VANCOUVER: ANGLICAN COMMUNION IN CANADA WELCOMES NEW ALLIANCE

By Paul Carter

The Anglican Communion in Canada welcomes the news today that "The Anglican Mission in America, in tandem with five other groups, is today announcing an unprecedented level of cooperation among leading orthodox Anglican entities in the United States.

In a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury leaders of the Anglican Mission (AMiA), along with the leadership of the Anglican Communion Network (ACN), Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), Forward in Faith North America (FIFNA), Anglican Province in America (APA) and the American Anglican Council (AAC) affirmed a commitment "to make common cause for the gospel of Jesus Christ and common cause for a united, missionary and orthodox Anglicanism in North America."

We hope that this new day of cooperation can be mirrored in Canada as all orthodox groups work for a common cause of gospel faithfulness and fruitfulness in the light of the recent General Synod's decision to "affirm the integrity and sanctity of committed adult same sex relationships" which as nine orthodox Canadian Bishops have noted "is in error and contrary to the teaching of Scripture and the tradition of the undivided Church, the clearly expressed conviction of the Anglican Communion at the Lambeth Conference of 1998, the overwhelming ecumenical consensus of the Church inside Canada and abroad, and the 1997 Guidelines of our own House of Bishops."

We also welcome Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh, who serves as moderator for the Anglican network (ACN), desire. "To see orthodox Anglican groups move from competition and divisiveness to cooperation signifies a new season in the life of the Church," and we agree that this should not be "a declaration of organic unity-far from it-but it is a proclamation that we can function as allies in the cause of Jesus Christ."

"As with the AMiA in the USA, with whom we already have a close working relationship, our focus in the ACiC will also be to fulfill the call we have been given to plant and strengthen congregations and reach out to the un-churched," stated the Rev. Ed Hird. "A similar move in Canada should not be seen as a merger-each group remains distinct.

Our leadership continues to be thankful to God for the five International Archbishops who came to our rescue in February of this year and who made the offer of Temporary Adequate Episcopal Oversight. All the clergy of the ACiC are now licensed in the Province of Rwanda and we have our own Bishop Thomas Johnston, who can function with full jurisdiction outside the Anglican Church of Canada."

ACiC plans to play a full part in the emergence of a similar 'roundtable' of orthodox Anglican groups across Canada.