Caledonia Times The
Diocesan Section of the Anglican Journal November 2016 Edition Vol. 48 Issue #7
Reflecting on years of Episcopal Ministry
T
What has been the biggest surprise?
he Right Rev. William J. Anderson, the 9th Bishop of the Diocese of Caledonia after nearly 16 years of service, will be retiring at the end of next month. In his charge to Diocesan Synod last September (2015), said this, “I wish to advise you that it is currently my intention, barring the unforeseen, to retire in the fall of 2016,” Anderson told the Diocesan Synod at its annual meeting this September. “When I settle on a specific date I will formally write to the Archbishop as well as notifying the diocese.” Anderson was elected as bishop in October 20th 2001, and was consecrated in Feb. 2002. He will be 66 this month. “As I have worked this decision out in my heart and in my mind over the past several months, I have realized what a privilege it has been to be involved in this ministry,” Anderson told the synod. “My model for my ministry has always been St. Paul who in his own life experienced both the heights and the depths of emotions and spiritual joys... My greatest joy has been the clergy and people of this diocese. My greatest regret has been that the growth I hoped for has not happened, though not for lack of effort by so many of our clergy.” The Diocese of Caledonia took 11 ballots on Oct. 20, 2001 to elect the Rev. William Anderson as its new bishop. Bishop-elect Anderson, a non-stipendiary (non-salaried) priest, was one of 10 candidates. Bishop Anderson, 51 years old at the time of his election, was ordained deacon in the Diocese of Montreal in 1975 and was ordered priest the same year in the Diocese of Cariboo. He holds a Diploma in Ministry from Montreal Diocesan Theological College, a Master of Arts in theology from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies and philosophy from the University of Windsor. Prior to being elected, Bishop Anderson worked as a social worker with the Government of British Columbia for 20 years. He has also been an associate with a consulting firm which offered training in organizational development, stress management and team building since 1997. He recently helped the Diocese of Caledonia develop its sexual conduct policy.
Bishop William Anderson Centre, stands with a number of the Clergy for a picture during a Clericus gathering at Holy Trinity, Vanderhoof in May, 2015.
action that one wants to pursue, albeit for selfish reasons, and claim that it’s because God calls you. Fortunately, as the process unfolded sixteen years ago, I had a good deal of time to pray about whether to say “Yes” or not. I was also fortunate to have some close friends whose counsel I deeply appreciated. What has been your greatest joy? My greatest joy has been travelling throughout the diocese to preach the Gospel and to celebrate the Eucharist in congregations. Preaching the Gospel is a huge privilege as well as a responsibility. As a Bishop I have always remembered that part of the job description is to be a guardian of the faith. That placed an additional weight of responsibility on me to be knowledgeable about what our faith is, both across the centuries and around the world so that I could preach what the Church teaches, as opposed to simply preaching about my personal preferences or culturally popular issues. There is a deep joy that comes from doing God’s work, however imperfectly, and offering it to Him in the hope that He can use it to accomplish His will.
Bishop Anderson was recently asked in a Cal Times interview to reflect where he started and where he finishes now after almost 16 years in the episcopacy: Why did you say “yes” to becoming a bishop? I said “Yes” because my training and my belief is that one has to be prepared to answer God’s call. The process of discernment can be difficult, especially for something like becoming a Bishop because it is so easy for one’s ego to get in the way. It is so easy to justify to oneself a course of
Bishop William Anderson stands outside the Cathedral, with the Old Bishop’s Lodge in the background, awaiting the lighting of the new fire on Easter Morning in 2013.
My biggest surprise has been the degree to which life in our Church, at this point in time, so closely mirrors the challenges, joys and sorrows of life amongst the people of God as described throughout the Old and New Testament. I think we often assume that because our culture is more technologically and scientifically advanced than earlier generations, that the human soul is equally more advanced. But it isn’t. My work as a Bishop has provided a lens through which to see how our struggles with issues of faith and day to day life are no different from those faced by our spiritual ancestors. For me this translates into a deeper appreciation of how relevant the Bible is to how we live out our lives in the 21st century. What do you think you will miss/not miss the most about being an active Bishop? I will miss the people who have often been gracious and forgiving of my limitations and mistakes, constantly upholding me in their prayers. And I will miss the clergy who work so incredibly hard to minister to their congregations. On the negative side, I will not miss the political power games that get played out in parishes and within the national Church. These invariably do so much more harm to people and to the church than their proponents are willing to admit.
Many people are asking what the process for election Bishop Anderson’s successor will look like. In considering electing the 10th Bishop of Caledonia in the New Year, according to the Diocesan Canons, the Archbishop will need to appoint an administrator and within 30 days of Bishop Anderson’s retirement at the end of December. The Administrator will set the date, time and place for the Electoral Synod. The Administrator, who must be one of the Clergy from the Diocesan Executive Committee, will serve the Metropolitan by handling the day to day affairs of the Diocese. The Metropolitan will have responsibility for all of the episcopal acts during the vacancy. The date for the Synod elect a new bishop will be set within 30 days of Bishop Anderson’s retirement by the Administrator. The Synod, according to Canons, must be held within 90 days of the announcement of the Synod. Moreover, from the Bishop’s retirement date until the election of a new bishop, the Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon will serve as our Bishop. The date for the consecration and installation of the new Bishop will be set up between the Bishop elect and the Metropolitan, as the presence of the Provincial House for the consecration is needed.
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Bishop’s Notes The Approaching Change of Seasons As we approach the end of this church year, and begin turning our minds to the Advent Season, I am preparing for my final month of ministry as your Bishop. At a personal level this transition from ‘the year that was’ to ‘the year that is yet to be’ mirrors the transition that many of us have faced when we retire. We move from a life spent doing some occupation to retirement – doing something different. For some, retirement conjures an image of being finished with work. For others, it is seen as a fresh chapter in their lives that promises exciting opportunities. Ours is a society in which people tend to place themselves in relation to others according to their occupation. Often, when being introduced to people, after a name is offered, the next question asked is, “What do you do?” Saying you are a doctor, teacher, plumber, or a cook provides others with some sense of how you live in your community and what is important to you. These are actually rather good questions to consider when preparing for the beginning of Advent. Who are you? Apart from the answer that might spring immediately to mind, “I am so and so…” the question might also be answered, “I am an adopted child of God, brought through Baptism into the Body of Christ.” This is, in a sense, a backward looking answer in so far as it looks back to that moment in our life when we were baptised. Considered from that perspective, the subsequent question, becomes very much a forward thinking question for the year to come: What do you do? Or, how does your life reflect the reality of who you are?
The year just ending concludes with the Feast of Christ the King in which, to state the obvious, we celebrate the Kingship of Christ. If that is how this year ends, how does next year begin for each of us? Our identity remains the same, but what we do has yet to be written. Will we enter into the Advent Season, a season of preparation for the Coming of our Lord, with a spirit of preparation? And if so, will we take the time to consider what preparation for meeting Our Lord looks like? What do we do to prepare? What will please Our Lord?
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In all of this, Advent is a time when we are encouraged to stop and check our assumptions, both about who we are, and what we do. It is a time of transition when the past can be considered, and the days that lie before us offer a fresh opportunity to do the work of God in our communities. May God bless you and watch over you as we enter into this new season. +William: Caledonia The Right Reverend William Anderson is the ninth Bishop of the Diocese Calledonia. He was elected in Ocotber, 2001 and was consecrated and installed in February, 2002. He is currently in the 15th year of his episcopacy and is one of the longest serving diocesan bishops currently active in the Anglican Church of Canada. He retires from active minstry on December 31st, 2016.
Bishop William Ridley, for whom Ridley Island is named, was the First Bishop of Caledonia and served in that capacity from 1879 to 1904.
Unity of the Church: real and fake By Peter Jensen There is only one Church of Jesus Christ, his Body and his Bride. In the upper room before his death he prayed that the Father would glorify him (John 17:1-5), that the Father would sanctify his Apostles in the Truth (John 17:6-19) and that his Church may be one, so that the world may believe (John 17:20-26). All three requests were answered through his death, his resurrection, his ascension and in the gift of the Holy Spirit. The prayer sees the foundation of a church one, holy, catholic and apostolic. In particular it is one. That is why the Apostle Paul can say in these glorious words, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Of course, this unity is not only a spiritual reality: it is also a practical obligation. We are to ‘maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.’ (Ephesians 4:2-6). Our unity is founded on the apostolic truth for which the Lord prayed. We come to faith through their testimony. I am always puzzled by the way in which the petition of Jesus, ‘that they may all be one’ (John 17:21), is so frequently assumed not to have been fulfilled. Why would it have failed, when the other two petitions were so gloriously answered? After all, one of the major themes
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of the New Testament is a demonstration that the gospel and the Spirit belong to all who own the name of Christ, on the same terms and conditions. Even more puzzling is the careless way in which the petition has been plucked from its context and turned into a command. The true command is to ‘maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’. Even denominational divisions do not destroy the spiritual unity of the one church of Jesus Christ. Indeed, they may be necessary so that the apostolic truth can be preserved. When John 17 is constantly plucked from its context and quoted to demonstrate that we are to seek a form of Christianity which is institutionally uniform, we go well beyond the text. More than that, when the ‘command’ is used to make such a unity an over-ruling priority, it trumps issues which may oblige us to separate, to find different institutional homes. The scriptural basis for Christians to love and serve each other has been twisted to become an obligation to maintain fellowship between institutional Churches, no matter how far off the rails they go. The Reformation is the Anglican answer to that suggestion. Churches can go wrong – badly wrong. Look at the case against the church at Ephesus: ‘you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first, If not, I will come and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent’ (Revelation 2: 4,5). As Article XIX says, ‘As the Church of Jerusalem,
The Caledonia Times Publication of the Diocese of Caledonia Publisher: The Bishop of Caledonia Editor: The Dean of Caledonia Associate Editor: Audrey Wagner
Published monthly, except July and August by: Diocese of Caledonia, 200 – 4th Avenue West Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1P3 (250) 635-6016 or (250) 600-7143 Address correspondence and copy to the address above. Or to caledoniatimes@gmail.com Submissions must be received by the first day of the month for the following month’s issue. Send subscription orders, address changes Diocese of Caledonia c/o Anglican Journal 80 Hayden St. Toronto, Ontario M4Y 3G2 Printed and mailed by: Webnews Inc., North York, Ont.
See Unity: real and fake on p. 4 Caledonia Times — November 2016
my seat and I am grateful he did. He kept me from treating that person as he had treated us. The Bishop called me to a higher standard of life and living.
Skypilot Moments Of endings and beginnings I find it interesting that when one thing comes to an end, another thing has already begun to take its place. Endings and beginnings are one in the same. And in fact as human beings, hello and goodbye as well as endings and beginnings, are the very first things that we learn to deal with. We are in such a moment as we come to the end of an episcopacy and looking toward to the start of another. In thinking about the last few years and serving as Dean, one of the things I have come to appreciate about the Bishop and his episcopacy, is his unwavering commitment to the Christian faith and the unity of the Christian Church. I took the time to search the internet for articles about Bishop William and his time as Bishop as I thought I might look at the highlights. I noticed as I was doing this, an interesting trend. I saw in him a passion that has remained for the Church. He noted in his last Charge to Synod (September, 2015) that he was sorry that there was little growth in the numbers of people going to Church. I think if we look carefully, we can note that there are changes going on; that there has been a strengthening of the Church, of those who are present and those who serve. For example, the work of different parishes to become more self supporting and other parishes that have had to work on maintaining their clergy and their physical presence in the communities in which they are found. Under the current episcopacy, the Camp was restarted and has just completed it sixth camping season. The congregation in Fort St. John has looked to revamp their physical presence by relocating the Rectory and working on building a new Church building. The Church
building in Pouce Coupe was closed and sold and at the same time, it has allowed St. Mark’s Church to do some work in the building in terms of greening itself, including putting solar panels on the roof to supply energy to the building and excess energy is to be sold for a profit. The Stuart – Nechako Lakes Regional Parish flourishes. Lots of work has been done in the Parish to build up ministry and community – including the Soup kitchen and food bank which are housed in the Church building in Fort St. James. We are seeing growth in Houston, Smithers, and Kitimat. The Diocese is running the “Timothy Program” training and preparing people for ministry in the Nass. Masset is serving their area with a thrift store. Additionally, one of the things that the current episcopacy has taught me is how to handle conflict well. It is important for one to stand up for what one believes in. It is also equally important in how one deals with the conflicts that arise from this. I have often said that, “Conflict in inevitable. Combat is always optional.” The Church being the Church has through out the ages always been dealing with conflict on how the mission of God should be best carried out. Handled rightly, it can be a source of strength and give the Church the ability to draw the disaffected and the disconnected into the Church and empower and embolden folks for ministry. When handled poorly, the results can be disastrous and just as consquential. I would point out to you a time that Bishop William and I were at a meeting in the South and a person in that meeting said a number of uncomplimentary things, including some uncomplimentary name calling. The Bishop looked me back into
Canadians have a reputation for apologizing. They say sorry almost as often as they say “eh.” While this is not bad in itself it has little to do with the hard work involved in forgiveness when a terrible wrong has been done to you or someone you love. It is this difficult kind of forgiveness which is addressed by Desmond Tutu and his daughter Mpho in The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World. Desmond Tutu lived through the end of the apartheid era in South Africa. He was the Anglican bishop who led the Peace and Reconciliation Commission helping people move beyond the atrocities that had occurred by allowing a safe place for the truth to come out. Desmond Tutu and his daughter Mpho in The Book of Forgiving coach us from being victims to being free people. Mpho is an Anglican priest who while working on this book was also pursuing a doctorate on the subject of forgiveness. The Book of Forgiving includes many stories of people who have been able to forgive as well as lectures and exercises on forgiveness. The stories keep us reading and the exercises reach deep into our psyches to help us to be free. The book is in three parts: Understanding Forgiveness, The Fourfold Path, and All Can Be ForCaledonia Times — November 2016
As we consider the future and life in a new episcopacy, we can plan on there being opposition, hardship and suffering, as we seek to serve Christ. We can be best prepared through maintaining a good training program and solid preaching for believers. The future may be hard and scary. That is part of hellos and goodbyes, of endings and beginnings. The most important thing to remember is that there is, of necessity, the need to teach and to live the faith each and every day. We need to guard the Good Deposit with everything we are and have, and to do so with the Spirit as well (2nd Timothy 1.14). As there is an ending, so there is a beginning. May God support us all as we come to it. Jason+ Editor, the Caledonia Times.
tian in their message, they write in a way which is inclusive. As they say in the book “The Forgiveness Cycle “ is a universal and nonsectarian cycle.”
Books on the Way By Ruby McBeth
St. Paul reminds us that we are not given a spirit of fear and timidity, but of love power and self control. It is the very picture of who Jesus was in his earthly ministry. As Christians, we are filled with the Spirit and therefore are capable of showing godly use of power, displaying divine love and doing so while self disciplining ourselves so that we do not mar the witness that God’s love and power can make. We can carry on the ministry that is to come in the days ahead, even in the face of hardship, opposition and do so without shame or fear. In fact we need to continue to move boldly and with all the spiritual gifts we have in possession because God the Holy Spirit is with us and in us.
given. Part One introduces the authors’ ideas, Part Two gives details on each of the steps on the path, and Part Three talks about forgiving ourselves and creating “A World of Forgiveness.”
Tutu, Desmond and Mpho Tutu. The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World. New York: Harper Collins, 2014.
There are two ideas which recur in this book. One is our need to be patient in pursuing forgiveness. Not everyone can move quickly through the four steps. In the case of hidden sexual abuse it can take years for a person to come to terms with it. Secondly, everyone starts out good. Some people make very bad choices, but that does not mean they cannot change. The four stages in forgiveness are as follows: telling the story, naming the hurt, granting forgiveness, and renewing or releasing the relationship. At the end of the introduction we are instructed to get “Supplies for the Journey”. The first and most important item is a journal. This will be your private space to work through the four stages of forgiveness. At the end of each chapter there is a summary and then a meditation and a job to do and finally your journal work. Recommended on many levels. The Tutus’ book could be used for a weeklong retreat; it could be used by individuals either with or without a spiritual advisor, and it could be used by a study group. While the authors are obviously ChrisPage 3
Canada in Brief : Wider Church Life By Tali Folkins, Journal Staff New development to meet needs of downtown A new, fully accessible 6,000-square-foot church unit will be constructed for the congregation of All Saints as part of the multi-storey condominium complex situated at 15 Queen St. S., Hamilton, Ont. In August, the derelict church and its associated buildings were demolished to make way for the new facility. “After almost a decade, All Saints is thrilled to continue the legacy of ministry that has taken place on that corner for more than 140 years,” said the Rev. Ronda Ploughman. “Although there are many wonderful memories connected to the old building… the new space meets the needs of the church and community in ways that are much more consistent with ministry in the 21st century.” Nearly two decades ago, All Saints was damaged in an earthquake, and in 2009, ongoing structural and safety issues forced the congregation to find a temporary meeting space. Since then, the diocese of Niagara, on behalf of the parish, entered into an agreement with Hamilton-based Rise Real Estate to redevelop the property into a new, fully accessible church development that will include meeting and worship space. The church exterior will be reminiscent of a storefront, showcasing the work of local artists and community partners, but efforts to preserve the heritage of the former church are also being undertaken. The altar, stone font, bell and cornerstones will be incorporated into the new church unit. Steps are also being taken to retain some of the limestone bricks, which will be carved and sold by a local artist.
man, living in a safe and free country. War, uncertainty, poverty and despair were behind him. For more than half of his 48 years, Phillip has coped with danger and hunger on a daily basis. He and his wife, Esther, both formerly of Liberia, spent 26 years in a refugee camp in Côte d’Ivoire, on Africa’s Atlantic coast. Their children were born there and know nothing other than life as refugees. But this family are now a long way from life in a refugee camp. On July 27, they landed at the Fredericton International Airport, sponsored by several parishes in the Fredericton deanery along with Christ Church Cathedral. They now have an apartment with food in the cupboards, furniture, clothing and—most of all—hope. “I like the freedom,” said Phillip. “I can go anywhere. Nobody stabs you. It is a safe country.” Phillip left Liberia at age 21 following the outbreak of the First Liberian Civil War, and did odd jobs in the refugee camps. He is hoping to look for work cleaning and gardening in Canada, but he has high hopes for his children: Arene, 19, wants to be a teacher, and Catherine, 16, a doctor. The family lives close to Fredericton’s St. Margaret’s Anglican Church, and have made the church their own. Recently, Phillip sang a song in church— “Count Your Blessings”—in both English and his native language of Grebo, because, he said, “I feel happy all the time.” “We were blessed at St. Margaret’s with the singing of Phillip,” said the rector, the Rev. Rick Robinson. Members of the parish continue to help the family adjust to North American living, and settle into their new life.
—Niagara Anglican
—The New Brunswick Anglican
Liberian refugees settle in Fredericton When Phillip Weah woke up July 28, he was a free
Sudanese bishop visits Qu’Appelle About 30 people gathered to hear Bishop Daniel
Unity: real and fake (Continued from Page 2) Alexandria, and Antioch have erred: so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of ceremonies, but also in matters of faith’. If the matter is grievous enough we must protest – reform them or leave them or risk compromising the gospel we preach. It is tragic that some are arguing that leaving a church or denomination is never a possibility because it hinders the gospel. The reverse can be the case: a church may be so compromised with the world that it cannot effectively preach the gospel.
Deng Abot, of the diocese of Duk in the Anglican Church of South Sudan and Sudan, when he spoke at St. Phillip’s Anglican Church in Regina August 11. “Revenge is killing us…Tribal identity is killing us,” said Abot, who serves a brand new diocese in the conflict zone between South Sudan and Sudan that straddles the geographical boundary between the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups. “What I am attempting is to make people of different tribes friends, in the little area God has given me,” he continued. “And from that area, peace can spread to the country.” Abot met diocesan bishop Rob Hardwick at a gathering of Anglican bishops in Canterbury. When Hardwick learned Abot was visiting the U.S., he invited him to visit the diocese of Qu’Appelle. Abot is one of the “lost boys” of Sudan—children displaced by the Second Sudanese Civil War, which lasted from 1983-2005. Abot grew up in refugee camps in Ethiopia and, later, Kenya, where he became a priest in 2003. He moved to Australia in the same year with his wife and seven children, but returned to South Sudan in 2014 when he was asked to serve as the first bishop of the newly established diocese of Duk. The bishop described the challenges of his job to the audience at St. Phillip’s, explaining that his is an unpaid position, and that he had to leave his wife and family in Australia. He spends most of his time in the bush, supporting his people and sleeping in their huts. “I feel like a drop in the ocean, but in the name of my Lord Jesus, I feel uniquely suited for the job. I have already suffered in my life, and I always know God has a plan for me, and I know what it is like to start over again in a village.” Shortly after the gathering at St. Phillip’s, Abot and Hardwick met with members of the South Sudanese community in Regina and with other church leaders. —The Saskatchewan Anglican
Comic Life
When we are invited in the name of mission, or in the name of fellowship, to co-operate with a gospel which either refuses to call sin what it is, or worse, declares that sinful behaviour is actually good, the cost is too high. It is not we who have broken fellowship and unity, it is those who regard their unity with the Apostolic Gospel as being of lesser importance than their unity with the teaching of this world, who have created schism. Only true love has the courage to name sin and call for repentance.
When it comes to sexual morality, the Biblical testimony is clear. Sexual intercourse is reserved for a man and a woman who are married. Intercourse outside of marriage is a sin. It is a sin from which there can be repentance and forgiveness. The gospel is not preached in its fullness unless there is a call to repentance. We live in an age of widespread sexual promiscuity. The Bible links this with our rebellion against God and with the idolatry which follows from the rebellion (Romans 1:18-32). For the gospel to be preached without making it clear that the Lord expects sexual purity in his disciples, is to truncate the gospel and betray the people to whom we are speaking. The Lord’s wisdom in this is part of that which makes the good news so good.
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Caledonia Times — November 2016