faith, teaching and practice. This has led to a number of developments including the GAFCON meeting that took place in Jerusalem in June 2008. ²

21. Global South leaders have been in the forefront of the development of the ‘Anglican Covenant’ that seeks to articulate the essential elements of our faith together with means by which we might exercise meaningful and loving discipline for those who depart from the ‘faith once for all delivered to the saints.’ We are currently reviewing the proposed Covenant to find ways to strengthen it in order for it to fulfill its purpose. For example, we believe that all those who adopt the Covenant must be in compliance with Lambeth 1.10. Meanwhile we recognize that the Primates Meeting, being responsible for Faith and Order, should be the body to oversee the Covenant in its implementation, not the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion.

22. Over the last 20 years we have been distracted by conflicts and controversies that have kept us from effectively fulfilling the Great Commission. While we have been so distracted, Christian heritage, identity and influence has continued to decline in the West. We believe that there is a need to review the entire Anglican Communion structure; especially the Instruments of Communion and the Anglican Communion office; in order to achieve an authentic expression of the current reality of our Anglican Communion.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1,2)

------------------

Notes

1. Specific recommendations are listed in the Windsor Report 2004, Primates’ Meeting Communiqué at Dromantine 2005, Primates Meeting Communiqué at Dar es Salaam 2007

2. “We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core identity as Anglicans is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. We intend to remain faithful to this standard, and we call on others in the Communion to reaffirm and return to it.” Jerusalem Declaration, June 2008

Coptic Support

It is good to read of coptic presence and support at the Anglican Global South conference in Singapore, especially on St Mark's Day.

Remarks and Observations from the Coptic Orthodox Church by Bishop Anba Suriel, 23rd April 2010

First of all I wish to thank you very much for the warm hospitality that I have received from you all. You made me truly feel comfortable and at home amongst brethren. I wish to thank our host His Grace Archbishop John Chew and all the support he has given to the small Coptic community in Singapore over the years. To all the organizers, the ladies who cooked the delicious food for us, the photographers, those who looked after the transport and indeed everyone that made our stay enjoyable and comfortable.

First of all I wish to thank you very much for the warm hospitality that I have received from you all. You made me truly feel comfortable and at home amongst brethren. I wish to thank our host His Grace Archbishop John Chew and all the support he has given to the small Coptic community in Singapore over the years. To all the organizers, the ladies who cooked the delicious food for us, the photographers, those who looked after the transport and indeed everyone that made our stay enjoyable and comfortable.

I want to thank all the speakers for their well prepared and thought provoking presentations that gave us so much to ponder upon throughout the week.

I must say that this week has been a great learning experience for me to understand the struggles and pain of the orthodox Anglicans of the Global South. Every morning as I prayed alongside with you, I asked the Lord to give you wisdom, to unite you and strengthen you that you may uphold the truth of the Scriptures and witness to it with great boldness, without fear and at the same time with the love that our Lord has taught us. A love that does not fear to speak the truth to power.

As Bishop Rennis Ponniah (and I wish to thank His Grace for a very inspirational and spiritual Bible study expounded with great passion) mentioned yesterday that “An army of sheep led by a lion is more powerful than an army of lions led by a sheep.” I really pray that you lions here, the primates of each of the provinces of the Global South will stand united with one accord and say, “no to ordination of homosexuals, no to gay marriage, no to such immorality, and that it is time to purify the sanctuary of the Lord from this abomination that causes our God to suffer, bleed and be crucified again everyday!” You are martyrs without the shedding of blood because you are upholding the teaching of the Gospel handed down once and for all to the apostles.

I want to share with you a saying of Saint Anthony the Great, the father of monasticism. This great Egyptian saint said, “There will come a day when the mad people will look at the normal people and say, ‘Look at these mad people because they are not like us.’” I think this prophecy has been fulfilled in our day and age. Abnormality has become the new normality. Certain factions of the Christian Church are becoming desensitized to the truth of the Gospel. I call it the frog in the kettle syndrome. If you place a frog in a kettle at room temperature the frog will be comfortable, if you raise the temperature slightly, the frog will quickly adapt. If you continue to raise the temperature very gradually the frog will continue to adapt to its new environment until finally the water is boiling and the frog is fried inside the kettle and loses its life. This is what today’s Post Modern society is doing; it is pushing the limit of immorality further and further till it tries to make some lose their spiritual life and die.

Some of you may have read the article that was left in the foyer titled, “What if Elijah came to Synod?” It concerns my encounter with the Anglican Synod of Australia in 2001, I will not read it out but at that Synod I was hissed and booed at by the majority of the Houses of bishops, priests and laity. Why? Because I was not politically correct, and I will continue not to be politically correct till my last breath defending this Gospel of the Good News that our Lord was crucified for to bring us salvation. My brethren, I believe it is time for the Anglican Global South to make a strong stand; there is no room here for political correctness and niceties. Your young people and indeed many ecumenical partners are watching closely the outcome of this Encounter. Will a strong message go out to the rest of the Anglican Communion to repent and return to God and to return to His Holy commandments to be holy and perfect? How can anyone live a holy and perfect life whilst living an abominable lifestyle such as homosexuality and be ordained to serve God???

For example, someone like Gene Robinson who was a married man and had a daughter. He divorced his wife and left his daughter to live this unthinkable life of abomination! Is this the holiness and perfection and the image and likeness of God??? How then can such a person be ordained to the highest level of authority in a Church, the episcopate? What example does he give to young people, what long term effects will such a decision by The Episcopal Church USA (TEC) have on the North American Episcopalians in generations to come?

I want to give you one example of how abnormality is becoming the new normality:

While homosexual activity is strong in Hollywood, the education system is being overrun by radical homosexual activists who want to begin indoctrination in the elementary school system, middle schools and high schools. In Massachusetts, where a Court recently found that the homosexuals have a constitutional right to get married, teachers and counselors receive special state-funded training for dealing with gay and lesbian students, and libraries are stocked with book and films on homosexual issues.

For example, in Framingham, Massachusetts, students were forced to answer a questionnaire that openly challenged the validity of their heterosexuality. Here are some questions:

1. What do you think caused your heterosexuality?
2. When did you first decide you were heterosexual?
3. Is it possible heterosexuality is a phase you will grow out of? [Of course, the flip-side of the question is not asked: Is it possible that homosexuality is phase you will grow out of.]
4. Is it possible you are heterosexual because you fear the same sex?
5. If you have never slept with anyone of the same sex, how do you know you wouldn’t prefer it?
6. To whom have you disclosed your heterosexuality? How did they react?
7. Why are heterosexuals so blatant, always making a spectacle of their heterosexuality? Why can’t they just be who they are, not flaunt their sexuality by kissing in public, wearing wedding rings, etc?

Notice how heterosexuality is portrayed as the abnormal behavior? If you substituted the words “homosexuality” and “opposite sex” into many of the questions, there would be a howl of protests from radical homosexual activists and their allies.

And they keep spouting these evil doctrines because they want to corrupt the world. One professor said: “Today’s heresy often becomes tomorrow’s orthodoxy.” Well, let me say that: the orthodoxy of God will never allow for these heresies.

That is why TEC allows a heretic like Bishop Spong to promulgate his poison all over the world and publish books advocating a cocktail of heresies ranging from denying the divinity of Christ to a complete and shocking attack on the inspired Word of God. And yet at the same time they depose an orthodox Episcopal bishop for upholding the true faith of the Scriptures that marriage is between one man and one woman!!! I cannot even begin to get comprehend that.

I was listening carefully to the debate on the communiqué yesterday and I think it is important for you to perhaps in your future encounter to not only speak more about covenant but also about conciliarity. What does it mean for a Church to be conciliar in nature. You have the structure of a hierarchical Church, laity, priests, bishops and archbishops, but is it actually practiced? Perhaps if some studies can be made, historical studies on the conciliar nature of the church and to see it from the Orthodox perspective may be helpful to you in setting up a viable structure for the Anglican Global South. It is just a suggestion for your consideration. Conciliarity of the Church as understood by the Orthodox has no room for the Gene Robinsons and Spongs of this world!

• I would like to suggest that multimedia and television/satellite channels should play an important role for the Anglican Global South. In the Coptic Orthodox Church we have found that our worldwide satellite TV channels have had a great impact on promulgating Orthodox Christian teachings. Through such channels you can teach the upcoming generations of children and youth about the proper understanding on marriage according to Biblical teachings for example.

• You may put in place special curriculums in your schools and Sunday Schools and youth programs to counter act the erroneous teachings of TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada.

• Youth – His Holiness Pope Shenouda III said, “A Church without youth is a Church without a future.” And the flipside is true also, “Youth without a Church are youth without a future.” Through National/International Festivals for children and youth having Spiritual themes the proper teachings of the Scriptures can be taught and promoted.

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III in his address to Anglican clergy in 1990 on the issue of homosexuality begins by saying, “The first matter is the holiness of the Church. In the holy Creed we say, ‘We believe in one holy Church.’ This holy Church is Apostolic and Universal. In the Apostolic age, all the believers were called saints. A believer in the language of the Bible means a saint, because we are sanctified with faith, sanctified by baptism, sanctified in the holy Chrism, sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We are not merely human beings – we are temples of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is abiding in us…”

I really pray that the Anglican Global South will continue to uphold this holiness of the Church. Please do not lose hope, be strong and be united together through prayer and faith. Let no one shake you or rattle you and know that your brothers and sisters in the Coptic Orthodox Church are praying for you and your provinces and we stand firmly beside you in this upward battle that you are fighting. Darkness cannot overcome the light of the Gospel, be of good cheer the Lord tells us because in the world we will find tribulation but, He has overcome the world!

May God strengthen you all in your mission and ministry and I also ask you to pray for my Church and for the persecution she suffers on a daily basis. Thanks very much and glory be to God forever. Amen.