ACNA: Communiqué from the Second Annual Provincial Council

The second annual Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America gathered 145 delegates and representatives of the jurisdictions and ministry partners of the ACNA June 7-11 at All Saints Cathedral in Amesbury, MA.
June 11, 2010

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5

The second annual Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America gathered 145 delegates and representatives of the jurisdictions and ministry partners of the ACNA. With the Provincial College of Bishops and Executive Committee, we were wonderfully hosted at All Saints Cathedral in Amesbury, MA from June 7-11, 2010. In our meeting we have been conscious of both the great joy and the great responsibility that has come to us through the transforming love of God in Jesus Christ. As the scripture from 1 Peter makes clear, our focus is on the hope that comes to us through the resurrection of Jesus. We are united in our resolve to share that redeeming love of Christ as faithful Anglicans and members by God’s grace in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ.

We were profoundly aware of struggles of others who are pressed by the global economic crisis or face devastation from the oil in the Gulf of Mexico. We prayed for these issues and for Christians who face terrible persecution.

The Council joyfully marked a series of significant landmarks as we celebrated the first anniversary of the launch of the new Province.

Archbishop’s Address: Mobilizing for Mission and Anglican1000.
We are grateful for the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst and for His encouragement through our worship, prayer, and meetings. We are thankful, too, for the faithful leadership of the Most Rev. Robert Duncan, our Archbishop, and his constant reminders of the pursuit of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. In his Provincial address he said, “[W]e have been able to articulate a threefold accountability without which any congregation falls short of being reliably Anglican: accountable to the Holy Scriptures, accountable to the Great Tradition, accountable for the transformation of society. These understandings are, in themselves, remarkable achievements.”

Speaking of the commitment of the Province to plant 1,000 new congregations in the first five years of our life, the Archbishop said, “Anglican1000 is a symbol of who we are. A leader, David Roseberry, came forward after my investiture sermon fifty weeks ago, saying he would do whatever it takes to work with me to make the planting of 1000 new congregations in five years a reality.” That gave rise to Anglican1000 in which “everybody is imaging congregational multiplication: little parishes, big parishes, young people, old people, black people, white people, First Nation people, Asian people. It’s catalyzing our existing congregations. It’s catalyzing undergraduates on countless campuses. This is the Anglican Church in North America.” the rest