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"They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed,
but abideth forever." Psalm 125:1 KJ21
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A Message from Bishop Anderson
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Bishop Anderson
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Dear Fellow Anglicans,
In many ways our culture, society and church today are like a small boat traveling toward a dangerous waterfall. At first, the indications of danger are apparent to only a few, but the opportunity for safely changing course is still excellent. The faint sound of the falls and a mist on the horizon indicate trouble ahead, but only a few are concerned. As the boat draws closer to the falls, the current's speed increases, the sound is louder and the mist is closer, and now safely changing course is very difficult. Then quickly the falls are at hand and all are swept over into the chaos below. So our society, culture and church have approached the falls of sexual chaos in the last ten years, and today no sexual absurdity is beyond someone's desire to normalize, e.g., a court in California has now ruled that children in school who feel that they are male or female contrary to physical indications, should nevertheless be able to use the bathrooms and showers reserved for their chosen gender. With the successes that "progressive" activists have seen of late, both in civil courts and in churches, many conservatives must feel that things can't get worse and are pulled toward depression, but I urge you to stay alert and engaged in the battle. I believe the fight for orthodox sexuality and marriage is still winnable, though it will be long and difficult. But I also believe that if we give up, things can get much worse.
Consider the abortion issue. When we lost in the courts over abortion, the faithful went to the grassroots and worked hard to change America's mind, and that is bearing fruit today as the number of abortions has dropped and the public's attitude toward abortion has shifted. My point is that bad things can be reversed with hard, coordinated work over long periods of time, so then the question is, "How serious are we about stemming Satan's tide?"... Read the rest of Bishop Anderson's article here.
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A Message from Canon Ashey
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Canon Ashey
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Good News from the Legal Front
Dear Friends in Christ,
As Bishop Anderson noted in his article today, there are times when grassroots efforts and perseverance can bear Godly and hope-filled fruit even in our courts. So I am happy to report today an opinion from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Eastern Division) recognizing a constitutional right specifically for a woman to choose life rather than abortion.
The facts of The Life Center, Inc. vs. City of Elgin, Illinois (No. 13 C 1759) are as follows. Life Center, Inc is a faith based organization that contends that it operates TLC Pregnancy Services (TLC) which in turn provides faith-based spiritual support, free reproductive healthcare information and limited ultrasound services for pregnant women. In September 2010, TLC began providing services from a mobile facility in a recreational vehicle (Mobile Facility) that TLC parked in a couple of commercial lots located in the City of Elgin with the permission of the owners of such parking lots.
Life Center contends that "TLC's volunteers aboard the [M]obile [F]acility provide a message of hope by sharing the truth of God's love for them and the life they can find in and through Jesus Christ." (Compl. Par. 13). According to Life Center, TLC's patients consist mainly of young women without financial and emotional support. Life Center contends that unlike the services at a permanent facility, the Mobile Facility's services are particularly visible and accessible to women, and that the Mobile Facility provides a level of anonymity to women who may be unable or unwilling to go to a permanent facility. Life Center explains that the ultrasound services provide pregnant women with information that could identify health issues and potentially save the lives of their unborn children....
Read the rest of Canon Ashey's article here.
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Press Statement by The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali, Archbishop of Church of Uganda
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Source: Church of Uganda - Via email
August 13, 2013
Good Morning. I greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
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Archbishop Ntagali
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I have an important message for you today. Ten years ago this month, a gay man, who was a divorced father of two children, was elected a Bishop in the Episcopal Church in America. This unbiblical decision on the part of a church threw the entire global Anglican Communion into chaos.
Two months later, the Archbishop of Canterbury convened an emergency meeting of the 38 Primates - Senior Archbishops - of the Anglican Communion to try to resolve the crisis. The Primates issued a statement that said that if the consecration of this gay man proceeded it would "tear the fabric of the Anglican Communion at its deepest level." Even the American Archbishop agreed to this statement.
Yet, immediately after the close of the meeting, the American Archbishop held a press conference just outside Lambeth Palace and told the world that he would proceed with the consecration. And, indeed, he did.
And, as the Primates predicted, the American consecration of a gay man as a Bishop did "tear the fabric of the Anglican Communion at its deepest level."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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California State court gives final OK to gay marriage
| Source: San Francisco Chronicle
August 14, 2013
By Bob Egelko
San Francisco - The state Supreme Court gave its final approval Wednesday to the rights of gays and lesbians to marry, dismissing an appeal by sponsors of the 2008 initiative that banned same-sex marriage in California.
The justices unanimously denied review of a suit by conservative Christians who put Proposition 8 on the ballot and argued that it remains in effect statewide, despite a federal judge's 2010 ruling in San Francisco that declared it unconstitutional.
The court's action could mean the end of a legal battle that began more than nine years ago when Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered San Francisco's city clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, defying state law that defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman....
 Prop 8's sponsors haven't said whether they plan any additional legal actions.
"The California Supreme Court's choice not to address the merits of our case, like the U.S. Supreme Court's choice to avoid the merits, leaves grave doubts about the future of the initiative process in our state," Andy Pugno, an attorney for Protect Marriage, said in a statement. "Now, voters will be less confident than ever that their votes will mean something. When politicians disregard the law, and the courts refuse to get involved, what are we left with?"
The rest of the article may be found here.
A.S. Haley's comments on this decision are here.
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The Falls Church Anglican to Appeal Property Case to Supreme Court
| Source: Christian Post
August 14, 2013
By Michael Gryboski
A Virginia Anglican congregation that traces its founding to the colonial era has announced that they will file an appeal over a property case to the United States Supreme Court.
The Falls Church Anglican stated earlier this week their intention to file an appeal over whether they or the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia controls the historic Falls Church property. "Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we achieved a broad degree of unity in our decision to bring these matters forward to the Supreme Court, believing that God has uniquely positioned TFCA to do so," reads an email sent out to parishioners on Monday.
"We are advised that the facts of our case are strong and that we are uniquely placed at this time - and perhaps for many years to come - to raise these issues to the U.S. Supreme Court. And each of us wanted to be good stewards of the resources God has given us."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Dartmouth Rescinds Tengatenga Appointment
| Source: Chronicle
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Bishop Tengatenga
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August 15, 2013
By Nick DeSantis
Dartmouth College has withdrawn the appointment of the dean of its William Jewett Tucker Foundation, after revelations of his past comments on homosexuality caused a controversy on the campus.
The college announced last month that it had appointed the Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga, the Anglican bishop of Southern Malawi, to serve as the dean of the Tucker Foundation, which, according to its mission statement, "educates Dartmouth students for lives of purpose and ethical leadership, rooted in service, spirituality, and social justice."
Some critics took issue with Bishop Tengatenga's opposition in 2003 to the consecration of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, according to The Valley News....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Urgent Prayers Needed for Egypt
| Source: Anglican Mainstream
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President Bishop Anis
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August 14, 2013
Letter from President Bishop Mouneer Anis
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
As I write these words, our St. Saviour's Anglican Church in Suez is under heavy attack from those who support former President Mursi. They are throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the church and have destroyed the car of Rev. Ehab Ayoub, the priest-in-charge of St. Saviour's Church. I am also aware that there are attacks on other Orthodox churches in Menyia and Suhag in Upper Egypt, as well as a Catholic church in Suez. Some police stations are also under attack in different parts of Egypt. Please pray and ask others to pray for this inflammable situation in Egypt.
Early this morning, the police supported by the army, encouraged protestors in two different locations in Cairo, to leave safely and go home. It is worth mentioning that these protestors have been protesting for 6 weeks, blocking the roads. The people in these neighborhoods have been suffering a great deal - not only these people, but those commuting through, especially those who are going to the airport. The police created very safe passages for everyone to leave. Many protestors left and went home, however, others resisted to leave and started to attack the police. The police and army were very professional in responding to the attacks, and they used tear gas only when it was necessary. The police then discovered caches of weapons and ammunition in these sites. One area near Giza is now calm, but there is still some resistance at other sites. There are even some snipers trying to attack the police and the army. There are even some rumors that Muslim Brotherhood leaders asked the protestors in different cities to attack police stations, take weapons, and attack shops and churches.
A few hours later, violent demonstrations from Mursi supporters broke out in different cities and towns throughout Egypt. The police and army are trying to maintain safety for all people and to disperse the protestors peacefully. However, the supporters of former President Mursi have threatened that if they are dispersed from the current sites, they will move to other sites and continue to protest. They also threatened to use violence. There have been a number of fatalities and casualties from among the police as well as the protestors, but it seems that the numbers are not as high as expected for such violence. However, the supporters of former President Mursi claim that there are very high numbers of casualties. The real numbers will be known later on.
Please pray that the situation will calm down, for wisdom and tact for the police and the army, for the safety of all churches and congregations, and that all in Egypt would be safe.
May the Lord bless you!
+Mouneer
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For your prayers: Pastor Saeed Abedini Fainting From Pain in Iranian prison
| Source: Christian Post
August 13, 2013
By Stoyan Zaimov
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Abedini and family
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American Pastor Saeed Abedini's health has taken a turn for the worse and he is fainting from severe amounts of pain, according to his family in Iran who were able to visit him in Evin Prison, where he is serving an eight year sentence.
"Unfortunately, we have learned that Pastor Saeed's internal injuries are causing him increased pain," the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents Abedini's wife and two children in the U.S., revealed in a post on Monday.
"Pastor Saeed has been suffering from internal bleeding - the results of intense beatings he has sustained in prison for his faith."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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