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.
Now it’s your turn. It’s your turn to tell the leaders and the planners of the Anglican Church of Canada what you want your church to be.
Awkwardness can abound whenever a minister takes up a new post: maybe the congregation is still basking in “the halo effect,” from their previous, near-angelic cleric. Or maybe the new clergywoman keeps crossing signals with the parish council.
The Rev. Dr. Kawuki (Isaac) Mukasa straddles two worlds. Born in Uganda, but a long-time Canadian resident, Dr. Mukasa’s knowledge of both cultures is essential as he pairs up African and Canadian dioceses to talk about sexuality. Dr. Mukasa began this work while he was congregational development consultant at the Diocese of Toronto, and has continued it as coordinator for dialogue at General Synod. He recently returned from a trip to Tanzania and Uganda.
Contrast is defined as “the act of distinguishing by comparing differences” and my time in Egypt this week has certainly been one of comparing many differences.
1. At the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the Primates and Moderators of the Churches of the Anglican Communion, we gathered for prayer and consultation in the ancient city of Alexandria, with the Most Revd Mouneer Anis, President Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East, as our host. We prayed, worshipped God, and studied the Scriptures together, seeking to be faithful to the call of God in Christ, and to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit. There was a common desire to speak honestly about our situation.
As the small band of journalist prepared for the news conference today the talk was all about the report of the Windsor Continuation Group. Each reporter wondered if one of the others had heard or seen anything that would give them an exclusive about what was in it. We all hoped for greater clarity when the press conference began.
The Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, is throwing the doors open to all Canadian Anglicans to join in on Vision 2019, a church-wide exercise to discern, dream, and decide where they think God wants the church to be in 2019. This is a great chance for the church to think big. As the Primate puts it, “there’s a fresh wind blowing through our church!”
Nothing confirms an aging expert’s theories like their own long life well lived. On Feb. 2, Sister Constance, a noted gerontologist, celebrated 105 years of such life, surrounded by her fellow sisters at Saint John the Divine convent, Toronto, Ont.
In my first report on Sunday I said that this meeting does not seem to have the tension that previous meetings have had. At the first official news conference yesterday Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, the Primate of Australia and official spokesperson, confirmed that, “There are not the levels of anxiety that have accompanied other Primates’ Meetings.”
“I remember a signboard outside a church,” began the Archbishop of Canterbury, “that was filled with activities and I couldn’t help but wonder if they had left any space for God.” Preaching at the dedication of Saint Mark’s Pro-cathedral in Alexandria Egypt on the first day of the Primates’ Meeting, Archbishop Rowan Williams went on to challenge people about observing, honoring and understanding that Jesus prays with them, for them and through them. He said it is important to remember “the person praying next to me is a person in whom Jesus is praying … When I diminish them, I am in danger of destroying Jesus’ voice in them.”
The Anglican Church of Canada has welcomed a breakthrough in the re-establishment of the long-awaited Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools, but apologized to survivors for long delays in allowing them to tell their stories.
The sun shone brilliantly in the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria on Sunday as the Primates of the Anglican Communion gathered for the first time since 2007. This meeting, announced at the Lambeth Conference last summer, seems to lack both the tension and the focus that recent gatherings of global primates have had. It also seems to be attracting less attention, at least thus far.
February will be a month of airplanes and suitcases for Archbishop Fred Hiltz. With trips to Egypt, Kenya, Burundi, and Costa Rica, it’s his busiest stretch of international travel since his election as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada in July 2007.
The freshest crop of theological student international interns was in Toronto this week, preparing for overseas trips with a program run by the Canadian Churches’ Forum for Global Ministries. The three students spent a day at the national office to learn about General Synod, and share their stories so far.