| The Official eNewsletter of the Anglican Mission in the Americas
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Dear ,
In the midst of a time of economic uncertainty, we can rejoice that our hope lies in Christ and His provision.
I trust you will be blessed and encouraged by this edition of Currents. If you have a story or news item you would like to share with the rest of the Mission, please email us.
Cynthia Brust
Director of Communications, Anglican Mission in the Americas
Why not forward Currents to an Anglican friend? Click below. 
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Winter Conference 2009 Momentum Continues
All Saints congregation of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, sent a record 71 members to Winter Conference 2009. Now church leadership has built on the momentum and excitement generated by those who attended the January event.
First, conference attendees were invited to an evening to share the impact of Winter Conference and how it could affect All Saints in the short and long term. Over 40 members showed up to the first session to share their highlight moments and talk about the sessions that most touched them.
Next, leadership and parishioners considered how the Winter Conference 2009 experience could be reflected in their church. Many who were at the meeting identified a passion for reaching beyond the church walls "to make disciples," as well as reaching 20- and 30-somethings.
The group also set a goal of significantly increasing attendance at next year's Winter Conference both from All Saints and from around the Mission.
In subsequent evenings, the entire congregation was invited to attend 90-minute sessions in which participants viewed plenary session videos and discussed how they could meet the challenges of engaging society for the sake of the Gospel.
Twentysomethings worshiping at Winter Conference 2009.
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Looking Forward to Winter Conference 2010 January 27-30,
in Greensboro, North Carolina
 We encourage other congregations to follow All Saints' model and/or develop your own tools to promote Winter Conference 2010...NOW so that more and more people can experience this special time and join in as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. Please send us the creative ideas you incorporate to encourage attendance!
You can purchase high-quality DVDs and audio CDs of all the Winter Conference 2009 sessions and workshops through Rhino Technologies.
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Little Rock Network Announces "LeaderShift" Retreat
Mark you calendars for the Spring 2009 Little Rock Network Meeting: "Experiencing LeaderShift", hosted at St. Andrew's  Church, Little Rock, April 29-May 1, 2009; Speaker: Don Cousins, author of LeaderShift
In his LeaderShift presentation, Don Cousins will thoughtfully address what he calls "leadership heresies" with helpful insight, immersed in humility and solid Biblical truth. At this conference participants will explore with Don the complete Experiencing LeaderShift system for equipping leaders, mobilizing teams and transforming ministries. This new tool was birthed from years of experience designed to turn vision into action in any size church through a step-by-step plan for equipping others for ministry.
During the a 1 ½ day presentation, Don will cover:
- Biblical Foundations - leading as God intended
- God's Plan for His Church - equippers and servers, not users
- The Equipping Process - a leadership-development strategy
- Calling - the power of a personal invitation
- Connecting - the process by which an "outsider" becomes an "insider"
- Coaching - putting more in than you take out
- Changing - leading others to a new vision
In addition, participants will have the opportunity for direct interaction with Don.
 A founding leader of Willow Creek Community Church, Don is a respected and trusted leader in the body of Christ who serves as a coach to leaders, including some in the Anglican Mission, as well as a consultant to church and parachurch ministries.
This exciting event is open to anyone affiliated with the Anglican Mission. For more information, schedule and registration please visit the Little Rock Network website.
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Ash Wednesday Brings a Diversity
of Expressions Together
Shortly before celebrating their one year anniversary as a church plant, St. George's Anglican in Phoenix, Arizona, partnered with three congregations - North Phoenix Baptist (NPB), Desert Mission Anglican and Open Door Fellowship - to host an Ash Wednesday service for over 200 people, a first time experience for two thirds of those attending.
 Publicized through Facebook, church websites, blogs, and flyers, St. George's Rector, Shane Copeland explains, "These churches have never done anything together, and our host [meeting place], Open Door Fellowship, had never held an Ash Wednesday service on their campus. This all came together out of relationships with leaders that go back almost twenty years. People from each congregation had a part in the service, and it was an incredible night!"
"I attended my first Ash Wednesday service last year and knew it was a key component of Lent that I wanted to incorporate into our worship at NPB this year," shares Scott Savage, Ministry Associate for College and Young Adults. "Shane and I meet regularly over coffee to get to know one another and look for opportunities to work together. This service is a way to observe our common convictions that respects everyone's tradition."
Fifteen newly released convicts were sitting in the crowd that evening, under the care of Ken Pettis, member of NPB and Director of Prison Transition Services for Along Side Ministries, a mentoring ministry for successful re-entry into society.
"The entire event was meaningful to them because of the way Shane explained every part of the service," said Ken. "I wanted them to experience the rich heritage we have as Christians in traditional worship, and this was definitely a significant learning experience."
To Ken's surprise, every one of the men chose to go forward and receive ashes. Because of their own brokenness and deep mourning over sin, they identified with Jesus' suffering, His forgiveness of their sin and the hope they have in Christ for a bright future.
"These men hope people will be open to them as they transition back into society. Offering a choice of grape juice during communion is perceived as a sign of acceptance since they cannot drink alcohol while on parole," shares Ken. "They were learning how to be open as well to different expressions of worship as followers of Christ. Some were moved to tears."
 After the service, all fifteen ex-convicts piled out of a van to pick up food at a local grocery store. Still donning a cross of ashes upon their forehead, they became immediately aware of cashiers and stockers throughout the store that were also wearing ashes.
"They identified with men and women they never knew," explains Ken, "and felt part of the universal church. This experience affected them in a powerful way."
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Flexibility Proves Fruitful for New Grace Church
Organizers of a recent Family Fun Weekend for New Grace Church in Fleming Island, Florida, remained steadfast when only four families registered to attend the retreat planned at a site a couple of hours out of town. Instead of cancelling the event, coordinators changed the location to a local park seven miles from the church campus and altered the time frame from a weekend outing to a one-day event.
Their willingness to be sensitive to the needs of their audience and adapt accordingly bore fruit when over 200 turned out for the event.
"It told us that proximity and flexibility to come and go was a high value for our parishioners," said Helen VanWagnen, Communications Coordinator for New Grace.
Even though the Family Fun Weekend began at noon on Saturday, February 28th, several families took advantage of the opportunity to camp out the evening before. "One of the campers remarked that sounds of children playing and fires crackling was pure joy," recalls Michelle Cannedy, Assistant to the Director of Children's Ministry.
Located on a picturesque creek, the park provided opportunities for canoeing, kayaking and discovery along nature trails by all ages and their tail-wagging friends.
"These events are another piece in the puzzle of evangelism for us at New Grace, shares Helen. "They offer opportunities to build relationships among regular church goers and provide a non-threatening atmosphere to meet people in our community that are unchurched.
"I brought family members that don't attend church," said Michelle, "and when someone asked them if they attend New Grace, they responded, 'no, but we would like to after experiencing this fun atmosphere'."
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Experiencing "Koinonia" on the
Gulf Coast
Partnering for seven years consecutively, Immanuel Anglican in Destin, Florida and Christ Anglican in Mobile, Alabama joined efforts once again to host the Gulf Coast Koinonia. The women's conference was held at the Majestic Beach Towers in Panama City Beach, Florida on March 6-9. The event brought 150 women together from several states for powerful teaching, dynamic worship and times of personal ministry and fellowship.
"One of the most amazing gifts of planning these conferences has been the relationships formed between members of Immanuel and Christ Anglican," shares Monica Warren, event planner from Christ Anglican. "Each retreat is marked by an ease in communication and loving submission to one another. We have grown to truly love one another."
Sue Webster, guest speaker and Bible teacher in the Mobile area for over 30 years, set the tone of the conference with messages based on John 8:36 - living from a place of freedom in the spirit instead of bondage of the soul.
Participant Kim Madison, a former career criminal repeatedly bound by addictions, found Christ several years ago and joined the Christ Anglican women's Bible study since being released from prison. After attending Koinonia she remarked, "I felt so much love from women of like mind, it has been my best experience since leaving prison."
 Attendee Ardith Goodwin also experienced God in a new way when six teenage girls spontaneously approached her while on a walk to ask permission to pray for her. "I don't know how those six girls knew how to pray the exact prayer God had laid on my heart the day before, but their prayers proved His existence to me," noted Ardith. "I can never again justify my life without God being in control of it."
For the past several years Noah's Ark Preschool has paid for their staff to attend the conference. "The impact these weekends have on our staff has been amazing," reports Charlene Robinson, Director of Noah's Ark. "Koinonia beats any other type of staff enrichment you could ever find."
Koinonia, (with it's Greek roots) is formally defined as "communion by intimate participation" - a trait tangible among these Gulf Coast women as they experience God in extraordinary ways.
To register for the 2010 Gulf Coast Koinonia scheduled for February 26-28 in Panama City Beach, call Kay Reichelderfer at (850) 654-9524 or Monica Warren at (251) 662-7637.
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Check it out
NEW! on the Anglican Mission website
Visit the all new Department of Leadership Development section on theamia.org.
You'll find all the relevant information and resources on Lay Leadership, Clergy Credentialing, Education Programs and more!
Visit the new webpages now.
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Click here to contact the Rev. H Miller, Director of Leadership Development for the Anglican Mission.
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Other Upcoming Events in the Mission
October 9 - 10, 2009
Courtyard Liberty Station Hotel, San Diego, California
Featuring:
· The Rev. Dr. Todd Hunter
· The Rev. H G Miller
· The Rev. Gabe Garcia
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Come to the Water and Retreat
April 30 - May 2, 2009 Grand Strand coast of South Carolina
Ariel/A Ministry of Proclamation will host a spring retreat for men and women based on the theme, "Come to the Water," from Revelation 22:19.
Come for a weekend of authentic worship, healing prayer, biblical teaching and fellowship.
The retreat will open at All Saints Anglican Church in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, on Thursday and move to Christ Church in Murrells Inlet on Friday and Saturday.
Registration fee is $35.00.
For more information call toll-free, 866-442-7435.
Click here to visit the Ariel websitefor online registration.
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