NEWS of the ACA
Epiphany Message from the Presiding Bishop
The Most Reverend Brian Marsh-- January 16, 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Blessings to you all on this holy day!
The Epiphany is referred to as “the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles,” for so it is. Those first gentiles, the ones we call “wise men,” were indeed the first gentiles to travel to Bethlehem to see for themselves the Christ child. They brought gifts to this infant and they protected Him from the tyrant, Herod. After delivering their gifts and worshipping the child Jesus, they “departed into their own country by another way.” They ignored the request of Herod, whose goal was to destroy Jesus. The magi left Bethlehem and they are lost to history.
Theirs was not an easy journey. The great Anglican divine, Lancelot Andrewes, writes of the magi, “what a cold coming they had of it.” The journey of the wise men was arduous indeed. And it was more than a physical journey. Sometimes referred to as astrologers, those wise men needed to learn an entirely new way of discerning the presence of God. Though their travels in the very dead of Winter were difficult, this physical journey symbolized the even more the arduous spiritual journey they had undertaken. But despite all the challenges they faced, they came eventually to Bethlehem; they came into the presence of God. We can only imagine the joy they felt when, looking at the Christ child, they said to themselves: “all that we have been through, all, has been worth this moment we spend in the presence of God.”
The last few years have been difficult ones for many of us in the Anglican Church in America. But through it all, we have sought to discern God's will. We have often told ourselves, that if we maintain our steadfast focus on the purpose for which we have been called by God, we, too, may stand in God's presence and say: “this journey has brought us to the place Thou hast called us to be. We give our thanks to Thee, our Lord and our God.”
Your Brother in Christ,
+Brian
Bishop Daren K. Williams Retires
It
is with sadness and understanding that the House of Bishops of the
Anglican Church in America has accepted the resignation of
The Right Reverend Daren Keith Williams from
his position as Ordinary of the Diocese of the West for
reasons of health. Bishop Williams has served in this capacity since his
consecration in February, 2007, following his election at the DOW Synod
the previous year on the first vote, moving from his previous assignment
in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, to Fountain Valley in southern
California, where he also served as Rector of All Saints. The Diocese
covers the western states including Alaska and Hawaii, the sheer size of
which presented a major challenge in shepherding the clergy and laity
but Bishop Williams traveled tirelessly in bringing together everyone in
this wide area.
Bishop Williams will remain an active member of the ACA House of Bishops and continue his chairmanship of the Education Committee. The DOW gives prayerful and heartfelt thanks to Bishop Williams for his dedication and hard work in promoting Anglican principals. Everyone who knows Bishop Williams and his wife, Joy, pray for their success as they begin the next phase of ministry. Bishop Williams and Joy plan to retire in Wisconsin.
The secular affairs of the Diocese will be overseen by the DOW Standing Committee and the House of Bishops has appointed The Right Reverend Stephen D. Strawn to provide the episcopal needs as the Episcopal Visitor. Bishop Strawn continues as the Ordinary of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley.
ACA and APA Sign Inter-Communion Agreement
National Synod, Belleview, IL -- 22 September 2011
On
September 22, 2011, the Anglican Church in America
(ACA), meeting in its Eighth General Synod at the Shrine of Our Lady
of the Snows, Belleview, Illinois, unanimously endorsed a
resolution for inter-communion with the Anglican Province of
America (APA). The APA also unanimously endorsed this agreement
at its Provincial Synod on July 15, 2011. The Inter-Communion Agreement
was signed by the ACA and APA Ordinaries on the Altar during the ACA
Synod Pontifical Solemn High Mass.
International Anglican Fellowship Web Site
The International Anglican Fellowship, IAF, has a new website. Please refresh your bookmarks or favorites to http://iaftac.org/.
ACA Canons
13 January 2009
The 2002 version of the Anglican Church in America Constitutions and Canons are now available. The National Synod in their meeting in 2011 approved, with amendments, the proposed revised Canons. They will be made available when officially published.
Archive
The most newsworthy news stories have been saved in the Archive.
Last update: Wednesday 13 January 2012 at 1834 PST