Greetings from ACNA, Communion Partners, and Toronto to Global South
Mouneer Anis: Archbishop Foley Beach is not a guest. He is a Global South Mission Partner.
Foley Beach: On behalf of our bishops and clergy and people I bring you greetings. I am grateful to be here. In 2004 Provinces of the Global South began to give us spiritual asylum in our provinces. You provided oversight and guidance while we sorted out what we are doing. At Jerusalem in 2008 Provinces from the Global South called for a new province in North America and released us into that Province in 2009. In 2014 because of what they had done they recognized us and gave us a seat and voice and vote in their Primates’ Meeting as a Mission Partner.
Bishop Bill Love. I bring you greetings from the Communion Partner Bishops, Dioceses and Parishes in the USA who are still in TEC and very much where you are theologically. We value greatly the relationship we have with the wider communion. We have honoured what asked of us by Lambeth 1.10 and the Primates Communiques. The Lord has called us to stay where we are at the moment and to preach his gospel and speak his truth in the hope that others will listen. The first time I met Archbishop Mouneer, you spoke to the House of Bishops in New Orleans. You challenged TEC in a way that we needed to be challenged. I regret we did not pay more attention to what you were saying. Thank you and all the rest of you for your faithfulness. As we look as the times in which we live it is easy to fall into the Woe is me mode. If we study Church History, there has never been a golden age in the Christian church. Yet the Lord has not given up on his church. I thank you for your faithfulness and the sacrifices many of you have made.
As a brother in Christ I want to apologise for the harm that some of the decisions which TEC has taken has caused throughout the communion. I recognize the harm and division that some of our decisions have caused and I apologise for that. I ask you to pray for the Communion Partner bishops, to preach Christ faithfully and minister to those in our care. There is so much to give thanks for. The Lord has put the sense on my heart to help our diocese and the wider church to reach out to the unchurched in the world. 7.4 billion people alive in the world; half of all the people alive in the world since the beginning of the world are alive now. Half of these people are not Christians. We cannot force our faith on others but we can share it. The Lord is calling us to speak his truth in love. So many things to be depressed about there are also so many things to be excited about. Martyrdom may not be far ahead in the United States. In the midst of this the church often grows the most. That may be what we have to go through for the Christians in North America and wake up. When you hear of TEC, please know not all of TEC has done what TEC is reported to have done. There are those of us who uphold the authority of scripture and traditional marriage. To have a brother on the other side of the world upholding us in prayer is truly humbling.
There are 6 Communion Partner Dioceses and also in Province 9 most of those bishops would consider themselves with us. There are 15 bishops, 10% of TEC. There are others who are sympathetic. Most of our parishes would consider themselves to be Communion Partner parishes and there are some of those in liberal, progressive dioceses. We have been trying to provide some leadership for us as well.
Greetings from Wycliffe College Canada. Wycliffe continues to grow. 50% of the students are non-Anglican but attracted to orthodox Anglicanism. Aboriginal bishops have proved to be the most faithful bishops and Wycliffe partners with them in our training programmes. Conservative congregations are the largest congregations in our diocese (Toronto) and are the ones that are growing.
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