Final text of Covenant released
The design group working on an Anglican Covenant to be presented for approval to the members of the Anglican Communion has released what it describes as the “final” text. The text follows:
For Your Information
A ‘full communion’ Christmas greeting
Once again this year, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and National Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, come together to offer a reflection on the Christmas season and greetings to all Canadian Anglicans and Lutherans.
Hundreds of churches to join bell-ringing campaign Sunday
WHO: More than 250 of KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives’ member churches and local committees from coast to coast to coast.
WHAT: Church bells will toll 350 times either at 3PM or immediately following morning worship.
New Anglican Military Ordinariate website
A new website describes the work and ministry of the Anglican Military Ordinariate (AMO) in Canada and throughout the world. The ordinariate includes all Anglicans who serve in the Canadian Forces, including regular and reserve forces in the air, maritime, or land force commands.
Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order communiqué
Grateful for the gracious guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order held its first meeting in Canterbury, England from 1 to 8 December 2009.
2009 Advent calendar now online
As a special gift this season, anglican.ca features an online Advent calendar. On each day of Advent a new image and short reflection will be posted about the ministry that Canadian Anglicans are engaged in-both at home and overseas. Expect to be encouraged and challenged by what God is doing through this beloved church, from the Arctic to Tanzania.
Desert Experiences
by Padre Canon Baxter Park I must confess as I look around this Anglican Church of Canada, an institution that I love, I sometimes find myself feeling pretty morose about the future. I may be wrong but the church gives the impression its downsizing. Staff layoffs at our national office and once healthy and viable … Continued
House of Bishops issues statement on Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill
The House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, along with the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, express our dismay and concern over the draft proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill currently before the Parliament of Uganda.
Draft Vision 2019 report now online
A draft of the Anglican Church of Canada’s strategic plan—Vision 2019—is now available online for discussion.
Commentary on General Synod’s 2010 budget
The following document was prepared by General Synod Treasurer Michèle George to assist members of the Council of General Synod (COGS) when they considered a draft budget for 2010 at the council’s fall meeting. The document provides some context and describes the process involved in developing the 2010 budget. It explains some of the implications of the decisions contained in the budget and looks as some possible strategies for working on the 2011 budget as well.
A Word from our Bishop-elect
One Week Later… One week later the reality of the election is just starting to settle in. It has been some time that the possibility of being elected was present but the actuality is of a different order. That I will soon be releasing from the CAF in order to undertake these new responsibilities is … Continued
Meet the MinistryMatters columnists
Each week fresh columns are posted onministrymatters.ca, the online magazine for Canadian Anglican leaders. These are the columnists and what they cover:
Report-back to the Church from the House of Bishops, November 2009
The fall meeting of the House of Bishops was held Nov. 2 to 6 at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, Ont., where we were joined by the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). We were also joined by two Pastoral Visitors—Bishop Colin Bennetts, retired bishop of Coventry and Bishop Chad Gandiya of Harare. The Pastoral Visitors are partners from the Anglican Communion appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to observe our proceedings and to report their observations to him as well as to offer reflections to us. We were enriched by their presence. We also always value the presence, experiences and contributions of our full communion Lutheran partners at our once-a-year joint meetings.
Aboriginal priest finds her calling as a military chaplain
Rev. Capt. Catherine Askew distinctly remembers the moment when she knew she wanted to be a military chaplain to the Canadian Forces. She was 17 years old and an undergraduate student at university. She had been thinking that a job as an administration clerk would give her a useful skill and some pocket money. Then she met a military chaplain who introduced her to the work of the chaplains’ corps.
Email woes at Church House
General Synod offices in Toronto have been experiencing email problems since late last week which might have delayed reception of emails sent to employees and departments. The sources of the problems were multiple and complex—in the words of IT manager Mariana Bell “a perfect storm.” We are hopeful that these email issues have now been resolved, although there will be another shorter outage on the weekend to put the finishing touches on the fixes.
We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences.