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CONTENTS / 1 3 4 6 8 9
Gafcon: a global family Gafcon Ireland: where we’ve come from who we are what we do how we’ll get there the jerusalem declaration
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gafcon a global family The Gafcon movement is a global family of authentic Anglicans standing together to retain and restore the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion. We are founded on the Bible, bound together by the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration of 2008, and led by a Primates Council, which represents the majority of the world’s Anglicans.
GAFCON MISSION /
Gafcon works to guard and proclaim the unchanging, transforming Gospel through biblically faithful preaching and teaching which frees our churches to make disciples by clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ in all the world.
PRIMATE’S COUNCIL / The Most Revd. Nicholas Okoh Primate of All Nigeria Chairman of Gafcon since 2016
The Most Rev’d Masimango Katanda Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Congo
The Most Rev’d Stanley Ntagali Archbishop of Uganda Deputy Chairman
The Most Rev’d Dr. Foley Beach Archbishop, Anglican Church of North America
The Most Rev. Greg Venables Archbishop of Chile and Presiding Bishop of the Province of South America
The Most Rev’d Daniel Deng Bul Archbishop of Sudan
The Most Rev’d Onesphore Rwaje The Most Rev’d Jacob Erasto Chimeledya Archbishop of Rwanda Primate of Tanzanian
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The Most Rev’d Jackson Ole Sapit Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya
Background image the crowd of more than one thousand witnesses, including Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay leaders gathered in Jerusalem for the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) 2008.
2008
331 Bishops and 30 Archbishops at Gafcon 2013, Nairobi > 2
gafcon ireland where we’ve come from Gafcon began in 2008 when moral compromise, doctrinal error and the collapse of biblical witness in parts of the Anglican communion had reached such a level that the leaders of the majority of the world’s Anglicans felt it was necessary to take a united stand for truth. A crowd of more than one thousand witnesses, including Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay leaders gathered in Jerusalem for the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon). The outcome of that first conference was the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration - a commitment to authentic Anglican doctrine founded on the clear and present word of God - The Bible.
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Gafcon aims to help and support Anglican churches around the world remain faithful to the Bible’s teaching as they pursue Christian ministry and mission in this world.
Gafcon’s name derives from the first ‘Global Anglican Future Conference’ in Jerusalem in 2008 3
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gafcon ireland who gafconireland whowe weare are Gafcon Ireland is the local expression of the global Gafcon movement. We are a fellowship of Anglican (Church of Ireland) Christians on the island of Ireland who are passionate about the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and join with likeminded people around the world in the Gafcon movement.
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Gafcon Ireland see the desperate need on the island of Ireland for the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified–the only way God is reconciled to humanity. Like Thomas Cranmer, the great Anglican reformer, we are proud to be labelled people of this gospel. Gafcon Ireland shares the passion of the global movement to a whole-church movement - the leadership and membership joined together in Christ’s mission. Gafcon Ireland is devoted to staying true to the Bible’s teaching and acts for the glory of Jesus the the King! Does this attitude resonate with you? Would consider joining us?
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OUR MISSION IS TO GUARD THE UNCHANGING, TRANSFORMING GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST AND TO PROCLAIM HIM TO THE ISLAND OF IRELAND, AND THE WORLD
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what we do Gafcon Ireland is driven by the message and priorities of the Bible. This drives Gafcon Ireland people to do four things:
PROCLAIM PARTNER PLANT PREPARE PROCLAIM THE MESSAGE OF JESUS CHRIST, CRUCIFIED AND RISEN! Gafcon Ireland proclaims the only name that saves rebels from God’s anger into eternal life reconciled to Him. This message is essential for all people to hear so we devote ourselves to proclaiming it everywhere - training all Christian people to know and love the Lord and promoting this gospel. Gafcon Ireland proclaims the gospel! PARTNER WITH OTHERS WHO LOVE THE LORD! Christian unity is found in Jesus Christ and we support. We are particularly interested in supporting those Anglican Christians whose overseers and colleagues step away from the Bible’s teaching. Gafcon Ireland partners with those who share the very Anglican passion for spreading the gospel on this island and around the world!
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PLANT NEW CONGREGATIONS! There are many villages, towns and even cities on the island of Ireland where there is no gospel witness. In the Republic of Ireland, there are: 70 towns with a population of 5000+ with no evangelical witness of any sort 30 towns with a population of 10,000+ with no evangelical witness of any sort 6 towns with a population of 20,000+ with no evangelical witness of any sort This makes the Republic of Ireland the country with the lowest percentage Evangelical population in the English-speaking world1. How shall they hear if there is no one to tell them? This tragedy must be addressed and we are committed to addressing it. We will partner with mission organisations to get people out proclaiming and begin planting new church gatherings on the island of Ireland. Gafcon Ireland hopes to plant 50 churches in the next 50 years! PREPARE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE FOR MINISTRY! Theological education for all Christian people is essential for the growth and stability of a church and groups of churches. This is so foundational that Gafcon Ireland started this work even before its launch–creating TheologyIreland. Our plan is to grow this into a faithful training centre that will prepare people for ministry where they find themselves, and also prepare people for full-time Christian service. Gafcon Ireland prepares by providing theological education! Does this attitude gladden your heart? Would consider joining us?
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Research findings from Aontas The State of the Irish Evangelical Church 2013 7
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how we’ ll get there
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PRAY This is our top priority. Without prayer we labour in vain. You can subscribe to Gafcon international news to fuel your prayers, including news about Gafcon Ireland. www.gafcon.org BECOME A SUPPORTER Gafcon Ireland is committed to guarding the truth of the gospel so that it is faithfully preached throughout Ireland and the world. By joining this global family as a supporter you demonstrate your commitment to the unchanging truth of God’s written Word and its faithful proclamation around the world. As a Supporter, you affirm belief in Scripture and that you, with Gafcon Ireland, believe that the gospel is not to be compromised in the face of the cultural pressures of our day. We encourage you to stand with Gafcon Ireland and thousands of other like-minded biblically faithful Anglican believers worldwide by assenting to the Jerusalem Declaration (opposite) and joining at www.gafcon.org/join. BECOME A PARTNER-DONOR We need finance to resource our plans to ‘Proclaim • Partner • Plant • Prepare’ . Our hope is that most of our Supporters will become Partner-Donors so that a modest donation given regularly by a large number of Partner-Donors will make it possible. Will you join us? BY INTERNET BANKING
BY POST
Account name Gafcon Ireland Sort Code 20 45 45 Account 13206297
Please send cheques payable to Gafcon Ireland to: 26 Ballyregan Road Dundonald BT16 1HY
WOULD YOU LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GAFCON IRELAND? CONTACT US
www.gafconireland.com email admin@gafconireland.com @gafconireland
the jerusalem declaration In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit: We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus’ birth. We express our loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. We joyfully embrace his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation and transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity. 1.
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9. 10. 11.
12. 13. 14.
We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives. 9