Impressions of the AMiA Winter Conference from Jacksonville, Florida by Fr. Robert Hackendorf, Rector of St. Andrews in Syracuse, New York (Day Two)
Thursday, January 18, 2007

This is the second day of Winter Conference. Jacksonville is still unseasonably cool and dreary, but when you live in the Northeast, you take what you can get!

Morning Prayer was led by the Rev. Roger Salter, Rector of St. Matthew’s Church in Birmingham, AL.

Following the Daily Office, J.I. Packer brought the morning devotional. He began with a reference to I Chronicles 12:32: And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. The men of Issachar mentioned in this text were conspiring to make David King. Dr. Packer made the observation that those attending the Winter Conference are from a variety of ecclesiastical jurisdictions, and yet the people gathered in Jacksonville have this in common: they understand the times; they understand that our task is to make Jesus King-- to have Jesus acknowledged as Lord in the Church of God, so that the Church once again lives under the authority of revealed truth. Orthodox Anglicans are on a journey. Many of us have suffered “intolerable unfaithfulness” and “intolerable pressures”. But it is critical that we maintain our unity. Dr. Packer pointed out that our circumstances have forced us to debate and confront the larger Anglican entities from which we have departed. However, we must not allow “everlasting debate and disputes” to characterize our common life together. We must not live as if “Always arguing is one aspect of righteousness in God’s sight!” Our life together should be as a united family in Christ. Dr. Packer used this concern for unity in the Orthodox Anglican family to launch a fine exposition of First Corinthians chapter one which he entitled “Leaders under the Cross and Power of Christ.” This was a fine, scholarly and practical teaching from the Word of God. How refreshing—and what a great way for this day to begin!

The next speaker was Bishop Chuck Murphy, the Chairman of the AMiA. In a sense, his address was a “State of the Movement” address. Bishop Murphy told us of the growth and expansion of the AMiA as a missionary movement in North America. First, he spoke about this year’s Winter Conference. Over 1,600 attending the Opening Eucharist. Over 1,200 are registered for the Conference. (this is growth of 50% over the 2006 Conference, which at the time was the largest Winter Conference to date). People have come the this conference from 36 States and 15 Nations. 6 international Archbishops and 2 retired Archbishops are present. 9 Anglican bishops (in addition to the AMiA bishops) are present. 8 Anglican Organizations, including the Anglican Communion Network (represented first and foremost by their Moderator, Bishop Robert Duncan), the Church of England in South Africa, Bishop Lyons with his growing convocation of clergy and parishes, Chris Sugden from Anglican Mainstream, and Bishop David Pytches of the New Wine Movement in Britain. The Rev. Terry Fullam, a legendary leader in the renewal of the Episcopal Church, The Rev. Dr. Peter Toon of the Prayer Book Society, David Virtue of Virtue Online and Dr. J. I. Packer are with us as well.

Bishop Murphy encouraged us to prepare for expansion. The Anglican Mission has grown from 11 brave parishes in 2000 to 108 parishes by the end of 2006. But even those numbers don’t tell the whole story. In addition to the 108 parishes, there are 13 affiliated fellowships, which are growing and will become parishes when they are large enough. Further, there are 64 parishes currently “in the pipeline” and moving toward full affiliation status. There are 9 new parishes in Canada. On average, the Mission welcomes a new parish every 3 weeks. The Anglican Mission now has a presence in 27 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Most of our parishes are not “refugees” from ECUSA, but are newly planted congregations.

Bishop Murphy then spoke of the importance of upholding the distinctives of the AMiA:

Missionary Outreach, as opposed to Institutional Denominationalism
Genetic Linkage to the Global South, being under Authority
Mission and Church Planting Focus vs. Maintenance Focus
Building by the Planting of Networks
Building by Releasing Authority

Then, the Chairman shared the vision for the Networks undergirding the work of the Mission:

There are now 14 Networks in the U.S. and Canada
These Networks oversee 108 congregations
These Networks are currently raising up 35 new church plants
Together, the Network Leaders serve as a “steering committee” for our movement

Bishop Murphy acknowledged the arrival of Ellis Brust as our President and Chief Executive Officer and Cindy Brust as Director of Communications. Andy Piercy is coming on board for worship development. Ray Seigler will head up The Fellows Program.

As he concluded, Bishop Murphy mentioned our new corporate name, the Anglican Mission in the Americas, which is the umbrella for the Anglican Mission in America, the Anglican Coalition in Canada, and the Anglican Coalition in America. He alluded to our new programs for leadership development and new outreach initiatives to Hispanics and Asians. It was very clear that the AMiA is indeed “expanding her tent!”

The workshops offered are of outstanding quality. Church planting, worship leadership, children’s ministry, youth ministry, the new trial use Prayer Book, and evangelism were among the workshops offered.

I was most excited to learn of the emerging youth ministry efforts of the mission, dubbed “YAMIA”. You can find out more about this at the new website www.yamia.net As a former youth pastor, I was very excited to see the care and enthusiasm for reaching the next generation displayed by the youth ministers present at the conference. I was glad my own youth pastor was able to attend the YAMIA-sponsored workshops.

In the evening, I was privileged to be on a cruise of the St. John’s River, which, other than the Nile, is the world’s only river to flow from South to North. The Lord certainly has a sense of humor— like this unusual river, the AMiA is a movement that flows from the (Global) South to the North! The cruise was sponsored by Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee, whose profits benefit the widows and orphans of the Rwandan genocide. At St. Andrew’s, we are great fans of this outfit and their coffee. “Drink a Cup and Do Good” is their motto and it fits.

Coming back to the riverside, I headed back to the hotel to write this synopsis of the day’s events. Once again, tired but encouraged, I reflect on how happy I am to be here. I have seen a glimpse of the future of North American Anglicanism as it could be, and I am glad. Thanks be to God!