AMIA CONFERENCE PACKS HOTEL FOR OPENING CEREMONIES

Archbishop calls for greater evangelistic efforts to reach US for Christ

By David W. Virtue

 DESTIN, FL (January 14, 2004)-More than 900 packed the ballroom of the Hilton hotel here last night, in the largest gathering yet of the fast growing Anglican Mission in America - a movement spawned from the dying river of the Episcopal Church and its embracive apostasy. The joy was palpable as the mostly former Episcopalians worshipped, drawing energy from a hundred voice choir, raising holy hands, invoking an orthodox Trinity to bless the fruit of their labors, as the 4th

annual winter conference got underway.

Who is the Lord of your life, cried the Rev. Mike Hesse, Destin area rector of Immanuel Anglican Church, an AMIA parish.

JESUS roared the crowd. A Shofar sounded as an instrument of warfare and pending victory. The AMIA-ites sang, we will follow ancient paths and discover future faith, we'll embrace Christ's mystery that will set the people free. HE will set his people free.

This theme seemed to echo the freedom many now found no longer being  associated with the Episcopal Church.

Those gathered here included African Archbishops Bernard Malango (Central Africa), Emmanuel Kolini (Rwanda), and Balufuga Dirokpa (Congo) while Archbishop Metelemele (Tanzania) sent Archdeacon Npiruka as his official representative and the Primate of India J. K. Samuels met with Bishop Murphy and gave his endorsement. Also present was a Nigerian bishop John Rucyahana, Bishop of Shiyra, Rwanda and from South East Asia, Archbishop Yong Ping Chung. There was also two ECUSA bishops and more than 100 AMIA priests and several ECUSA priests weighing their options as they consider their future outside ECUSA.

They sang we must stand against the tide...and keep your Word, a reminder that the church they had left no longer applied or was relevant to their spiritual needs.

In his opening sermon Primate Yong Ping Chung told the assembled crowd that they were gathered to testify to the great works God has doing in their lives as individuals and as a mission, only 4 years old. There has been renewal and revival taking place in our AMIA churches.

The theme  of the conference is Rediscovering the Ancient/Future Faith.

The hope of Christianity is being challenged and attacked, Christian people need to rediscover the truth about God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the world in which we live. Our actions must be judged by the Word of God and not let our interpretation rule our lives. Jesus Christ and his word is the ultimate authority for our churches.

We have allowed the temptations of our cultures and secular human desire, worldly philosophies together with canons and constitutions of the church to blind us to the faith that was once entrusted to the saints.

Today we are here to rediscover the truth and essence of our faith, to rediscover our ancient/future faith and truth that will set people free. Our God is greater than any other, our God is sovereign and he alone is God.

The world has camouflaged our faith, people have added their own opinion, the invasion of the contemporary culture and eagerness of the church to accommodate the culture has altered the essence of our faith. Elements are added because they thought that was what Christianity needed. They have distorted the scriptures, they have changed the grace of God into license about immorality and denied Jesus Christ’s own sovereignty and Lord.

We need to go back to our roots and ancient faith, and discover once again the essence of our faith, to see God in his entire splendor and his glory. We need to go back to the beginning. Before the world was created God was there. Our faith begins with God...in the beginning God.

We need to strip off the fluff of worldly euphemisms and acknowledge our sin. God is very specific and clear, and calls sin by its true name...for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, he said.

His command to us is to go and make disciples of all nations...baptizing them in the name of the Trinity. The Anglican Communion needs Jesus, the AMIA needs Jesus; We all need Jesus. We need Jesus to set us free from the bondage of  sin.

The archbishop said the AMIA should reach out to the lost 130 million in the US who do not yet know Jesus. We desire to win lost souls for Jesus, it is the desire of our hearts and life to bring Good News to all those around us. Let us make it our commitment, he concluded.

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