| The Official eNewsletter of the Anglican Mission in the Americas
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Dear ,
Look for your copy of the September 2009 edition of our
quarterly print magazine, The Wave, coming
in your mailboxes soon! This edition also includes a Winter Conference brochure
with all the details for you to make plans and "join the journey" early.
Remember we count on you to provide us with news from your church or
outreach for Currents and The Wave. Let us hear from you.
Email us here.
Blessings,
Cynthia Brust
Director of Communications, Anglican Mission in the Americas
Click below to send a copy of Currents to a friend. 
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Consecration Adds Three New Anglican Mission Bishops
Nearly 300 lay
members, clergy and bishops from across the US and Canada attended the Service
of Ordination and Consecration of the Anglican Mission's three new Bishops: (robed left to right) Silas Ng, Todd Hunter and Doc Loomis. Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini presided at
the September 9th service held in Pasadena,
California, alongside Archbishop Yong Ping Chung and Bishop Chuck Murphy.
Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church was the guest preacher (pictured center left).
Read the new Bishop's bios here. Read a news article about the service here. |
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Refreshment and Renewal for Anglican Mission
Clergy Couples
 Communication,
resolving conflict, intimacy, loving your spouse and financial fatigue from church
planting... These are just some of the topics covered in the "Two Shall Become
One" Marriage Retreat hosted by the Little Rock Network in August.
Twenty-three
Anglican Mission clergy couples attended the unique three-day retreat held at
the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas. Speakers, the Rev. John and Susan
Yates, (John is Rector of The Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia), and
Bob Lepine, (associated with Family Life Ministries), covered a wide variety of
topics tailor-made to address the needs and challenges of marriage amidst
ministry.
"This retreat helped
us to carve out the time in a beautiful setting and address some of the deeper
topics that are hard to discuss in the bustle of work, church and family life
with four small children," share Cliff and Christine Warner of Christ Church,
Austin, Texas.
"We feel blessed
that our Bishop and Network want to invest, not only in the ministry skills of its clergy, but also in our hearts, marriages and personal well-being. We feel
covered and cared for and returned to our parishes strengthened...."
Demanding schedules
left behind, the retreat kicked off with a special meal in a picturesque
setting, and couples participated in daily assignments that helped them dive
into the material and focus on one another. The men proposed all over again to
their wives, and each couple renewed their marriage vows, a powerful end to a
meaningful retreat.
"We see the gift of
this conference as a quiet but deep statement of the core values of the
Mission, that marriages and families are of profound importance to God," noted
Jeff and Cinde Rawn of Christ Church, Plano, Texas.
"This retreat
represents a great model that we hope all of our Networks will replicate and
offer to their clergy." -Bishop Philip Jones
For more information
about Family Life Ministries, visit their website.
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NEWS FROM RWANDA
Attorney Accepts Fellowship in Rwanda
Matthew Andris,
member of Church of the Redeemer in Chicago, Illinois, recently accepted an
invitation to serve a one-year fellowship with International Justice Mission
(IJM) in Kigali, Rwanda. His goal is to work toward just resolution for
Rwandans who lost their land and other property during the genocide.
According to their
website, International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures
justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent
oppression. IJM professionals work with local governments to ensure victim
rescue, prosecute perpetrators and strengthen the community and civic factors
that promote functioning public justice systems.
For the past nine
years, Andris has practiced law in Chicago and "has always been interested in
human rights and international law." This distinctive opportunity to make a
difference in the lives of Rwandans also opens the door to be Redeemer's first "Missioner"
to Rwanda, strengthening the congregation's relationships in the country.
"My hope is to make
a meaningful contribution to the work that is already being done in Rwanda by
IJM and Church of the Redeemer," states Andris.
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New Covenant Church team in Rwanda with orphaned students.
New Covenant Hosts Youth Camp
in Rwanda
Playing games,
giving hugs and dancing arm and arm were all part of "practicing the ministry
of presence" for a team of 38 from New Covenant Church in Winter Springs,
Florida, as they led their second summer youth camp for 45 orphans in Rwanda.
Several years ago,
New Covenant took on the challenge of sponsoring the Rwandan student's school
fees to ensure their ongoing education in the midst of displacement from the
genocide. The relationship grew from there.
"When we did this
camp two years ago, they were reserved and apprehensive," describes Worship
Pastor David Mander. "This year it seemed as though time had washed away, and
we picked up conversations where we left off. They instantly remembered our
names, and many refer to us endearingly as Uncle and Auntie. They know we care
about them because we came back."
Living scattered
throughout the country, the orphaned students reunited for the weeklong camp at
the Cathedral guesthouse in Kigali. They engaged in activities ranging from art
projects to teaching on redemption taken from the stories of Joseph and Peter
in the Bible. But the blessing went both ways.
For high school
senior Januel Cox, the outreach provided affirmation of her decision to pursue
Christian psychology and counseling in college. "I was informed about Rwanda
before I went, but it wasn't until I actually held their hands and sat
alongside them that I came to know them as real people. Now I can't wait to go
back."
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Kibungo Diocese: Pastors Attend Seminar
On July 20, all Kibungo diocese pastors attended a seminar on
discipleship, leadership, development and preaching. Participants were happy to
attend the seminar because the
subjects were very helpful to them in God's ministry. The seminar was facilitated by
the Rev. Peter Matthews, Ruth Lester and Andy from the US.
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Parental groups pose for a photo with UK program experts.
Kigali Parenting
Workshop
A workshop on
parenting was held in the Kigali Diocese on August 18, with special guests Naomi Herbert and Clare Asken, program family specialists from the
Anglican Communion UK. The
workshop is part of a program to improve family development launched three
years ago in the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda.
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Celebrating Recovery with the Unchurched at
Christ Anglican
Christ Church
Anglican in Jacksonville, Florida, launched the "Celebrate Recovery" program in
May under the leadership of Mark Eldredge, Rector, and welcomed 35-45 unchurched
people every Friday evening. Seventeen children participated in a separate
program while their parents focused on the recovery material based on eight principles
from the Beatitudes.
"When we identified
our unchurched target community, we realized that they were not going to show
up to our contemporary style seeker service," explains Eldredge, "and so we
needed to do something that was going to connect them."
Marking the
full-circle journey to recovery, two new families joined Christ Church
Anglican, and nine children received baptism on Sunday, September 13.
"People in our
community face addictions, welfare and hopelessness, and many of them fear they
will never get out of their situations," explains Mark. "Going through 'Celebrate
Recovery' has given them a sense that God is doing something, and they have hope
again. We are grateful that we were ready to receive these families when they
found us."
To find out more about "Celebrate Recovery" materials click here.
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Festival Fosters New Faces for Church of the
Resurrection
Preparing through focused
times of prayer, fasting and training, Church of the Resurrection of Wheaton,
Illinois, hosted their first annual Festival and Open House on Sunday,
September 13 as an evangelistic outreach to the surrounding community.
Over 900 people of
all ages gathered immediately following each of two morning worship services to
partake in free food and festivities that included live music, street
performers and even junior Irish
dancers.
The day also marked
the beginning of a four-part sermon series from a devotional booklet called "Stop
and Get Direction", written by church member Dr. Stephen Gauthier designed to take
the congregation through a study of the book of Proverbs.
"Our goal was for
members to bring friends to the open house and extend an invitation to come
back for the continuation of the teaching on Proverbs," shares Trevor McMaken,
Assistant to the Rev. Stewart Ruch, Rector of Church of the Resurrection.
Almost half of the
60 visitors signed up to participate in the upcoming "get to know the staff"
lunch, three signed up for the Alpha course
and several came forward to enter into a first time or renewed relationship
with Christ.
"The event fostered
an atmosphere of celebration, joy and family," said Trevor. "We heard all kinds
of anecdotal stories afterward, including one about a group of joggers that
came by to inquire about what we were doing, and came back later to worship
with us!"
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Upcoming Events
New Worship Arts Conference
Coming Next Spring
March 18-21, 2010
Murrells Inlet, South
Carolina
Christ Church in
Murrells Inlet will host an exciting, hands-on Worship Arts Conference for artists
and those who have a love for the arts.
A dynamic line up of
experienced faculty who have a passion for performing in their own field will offer
tracks in acting, dance, media arts, visual arts, improv, theatre, liturgical
dance, visual art, choral Scripture readings and more.
For more information about
the conference email Carol Anderson or
Nancy Bryan.
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Join Bishop Ng's New Devotional Blog
Check out Bishop Silas Ng's new
daily devotional blog here.
You can also sign up online to receive daily email postings. Bishop Silas is
the keynote speaker for the 37th Annual Christian Ashram retreat on July
16th-19th, 2010 at Summit Pacific Park in Abbotsford, BC.
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Rwandan Youth Camp Witnesses
"I need you to tell
everyone that this is a great thing you have done for us, and it won't stop
here, because we will keep doing this for others."
- Amani, camp participant
"Priests in each
diocese have identified these at-risk children as some of the worst case scenarios,
and they each hold a special place in the heart of Archbishop Kolini. He has
compassion for them, recognizing how important schooling is to the success of
their future."
-Sheryl Shaw, New Covenant Youth and Missions Pastor
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