Dear friends in Christ,    For those of you living in the Greater Vancouver/Lower Mainland area, there will be a second book-launching this coming Saturday Dec 9th 11am to 1pm at House of James Bookstore (2743 Emerson Street, Abbotsford).    Virtually all the Christian bookstores in the Lower Mainland are carrying the book: 1) Pilgrim Book and Bible (2740 Kingsway, Vancouver) 2) Genesis Christian Bookstore (1267 Kingsway, Vancouver) 3) Regent College Bookstore (5800 University Boulevard, Vancouver) 4) St. Andrew’s Book, Gift & Christian Supplies Store (305 West 8th Ave, Vancouver) 5) Marian Distribution Centre (2712 Main Street, Vancouver) 6) New Life Resources, Langley (20385-64th Ave, Langley) 7) Seraphim Christian Books & Supplies (5471 No. 3 Road, Richmond) 8) Angel Christian Supplies (#104-2429-152nd St, Surrey) 9) Christian Celebration Store (10249 King George Highway, Surrey) 10) House of James Bookstore (2743 Emerson Street, Abbotsford, and of course locally at 11) Sign of the Fish Bookstore (7 Lonsdale, North Vancouver)                                     Blessings, Ed Hird+   http://www.canadianchristianity.com/cgi-bin/bc.cgi?bc/bccn/1206/10two     BC: Top Stories | Editorials | Letters | Island Insight | Testimonies | BC Church Sports | Merry Christmas | Youth | Hope-Vancouver Two local Anglicans have important tales to tell • Ed Hird: Battle for the Soul of Canada, 2006 • Julie H. Ferguson: Sing a New Song, Dundurn, 2006 BOTH of these books focus on Canada, but they are grounded in B.C. - and have international implications. Ed Hird is a conservative Anglican pastor who has been a key player in the never-ending same-sex debate which has so preoccupied the Diocese of New Westminster. Hird tells his personal faith journey, and the tale of how he and his congregation made the wrenching decision to leave their building and property with the diocese, and join the Anglican Coalition in Canada. Lorne Gunter, columnist for the National Post, put it well when he said: "I expected Battle for the Soul of Canada to be a political book - a book about the battles of plucky little St. Simon's Church in North Vancouver to adhere to a biblically-inspired faith in the face of an increasingly secular (and hostile) church hierarchy. Instead, I discovered a wonderful primer on keeping faith in an increasingly secular (and hostile) world, filled with inspiring, joyful and practical examples from the lives of spiritual people." And so it is. Yet Hird's folksy, upbeat approach incorporates a prophetic message - not strictly political perhaps, but Gunter's is just one of 42 endorsements for the book, many by conservative Anglicans worldwide. These elements are woven together with a study of the Book of Timothy, which provided "the skeleton upon which this book is built." Hird says that "in many ways, Timothy has the personality profile of Canada: gentle, somewhat insecure and easily rejected. Yet Paul saw that this unlikely individual had the potential to be a great leader . . . We can be God's Timothy's, if we will only humble ourselves before the Lord." Hird is at his best telling stories. He has discovered some impressive Christians buried in Canadian history. He offers many anecdotes of faith-filled historical figures such as Colonel Moody, who prevented our province being annexed by the U.S. in B.C.'s first war, then gathered 40 miners and led worship from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Among the others are explorer David Thompson; pioneer settler and writer Catharine Parr Trail; and Frederick Seymour, first governor of the united B.C. colony. My favourite is William Howland. As a young entrepreneur, he was led to Christ by his Anglican priest - and the change was immediately apparent. "Night after night, Howland visited the slums, going from house to house, and reaching out to the poor, the sick, the alcoholic." His reputation for good works led to him being chosen mayor of Toronto in 1885. He promptly installed a 12-foot banner which read: "Except the Lord Build the City, the Watchman Wakes but in Vain." Before long, Toronto was nicknamed 'Toronto the Good' - a sobriquet seldom heard these days. Sing a New Song offers a well-written portrait of four Anglican leaders, though the subtitle - 'Portraits of Canada's Crusading Bishops' - more accurately might have been 'Portraits of My Favourite B.C. Bishops.' Julie Ferguson, who attends St. John the Apostle Church in Port Moody, has chosen four bishops from B.C. to represent Canada. Why? To start with, Bishop Michael Ingham's international recognition related to the same-sex issue would appeal to any biographer. "Ingham definitely had reached celebrity status between 2000 and 2003," she says. "The media loved him. Ingham 'on the cover' meant sales." Ferguson may have worked backwards from Ingham, who is granted 120 pages, while the others - George Hills, David Somerville and Douglas Hambidge - come in at 60 pages apiece. The three earlier bishops are appetizers; Ingham is the main dish, with considerable focus on the same-sex issue. Sing a New Song is not hagiography, but occasionally it comes close. "In his pursuit of social justice," Ferguson says, Ingham is "as unyielding as a rock, as steadfast as a mountain, and has the patience of Job." Ferguson writes that she arrived "at a liberal position on the great issues that beset these bishops," and selected as her subjects those "who, by pushing the envelope of equality rights in Canada, became mirrors of, or change agents for, society's attitudes." She was supplied with an office by Ingham, from time to time, and had the living bishops (all but Hills) read over the chapters written about them. Does any of this lessen the value of the book? Not too much, as long as it is kept in mind. Ferguson does a fine job of reminding us of important chapters of Anglican - and B.C. - history. George Hills, appointed in 1859 as B.C.'s first Anglican bishop, seems to have been a faithful, steadfast man of his time - though there's not much sign of the conventionally-minded cleric 'pushing the envelope of equality.' His main virtue - it would appear from Sing a New Song - was that he withstood a challenge from his dean, Edward Cridge. Hills was Anglo-Catholic, while Cridge was strongly Protestant. Ferguson describes evenhandedly "Cridge's obstinacy and Hill's unbending attitude." Cridge, after defying his superior, was forced out of Christ Church in 1874. He joined the Reformed Episcopal denomination and formed Church of Our Lord, also in Victoria, taking most of the congregation with him. There are echoes of the current situation between Ingham and the churches which have left the Diocese of New Westminster. David Somerville thrived in the male-oriented, Anglo-Catholic St. James Church in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, but eventually presided over the first ordination of women in the Diocese of New Westminster, an innovation he firmly supported (see page 12). Douglas Hambidge comes across well. A highlight in his life - and the book - is the description of his adoption by the Nisga'a into their raven family at a reception following his consecration as bishop in northern B.C. Ferguson says Hambidge was named 'Wal'aks Im Kran Dadils,' or a leader, and presented to his new adoptive mother. Hambidge told Ferguson: "I frankly thought it was just a nice way of welcoming a new bishop, and I really didn't expect to hear another word about it." But when Hambidge was asked to perform a marriage for one of his new mother's 'sisters,' he wore a Nisga'a blanket for the event. As he entered the church, "people in the pews began weeping . . . Hambidge was unaware then that the blankets had been banned by the government and the church for about 70 years." This adoption of the blanket "signified a major turning point in his relationship with the Nisga'a . . . He learned of their deep conviction that they were the church, the Body of Christ" and "absorbed their worries about the politics of the land settlements they were facing." He has pushed the envelope on behalf of native people ever since. - Flyn Ritchie December 2006   Search Archives Canadian Directory Category Books & Music Camps Chaplains Churches Counsellors Denom. Offices Education Schools Higher Ed. Homeschooling Ministerials Ministries Retreats Contact Us Partner with us! Advertise on CC.com Search The Bible Version: NIV NASB RSV KJV NKJV Darby YLT WE All Passage: Search word(s): The Bible Gateway(TM) is a service of Gospel Communications Network (Gospelcom)   webmail help my account our services     movies index find a movie by title     The Nativity Story Find out where this movie is playing in Alberta, British Columbia, or Ontario Genre: Drama Runtime: 101 mins Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Hiam Abbass, Shaun Toub, Ciarán Hinds, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Stanley Townsend, Alexander Siddig, Nadim Sawalha, Eriq Ebouaney, Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke Written by Mike Rich Country: United States Premise King Herod's obsession with an ancient prophecy threatens Mary and Joseph as they await the birth of Jesus. What We Say If you're a Protestant, or adhere to a religion other than Christianity, or still fly the atheist or agnostic flag, don't let the Vatican's endorsement deter you from going to see The Nativity Story. Conversely, if you're Catholic, don't think that praise from the Vatican means it's a better movie than it actually is, or that it's particularly Catholic. (In the interests of full disclosure, I am a lapsed Anglican.) Think of it, quite simply, as a Bible story powerfully acted and beautifully filmed. Catherine Hardwicke's two credits as a movie director may not seem like the ideal background for telling one of Christianity's most cherished stories - Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown - but it's her two decades of superb work as a production designer on the likes of The Three Kings and Vanilla Sky that laid the visual groundwork for what she had to do here. With the Nativity story already so familiar to audiences, her challenge was to make that story seem so real up there on-screen that we in the audience would feel as if we had accompanied Mary and Joseph on their flight from King Herod (Ciarán Hinds) to sanctuary in Egypt, stopping, of course, in Bethlehem on the way. In the enviable yet surely daunting role of Mary is Keisha Castle-Hughes, the Australian teenager who was Oscar-nominated for her first feature performance in 2002's Whale Rider. Playing Joseph, about whom we know much comparatively little, Biblically speaking, is Oscar Isaac. Both are entirely credible as a young couple betrothed by tradition into a marriage each might not have chosen, only to find their relationship tested by a pregnancy neither initially welcomes or ever completely understands. Without any silly contemporizing by screenwriter Mike Rich, their predicament is made to feel entirely modern. The Three Wise Men come across as a bit of a comic device, though, as if someone involved with the production couldnÂ’t resist trying to coax a smile out of the audience. Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar bicker and banter about their mission as if practising for their act on some Asia Minor nightclub stage, although they show the good grace to cut the shenanigans and be suitably humbled by sight of the Baby Jesus. For a story with a famously foregone conclusion, Hardwicke manages to maintain considerable suspense, thanks to the vicious acts by King Herod's tax collectors and army thugs, who become veritably genocidal in their attempt to kill off the purported messiah. The period detail is precise and engrossing - the Roman uniforms, the agricultural practices, the food preparation - all of this the result of scrupulous research and another example of Hardwicke's meticulous eye. This should be one movie whose eventual DVD doesnÂ’t include a slew of excised scenes and alternate endings, but it is a movie after all, and there's money to be made this time of year. In its big-screen form, it fulfils this role honourably. Review by John TD Keyes Additional Reviews Michael Wilmington - Chicago Tribune    Friday, December 08, 2006 Bishop Howard Attempts to Depose Six of “Florida Seven” Priests Press Release from the Anglican Alliance of North Florida: JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA—The Anglican Alliance of North Florida is saddened to announce that six of the original “Florida Seven” priests have received a letter of deposition from Bishop John Howard of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida on the grounds of “abandonment of communion” (the letter is available here in electronic format). The deposition of a priest or a deacon is an ecclesiastical measure which strips someone of clergy status by nullifying his or her ordination. All of the priests in question had requested that Bishop Howard provide alternative episcopal oversight in 2005, and were refused. All but one had applied to the Panel of Reference and the Archbishop of Canterbury for protection. All of them are now members of the Anglican Alliance of North Florida and are faithfully serving as priests under archbishops in other parts of the Anglican Communion. Not only have they not abandoned the communion of the Church, they have come under the authority of orthodox Anglican bishops precisely because of their desire to remain in that communion. In addition, Bishop Howard sent out a letter announcing that he had accepted letters of renunciation of ministry from seven clergy. At least three of these clergy have never renounced their orders, either verbally or in writing, but rather have been accepted as clergy under an overseas Anglican authority and serve in parishes within the Anglican Alliance of North Florida; they have no intention of renouncing their orders and ask Bishop Howard to rectify his mistake.   http://www.anglicanplanet.net/TAPCanada0612h.html            News and Ideas from around the Anglican World    about us        contact us       subscriptions      HOME        InternationalNews                                             ARCHIVE       ____________________________________________________________________________    December 2006      CONTENTIOUS SYNOD IN BRANDON Clergy and laity in the Diocese of Brandon are profoundly divided over issues of marriage and the Solemn Declaration.   By LARRY WINSLOW   The Synod for the Diocese of Brandon, which stretches down the western third of Manitoba, ran into some contentious issues this past October. Concerns arose when it appeared that some motions, as in the previous Synod, were not going to be handled.   Michael Waldron, a lawyer and lay delegate from St. Matthew’s, Boissevain, rose on a point of order.  Quoting from 1 Corinthians 1:10 and extensively from Bishop Jim Njegovan’s Charge, Waldron claimed that many synod delegates associated with Anglican Essentials Manitoba (AEM) were experiencing a sense of persecution from the Chair and from others at Synod, along with a sense of avoidance of issues important to these people.  Photo: Sue Careless    Bishop Njegovan (right) proceeded to a motion from Ann Varcoe and Monica Kehler affirming the Solemn Declaration as the charter document of the Anglican Church of Canada.  (All clergy at their ordination must sign their assent to the declaration which is found in the official prayer book of the ACC, the Book of Common Prayer on p. vii). After little debate the Bishop established that voting would be by a secret ballot by orders. The Laity carried the motion but a tie vote in the Clergy defeated it.    The next motion (Jacquie Hebert/Monica Kehler) was one affirming marriage as being between one man and one woman and “recognising that adultery, fornication, and homosexual unions, no less and no more than other sins, are intimacies contrary to God’s designs.”  Again, the Laity carried the motion but it was defeated by a tie vote in the Clergy.   This brought a most contentious issue to the floor. Michael Waldron argued against a policy of the Bishop that Anglican Essentials Manitoba (AEM) is not allowed to meet in Anglican churches in the Diocese.   He argued again from the Bishop’s charge concerning inclusivity, love and justice and moved that the Synod provide for AEM to meet in such Churches where the Corporation would allow. Archdeacon Paul Curtis, in support of the Bishop, argued vehemently and persuasively against the motion. However a priest who is not a participant in AEM said that he felt all Anglicans should be able to meet and discuss within their own buildings. In secret ballot by orders the motion was carried in both houses.   Had not the laity insisted upon carrying on Synod until all matters were dealt with, these motions would never have seen the light of day.   Bishop Njegovan gave his assent to all acts of Synod. Also, in a sincere and impassioned manner, the Bishop stated his love for the Diocese and all of its constituent members. He declared that he has never intended to harm anyone in his actions and apologised to anyone who felt so hurt.   The 43rd Synod of the Diocese of Brandon is over. However, many serious questions are left open for future consideration.  Has the Diocese, in fifty percent of its voting clergy with the assent of the Bishop defeating two significant matters of basic faith, separated itself from both the Anglican Church of Canada and the Worldwide Anglican Communion? Are the acts of this Synod more far-reaching than simply affecting this Diocese of Brandon? Larry Winslow is a retired priest in the Diocese of Brandon who attended the Synod as an observer.          TAPintoCanada      EdibleThoughts      TAPintotheWord      OntheFrontline      EditorialTAP      theTAPinterview      Bookreviews                                                                                                                                                       Copyright The Anglican Planet © 2006   http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/cr0612.html                  What Child is This?     -an article for the Dec 2006 Deep Cove Crier   One of the most favorite Christmas Carols is William Chatterton Dix’s “What Child is This?” At the age of twenty-nine, Dix was struck with a sudden near-fatal illness and confined to bedrest for several months.  He went into a deep depression. Out of this near-death experience, Dix wrote many hymns, including ‘What Child is This?”.  Written in 1865, Dix made use of powerful word pictures that still speak one hundred and forty-one years later:   What Child is this who, laid to rest On Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping?   What is it about the Christmas story that keeps capturing our hearts year after year?  What child is this?    Why does this baby on Mother Mary’s lap win the attention of billions of people every December?  Why  angels?  Why shepherds?  What child is this?   One of the strangest things about the Christmas story is the birthplace of the Christmas child in a cattle shed.  What kind of place is that to celebrate Christmas?  It wasn’t even sanitary.   Why lies He in such mean estate, Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christians, fear, for sinners here The silent Word is pleading.   There is something about the Christmas Child that will not go away, that cannot be avoided, that is inescapably part of Canadian culture.   What Child is this anyways?  William Chatterton Dix’s Carol had this response:   This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing; Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary.   What Child is this? Why do wise men still seek him?   So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, Come peasant, king to own Him; The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone Him.   This Christmas, may loving hearts enthrone the Christmas Child.  May loving hearts welcome this Child into  their homes, their lives, their souls.     The Reverend Ed Hird Rector, St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver Anglican Coalition in Canada http://www3.telus.net/st_simons p.s. Christmas is just around the corner. To purchase a copy of 'Battle for the Soul of Canada' for yourself or others, just send a cheque for $15 (plus $3.50 Shipping and Handling (Canadian S&H*) to the Rev. Ed Hird, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7   * By surface to the USA, the total cost for the book plus S&H would be $20.00 USD.  Checks can only be accepted from USA, England and Canada. All others need to send bank drafts. To Crier Index To Home Page Contact Rev. Ed Hird                                                   Next Ed-Mail Same-sex Blessings