Palm Sunday at Saint Barnabas

The Traditional Anglican Communion College of Bishops Meeting

Greetings all around:

I just returned from South Africa. Actually, I physically returned on Monday afternoon, but the rest of my body is just now catching up. I sent you the press release regarding the College of Bishops (COB) meeting of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) included elsewhere in this newsletter. However, I do want to share a few thoughts regarding the meeting because we all know that bloggers will have a field day posting their opinions regarding something they know little or nothing about. Additionally, the former Secretary of the

College of Bishops has already conducted an interview regarding the meeting. So I feel that it is necessary to

update you regarding what actually happened. Initially, I want to say that every Bishop, including retired Bishops, was invited to attend this meeting. As per Section 6.1 of the TAC Concordat, the invitation clearly stated that active Bishops would have voice and vote and that retired Bishops would have voice only.

Section 6.1 of the Concordat clearly states that “Bishops actively holding Episcopal Office are eligible for voice and vote within the College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion.” If retired Bishops were to be considered “active” then there would be no need for the reference “active Bishops” in Section 6.1, as everyone would be considered “active Bishops." But the Concordat does make that distinction. Therefore, retired Bishops are clearly not “active Bishops.” This was verified by the Chancellor of South Africa and all of the Chancellors in the Anglican Church in America (ACA). It is also consistent with precedence in that retired Bishops were not afforded vote in previous meetings of the COB, but were given only voice.While we were indeed disappointed that the other active members of the COB chose not to attend, the Bishops who attended the meeting still constituted the majority of Bishops with voice as well as vote. As I mentioned, every Bishop was invited to attend. Of those who chose not to attend, some sent their

apologies and some chose not to respond, and a few sent their “proxies.”

One Bishop who plans to enter the Ordinariate in Australia did attend and fully participated. Another Ordinariate bound Bishop from Puerto Rico initially considered attending. Indeed, he inquired about the flight arrangements of the ACA Bishops indicating a desire to meet up with them in the USA and join them on their flight to South Africa. There were no further contacts with him and he did not attend the meeting. The important thing is that he initially indicated that he might attend and inquired about flight arrangements but then later chose of his own accord not to attend. I cannot and will not speculate on the reasons he reconsidered. So the point is that everyone was invited and no one was shut out. If they were not there, it was of their own choice. Secondly, the determination as to who had voice and vote and who had voice only was determined strictly in accord with Section 6.1 of the Concordat.Whether or not they were going to the Ordinariate at some point in the future had nothing to do with it as evidenced by the one Bishop who has declared for the Ordinariate attending and participating fully with both voice and vote. Not only was the Concordat adhered to regarding Section 6.1, but the entire meeting was conducted in the most professional way by the new Acting Primate, Archbishop Samuel Prakash, adhering to the minutest details of the provisions of the Concordat. It was transparent, and open to scrutiny.

The agenda was open to all, with invitations for items for discussion to have been received at least 14 days prior to commencement of the meeting. Care was taken to have interpreters and stenographers present, and in addition voice recordings were kept of the proceedings. Once we came together, the meeting was unanimously constituted as a College of Bishops Meeting. The majority of Bishops within the TAC holding voice and vote attended, and proxy votes were obtained from some who were not able to attend. It is also documented that the meeting was concluded in a spirit of prayer and discernment. Votes on all resolutions were overwhelmingly unanimous. Therefore, the resolutions passed at the meeting are, as a result, legal and binding.

I can also say that there was no trace of hostility towards members of the TAC seeking to be accepted into the Ordinariate, the former Primate, or anyone else. In fact, we wish them every blessing. However, the TAC could not be allowed to be left in a vacuum come Eastertide when Archbishop Hepworth purportedly would step down. Therefore, his resignation as Primate, which he chose to submit, was unanimously accepted effective immediately. This is accepted business practice when the Board of Directors of any company determine it is best for all parties to move on immediately. He was not “deposed” as several “bloggers” have reported. He offered his resignation and the COB felt it was best for all to accept that resignation effective immediately. As a result of the resignation, the offices and positions held

by appointment were vacated. New appointments will be announced by the Acting Primate in the very near future. I am aware of those appointments; however, I feel that I must leave the announcement of those

appointments to Abp. Prakash. In accordance with Section 6.2 of the Concordat (The College of Bishops

shall appoint a Secretary, who shall be responsible to the Primate), the COB appointed Bp. Michael Gill as

the new Secretary of the College. From that point forward, the meeting was focused on the future of the

TAC.

Of course, as part of the consideration on moving into the future, the COB had to deal with the Patrimony of

the Primate here in the USA as well as similar structures instituted by the former Primate. The COB

rightly concluded that the Concordat did not authorize the former Primate to unilaterally create any Patrimony or other entity within any member Church without the approval of the respective member Church. Therefore, no “Patrimony of the Primate” exists within the TAC. If you are in the TAC, you must be within the National Church and Diocese thereof. In the case of the ACA, permission was granted to create a “Patrimony” that was intended to be a “holding tank” for those intending to become a part of the Ordinariate. Minutes of the ACA House of Bishops at which this agreement was made clearly indicated that the agreement expired upon the creation of the Ordinariate in the USA. Therefore, no Patrimony currently exists within the ACA beyond that date (January 1, 2012). There was no “bashing” of anyone. As I said, the meeting was held in a spirit of prayer seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Many who attended stated that this was the best and most productive TAC COB meeting they had ever attended. While I cannot speak to that as this was my first, I can say that it was one of the best meetings I have attended and I can say that we are confident that the TAC will continue to rebuild and thrive into the future.

As we move into that future, may God bless those who have chosen to take a new journey with the Roman

Catholic Church in the Ordinariates around the world. May God bless all of us in the TAC, and may God grant us the ability to move on, with less derogatory comments and opinions from the “bloggers” and more proclamation of the Gospel of Christ to a broken world. That is the desire of the COB as evidenced by the

resolution to commit itself to Mission and Evangelism. It is certainly our duty to equip the saints for the work

of Evangelism. May God cause us to be resolute in that endeavor. Indeed, the Diocese of the Missouri Valley has been resolute in doing all within our abilities to provide the resources to all Clergy and Parishes/Missions to assist in Mission and Evangelism. Once again, we have committed the upcoming Clericus to just that. I hope all of you have received your books The Unchurched Next Door. Be sure to read those and bring them and questions to the Clericus and be prepared to participate. Parishes and Missions should strongly encourage their Clergy to attend as it will benefit you in the long run. Additionally, Fr. Sackett will be sending you additional information to consider in advance of the Clericus, so be sure to look for that. In the meantime, may you continue to have a blessed and holy Lent.

Bishop Stephen Strawn

APA 2012 Lenten Appeal Update

Dear Family in Christ,

I just wanted to let you all know about the ongoing progress with regard to the Lenten Appeal. While we don’t have any actual dollar amounts to report, I have heard of many parish-wide efforts to raise money to support the appeal. Several vestries are pledging amounts and some are even pledging matching funds for the amounts raised by their parishioners. Also several groups, Sunday school classes, Ladies Guilds, Youth Groups, and others have raised money towards our goal. Thank you all for your efforts and for getting the word out and for encouraging all your members to participate. We have also received some pledges via PayPal on the internet. This is all great news for which we give praise to Almighty God!

As we enter this most holy period of Lent please remind everyone about our Lenten Appeal one last time. Often people intend to contribute towards the cause and then as more pressing things occur they forget about their intended participation. While we have asked for $40 per person from all of our churches, any amount more or less will be most welcome. Please encourage those who can not manage the $40 to give whatever they can afford. Any amount, however small, will help in these efforts. Recall the story of Jesus at the treasury of the temple as he watched people place their money in the offering-box and he pointed out the poor widow who put in two mites. Jesus remarks to His disciples: “Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” (Mark 12:43-44). This is all part of our Lenten discipline and requires each of us personally to make a sacrificial gift, however small. Just because the vestry of our parish plans to make a contribution, does not take away our personal obligation.

The target amount is large, and we remain a small church body by most worldly standards, but we know that this effort is for the glory of God and his kingdom. Please continue to pray for these efforts, not only that we will be able to raise the funds we need to purchase the land, but also that we might complete the transaction without long delays and complications.

Once the monies in your parish are all collected please have your parish treasurers forward the money to the provincial treasurer, Mr. D. J. Fulton,  as soon as possible, so we can determine if we were able to reach our $40,000 goal. Of course, any money that comes in late can be forwarded at any time. 

God bless you all for taking up this endeavor so enthusiastically. Please also continue to pray for all our foreign churches and global partners.

Remembering that in all things, He is able. I remain faithfully yours,

Fr. David Haines

Vicar General for Global Partnerships, APA  

Holy Week and Easter Week 2012

St Barnabas Anglican Church 
4795 North Peachtree Road 
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(770) 457-1103
stbarnabasatl.org


Palm Sunday, 1st April
Sung Holy Communion
and the Blessing and Distribution of Palms, 9am and 11am


Monday in Holy Week, 2nd April
Tuesday in Holy Week, 3rd April 
Wednesday in Holy Week, 4th April 
Holy Communion, 12 Noon


Maundy Thursday, 5th April
Holy Communion, 12 Noon
Sung Holy Communion, Stripping of the Altars and Watch before the Altar of Repose, 7pm


Good Friday, 6th April
Morning Prayer, Litany and Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament 9.30am (Incense) 
Three Hours’ Devotion, 12 Noon to 3pm 
Stations of the Cross, 3pm 
Sacramental Confessions, 4pm-6pm 
Evensong and Litany, 7pm


Easter Even, 7th April
Easter Egg Hunt, 10.30am 
Sacramental Confessions, 1pm-2pm 
Easter Flower Ministry, 9am-3pm
Sung Holy Communion of the Easter Vigil, 8pm


Easter Day, 8th April 
Sung Holy Communion, 9am 
Sung Holy Communion, 11am


Easter Monday, 9th April 
Easter Tuesday, 10th April 
Easter Wednesday, 11th April 
Holy Communion, 12 Noon


Easter Thursday, 12th April 
Holy Communion, 7pm


Easter Friday, 13th April 
Easter Saturday, 14th April 
Holy Communion, 12 Noon 

Passiontide at Saint Barnabas

Toward a contemporary Orthodox-Traditional Anglican Dialogue

From 1936...

The Church of Roumania and Anglican Orders,
(An interview granted by the Metropolitan Gurius of Bessarabia).

It is already known that the Church of Constantinople recognised the validity of Anglican orders in 1922. The oecumenical patriarch thereupon made known his decision to the auto-cephalous churches, and asked them to study and pronounce upon the question. For a long time the Roumanian Church did not give any answer to the oecumenical patriarch. As lately as June, 1935, however, there was formed at Bucharest a commission of theological professors which discussed the question in detail. At the same time an official Anglican delegation arrived in Roumania and discussed with this commission the possibility of rapprochement between the Orthodox and the Anglican Churches. Since then, the press and public opinion have given much attention to the subject of Anglicanism. Opinion is divided; some are for the recognition of the Anglican priesthood, but as many are against it.

Next the Holy Synod decided to give its formal judgment. At the end of March this year the Holy Synod, assembled in ordinary session, for the first time considered the position of Anglican orders.

In order to provide you with reliable information we had recourse to a member of the Synod. The Metropolitan Gurius is among those who entertain great hopes of the world-wide movement for the unity of the Church. He has sent several theological students to finish their studies in England. During the summer of 1934 he helped to arrange for certain Anglicans to visit Roumania. He gives his patronage to the review Misionarul, published at Kisinau. This is one of the best Roumanian reviews. It has published many articles on Anglicanism, and is in touch with the world movement towards reunion.

In November, 1934, it devoted a special number to the question of Anglo-Orthodox rapprochement. It has recently been decided to provide one or two bursaries for Anglican students who wish to read theology in the faculty at Kisinau.

This is what the Metropolitan told us:

Q. What has the Holy Synod decided about Anglican orders?

A. The Synod has undoubtedly given a favourable reply to the Anglicans, but upon one condition. The Anglican Church must first of all furnish an authoritative statement of its doctrine of the priesthood. We want to make sure that the Anglicans recognise the Sacrament of Order, and that they believe in the sacrificial function of the priest; and that the laying on of hands effects a donation of the Holy Ghost.

When once it is clear that they accept the Sacramental character of the priesthood, then the recognition of their ordinations will follow as a matter of course. In 1940 the Anglican Churches will be holding a general Conference. It is to this conference that the Roumanian thesis is to be submitted. On its conclusions our decision accordingly depends.

Q. What course did the discussion take?

A. The Synod received the findings of the theological commission, and the report of Mgr. T. Simedrea. The discussions lasted nearly three days. The great majority of members favoured the recognition of the Anglican priesthood, with the qualification I have mentioned.

Q. What will be the results of the recognition of Anglican orders?

A. Well—the Anglican hierarchy will be in the same position as those of the Roman Catholics or the Armenians. Anglican priests could be received as such into the Orthodox Church without re-ordination.

Q. And what of Reunion?

A. The recognition of Anglican orders does not mean Union at once. We recognise the validity of Roman Catholic orders, and yet how widely our two Churches are divided. . . . We must first work for Unity of Faith and as the result of that we may hope for actual Unity.

Q. But is that possible?

A. It demands a greater love and faithfulness towards our Lord, our one master. All we need is to return to the basic Christianity of the fathers and the oecumenical Councils. In the teaching of the councils of the undivided Church we have a foundation, and the only possible foundation, for reunion. I am heartily glad to think that we are working to-day more than we have done in the past to bring the Churches closer to one another, and I pray without ceasing: "That they all may be one."

FR. ANTIM NICOV.

From Global Partners of the APA

Dear Family in Christ,

I am writing to thank you all for your continued support of all our foreign churches and for your ongoing efforts during the Lenten Appeal. Below are three "Thank You" emails from our overseas churches. I think you will agree that we are making an impact and every dollar that you give and every prayer that you offer is being effective in the building of His kingdom in these places. The local populations are getting to witness Christianity in action thanks to your generous giving.

Please continue to pray for all of our foreign churches and our global partners and please remember their ongoing needs in your monthly giving.

Remembering that in all things, He is able, I remain faithfully yours,

Fr. David Haines

(Vicar General for Global Partnerships, APA)

From Haiti

Dear Father,

In the name of St. Yves Anglican Church and the Jacques Theodore Holly Institute, I want to take my time to thank you for your efforts. Every 25th of each month I have to answer to my obligations: nine teacher's salaries. Thanks to our affiliated churches I can respond and meet those obligations. Thank you all for your efforts. I just received your email announcing the wire transfer to St - Yves account. I will write to all the churches that donated to thank them for this wonderful gesture that deeply touched our heart.

May God bless your activities!

Wishing you all a most holy season of LENT!

Fr. Mews Guerrier

(Rector, St. Yves Anglican Church, Missionary Province of the Caribbean)

From India

Dear Father,

Greetings to you and your kind donors in the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Thank you for your kind help for our Kadapa Diocese and Prakasam Diocese. It is wonderful to receive our much needed support in the name of our GOD through people like you. Even though we don't know you and can't see you. I am very glad and pleased for your great help. My Priests and Bible women and church congregations are especially thankful for help. We always remember you daily in our prayers. Please even pray for us too. Thank you so much for your kind hearted gifts. Jesus Christ's blessings to you and all the donors.

Thanking you in Christ's Name,

Rt. Rev. Jaya Rao

(Diocese of Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, Anglican Church of India)

From the Philippines

Dear Father,

Greetings from the Philippines.

Thank you so much again for your generous support to the work in the Philippines. Your continuous prayers for us are such an encouragement to keep doing the work of God in the Philippines. At the start of this year, our Dumaguete mission had been affected by the storm and earthquake but most especially with the recent demise of our worker, Ptr. Moralde. Despite all these happenings, which we consider as our trials, we thank God that you continually stand with us in prayers and through your support.

May we continue to request your prayers as we are also asking God for a worker to be permanently assigned in our Dumaguete mission.

Again thank you and God bless.

Bishop Frederick Luis M. Belmonte and Eros

Anglican Church in the Philippines (Traditional)

Anglican Province of America Lenten Appeal Update

Dear Family in Christ,

I just wanted to give you all a quick update and remind you about the ongoing Lenten Appeal. I have heard so many good things from several parishes and wanted to thank you all for getting the word out and for encouraging all your members to participate. A number of churches have decided to send the proceeds from their Shrove Tuesday events to the Lenten Appeal. This is wonderful news!! Also, please encourage your church treasurers to forward any monies they have to our APA treasurer, D.J. Fulton. Please continue to pray for this province-wide effort.

Also, here is some news from our OM [Operation Mobilization] contact Henry Couser which I think you will all find very encouraging. He writes:

"I pray that all is well and that God continues to move in a powerful way in and through you. I wanted to follow up on the poultry project for Fr Mews. I realize there are many, many needs but I have a team interested in coming to Cap Haitien in July. Provided we can secure funding, they have agreed to come along side him and help to construct his first 10'x40' broiler house. They have also expressed interest in helping him with outreach into the community and possible Vacation Bible School."

This is truly an answer to prayer! We continue to covet your prayers for this venture, not only that we will be able to raise the funds we need to purchase the land but also that we might complete the transaction without long delays and complications.

Please continue to let me know about any exciting events that are occurring in your parishes with regard to the Lenten Appeal that I might share them with the rest of the churches. God bless you all for taking up this endeavor so enthusiastically. Please also continue to pray for all our foreign churches and global partners.

Remembering that in all things, He is able. I remain faithfully yours,

Fr. David Haines
Vicar General for Global Partnerships, APA

The Feast of Saint Chad of Lichfield

Almighty and eternal God, who makest us glad this day by the festival of blessed Chad, thy Confessor and Bishop: we humbly beseech thy mercy; that as we devoutly observe and reverence his solemnity, we may at his intercession obtain the reward of eternal life; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Anglican Province of America Global Partnership Update

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First, I wanted to thank you all for your prayers and generous contributions over the past year for our foreign churches and global partners. Your efforts have meant that we have been able to faithfully support our ongoing efforts in India, the Philippines, and in Haiti.

Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you all on the progress that is taking place within our foreign churches and with our global partners. As you are aware,last year we were able to raise the funds to establish a Dalit Education Center in the Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh, India. This school will be built with the help of Operation Mobilization and will be school number 105 of this type in India.

So far there have been six attempts to purchase suitable land in the area and so far none have been successful. Here is an excerpt from a letter outlining the most recent attempt:

I just got off the phone with the school management team. They said that during the month of December 2011, they found a suitable piece of land to buy in Kadapa and settled on a price with the land owner. They were in the process of making the deposit on the land (just a few days' time of getting paperwork in order, funds, etc.) and in that time, the land owner reneged on the offer and sold it immediately to someone who offered more money without coming back to us to let us counter offer! So now we're back to the drawing board. But since it's a new year, the two men on our side responsible for finding land to buy are on the job and they'll be going this weekend to look at more land to purchase.

That's the update for now. It's such a very complicated process.

That last line says it all! It is a very complicated process!

I know many of you may be concerned about a different Lenten Appeal this year when we still need to consider the ongoing support of the Dalit School. Since the land has not been purchased, the school has not been started and you may recall we raised sufficient funds to run the school for one year which means we will not need the additional funds until 2013. Please continue to pray for the efforts that are being made to get this project underway.

In the Philippines, Bishop Belmonte continues his search for suitable land on which to establish a training facility for his postulants and clergy. The money that was collected at last year's Synod is still in the bank and will be used as a down payment once a suitable site is found. In the meantime, many of you have given generously to both the program that is feeding the orphaned children in Dumaguete as well as to the goat program. Sister Marie Claire is now able to feed the children several days a week. The church and several of the parishioners now have 50 goats and we are arranging for training in the husbandry of these goats through our global partner, World Vision. Please continue to pray for the ongoing efforts in the Philippines.

Our recent visit to Haiti encouraged us to launch our Lenten Appeal and ask for your help in securing the future of the school there and to help them with a project that will help the Haitians provide the funds to run the school. 

Please continue to pray for all of our foreign churches and for our global partners. I also want to encourage you all to remember the ongoing operations in all of these regions. While we put out special appeals for major projects, the month to month costs of running these operations have to be covered as well. Our foreign church partners are still largely dependent on what we are able to send them each month to cover their operational expenses. The clergy and the churches are the ones involved in spreading God's Kingdom in these various places and we need to support them as fully as we are able. Thank you all for kindness and generosity towards these ongoing efforts.

If any parish would like to learn more about our ongoing foreign efforts or would like to receive a visit and hear a presentation from a member of our missions team please feel free to contact me or the Bishop's office and I will be glad to arrange it.

Remembering that in all things, He is able, I remain faithfully yours,

Fr. David Haines, Vicar General for Global Partnerships

The Traditional Anglican Communion College of Bishops

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2012

THE TRADITIONAL ANGLICAN COMMUNION COLLEGE OF BISHOPS

The members of the Traditional Anglican Communion (hereafter referred to as TAC) College of Bishops met at St. George Conference Center outside Johannesburg, South Africa between February 28 – March 1, 2012 for the purpose of transacting the business of the Church and of discerning a new direction for the Communion. The business was conducted strictly in accordance with the TAC Concordat.

The College of Bishops, the highest legislative body within the Communion, affirmed by resolution its faithfulness to the TAC. The TAC will remain fully Anglican. While it receives, with thanks, the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus from the Holy See, the TAC College of Bishops has voted as a Communion to decline the invitation.

This meeting of the College of Bishops was long overdue. Over the past two years, several members of the College of Bishops had requested of the Primate an urgent meeting of the College. Anglicanorum Coetibus or the Apostolic Constitution, for example, had never been discussed or debated within the College of Bishops. Meetings of the College of Bishops had, in fact, been scheduled at least twice over the past two years. Most recently, a meeting was called by the TAC Primate for mid 2011. This meeting was canceled abruptly by the Primate. Accordingly, the meeting in Johannesburg was voted to be the overdue meeting of the College of Bishops.

Members of the College met in a spirit of prayer and with a desire to discern God’s will for the TAC. A majority of active Bishops and Vicars General who hold voice and vote attended the meeting and made several decisions of immediate import to the TAC.

The College of Bishops voted unanimously to accept the resignation of John Hepworth as TAC Primate by resolution that states: “it is resolved that he cease to hold the office of Primate immediately.” Archbishop John Hepworth vacates the Office he has held since 2003, along with the individual appointments which are the prerogatives of that Office. Such offices and positions are now vacant and subject to reappointment.

Archbishop Samuel Prakash, as the senior active Metropolitan, was elected Acting Primate by acclamation. In so doing, the entire assembly expressed complete confidence in Archbishop Prakash, who was consecrated Bishop in 1984 and currently serves as Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of India. Archbishop Prakash was one of the original founding Bishops of the TAC.

Bishop Michael Gill was appointed Secretary of the College of Bishops.

During its three day meeting, the College of Bishops passed several resolutions relating to the International Anglican Fellowship, Episcopal Oversight and Ecumenical relations between Continuing jurisdictions. Several appointments were made by the Acting Primate.

There was a strong feeling among the members of the College of Bishops that a new direction had been taken by the TAC.

The level of attendance at this College of Bishops meeting was exceptional. Every Bishop and Vicar General in the Traditional Anglican Communion was invited to attend this meeting. Of the twenty active bishops, twelve voted in session. Nine of the twelve churches were represented.

Finally, and most importantly, the College of Bishops resolved to commit itself to Mission and Evangelism, recognizing that the central purpose of God’s people is to bring others to Christ. Several moving statements were made by members about the need to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world deeply in need of hearing it. A program of equipping the saints for the work of Evangelism was supported by the College of Bishops with enthusiasm.