September 2018 Newsletter
Inside this issue: Upcoming 7th Annual Synod of the Anglican Diocese of the Southwest Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations!
Inside Story 2 Our annual Synod is right around the corner. It will officially begin with dinner at St. Clement’s, El Paso at 5:00 PM on Thursday the 20th of September. Information and registration can be found on 2 our website. Noel has done a great job of making registration as painless as possible. This year our Inside Story main speaker will be Bishop Flavio. He is a missionary bishop from the province of Brazil. He is a gifted speaker and will be helping us look at discipleship and some of the ways that the church in Inside Story 2 Brazil has grown from a mustard seed to a new province in GAFCON. One of the highlights of our Synod last year was the ordination of Kevin Parker to the priesthood. This year we will have five 3 ordinations. This service will take place at 9 AM on Saturday. I pray that you will all be able to stay Inside Story and participate. Stoles will be red.
Inside Story 4 I ask that you would keep those about to be ordained in prayer. Those to be ordained to presbyter are: Ken Hanna and Eduardo Gonzalez of El Paso, and June Smith from San Angelo. Noel and Greg Pfeifer will be ordained as Deacons on behalf of the diocese of Pittsburgh. They live in Albuquerque. Inside Story 5 What’s a Synod? by Noel Collins Inside Story 6 For those etymology nerds out there, the word “Synod” comes from the late Middle English: via late Latin from Greek sunodos ‘meeting,’ from sun- ‘together’ + hodos ‘way.’ A Synod, then, is an opportunity to meet while journeying together. As the Anglican Diocese of the Southwest, we are always journeying together with God and one another. Synod is an important gathering to affirm our togetherness, to hear from one another about how journeying has been and to be encouraged to continue on the way by our speakers and the Bishop, listening to the Holy Spirit together. All clergy are required to attend, lay rep- resentatives and youth representatives from each church also attend the business portion. However, anyone is welcome to attend Synod and often, the guests and friends of the Diocese outnumber the clergy and delegates. Inside this issue: In our diocese, the business of Synod is to “adopt and amend the Diocesan Articles, By-Laws, and Can- Fr. Hal Scott 2 ons; approve budgets; establish and oversee the program of the Diocese; confirm Standing Committee admission of Congregations into the Diocese; and elect Bishops of the Diocese, members of the Dioce- Bishop’s 2 san Standing Committee, members of the Committee on Nominations for Bishop, and Diocesan repre- Calendar sentatives to the Provincial Assembly and Provincial Council.” 3 ROC meeting Synod is an opportunity to encourage one another and fellowship, pray together, to learn under a speak- Juarez visits er and through other guests. It offers occasion to reaffirm vows, to unify our mission to ministry, and Prayer Requests 3 to celebrate new ministries and new clergy. Musings on 4 For more information, please check our Synod webpage: Exec Committee https://anglicansw.org/events/anglican-diocese-of-the-southwest-synod-2018/ ReVive invite 5
Ordination 6 Anyone is welcome to attend part or all of Synod, so please come journey Announcements along the way with us! SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER Page 2
Bishop’s Adventures—Fr. Hal Scott received as Rector in San Angelo
On the morning of August 12, I had the pleasure of Celebrating the New Ministry of Fr. Hal Scott at the Church of the Good Shepherd in San Angelo. Fr. Hal came to San Angelo after retiring from the Military as a Chaplain. His wife’s name is Debbie. The service was lovely and the food at the reception was fantastic. Fr. Hal has been serving as our Texas Dean this past year. We are very lucky to have him in the diocese.
Deacon June, Bishop Mark, and Fr. Hal celebrate Fr. Hal’s New Ministry in San Angelo, Texas
An excerpt from the ACGS newsletter announcing Father Hal as the newly appointed Rector, written by their Senior Warden, Charles Westbrook:
“Father Hal’s achievements, educational background, military career as a Navy Chaplain and commissioned officer, and expe- riences as a pastor and priest are impressive and well documented. His abilities as a priest, his personality, and his pastoral skills, have already been experienced by our flock.
During three meetings the vestry examined Father Hal’s documentation and references and conducted a personal interview with him. As the process unfolded it became inescapably obvious that Father Hal’s decisions to make San Angelo his home upon retirement from the Navy, to join Good Shepherd, to minister to Good Shepherd in the absence of a rector, and to apply for the position, were not random events, but were of God’s design. With the prayers of the congregation and our intercessors and through much discussion, deliberation and prayerful consideration, the vestry was led to accept Father Hal’s application.
I cannot underscore enough the dedicated efforts of your vestry, buttressed by the search committee and Bishop Zimmerman, and the support provided by the congregation’s private and corporate prayers throughout this process leading to the vestry’s action.”
The Bishop’s Upcoming Adventures Sept 4-6 College of Bishops meeting Long Beach, CA Sept 7-8 REVIVE conference hosted by Christ the King Albuquerque, NM Sept 20-22 Anglican Diocese of the Southwest Synod El Paso, TX Sept 23-28 Foreign Bishops Leadership Summit Colorado Springs, CO Oct 18-20 Diocese of Cascadia synod Washington State Oct 28 Visitation and Ordination at St. Clement’s El Paso, TX Nov 12-15 Pastels Workshop San Angelo, TX Nov 17-18 Visitation on behalf of Bishop Todd Hunter Indianapolis, IN Nov 25 Visitation to Christ the King Albuquerque, NM Page 3 SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER
Bishop’s Adventures—ROC meeting and interviews
Just before Gus and I left for Mexico, the ROC had a two-day meeting over August 17-18. ROC stands for the Reception and Ordination Committee. It is now led by Fr. Bill Cobb of St. Clement’s. The committee has been very busy lately as we prepare for the ordinations at Synod. One of the tasks that needed to be completed was to administer the Canonical Exams. Our diocese has been cooperating with the other western dioceses to develop and administer a good exam. I ask that you hold all our candidates in prayer as they wait for the results of this exam. It was a great privilege to work with all these people.
Bishop’s Adventures—Visiting churches in Juarez, Mexico
On Sunday, the 19th of August, Gus Haddad and I visited three congregations in Juarez along with Deacon Eduardo González. These congregations are led by three talented young men who graduated from the seminary where Eduardo is the Academic Dean. While at seminary they began to explore the possibility of becoming Anglican. Their names are Heber, Jose, and Isai. I ask that you would please hold them and their families in prayer. Also pray for their con- gregations. Pray that we can transition them into the diocese in a way that will be a blessing to everyone. They, their wives, their families, and their congrega- tions are lovely men and women of God.
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
-Please pray for me on September 4-6. I will be attending a College of Bishops meeting. We be looking to approve some of the last texts that will go into our new Prayer Book that will be published next year. We will also be looking at several issues that will affect all of our churches and our life together.
-I ask that you hold Christ the King in prayer as they sponsor an event with The Rev. Canon Mark Eldridge to help Re- vitalize our churches in the diocese. I hope that you can take advantage of this great opportunity. This event will start with dinner on Friday evening the 7th of September and conclude on Saturday at 3.
-Immediately after our Synod I will drive Bishop Flavio up to a conference in Colorado Springs. This is a leadership summit and will seek to build relationships between ACNA bishops and our brothers in other countries. Please pray for safe travel and that our time together would help us find ways to grow the church in Mexico.
-Last year we were blessed to have Bishop Keith, Bishop Kevin, and Bishop Ken attend our Synod. In the West we have committed to support each other by attending each other’s Synods. This year we are invited to attend the Dio- cese of Cascadia which is served by Bishop Kevin. I will be at his Synod from October 19-20. Please pray that I might be as much of a blessing to his folks as he was to all of us.
-On October 28 I will hold my annual visit to El Paso. This will be a special visit in that Courtney Brown will be or- dained a deacon at St. Clement’s. Please hold her up in prayer as she prepares. SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER Page 4
Musings of an Executive Committee Member— L. Gus Haddad, ADSW Missions/Operations/Finance
Your Anglican Church in North America Executive Committee recently gathered at St. Stephen’s, Sewickley (Pittsburgh). The Ex- ecutive committee was joined by newly elected members Jonathan Millard+, Church of the Ascension, (Pittsburgh), Jeff Walton, Restoration Anglican (Arlington, VA), as well as re-elected members Fillmore Strunk+, (All Saints Anglican, Charlotte, NC) and myself, L Gus Haddad, (St. Clement’s Anglican, El Paso). We met to continue to re-energize our relationships, create new relation- ships, prayer, discussion, and the business of the Province. Our discussion included the upcoming College of Bishops meeting, As- sembly 2019, Global events, and the latest events in the ACNA.
The most significant development was discussion centering around the election of ++Foley Beach as Chairman of the Global Angli- can Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, at GAFCON 2018 in June of this year. The GAFCON network unites orthodox Anglicans, and represents the majority of churches and people in our Anglican movement worldwide. Our discussions revolved around the time and resources that would be necessary for Archbishop Beach to perform these extra duties. Currently, Archbishop Beach is the Or- dinary of the Anglican Diocese of the South (ADOTS), as well as Archbishop of the ACNA. After discussion, the Archbishop discussed with us that he will need assistance to perform these duties, as well as assistance at ADOTS. In terms of assistance and resources in the role of Chairman of GAFCON, assisting Archbishop Beach will be Archbishop Ben Kwashi as the new secretary-general of GAFCON. GAFCON will provide the as- sistance and resources necessary for these two extraordinary men of God to continue to build on the good work of their pre- decessors Archbishop Okoh of Nigeria, and Archbishop Jensen of Australia, to carry out the GAFCON mandate, “Proclaiming Christ to the Nations”. Assisting ++Beach at ADOTS is Bishop Frank Lyons who will take on additional responsibilities at ADOTS. Archbishop Beach has said his greatest joy comes from having a personal relationship with his clergy and their families, and is committed to continue in these relationships.
As we gathered in Pittsburgh, the latest revelations gripping the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pittsburgh of sexual abuse and harassment were uppermost in our minds. While the ACNA Canons (Title 4) cover abuse, we were urged to complete a diag- nostic in each of our own Dioceses as to the completeness of policies and procedures and if these policies and procedures are easily assessable to our members. To this end, here in the ADSW, in partnership with our Churches and Missions, we will begin a process of discussion that will prayerfully end in the completion of an Abuse and Harassment policy, as well as the completion of the Protection of Children Manual.
The Executive Committee was greatly encouraged to hear of our ADSW activities in Mexico, as well as a planned Anglican track at the Seminario de todo los Naciones in Juárez, Mexico. In conversation with the committee, ++Beach, expressed his pleas- ure as well as his encouragement of our activities in Mexico.
As we continue to strive to improve our processes, the Canons to the Ordinary, Archdeacons, and Administrators group was formed. I attended our first gathering at Christ Church Plano, where we met each other, compared policies and best practices, as well as prayed for each other and the Church. We have spirit- ed discussion on our google groups forum. I believe this group will prove invaluable for our ADSW as we continue to increase communications, and seek ways to increase our effectiveness.
Lastly, at Synod 2018, we will be electing delegates to the Pro- vincial Council and the Provincial Assembly. I will be writing more in the future, but for now I refer you to the infographic at left. Page 5 SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER
ReVive! Conference in Albuquerque, NM —Sept 7-8, 2018
Dear Colleagues in Christ,
I invite you to join Christ the King for a Revive Workshop hosted by Christ the King and presented by the American Anglican Council on September 7 and 8th. Rev. Canon Mark Eldridge will be our guest presenter. The ReVive! Workshop seeks to provide practical strategies for personal and church renewal. In addition, ReVive! presents an opportunity for all ACNA churches in our region to join in fellowship, learn, and discuss strategies to help every church.
The Revive workshop will have 5 sessions:
Renewal of Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength.
Vision and Values
Insist on Congregational Health
Vital Strategies
Enacting the Vision
We gather on Friday evening, Sept. 7th, for dinner and worship and close on Saturday at 3 PM. Most of the cost of the workshop has been donated by Christ the King, so we are able to offer this workshop for only $50 per church. We’ll be contacting you shortly to talk to you about ReVive! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please give me a call (505) 974-1688 or email me [email protected]
Please start praying about ReVive! I hope you’ll attend with a team from your church.
Yours in Christ, Thomas R. McGee Rector, Christ the King Anglican SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER Page 6 Anglican Diocese of the Southwest P.O. Box 35549 Albuquerque, NM 87176-5549 Phone: 505-312-8877 Email: [email protected]
Have a praise, prayer request, event, photos or other communication you would like in the September Newsletter?
Please send all relevant information by September 28
We’ve got some new e-mail addresses, please change them in your address books!
Bishop Mark Zimmerman: [email protected]
Gus Haddad, Missions/Finance/Operations: [email protected]
Noel Collins, Communications/Admin: [email protected]
Register Now!!! https://anglicansw.org 2018 Anglican Diocese of the Southwest Synod September 20-22, 2018 El Paso, TX | Speaker: Bishop Flavio of Brazil ADSW