Mid-Atlantic Convocation September/October 2007 Newsletter
Ministry Focus | Did You Know? | Upcoming Events
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)
Two weeks ago, 51
bishops met for the first meeting of the Common Cause College of Bishops. This was a truly historic meeting. If you haven’t read the details, I would encourage you to visit these webpages to read the important documents:
The Network’s Council had ratified the Articles of the Common Cause Partnership and its Theological Statement at our annual council meeting in July. The Network is fully committed to Common Cause and the work of building a biblical, missionary and united Anglicanism in America.
Central to the mission of the Network and to that of other
Common Cause Partners is the work of church planting. I pray that there will be more and more interaction with our Common Cause partners so that we can work side by side, sharing resources and planting churches together.
This newsletter focuses on mission—how we can live as Christians and bring others to a saving, transforming knowledge of Jesus Christ.
To that end we will continue with the Rev. Tom Herrick’s report on the Network’s vision for church planting.
We are also including an article by the Rev. Phil Ashey, which was written after a SOMA mission to Uganda. He challenges us to examine why it is that the Holy Spirit seems to work more powerfully in Africa than here.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Phil Ashey, South Riding Church, VA, shares some reflections on a summer mission trip to Uganda.
It was a great joy to visit our dear friends Fr. Noah Shuwu, his wife Freda and their children in North Mbale, and our dear Bishop Kisembo and Canon Lovey Kisembo in Ruwenzori. But more than that was the joy of seeing and living real Biblical Christianity with power. Like a page out of the New Testament, we witnessed dramatic moves of God's Spirit that included:
- the physical healing of a blind woman who regained her sight;
-the deliverance of a young man so dramatic that it extended to his family-- including his father, the "village witchdoctoctor";
-identificational repentance and reconciliation between warring tribes;
-group repentance and renunciation of witchcraft and polygamy, and the breaking of their strongholds;
-open air preaching to children and adults that resulted in literally hundreds giving or recommitting their lives to Jesus Christ;
-innumerable public testimonies of healing, conversion and reconciliation.
So I've been asking myself, "Why aren't we seeing and living such Biblical Christianity with power here in South Riding and Northern Virginia?" Because, frankly, we're not. I'm delighted to go to Uganda to experience Christianity with Power once a year, but I'd rather experience it right here at home all the time. How about you? If your answer is yes, let me recommend four things that we need to focus on:
1. Focus on Spiritual Hunger
Jesus said "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled!" (Matt. 5:6) In Uganda, I saw people who were so hungry and thirsty for God that they walked 4-5 hours each way to come to church, worship, and receive God's word. And just as Jesus promised, they were filled.
I don't see that in our culture here for the most part. We are distracted by many things, wearied by work and relentless activities and often so tired that we can't even walk five minutes around the corner to worship or home group. We are missing the blessing, and we are not filled. Recreation and leisure don't fill up our spiritual tanks. We are still empty.
What's the answer? Pray. Pray for spiritual hunger to overtake our drivenness.
2. Focus on the Kingdom of God
Paul wrote in Romans 14:17, "The Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy
Spirit." It's not about you. It's not about me. It's not about our "felt needs.” It's about a life in Jesus Christ that is characterized by righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. A life where, in the words of Dallas Willard, "What God wants done IS done.”
But if our "felt needs" are the priority, we will never escape our self-centeredness and selfishness. In fact, we will NEVER experience true satisfaction apart from what God has to offer us through Jesus Christ in His Kingdom that will never end.
3. Focus on being baptized with the Holy Spirit
God's people need God's power to do God's work. Great ideas, great programs, and great efforts are no substitute for God's power. It's that simple.
If you have confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, you have the Holy Spirit in you. But have you called on the Holy Spirit yet to fill you, to baptize you, to empower you for ministry and to live your life as Jesus would? Frankly, many of us haven't done that yet. And as a result "the flame burns dimly.” We haven't yet discovered the incredible joy of Christianity with power.
4. Focus on growing in Christ with others in a small group
Jesus never sent his disciples out alone! They were always at least in a group of two... You and I were never intended to walk with Christ alone. We do it together. Nobody stands alone. I encourage you to be in a small group to grow in Christ with other Christians.
I’ve had several weeks to review these things in prayer before the Father—to check in with Him and see if I am on track as I offer these to our congregation at SRC. In some ways, they are words that are as hard as the words that Jesus spoke to the crowd in John 6—about his own flesh being the bread of heaven. Those words were a naked challenge to go further up and farther in with Jesus. Many felt they just couldn’t—they said “these words are very hard” and many left. And indeed, the four things God placed on my heart from our mission are radically counter-cultural, and a naked challenge to our self-centeredness.
But in the words of Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!” John 6:70
We have heard Jesus speaking in and through our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Global South. It’s part of the new, missionary DNA God is forming in us…in a new Anglicanism in North America. May we have the courage of Peter and the 12 to continue to follow Jesus!
Did You Know?
Church Planting; Second in a Series
The Rev. Tom Herrick
Director for Church Planting
Anglican Communion Network
In the last newsletter, Rev. Herrick introduced the guiding principles of the vision under girding the amazing growth within the Church of Nigeria and how he saw it operating. In this newsletter, Rev. Herrick discusses the first of those four principles.
Principle One: The Centrality of Vision
When the Primate was consecrated in 2000, the first thing he did was call for an overriding vision to be cast for the entire Church of Nigeria. Leaders from all over the country met together under his direction asking three fundamental questions: 1) Where are we now? 2) Where do we want to be in 2010? And 3) How will we get there? Sounds simple doesn’t it? But getting leaders to agree can be like the popular television commercial “Herding Cats.” My short time in this special country showed me that the Nigerian willpower is every bit as strong as the American version, which says volumes about the Primate’s leadership ability. The fact that
he could get everyone to a place of agreement on a common vision is amazing. By establishing these three points of agreement, they established common ground – a place from which all could begin together. Simply put, they had a plan.
Everywhere we went in Nigeria, from the capital city of Abuja to missionary dioceses in the remote rural areas, everyone knew the plan. They knew what was expected of them – what they were doing, why and how. They had goals they were working toward and had regular times to meet with their superiors to review their goals and their progress. If things were not going according to the plans they had established, they talked and prayed together to discover what needed to happen and took decisive action to remedy the situation.
In it all, the vision is central.
Nigerian photo captions-
Photo 1: The evangelists who go anywhere to spread the Word!
Photo 2: The fabulous Offertory procession!
(Tom will continue to discuss each of the four guiding principles mentioned above in the October newsletter.)
Sharing Our Faith
Anglican Communion Network
Calendar Year 2007
Throughout the country
“Sharing Our Faith” conferences include workshops to train in evangelism, as well as actual outreach gatherings. Details are available at:
http://www.anglican-evangelism.org.
October 5-7: Savannah, GA
October 26-28: New England
November 15-18: San Jose, CA
February 8-9, 2008: Herndon, VA
If your church is having an event, we would be happy to publish it, not only so that interested people might attend, but so that we can be praying for you. Send information to newsletter@acn-mac.org .
Feel free to forward this newsletter to members of your congregation.
Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending.
You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds?
Lay first the foundation of humility.
~Saint Augustine
John Guernsey, Dean | George Beaven, Church Planting Director | Heather Adams, Executive Assistant | Heidi Reichert, Administrative Assistant
Mid-Atlantic Convocation | Anglican Network Communion
c/o All Saints' Church | 5290 Saratoga Lane
Woodbridge, Virginia 22193-3455
Tel: 703-670-0093www.acn-mac.org