Where traditionalists are going now

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=71749

[Church Times] 20 Mar 2009--It was a great privilege for me to attend part of the Church of England General Synod last month, and to par­ticipate in a fringe event. As a re­tired member of the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, I have attended many sy­nods. Few have been so convivial.

Another notable exception was the November 2008 synod of the fledgling Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), for which it is now my delight to serve as Moderator (News, 2 May 2008). This synod was characterised by unity in the Spirit, the joy of the Lord, and an eagerness to get on with the mission of pro­claiming the good news of salva­tion through Christ.

Although it was our first synod, and there was much work to be done in setting up foundational processes and canons, well over half of our time together was devoted to prayer, praise, ministry of the word, and reports from the member parishes of how they were ministering in their communities. For many of these parishes, their short time in the ANiC had not been easy. But, without exception, they all expressed the joy and free­dom they were experiencing.

God has indeed been good. Since the ANiC was launched in November 2007 with two small churches, two priests, and two bishops, we have grown to comprise 73 priests and dea­cons, three bishops, and 28 parishes, with a total average Sunday attendance of 3500.

That initial growth has come from Canadian Anglicans who have felt conscience-bound to align with a biblically faithful Church, while still retaining their full Anglican identity.