Global
South Steering Committee to prepare Global South Conference in 2008
November 7th, 2007 Posted in Global South, Lambeth Conference | |
Read here http://www.globalsouthanglican.org/index.php/comments/communique_of_the_global_south_primates_shanghai_october_30_2007/
7.1 We call for an urgent
meeting of the Primates to receive and conclude the draft Anglican Covenant and
to determine how the Communion should move forward;
7.2 We urge that the
proposed Lambeth Conference 2008 be postponed to a later date when bishops of
all the provinces in the Communion can participate in a spirit of true
collegiality and unity in the faith;
7.3 We request the Steering
Committee to start preparations for the 4th Encounter of the Global South in
2008;
Communiqué of the
Global South Primates, Shanghai, October 30, 2007
1.
The visit of the Global South Primates to the People’s Republic of China has
given us an opportunity to meet and reflect on the present situation facing the
Anglican Communion and what we have to do to move forward while remaining
grounded in the Word of God and preserving its catholicity and apostolicity.
2. We are saddened that all
the decisions and recommendations made at the several meetings of the Primates
since 2003 and the Windsor Report have not been duly respected. In view of the
current crisis, it is imperative to call for faithfulness to the Word and the
tradition we have received, and move to build up a momentum for the
transformation of our common life. We see the crisis as a call to an Anglican
renewal of faith as part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, and
to move forward in mission and evangelism within the wider church and the
world.
3. Since the colonial past,
no consolidation of the essence of communion has been made on the part of the Mother Church and of the churches in the West.
What is at stake is the very nature of Anglicanism - not just about sexuality
but also about the nature of Christ, the truth of the Gospel and the authority
of the Bible. We reject the religion of accommodation and cultural conformity
that offers neither transforming power nor eternal hope.
4. There is today an urge
to reject subservience and call for mutual responsibility. The Instruments of
Communion should be given the needed attention so that they can really enable
mutual respect and faithfulness to what holds us together - the faith once
delivered to the saints. Our call is to work towards the equipping of God’s
people so that we can be a faithful people of God and for God.
5. We are experiencing a
sense of belonging in the spirit of communion in the Global South. This
strengthens the structures that facilitate cooperation, conversation and
accountability.
6. It is clear to us that
the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church (TEC) has not given an unequivocal
response to the requests of the Primates at Dar es Salaam. Therefore we affirm the conclusion
that the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) has reached in the communiqué of their meeting in Mauritius in October 2007 that “a change in
direction from our current trajectory is urgently needed” because “we want
unity but not unity at any expense”.
7. In view of our desire to
move forward:
7.1 We call for an urgent
meeting of the Primates to receive and conclude the draft Anglican Covenant and
to determine how the Communion should move forward;
7.2 We urge that the
proposed Lambeth Conference 2008 be postponed to a later date when bishops of
all the provinces in the Communion can participate in a spirit of true
collegiality and unity in the faith;
7.3 We request the Steering
Committee to start preparations for the 4th Encounter of the Global South in
2008;
7.4 We receive with thanks
the report of the Economic Empowerment
Consultation in Accra, Ghana, in September 2007, and encourage
the Task Force to continue to develop programmes to help our churches to be
increasingly self-supporting;
7.5 We commend the work of
the Theological Education and Formation Task Force, especially the drafting of
the Anglican Catechism in Outline (ACIO), and urge our dioceses to make it
available to all strata of leadership in preparation for its formal adoption in
the first quarter of 2008;
7.6 We call upon bishops of
the Global South and the Anglican Communion to write to their churches to
explain the current situation and ask them to pray for the Communion at this
crucial time which would lead to reformation and transformation.
8. We give thanks to God
for the life and ministry of the following Primates who will be retiring in
2007 and we pray that they will have a blessed retirement:
- Most Rev Ignacio Capuyan Soliba (Philippines)
- Most Rev Samuel San Si Htay (Myanmar)
- Most Rev Dr Bernard Amos Malango (Central Africa)
• Most Rev Njongonkulu
Ndungane (Southern
Africa).
“I… urge you to contend
for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3)
Signed by:
Most Rev Dr Peter
J. Akinola (Nigeria)
Most Rev Dr Bernard Amos Malango
(Central Africa)
Most Rev Dr John Chew Hiang Chea (South
East Asia)
Most Rev Ian Ernest (Indian Ocean)
Most Rev Dr Mouneer Hanna Anis (Jerusalem
and the Middle East)
Most Rev Emmanuel Musaba Kolini
(Rwanda)
Most Rev Justice Ofei Akrofi (West
Africa)
Most Rev Henry Luke Orombi (Uganda)
Most Rev Dr Fidèle Dirokpa (Congo)
2b) Letter
from Archbishop Peter Akinola of the Anglican Province of Nigeria
http://www.anglican-nig.org/main.php?k_j=12&d=130&p_t=index.php?
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Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and our One and Only Saviour Jesus, the Christ.
I
write on the 490th anniversary of that moment in Church history
when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Cathedral in Wittenberg
in which he asserted, among other things, that the truth of the gospel must
always take precedence over the structures of the church. It is becoming
increasingly clear that we are facing a similar situation today. While it
has been my hope that we would be able to share these reflections face to face
it seems unlikely that we will be called to meet together in the near
future and so I offer these thoughts by letter.
It
has been repeatedly stated and most succinctly summarized in the report,
'Road to Lambeth' we face a two fold crisis in the Anglican Communion: a
crisis of doctrine and a crisis of leadership, in which the failure of the
“Instruments” of the Communion to exercise discipline has called into
question the viability of the Anglican Communion as a united Christian body
under the common foundation of faith. (See the Chicago-Lambeth
Quadrilateral)
The
Church of Nigeria is not interested in territorial expansion. The failure to resolve
these dual crises has been at the heart of the decision by our Church and a
number of other Global South Provinces to offer encouragement and oversight
to a growing number of clergy and congregations in the USA.
These pastoral initiatives are not and should not be seen as the cause of
the crises.
Although
they have variously been described as “interventions” “boundary crossing”
or “incursions” -- they are a direct and natural consequence of the
decision by The Episcopal Church (TEC) to follow the path that it has now
chosen.
These
pastoral initiatives undertaken to keep faithful Anglicans within our
Anglican family has been at a considerable cost of crucial resources to our province. There is no moral equivalence
between them and the actions taken by TEC. They are a heartfelt response to
cries for help. We acted in accordance with the Gospel mandate. Had TEC,
against all godly warnings, not taken actions that tore the fabric of our
beloved Communion there would be no need for hundreds indeed, thousands of
its members to seek pastoral, episcopal and now primatial care elsewhere.
It
has been suggested that our actions violate historic Anglican polity and
early church tradition with particular reference made to the Council of
Nicea. This assertion is both hollow and made in bad faith since those who
make it are more than willing to ignore historic biblical teaching on the
uniqueness of Christ, the authority of the Scriptures and the call to moral
obedience. With regard to Nicea - while there was concern for proper order
there was even greater commitment to maintaining right teaching. This can be seen by the provision of
godly bishops and clergy in places where the incumbents were proponents of
false teaching.
The
world needs to understand that the situation that we now confront is not
primarily about structure or conferences but about irreconcilable truth
claims. It is worth remembering that in the Biblical narratives religious
structures have often been the enemy of revealed truth. When these
structures become obstacles, YHWH, in his own way and at a time of his own
choosing removed them and brought His people back to Himself. Of course
there is value to preserving Anglican structures but we must never do so at
the expense of the people for whom our Lord Jesus the Christ gave his life.
Until
the Communion summons the courage to tackle that issue headlong and resolve
it we can do no other than provide for those who cry out to us. It is our
earnest prayer that repentance and reconciliation will make this a
temporary arrangement. One thing is clear we will not abandon our friends.
When
we met in Dar es Salaam, after a great deal of effort, we suggested a way forward that had
the support of all those present – including the Presiding Bishop of TEC.
The House of Bishops and Executive Committee of The Episcopal Church
quickly rejected this proposal on the grounds that it apparently violated
their canons. We now have a counter proposal from TEC and yet there is no
indication that it will meet the needs of those for whom it is supposedly
designed. This endless series of proposals and counter proposals continues
with no apparent conclusion in sight. Sadly, it is becoming increasingly
clear that the only acceptable end as far as TEC is concerned is the full
capitulation of any who would stand in opposition to their biblically
incompatible innovations- this we will never do. There is a way forward -
we have written and spoken repeatedly about it – the time for action is
now.
I
believe that we Primates must meet in the next few months to respond to the
crisis that now confronts us. The situation in The Episcopal Church is
deteriorating rapidly. Lawsuits are escalating and I have just heard that
Bishop Bob Duncan is now threatened with ecclesiastical trial by the
Presiding Bishop for his faithful attempts to find a way to protect his
faithful members and diocese. Other godly bishops are under the same
threat. Their only crime is a desire to continue their Christian pilgrimage
as faithful Anglicans. This situation will affect all of us. We dare not
let our love for the historic structures of our beloved Communion, important as
they are, allow us to destroy its
future. We are losing members. We
are losing time. We are losing our integrity as an important part of the
One, holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
“Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision”. Joel 3:14
+Peter Abuja,
All Saints Day, 2007
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3)
One of our newest member congregations – All Saints Community Church in White
Rock – will be celebrating the start of a New Ministry on Sunday, November 18
at 3:30 pm at Holy Cross Church in Crescent Beach, BC (12268
Beecher St.,
Crescent
Beach). Please pass the attached
invitation to your congregations and invite them to celebrate with All Saints
Community Church. The Rev. Barclay Mayo will be preaching, The Rev. Peter Klenner will be celebrating.
Blessings,
Zenia Cheng
ACiC Administrative Officer