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.
The Rev Barclay Mayo, National ACiC Network Leader, commented: “Who would have believed 10 years ago when we were in the midst of painful challenges that we would see the day when faithful Anglicans would be working together in unity? We were told repeatedly that it couldn’t be done, that we were too divided, that our differences were too great. God has shown the impossible to be possible.”
Peter Turner, a Canadian member of the Provincial ACiNA Council which just met in Chicago, said that “we are excited to be full founding partners with our other Canadian Anglican jurisdictions, including ANiC, CANA, and the Reformed Episcopal Church. We are committed to working together in unity for the sake of blessing Canada and North America.”
Over 700 congregations representing around 100,000 faithful Canadian and American Anglicans have come together in the birthing of a new Anglican Province for North America. We are uniting across theological, ethnic, and cultural lines that many thought would not be possible. Bishop Bob Duncan of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is functioning as the leader of this new province.
A unique feature of the new Provincial constitutions and canons is they are driven by mission rather than structure. This new province is bringing order out of the recent Anglican chaos, and ensuring a vibrant united Anglican voice in North America. Eleven founding Anglican partners are coming together, some of which have been in existence for over 130 years. The gracious Provincial leadership is allowing for greater unity in essentials, while respecting appropriate diversity in non-essentials.
I have two questions:
How does this affect the ANiC and ACiC structues in particular? Will they now merge into one or will still they remain separate?
Will ANiC, ACiC and other churches that are part of this new province now be out of communion with Canterbury?
It seems to me that a natural first step in the gradual geographic diocesan alignment mentioned in the Constitution is for ANiC and ACiC to come together as a single “Diocese” of Canada. I am not familiar with the background on the creation of ACiC, so perhaps I am missing a glaring reason why this cannot happen in the near future. Would anyone more in the know care to comment?
I see no reason why it couldn’t happen. My knowledge of ACiC is limited, but I thought they separated earlier only because they felt they couldn’t wait for us.
I believe in many ways they could not wait, as they were subject to the aggressive tactics from dioNW – being smaller churches in general they were easier targets.
Does anyone here know anything about The Reformed Episcopal church? I notice that they sent three bishops to GAFCON and are also part of the Common Cause Partnership. They have a parish where I used to live on Vancouver Island and their Rector Emeritus is man whom I heard speak about 25 years ago not long after he had had a powerful and life changing conversion experience while in his early 50s.
It is exciting to see all these groups joining. I have worshipped with Reformed Episcopals and ACIC and ANIC as I have travelled in Ontario. What I always found disconcerting was their ignorance of each other when they have so much in common, especially when we all need the support of each other and to learn hope from the spiritual journeys of each other . I hope we can do the same work of joining together on a local parish level and supporting each other. But I am speaking as an outsider since I dont live in Ontario. I understand it is sometimes hard to walk together in love when you calld it quits as different times therefore facing different battles, but it is necessary. I would love it if I heard of St Hildas and Waterford parishoners meeting and praying together. Youre really quite close!
I know the Reformed Episcopal Bishop in Victoria and count him as a friend and brother in Christ. He was present at our ANiC Conference in Tsawassen in April. He is a man filled with the Holy Spirit. I know most of the ACIC clergy in B. C. having worked with them over the years in the ACoC.
I would think as time goes on and the new Province develops there is some good possibilities that we might see some organic union, however, we must all remember we are in early days of the formation of the new province and we should not rush anything. As soon as we rush things we end up getting ahead of the Holy Spirit. We will work together with the REC and the ACIC whether or not organic union happens or not is not of consequence at this time. What is important is that we all listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and are obedient to Him.
We definitely will work together in areas of mission and mutual support and for me that is what is paramount.
Blessings,
Brian
The REC broke from Anglican/Episcopal churches around 1873 over Catholic elements. Think anti-liturgical, memorialist, evangelical.
Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. I listened to a couple of the pastor’s sermons on line, and liked what I heard. Of course, I grew up a anti-liturgical, memorialist evangelical.
I have a prayer book of the REC in which one can find, on page x, the following under article IV of the Declaration of Principles of the Reformed Episcopal Church, adopted December 2nd, 1873:
“This Church condemns and rejects the following erroneous and strange doctrines as contrary to God’s Word:
First, That the Church of Christ exists only in one order or form of ecclesiastical polity:
Second, That Christian ministers are “priests” in another sense than that in which all believers are “a royal priesthood:”
Third, That the Lord’s Table is an altar on which the oblation of the Body and Blood of Christ is offered anew to the Father:
Fourth, That the Presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper is a presence in the elements of Bread and Wine:
Fifth, That Regeneration is inseparably connected with Baptism.”
In the interest of giving this thread new legs, I have a question for readers who are also Federation supporters. Do you find the REC doctrinal statements (or more correctly responses to doctrinal statements) listed in #10 to be of greater or lesser concern than the doctrines implied by the actions of the ACoC in recent years/decades? Do you view any of them as heretical in the way that certain views of the ACoC are seen as heretical by ANiC supporters? I assume that those with an Anglo-Catholic leaning may respond somewhat differently than those who lean more towards evangelicalism.
Warren (#11) – that is a very good pair of questions.
I would have to think a bit more before giving a full point by point response, but I would tend to respond to the REC “assessment as erroneous” as follows: 1 [I agree with them]; 2 [disagree with them]; 3 [agree, so far as I understand their meaning]; 4 [disagree with them, but with the note that Christ is present in many other ways in the fellowship of the Lord's Supper beside the physcial elements]; 5 [disagree, with the expanded understanding learned from the early church about baptism by desire and baptism by blood].
May I return for a moment to the first comment posted (Cooperman #1), in particular the second question posed:
Will ANiC, ACiC and other churches that are part of this new province now be in or out of communion with Canterbury? Is there a clear answer on this yet?
No, there is no clear answer yet, as far as I know.
In the discussion on the REC, I think that personal contact is probably much more important than statements from the 1870s.
As a matter of fact, many REC members, especially in parts of the USA, are much more broad or high church in their liturgy and theology. The REC principles have been subject to almost as many differences (or at least nuances) of interpretation as the Articles of Religion.
In recent years, they have worked for unity with a variety of Anglican bodies, ranging from traditional Anglo-Catholic to more charismatic.
In Canada, I think they only have two parishes that are really established, the one in Victoria and one in Hamilton, Ontario (a former Diocese of Niagara parish that opted to stay together when their building was sold from under them).
I don’t know if the REC’s plan is to merge immediately into a new province, or to retain a separate identity for a longer period of time. But certainly in Canada, I would recommend putting the three jurisdictions together as quickly as possible.
My recommendation would be for all the Canadian Common Cause leadership to organize a constitutional convention for a Diocese of Canada within the next six months.
Re. #10 (ML) giving the Declaration Principles of the REC (Reformed Episcopal Church):
1) I used to be member of the ACoC
2) Along with my church, I recently became a member of ANiC
3) Now I find that deep down inside, I am a REC Anglican!
It’s enough to make one want to sit down and have a sherry (in the finest of Anglican tradition of course)
I much prefer Guiness to sherry. Does that mean I’m not a real Anglican?
I know lots of nice people in churches of which I wouldn’t want to be a member (and which wouldn’t want me). For example, to be a full member of the Wesleyan Methodist church, you have to sign a pledge of life-long abstinence from alcohol. REC Principles put me in mind of what I’ve read of Sydney Anglicans.
However, in order to assemble all eleven founding partners into one church, the formal statements (and the actual practice) are going to have to get reconciled. The REC statement would tend toward the kind of church where leftover consecrated bread gets served for lunch (as in the 1559 Prayer Book) And if any of the bread and wine remain, the Curate shall have it to his own use. That might not sit well with those who reserve the sacrament and have an aumbry.
Hey, wake up! Something really wonderful has happened and already the winds of we must be like…….we cannot be that…..will they really fit??????what if?????? are starting to blow.
Folks, let this new Province of North America get going and let it do the right thing…..all that other “religion stuff” will fall into place if Jesus Christ is in the centre!
Henry (#18), I believe you mean the Wesleyan church. Following a merger, the Wesleyan Methodist name was apparently dropped about 40 years ago. They may be a little too focused on law for my liking, but Pentecostals, Baptists and others have a similar view on alcohol consumption (amongst other things). It’s what I grew up with. Although it may not be my first choice to worship in these churches, I don’t doubt for a moment that the people who do are my brothers and sisters in Christ – sinners redeemed by grace – and are part of the church universal. They may not get it all right, but they have a high view of the authority of Scripture and I respect them for that.
I have been part of churches where the congregation was made up of people from far more than 11 denominational backgrounds. Unity was achieved because Christ was at the centre. If He remains the focus of the “founding partners”, I have no fear for the future.
Gerry O’Brien (19) is absolutely correct. We should not be dwelling on our differences. We should not be saying “you should change to suit me”. All of us should place our Faith in God, accepting that our many and varied groups each bring something to this fine assembly. We should be willing to change ourselves to better suit God. Sometimes that will mean that the other group, be it REC or someone else, will need to change. Sometimes that will mean that ANiC will need to change. So long as the change is done for God and not for our own devises and desires, we shall remain One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
#20 – Warren, you’re exactly right, it is simply “The Wesleyan Church”.