Church of England

A brief sketch of the current issues within the Church of England, provided by our esteemed British blog commenter Pageantmaster, can be found here.

Luke 1:30
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

Luke 2:34-35
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

O Lord,
You are holy God, and You cannot share Your glory with lies. We pray that the leaders of the Church of England will seek Your favor and humbly submit themselves to Your Holy Word. Amen.

Pray for the election of a new Primate for Kenya

The Anglican Church of Kenya will be electing a new Primate on Friday.  Here are some of the details:

The next head of the Anglican Church in Kenya will be known on Friday when the 150-member electoral college elects the archbishop of Nairobi.

“There is minimal contact allowed between the bishop and the person nominating them and the church does not allow for campaigns,” he said. Bishop Dena said the next archbishop must be a holder of at least a Masters degree in theology, be 45-60 years in age, be a well-known spiritual leader, development-oriented and have been a bishop for at least five years.

The college members — a diocesan bishop, two priests and two lay persons from each of the 30 dioceses — will gather at the All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi at 9am to elect, by secret ballot, the man to replace Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi.

The candidate will be installed and enthroned, the Anglicans say, as the head of the 4.5 million member church in a grand ceremony on July 5.

No campaigns

A public relations officer at the church’s headquarters on Wednesday said that the preparations for perhaps the biggest event in the church’s calendar this year are going on well. But church leaders declined to give reporters interviews “for fear that their remarks could work for or against one of the four candidates”.

In the contest are Maseno West bishop Joseph Otieno Wasonga, Kitale bishop Stephen Kewasis, Taita bishop Samuel Mwaluda and Bungoma bishop Eliud Wabukala. In an interview on Monday, the church’s equivalent of a secretary-general, Bishop Lawrence Dena said no direct campaigns were allowed and tomorrow’s election is considered a mere formality as the “head has already been identified by God”.

Read the whole article here.

Lord, go before the leaders of the Province of Kenya, with your most gracious favour, and guide them with your continual help, that in all their works begun, continued and ended in you, [and in the election of a new Primate], that they may glorify your holy name, and finally by your mercy receive everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thanks to Kendall Harmon for the heads up on this news, it had not been on my radar screen at all.  (Maybe Jill knew of this, however. She’s the one who keeps track of events for our prayer calendar.)

Prayer for Madagascar

I just saw at ACNS that the Province of the Indian Ocean has organized a special day of prayer today for the people of Madagascar in the midst of the political turmoil there.

The latest news from the BBC is that the President is being forced to step down.

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, guide, we beseech thee, the nation of Madagascar into the way of justice and truth, and establish among them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness, that they may become the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

From the 1928 BCP

CACAMRM

Members of the six Anglican Communion provinces in the Americas will gather February 22-27 in San José, Costa Rica, for the Conference of the Anglican Churches in the Americas in Mutual Responsibility and Mission.

Deeply respect God, your God. Serve and worship him exclusively. Back up your promises with his name only. Don’t fool around with other gods, the gods of your neighbors, because God, your God, who is alive among you is a jealous God.   Deuteronomy 6:13-15a The Message

Lord, we lift up Your children.  Amen.

General Synod, Church of England

The General Synod is meeting this week. Two topics to be debated are women bishops and the Covenant.
The Bishop of Rochester, the Right Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, is leading the debate on the Covenant. Key among his proposals is that the 39 Primates should have ultimate authority in deciding who is in breach and who not, who is in the top tier of the re-formed communion and who in the second tier. This was the proposal in the first, Nassau draft. The second, St Andrew’s, draft currently on the table proposes that the Anglican Communion Office itself, the executive entity at the centre of Communion government, should have this authority. Dr
Nazir-Ali, a conservative evangelical, believes an episcopal church should ultimately be episcopally governed.

O Holy One, guide all the synod delegates,

That those called to serve in these responsibilities may be men and women living a holy life, seeking to be in your will, able to overcome prejudices, examining issues with care, and that the decisions of Synod may be to the building up of your church and to your glory.

May they be truly unified as one under Christ. Amen.

Anglican Fellowship of Prayer, Canada

Archbishop of West Africa

Most. Rev’d Dr. Justice Ofei Akrofi who was enthroned as Archbishop in 2004. There are 15 Dioceses within the six majority-Muslim countries (Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, and Cameroon). Their chief object is to bring into submission to Jesus Christ themselves and those with whom they come into contact.
Though the sub-region of West Africa is generally rich in natural resources, the absence of judicious utilization, external debt burden, ethnic conflicts , political instability, etc. have contributed to much poverty. Inadequate funding is the major problem. The nation of Ghana recently made a peaceful transition of government following a closely contested election, and the church was a leading voice for humility and cooperation.
All Saints Anglican Church of Charlotte, NC, is under the ecclesiastical authority of Archbishop Akrofi. Akrofi licensed Rt. Rev. John Guernsey, who was consecrated by Ugandan Archbishop Orombi, to be their visiting missionary bishop.
In a statement released in April 2008 following a meeting of the bishops and standing committee of the province, West Africa resolved to “continue to be in communion with the See of Canterbury as we unequivocally and unambiguously remain in the Anglican Communion.” However, the dioceses in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia, Guinea and Cameroon said they “out rightly condemn and reject the unacceptable action” of some Western churches in blessing same-sex unions and ordaining and licensing non-celibate homosexual clergy. While affirming the on-going need that homosexuals should be “treated pastorally,” the province said moves to give gay blessings and clergy “official recognition and acceptance by the Church of God as a standard form of life is quite another stand which we cannot and dare not accept. We further urge all members of the Communion to tread very cautiously in these trying and challenging moments” the province said, urging a halt to “name-calling.” “Reducing the conversation to Liberals versus Conservatives is not helpful; it only adds fuel to an already inflamed situation,” they said. (Hat tip: Conger)

Our Father in heaven,
We pray that Your servant Justice will walk in the meekness and gentleness of Christ, speaking truth and casting down falsehood, speaking honor and casting down dishonor, speaking justice and casting down injustice, speaking purity and casting down impurity. May he speak that which is pleasing, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy and capture every thought to the obedience of Christ, in Whose name we pray. Bless him, Father, and bless this province. Amen.
Philippians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 10:1-5

Archbishop of Nigeria

Nigeria is the fastest growing province in the Anglican Communion. Two hundred eighty-seven congregations have been planted in the last twelve months.
The Most Revd Peter Jasper Akinola is a leading voice among the Global South primates. He has resolutely challenged “the reality that a small, economically privileged group of people has sought to subvert the Christian faith and impose their new and false doctrine on the wider community of faithful believers.”
The communique of the Nigerian bishops from their January 2009 meeting:

Following the Primate’ report on the meeting of the GAFCON Primates Council with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the House of Bishops, while expressing support for this effort to build bridges, stressed that in any effort to bring restoration to the Communion there can be no compromise on the need for genuine repentance by those who have walked away from the ‘faith once delivered to the saints’. We are, however, delighted by the continuing fruit of GAFCON, the developing Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans around the world, the work of the GAFCON Primates Council and the emerging Anglican Church in North America.

Eternal Godhead,
We thank You that the province of Nigeria is being soaked through and through with Your presence. We thank You for its roots of Holy Scripture; its trunk of prayer, fasting, healing, deliverance, and witnessing; and its fruit of crusades, revivals, church planting, prayer teams, night vigils, ministerial training, church programs, and the recognition of all the gifts You have given Your holy people. Holy is Your name.
They stand in the midst of a Communion in schism and a nation in tension. Turn their hearts to the freedom of Christ. Drive out sin and disobedience. Strengthen them to stand firm and cast aside the yoke of slavery.
Pour Your Spirit upon Peter, give him the hope of righteouness, and quicken his love. May he lead the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in showing forth the genuine love of Christ. Amen.
Galatians 4:21-5:6

Psalm 37:1-6 (ESV)
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

Archbishop of Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo

As a result of its equatorial location, the Congo experiences large amounts of precipitation and has the highest frequency of thunderstorms on Earth. The annual rainfall can total upwards of 80 inches in some places, and the area sustains the second largest rain forest in the world (after the Amazon). The tropical climate has also produced the Congo River system which dominates the region topographically. The river provides the country’s only outlet to the Atlantic, a narrow strip of land on its north bank, otherwise the Congo would be completely landlocked.
The Rift Valley has endowed most of the south and east of the Congo with an enormous amount of mineral wealth. Congo is home to the resource of Tantalum, which is used in mobile phones.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) is in transition from a civil war to a presidential democratic republic. Since 1994, the Congo has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees fleeing the Rwandan Genocide. This period of conflict has been the bloodiest in history since World War II. Almost four million people have died as a result of the fighting. Archbishop Fidele Diropka has lost 50 members of his family during the years of conflict. The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo — a nation endowed with vast potential wealth — has dramatically declined with the war.
Since 2003, the Bishops of Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo have consistently expressed disapproval of the actions of TEC regarding homosexuality and the blessing of same-sex relationships. The bishops hold that the Anglican Communion is a precious gift from Christ Himself that needs to be jealously protected and promoted by each and every faithful Anglican Church. The Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo invites all within the network of the theologically orthodox Anglican Communion to remain firm of faith and be involved in a fellowship based on spiritual, moral, material and/or financial support to each other. The Most Reverend Dr Fidele Dirokpa has endorsed the Anglican Mission in America.

Mark 4:38-39
Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

O God, rich in mercy,
We thank you for the abundant rainfall on the Congo. May there be an outpouring of Your Holy Spirit as well.O God, rich in mercy, we thank You for the mighty Congo River flowing through this nation. May a mighty river of forgiveness flow through this land.O God, rich in mercy, we thank You for the vast rain forest, teeming with life. May Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo shelter life In Christ Jesus, indeed eternal life. Amen.
Romans 6:21-23

Divine Physician,
Give Your servant Fidèle the balm of understanding You and knowing that You are the Lord of lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness. Heal his wounds, Lord, for they are many. Amen.
Jeremiah 8:21-22, 9:24

Lord God Almigty,
Your Son is Truth Incarnate. Send Your Son to Archbishop Fidele Dirokpa today in Alexandria. Amen.

Nigerian bishop to serve as missionary bishop to Congo
TEC donates vehicles
Congo Church Association sends Bibles

Archbishop of Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America

Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America originated when British immigrants brought Anglicanism to South America during the nineteenth century. The South American Missionary Society continues to work among indigenous peoples.
The Most Revd Gregory James Venables is the primate. In his initial reaction to the Windsor Report, he was “very disappointed because there’s not enough in it that [says] that ECUSA has done something wrong” in making active gay cleric Gene Robinson a bishop or allowing same-sex unions. There is “no call for discipline,” he added, and the report is not based on the central assertion of last fall’s emergency Primates’ Meeting, which was that Robinson’s consecration would tear the fabric of the Communion at its deepest level. “All you’ve got is the idea that this is a disagreement…So the whole thing has shifted from right and wrong to how we can go on as a Communion,” he said.
The Anglican Province of the Southern Cone resolved to not honor the recommendation of the Windsor Report decrying flying bishops as long as the Episcopal Church continues to act in defiance of the doctrine and discipline of the wider Anglican Communion. The province has provided pastoral support to congregations and dioceses in the U.S., Canada, and Brazil. Archbishop Venables is a GAFCON primate.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Great I AM, Your name is Jealous. You have called Gregory and Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America. Do not leave them or forsake them. Guard them from the strongholds of fear, bitterness, and pride, for You jealously desire for Your Spirit to dwell in them.
As Gregory attends the meeting in Alexandria, help him to smash any idols of self and sin. Purify him in love. Let love and praise exude from his heart like incense, and holiness like a shining light. Amen.
Exodus 34:14, John 10:3, Hebrews 13:5, James 4:5

Archbishop of Burundi

Burundi has been ravaged by a series of conflicts since its independence in 1962. The cycle of conflicts has repeated itself periodically between 1965 and 1996. The conflicts always involved an ethnic dimension as Hutu and Tutsi communities were pitted against each other. The Province has existed through hard times of war, poverty and immense human suffering.
Inevitably the years of conflict have affected the Church. Church buildings have been damaged and destroyed. Clergy, other leaders, and members of congregations have been injured or killed, while some are internally displaced or refugees in camps in Tanzania.
In some places insecurity and attacks have frequently disrupted the life and work of the Church. Clergy have been unable to travel easily to visit those in need and have often risked death to do so. Clergy have also been unable to get the necessary levels of education and training.
The Church now has opportunities to make a crucial contribution during a time of rapid political, economic and social change. In January, 2008, an ecumenical solidarity visit to Burundi led by the former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, under the Eminent Persons Ecumenical Programme for Peace in Africa (EPEPPA), came at the invitation of Burundi church leaders. They were meeting with top government officials in order to reinforce the Burundian peace process. The hope of the church leaders is to end a current cycle of violence and bring conflicting parties to the negotiation table. Otherwise, they believe, Burundi will slip into another war.
In April, 2008, rebels shelled the capital. The Archbishop of Burundi led a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) to Berlin in July, to press the German government to curtail its shipments of weapons to the developing world.
Recently, the All Africa Conference of Churches commissioned Archbishop Ntahoturi and others to intercede with government leaders regarding the “silent genocide” unfolding in Central Africa as soldiers loyal to rebel General Laurent Nkunda march upon government troops holding the eastern Congo.

The Rt. Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi is the third archbishop and primate of this East African province. Archbishop Ntahoturi trained in theology in Britain; later he attended a one-year program for diplomats. From 1979 to 1986, Archbishop Ntahoturi served in the Burundian government, rising to chief of staff to the country’s president, Col. Jean-Baptiste Bagaza. When a military coup de etat in 1987 overthrew Col. Bagaza, political opponents, including Archbishop Ntahoturi, were jailed. He was released from prison in 1991.
In response to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s reflection “The Challenge and Hope of Being Anglican Today,” the Anglican Church of Burundi remains committed to the Anglican Communion, to the Gospel imperative to maintain unity that is rooted in truth and love, and to Holy Scripture as our guide in all matters of doctrine, ethics and decision-making. They support the idea of an Anglican Covenant. Finally, they believe that hope for the Anglican Communion is dependent on the Church worldwide earnestly seeking a deep work of the Holy Spirit that will lead to repentance, forgiveness, revival, and healing.
From Archbishop Ntahoturi’s Lambeth Conference reflection:

We should not let our hearts be troubled, because in our Father’s house there is a room for everyone who trusts and obeys. During the situations when doubts prevail, when there is confusion and no focus or spirit of discernment, when there is no common vision for walking together towards the Father, the only hope left to the believers and disciples is to trust and obey. We trust and obey because we rely on the Father, the owner of the mansion, and on the love of Jesus, the one who is preparing the rooms. Jesus reassures his disciples that they do not need to worry, because he is the Way, the Truth and The Life. It is through him that we come to the Father.

Our Father,
Jesus taught us that the peacemakers are blessed for they shall be called the children of God. We pray for Archbishop Ntahoturi in Alexandria, Egypt and in Burundi. Anoint him with a spirit of peacemaking. Send Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to stand with him.
We pray for repentance, forgiveness, revival, and healing throughout the Anglican Communion. We are helpless on our own. Commission Your Holy Spirit to do a deep work in the hearts of the primates. Amen.

Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil

The Most Rev. Mauricio de Andrade is the primate of Brazil. Brought up an evangelical, Archbishop de Andrade has moved to the progressive wing of the church and has promoted the ministry of gay clergy in his diocese.
For nearly 75 years, the Episcopal Church of Brazil was a mission field of ECUSA. In 1965, it became autonomous. In 1985, it reached financial autonomy. It felt abandoned and lonely and unable to call on the financial and human resources of ECUSA. Therefore, in 1990, Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning established the Bilateral Committee with representatives from both churches. The Bilateral Standing Committee is accountable to the Presiding Bishop and the Executive Council of each province.
Following the announcement of the Lambeth boycott, Bishop Andrade wrote:

Our words have been words of division. Yet, in Brazil we sing: “The Word was not made to divide anyone; the Word is the bridge over which love comes and goes. The Word was not made to dominate; the destination of the Word is dialogue.” Who will hear the archbishops/primates, bishops, and priests of the Church? . . .
I believe The Episcopal Church of the United States has been showing all of us an example of the path to unity and reconciliation, because they have met all the requests for visits that were made and answered all the questions that were posed. They have spent time, money, and energy to meet the primates’ requests, always with generosity and openness. I think we need to keep in mind that we are Anglican. We are seeing a disregard of our richness and our ethos, that is, autonomy of the Provinces.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Dear Lord,
We thank You for Your living, active word. As intercessors, we take the sword of the Spirit to our hearts. Pierce our hearts and cut away ungodly thought patterns and habits. We ask the same for Bishop Mauricio Andrade and the primates of the Anglican Communion meeting in Alexandria, for Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil and all of the Communion. Together, may we have the mind of Christ. Amen.

Primate of La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico

Religious reform in 1857 secured freedom of religion, separating the Roman Catholic Church from government and politics. Under the leadership of Father Manuel Aguas the “Iglesia de Jesús Militante en la Tierra” (Church of Jesus Militant on Earth) was established; it would be known by the abbreviated name “Iglesia de Jesús” (Church of Jesus) for many years. In 1906 the Synod of the “Mexican Episcopal Church”, formerly the Church of Jesus, received inclusion in the Missionary District of Mexico of the Episcopal Church in the USA.
The Church became an autonomous Province of the Anglican Communion in 1995. At that time, a covenant was drawn up between TEC and the province of Mexico. TEC was to continue its financial support for 25 years, reducing the sum by 4% per annum.
There is a history of malfeasance of former bishops and of serious divisions amongst the five diocesan bishops. There is little, if any, growth.
Bishop Carlos Touche-Porter is patron of the British-based movement Inclusive Church. “The solution is not a compromise but for the Church to remember that its primary mission is to witness the Gospel rather than discuss sexual morals,” he said at a conference hosted by the Inclusive Church in St Matthew’s, Westminster.
According to a Lambeth blogger, he is trying to organize an international Anglican coalition which he refers to as the “Global Centre” (as compared with the “Global South” under the putative leadership of Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola). This coalition incorporates Anglican Provinces such as Brazil, South India, Sri Lanka and Central America.

Dear Heavenly Father,
This church was founded on Jesus. May she look to Him. If she has left, may she return to her first love. Bless Bishop Touche-Porter and La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico. Amen.

Account of Bp Touche-Porter’s handling of a pedophilia case
History of Anglicanism in Mexico
Touche-Porter in Manchester

Presiding Bishop of Korea

The Most Revd Francis Kyung Jo Park is the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church of Korea. In 2007, the province of Korea hosted an international peace conference focused on reconciliation of the Korean peninsula (Toward Peace in Korea). The Mothers’ Union choir of Seoul gave a concert “Singing for Peace in our Land” at Lambeth Conference to raise awareness of the need for reconciliation. Also at Lambeth, Bishop Park participated in a Eucharist with the primate of Japan, a gesture that followed 20 years of reconciliation work between the two provinces.
In 2008 he attended the Missions Consultation Roundtable in Bangkok. The focus of the Consultation was clear: to strengthen the work of the gospel and churches in our deaneries, in order ‘that they may know and confess Jesus as Saviour and Lord.’

Dear Heavenly Father,
We pray for Your servant Presiding Bishop Park.
Increase his appetite for Your praise, Lord. As he opens his mouth, inhabit his song.
Increase his appetite for Holy Scripture, Lord. As he opens his Bible and reads, pierce his heart.
Increase his appetite for prayer, Lord. As he opens his heart, invade his mind.
Increase his appetite for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, Lord. As he opens his life, let him press into the kingdom of God. We pray that Your kingdom come, Your will be done in the Anglican province of Korea and throughout the Korean peninsula as it is in heaven. Amen.
Psalm 22:3, Luke 16:16

Account of joint Korean-Japanese service

O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God: Point the Primates to the Lord of the Church

O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,
“We bless you for our creation, preservation and all the blessings of this life.”

increase our faith in our dear Lord;
Guide the Primates to act on what the church professes. Point them to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church, and guide them in submission to Him.

unless thy grace the power should give,
The Primates are under attack and some will be tired, angry and confused. Come, Holy Spirit, and fill them with power to serve Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church.

none can believe in Christ and live;
Holy Spirit, only you can can point the Primates to the Way, the Truth and the Life – Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church.

O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.
We praise you, for with the Father and the Son you live and reign, One God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Words: Johann Niedling, 1651;
trans. John Caspar Mattes, 1913

Addendum to primate list

Received via e-mail from Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion–

Three provinces are currently without a primate. When a primacy is vacant, the Senior Bishop or the Dean of the Province is invited to represent the Province at the Meeting.

Bp Albert Chama will represent Central Africa,
Bp Charles Koete Melanesia; and
Bp Errol Brooks West Indies.