Tag Archives: Anglican Network in Canada

An interview with Bishop Don Harvey

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The whole thing is well worth reading here.

On reforming the ACoC from within; or, as Malcolm Muggeridge used to like saying, playing hymns in the whorehouse:

Then the Essentials Movement itself split, mainly because there were those who wanted to reform the Anglican Church of Canada from within. This was an interesting concept, as I don’t think any one of us would have left if we had thought there was the slightest possibility of reform happening. We saw things getting worse there instead of better.

On ANiC’s growth:

at the start of that first Synod, we were 2 bishops, 2 priests, 2 deacons and 2 parishes. At least we were being very biblical, being “sent out by 2’s!” Five years later, we were 4 active bishops, 2 retired bishops (1 retired and 1 working as a church planter), well over 150 clergy members, 72 parishes, church plants and forming congregations, and an average Sunday attendance over 3900.

On Wycliffe College:

At one time here in Canada we could say Wycliffe College was ideal for them. It is not the case anymore. The college doesn’t like us. Our students are treated as second class students. I know these are explosive words, but I am willing to stand by them, because I have seen the evidence of them. I have been told that our students would be treated like anybody else. Their usual practice was that sometime during the course of the 2 or 3 years that a student was there, they would have their bishop come and spend a day with them, show them around, meet the staff, and what not. Usually that was planned for a day when there was Chapel with a sermon and the bishop would be invited to preach.

“That being the case,” I said, “does that mean that Bishop Charlie or I, one of us, would be given a chance to preach here, to walk in procession at your convocation?” And their reply was …? “No, I’m sorry. You couldn’t.” This from the college supposed to be favourable to us. If that is our friend, spare me from our enemies. Believe me, that is very sad. It’s sad because Wycliffe College was built on the very premises that ANIC exists on.

Wycliffe is in the ACoC’s pocket, a fact that was very apparent when, in 2010, I interviewed George Sumner, Wycliffe’s principal here, here and here. There was a lot of dancing.

On Bishop Malcolm Harding:

Here’s an example of what happened to Bishop Malcolm Harding. Usually when you complete your term as Diocesan Bishop, your picture is hung on the cathedral wall with all your predecessors and the dates underneath. After he came with us, his photograph was taken down from the wall at the Cathedral in Brandon. His name was taken away. It simply said, “The person who held the position of 8th Bishop of Brandon is no longer a member of the church” or something like that.

How could anyone try to rewrite history that way? The fact was that between the year this and the year that, he was the 8th Bishop of Brandon. And his picture should still be there.

On abortion:

I still haven’t heard a definitive stand from the Anglican Church of Canada over abortion. There have been all kinds of words about it, but to come out and say, it is taking another human’s life, they don’t say it. So this phrase ‘wishy-washy’ has been said to me about them many times. We want to know where we stand and where our church stands, and we want be proud of where our church stands. I used to say in the early days, “I’m praying for the time when I can go across this country and say I’m Anglican without having to apologize for it.

Incidentally, there are Anglicans in Canada (including some in the ACoC) standing against abortion; see Anglicans for Life Canada.

Anglican Church of Canada asks clergy for three-year extension to bridge underfunded pension plan

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Ironically, one of the threats the Anglican Church of Canada holds over clergy considering extricating themselves from its tender embrace to join ANiC is that they would be jeopardising their pensions by leaving.

As it turns out, clergy may be jeopardising their pensions by staying.

From here:

The Anglican Church of Canada is asking members of its pension plan to vote in favour of a proposal that would buy it more time before having to top up its underfunded pension plan by hiking premiums or cutting benefits.

By law, the plan must have the support of two-thirds of members before government will consider giving their OK to the proposal. A vote is scheduled for Sept. 6 in which the plan members hope to get permission from its active, inactive and retired membership.

[….]

Pension liabilities are calculated in two broad ways. They are valued on a “going concern” basis (that measures the plan’s health on the assumption it will operate indefinitely) and on a “solvency” basis — which measures the plan’s ability to pay all its debts if it were liquidated immediately.

On the first count, the church’s plan isn’t faring too poorly. At the end of the church’s last fiscal year, the pension plan had $602.8 million in assets, but a $28.7 million shortfall. Still, that’s considered 95 per cent funded over the long term. On the second count, however, the plan faces a cash crunch. The Anglican Church’s pension plan is only 70.5 per cent funded on a solvency basis were it to be wound up tomorrow.

The plan’s administrators are asking for a three-year extension on having to address that gap. The hope is that by then, the plan’s finances will have improved, no doubt helped along by rising interest rates that improve the plan’s valuation.

“With funding relief, we will have three years to try to improve our plan’s funding level,” the plan administrators told pension members in a recent letter. “At the end of three years, we will do another valuation of the plan. If there is still a solvency funding shortfall, we will likely have no choice but to cut benefits.”

The church’s pension plan returned 13.2 per cent last year, and has averaged 7.5 per cent per year for the past decade.

A spokesperson for the Anglican Church of Canada declined to comment on the story.

The term “Anglican” is not a registered trademark

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The Anglican Network in Canada church, St. George’s, is planning on a new building in Burlington.

From the Burlington Post:

The city’s planning and building department recommended that a 0.6 hectare piece of employment land at 4691 Palladium Way be rezoned to allow the construction of a place of worship.

The Post has learned it will be an Anglican church.

The site is located just west of Appleby Line, bordering Hwy. 407, in Alton.

Community development committee approved the recommendation.

It will go before council on Sept. 4.

Permission for the rezoning was granted at the September 4th meeting.

Notice that the Burlington Post reported that the new building will be for an Anglican Church. This does not sit well with the Diocese of Niagara, a self-proclaimed inclusive and affirming diocese. A number of its clergy lament that the word Anglican is not a registered trademark, so, much as they would like to, they don’t have exclusive – and I do apologise for my blatant and unfeeling use of the “e” word –  use of it in the Niagara region.

From here:

We want to clarify the new church is being proposed by the Anglican Network in Canada, a group that broke away from the Anglican Church of Canada in 2009 to protest our actions in favour of the full inclusion of homosexual persons and the affirmation of their committed relationships.

The six existing Anglican churches serving Burlington are all part of the Anglican Church of Canada. We are diverse, vibrant faith communities focused on welcoming all and making a positive difference in Burlington.

We know some of our parishioners were confused by the article.

The term “Anglican” is not a registered trademark and its usage is not restricted. Nonetheless, we hope future reporting of this story can make a distinction  between the two groups.

Stephen Hopkins, St. Christopher’s Anglican Church

Stuart Pike, St. Luke’s Anglican Church (Ontario Street)

Derek Anderson, St. Matthew’s Anglican Church

Bahman Kalantari, St. John’s Anglican Church

Jeff and Sue Ann Ward, St. Luke’s Anglican Church (Dundas Street/Bronte Road)

Jean Archbell, St. Elizabeth’s Anglican Church

The Anglican Church of Canada continues its scorched earth policy

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As it loses more and more people, the ACoC is consolidating parishes, selling empty buildings and laying off staff at head office just to stay solvent. Regrettably, this frugality does not extend to negotiating outside the courts with parishes that have left the ACoC. Rather, large sums of money are being paid to lawyers in order to seize buildings for which dioceses have little use – other than to sell – from congregations who are using them for their intended purpose: worship.

The latest salvo is being directed at the Ottawa churches, St. Alban’s and St. George’s; both left the Anglican Church of Canada for ANiC in 2008.

In 2008, the Centertown News published this:

Ross Moulton, executive archdeacon to Bishop John Chapman of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, said the break has brought sadness and sorrow to the Anglican community.

Moulton said it’s too early to tell whether St. Alban’s will be able to keep its church building…..

But Moulton said the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa is adamant about the wish to settle this property dispute in the most cordial manner possible.

“I think it is everybody’s hope that some amicable arrangement could be made,” said Moulton. “To get into long court battles, it consumes a lot of resources, time, and money. And at the end of the day, nobody wins.”

In spite of this welcome intrusion of common sense from Moulton in 2008, the lawsuits are now forging ahead, naming volunteer wardens in the suit – a vindictive, take no prisoners strategy that was also used in Niagara and New Westminster.

In Niagara a clumsy disinformation campaign was also launched to convince parishioners still in ACoC parishes that the lawsuits were instigated by the ANiC parishes. An acquaintance in a local Diocese of Niagara parish walked out of a service when a letter claiming this was read from the pulpit.

Now, as the Hairy Eyeball reports, a similar manoeuvre is being attempted in Ottawa:

Well, it seems that there are rumours circulating around the Diocese of Ottawa about the latest rounds of  lawsuits between the Anglican Church of Canada and ANiC parishes.  Specifically, there’s a rumour circulating that the latest lawsuits involving St. Alban’s Ottawa and St. George’s Ottawa were started by ANiC.  This is absolutely untrue.  The Diocese of Ottawa sued St. Alban’s, not the other way around.

The cliché of the month for the Anglican Church Of Canada is that it is becoming a “missional” church – the word was to be found in every second sentence at the recent Anglican Synod. The precise meaning of “missional” is unclear, but it must have something to do with trying to appeal to those who do not presently attend a church.

Perhaps “missional” means “join now, be sued later.”

A comparison of historic Anglican events in Canada

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The Anglican Church of Canada’s synod has sputtered to an end producing little more than a bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Nevertheless, Fred Hiltz has hailed the synod as “historic”. It’s difficult to imagine a less historic event, although I did trim my toenails this morning and I suppose that might just qualify.

General Synod 2010 full of historic and holy moments.

In a media conference following the closing Eucharist service, Archbishop Hiltz spoke of several, “historic and holy moments in the life of the church” that took place throughout General Synod.

Coincidentally, an article appeared in the National Post this morning about an insignificant little parish in Oakville full of a peculiar – if not downright eccentric – people who seem to be in the middle of something that really is historic:

Oakville Anglican parish home of profound revolution

There is nothing that hints at revolution on this suburban road in Oakville, where St. Hilda’s Anglican parish has sat for more than 50 years. No wild signs of protest, no warnings of hell and damnation, and no list of Luther-like demands nailed to the main door — just a not-so-extraordinary church building in the midst of a neighbourhood easily forgotten by those driving through.

Nevertheless, a religious revolution has taken place here as profound as anything seen in modern Christian history.