Anglican Network in Canada NEWS RELEASE
Anglican Church of Canada bishop attempts to prevent Anglican Network in Canada priests from ministering “within the bounds of this Diocese”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 19 October 2008
The Bishop of Brandon in the Anglican Church of Canada, the Right Reverend Jim Njegovan, sent letters on 16 October 2008 to the Rev Paul Crossland and the Rev Ann Crossland, rector and honourary assistant rector of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes of Church of the Resurrection (Brandon) and Church of the Redeemer (Dauphin), purporting to “inhibit” them (prevent them from ministering as priests). Bishop Njegovan implies in his letters that, since he was not informed that Paul and Ann had relinquished their Anglican Church of Canada licences, they had no right to minister “within the bounds of this Diocese” – that is western Manitoba.
Anglican Network in Canada response
Paul and Ann have not been employed by the Diocese of Brandon since November 2004 and, in fact, had ended their affiliation with the Anglican Church of Canada effective 31 August 2008. Archbishop John Clarke, bishop of the Diocese of Athabasca, where both Ann and Paul ministered from December 2004 until August 2008, received the Crosslands’ resignations from the Anglican Church of Canada effective 31 August 2008.
On 1 September 2008, both the Rev Paul and the Rev Ann Crossland were licenced by Bishop Donald Harvey of the Anglican Network in Canada, under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone – one of the 38 Anglican Provinces in the world. The Anglican Church of Canada is also one of these 38 “Provinces”.
They are currently ministering as rector and honourary assistant in the ANiC parishes of Church of the Resurrection (Brandon) and Church of the Redeemer (Dauphin) since 1 September 2008.
It is shocking to think that Bishop Njegovan believes he has the authority to “inhibit” priests from churches which have no relationship with the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC). Does he presume to have authority to “inhibit” Baptist, Pentecostal or Mennonite ministers from exercising their ordained ministry in western Manitoba?
Like these other denominations, the Anglican Network in Canada is an independent church with no structural relationship to the ACoC. In fact, the ACoC has severely damaged its relationship with the vast majority of Anglicans around the world. ANiC was formed to allow faithful Canadian Anglicans to join a church structure that would allow them to re-connect with Anglicans around and world and, once again, be recognized by them as authentically Anglican.
The majority of Anglican leaders worldwide – representing the vast majority of active Anglicans – recognize the Anglican Network in Canada, its members and parishes as authentically Anglican. At the same time, a great number of these same leaders believe the Anglican Church of Canada is abandoning historic Anglicanism and is walking away from the global Anglican Church.
The global crisis in Anglicanism, which started in Canada and the US, is causing many Anglicans and Anglican parishes in North America to realign with alternative Anglican Provinces that uphold historic Anglican and Christian teaching and practice – particularly as it relates to the authority and reliability of the Bible and the deity and transforming power of Jesus Christ.
Members of the Anglican Network in Canada are committed to remaining faithful to Holy Scripture and established Anglican doctrine and to ensuring that orthodox Canadian Anglicans are able to remain in full communion with their Anglican brothers and sisters around the world. Since it launched its ecclesial structure last November under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, ANiC has received two bishops – Donald Harvey and Malcolm Harding – 59 clergy and 22 parishes.
Federation is planning a conference on its role in the church in November. They plan to discuss how to better respond to the latest developments in the ACoC. I assume all Federation members got an email about this.
This is the first I’ve heard about it. I would be happy to publicize it, if I had any more info…
Later – info is here.
Kate #52
Invitation to the conference is found here:
http://www.anglicanfederation.ca/pdf/federation_consultation_112508.pdf
Kate [#48], I think the pace of recent events took the Federation leadership by surprise. Hopefully after next month’s consultation they will have regrouped.
Well it’s been lively !
#42 David
Pictoral math….numerical math…
Both can tell the same math story for your equation.
#49 Gerry O’Brien
I don’t think anyone left Lambeth with fear in their hearts from the Lambeth experience.. Quite the opposite. I think some had fear when they thought of what they could face from those who chose not to go to Lambeth. Those who had not heard first hand of the Anglican church in countries in our communion were civil freedom is a precious jewel they do not have.
Yes, you are right. I must learn to use these abbreviations . The ANiC & ACoC are not in the same church system. The ACoC does not recognize the ANiC. Your leadership has broken from us. I think it is tragic. I don’t think you should have gone . (You could all flip back I am MOST certain,… if you wanted…I do believe in miracles). There are many of us conservative Anglicans within the ACoC. Both lay & clergy. Our parishes haven’t changed. They will not change. They do not need to change.
“Jim doing the selling of ANiC in the Brandon area”. “Driving them straight to ANiC”. Not likely .
I believe there is a better way forward. We all call ourselves Anglican. For GOD has not given us a spirit of fear”.
Peace Through Prayer In Christ,
Bernadette
What do you think the reaction to his uncharitable treatment of Bishop Harding might be, then?
Pictorial math and numerical math will both give you 1+1=2, if both use base 10. Problem is, we are still using base 10 (historic, orthodox Christianity) whereas the ACoC is using, for arguments sake, base 4 (following culture and “truth is relative”).
Can you tell I learned the “new math” in elementary school??
#54 Maybe they did, Gordon, but more visibility from Federation would be nice.
Bernadette [55],
The point I was attempting to make is that the gospel message is something that is objective: if 2 parties perceive it in ways that are opposed to each other, one party must be wrong.
I’m not sure you and I inhabit the same universe; Alice, when she went through the looking glass, had an easy time of it compared to this.
David;
I think your answers in these last blogs have been brilliant! You are most gracious and kind in your clear explanations. As a person living in the Brandon Diocese but within ANIC I and many others share your frustration (as we have been trying to wade through this very upside down and backwards thinking from the same source for many years).
I pray your words make a break through but I am not holding my breath. I do thank you though for trying.
p.s. by the way David re #30 ……..you are NOT the only one by a looooong shot!
Thanks Ann V,
It’s nice to know one is not alone in the fog.
Bernadette: “Flip back”…#55….. hello?
Why in the world would anyone want to flip back to ACoC when they have found a Primate with courage enouugh to give primatial protection to Bible Believing, not apostate Christians who just want to hear The Word Preached, hear it taught and accepted without the watering down of inclusivity and apostasy being present.
Flip Back….I think not…
David: You do say it so much better, I really like your alice and the looking glass story…. very accurate analogy.
Blessings, (from the land of the great fog)
Gerry
Thank you ! Thank you my brothers & sisters in Christ,
I was very nervous to approach the computer to check this blog. I found with my young students in conflict with each other, when I paired them up, holding hands, walking in the halls to different classes, many a conflict was solved on it’s own, in time. We are having conversation that is certainly meaningful to me.
Ann V prays my words make a break through. I am blessed by you.
Kate, your comment “uncharitable treatment of Malcolm Harding”.
I pray you one day know Jim . A letter just appeared on his desk from Malcolm one day that he was relinquishing from the ACiC . A day later we were already hearing of Malcolm approaching people about “church planting”….weeks before. Jim served as our diocesan dean under Malcolm for 10 years before he was elected bishop. There were a lot of years of ministry… together. Jim just followed canon rules. They sound cold, they are, but it is church law. We do love Malcolm.
#46 friend Yes, I stand by what I said, “the problem is groups”. I also said I think the church, through our general synod, should establish 3 working committees. The base of these committees could come from the general synod delegates. In other words, working within our church, people chosen & elected by all.
#47 Gordon I am certain it is difficult for you right now ! Perhaps some of the federation will be general synod delegates. If you do not have many meetings, or get much news , in my mind , that is a good thing. That speaks to me that you are busy in your parishes. At Lambeth , the spouses made a dream catcher, a first nations symbol recognized for years now. It’s base was a hoola hoop. It says on it.
“A circle has no sides”.And the word circle is written in every dialect spoken at Lambeth. “If we dream together things will happen”. Dreams are a powerful force in scripture !
“You see some being crucified to an extent in the ANiC.”
You refuse communion from Micheal. He has a drawer full of hate mail. I think you need to be by his side Gordon. He needs you there talking & listening. In my mind, you could be one of the most powerful voices for the literal gospel in the Anglican Church of Canada. I know he is a far stretch for you…but I am certain the love of Christ could be found between you. If you spent a little time with him, sharing ideas such as this. He is a bishop I think, would help it happen !
Please pray for me, I will be travelling with a car load to northern Manitoba for an ultreya, 9 hours drive away. I have music to prepare, …, …, …
it goes on & on as I am sure it does in your life. Let’s make a vow to pray as we work . This is some of a study Jim wrote once that I wanted to share.
“..God Who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His Grace until His work within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns. (Philippians 1:6)
At the root of God’s agenda is this promise. Think of it as a guarantee. The One who started “the good work within you” won’t leave the task unfinished. At times the winds of adversity seem to pick up & we feel afraid. The roots of a tree grow deeper when the winds are strong. The Lord God specializes in roots. He plans to deepen you & strengthen you. We are more impressed with the fruit. Not God, he is watching over the roots .
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear”. (thanks for this quote from scripture my friend. I love it. But I can’t remember where it is from & I have scanned that upper list twice now..)
I want to thank you again for letting me feel comfortable enough to contribute. There is one more thing I would love to share with you. It is my “Canterbury Tale”. If you would like to read it please email our diocesan secretary Maxine at : diobran@mts.net
I am sure she would be happy to forward it to you.
Peace Through Prayer In Christ,
Bernadette
Peace Through Prayer In Christ,
Bernadette
Bernadette [#63], I am a member of Synod in New Westminster as well as being in a parish (for the first time this year – never again under the current administration). It was Michael’s conduct of Synod that caused the breach. I had been giving him every benefit of the doubt until he removed it.
I would never send him hate mail, and I hope I don’t hate anyone. I have gay friends on both sides of the Atlantic. However, I cannot tolerate his insistence that Scripture means something that conflicts with what it actually says. This is a question of authority, not sex.
It was also Michael’s conduct of Synod that led me to join Anglican Essentials.
#63 I don’t know Jim, but I’ve met Malcolm, and frankly, I don’t believe that the circumstances are as you portray them. I also think that Anna was praying that our words would get through to you, which they obviously haven’t.
Kate you read me correctly (thank you God!) – this is exactly why I and many of us from this Brandon area did not want to get involved in any of these blogs from this source. This is exactly why some people on the Brandon blog do not use a real name because we get misquoted and misrepresented and it gets spread around fairly quickly here in a small community. Also, I just had to address something that was said about Bishop Malcolm.
“hearing of Malcolm approaching people about “church planting”….weeks before.” (sorry I don’t know how to do the quote thing properly)
One of Bishops Malcolms ministries has been involved in teaching for several years about Small Groups. These are groups within the church to promote bible study and fellowship…they have NOTHING to do with ANIC, or any part of Essentials! Perhaps this is what was referred to I am not sure but I do know that this looks like another slander to me and as far as I know Malcolm never ever talked about church planting in regards to ANIC before he left the church! If people are going to make accusations they need to get their facts straight (which seems to be an impossibility in this case).
This comment was caught in the moderation queue, so the writer may not have seen some of the comments above it as he/she was writing. –Admin.
Isn’t it strange that those people who would insist on the letter of the law (literal interpretation) when it comes to the Canons of the Church are so fuzzy on the letter of the law (literal interpretation) when it comes to the Word of God? I notice, in the comments on the Ontario decision to rule the motion on SSBs out of order, that one delegate lamented the scriptural ignorance of the members of that Synod – and that is exactly the problem.
We are still being duped, as Eve was, not by Satan, but by our own inclination to put our feelings as authority over God’s expressed commands. And small wonder: many do not even know (or deliberately choose to feign ignorance of) the Word of God, and in consquence do not know God at all and therefore cannot even begin to obey the “Great Commandment”. And since we cannot love Him Whom we do not know, we also cannot love our neighbour, hence this destructive quasi-love which results in suffering in this lifetime and condemnation in the next. (See also 1Jn 5; read the whole chapter. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”)
Interesting that the quote: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear” actually reads: 2Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” And I would suggest that the sound mind is the one that studies and knows the Word God wrote, so that it may love the God of the Word and His creation as He wants it loved, in the power of His Spirit doing what He commands. This is elaborated on in Romans 8:13-15 “For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Just a side question, why were they making dream catchers at Lambeth? From my understanding a dream catcher is part of North American Native spiritualism. It’s intent is to catch and ensnare evil or bad dreams while you sleep.
As a complete and utter side note, I once saw a native comedian making fun of white folks making dream catchers – the funniest bit was him saying “And they even hang them from their rear view mirrors….think about that for a minute….”
[63]
Bernadette,
Just two things.
First, church planting is not sheep stealing, that is unless one views one’s geographical area as a private preserve.
Secondly, with respect to your hope that Gordon would go and stand beside Ingham. There’s an old Irish saying that goes “shake hands with the devil and you can’t let go.”
Peace,
Jim
Bernadette,
You appear to value the art of conversation. That is not what we have been having: conversation requires both parties to listen and understand, something that appears lacking on your side.
Few things would give me greater satisfaction than the idea of Gordon glued firmly to Michael Ingham’s side providing illumination. Alas, I don’t think I could condemn Gordon to such a fate however keen my pleasure.
A circle may have no sides, but a cross does and Jesus calls us to take sides: to be with him or against him. That, I believe is what ANiC has done.
I can see why your carload might need prayer.
David [#72], I’m grateful for your reluctance to glue me to Michael Ingham. However, he hasn’t been listening to Jim Packer for the last six years, so why would he listen to me?
Well, things are ready for that early start tomorrow. It was the spouses that made the dream catcher. To hold our dreams of togetherness. (They hold good, they let the bad ones through). It was good to be creative, together.
I am certainly listening.
…. So, if there was a parish mission statement that you could live with . And episcopal oversite that the parish helped choose ?
I am praying for you Gordon.
That was, I am praying for you too Gordon. (I am counting on yours for my trip !)
“Parish mission statement that you could live with”….! Wow! My experience tells me there are lots of mission statements parishes live with, but very few which are lived by!
And “episcopal oversite (sic)”… hmmmm… is that another one of those “spin” words that means nothing but just mollifies the gullible? Is +Jim ready to relinquish his authority over these parishes to another Bishop? Oh wait, their “choice” of the Southern Cone and Bp Harding are not acceptable! And would such episcopal oversight include such things as the freedom to have an Essentials chapter and distribute the Anglican Planet and to allow that Bishop to choose new clergy if needed, etc.?
If not, what’s the point?
I called Abp. John Clarke, as was suggested… no surprise… there wasn’t a surprise! We had a cordial conversation about many matters including the fact that my wife and I have no intention of obeying any prohibition order issued by an ACoC Bishop. No surprise…Abp. Clarke wasn’t surprised at our response.
Bernadette:
2 Timothy 1:7 Try to remember it and maybe use it to replace the dreamcatchers. ughhhhh! I cannot believe what I read when I look at your writings…..