Reflections on Provincial Synod XXI

of the Anglican Catholic Church, Original Province

Last week (October 26-30) delegates, observers, clergy and bishops gathered from every major continent for the biannual Provincial Synod of the Original Province of the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC), held this time in Athens, Georgia, at the University of Georgia Hotel and Conference Center. Also present was Pakistani Bishop Mushtaq Andrew form the Second Province of the ACC, whose speech on Wednesday (Oct. 27) concluded the day's meeting on the Synod floor and received a standing ovation. The bushiness of the Synod (i.e. Angends items) was conducted beginning that morning, and the day ended with the Provincial Synod Mass at St. Stephen's ACC in Athens, which included a moving sermon by recently consecrated Bishop Dominic Sonwabo Mdunyelwa of South Africa.

What most of us in the western developed countries (the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia) take away from these Provincial Synods, every other year, is the rich and often moving experience of the ACC people and clergy who live in other countries in which persecution and poverty are among the hardships associated with the life of Christians in general (and though Colombia and Haiti are also in the west, geographically, their day to day life, with all of its struggles, are in many ways more like the lives of our brethren in those countries than life in, e.g., the U.S.). 

The shift of Christianity's center of gravity, from the Europe of old Christendom to the Global South as observed and noted years ago by author Philip Jenkins, is visible in the ACC. Our largest diocese of all is in the South Sudan, cared for by Bishop Wilson Garang. It is quite moving, and can make us feel that our own experience is lacking, if in anything, the kind of suffering under which so many others bear up by the grace of God. I want to say, at this point, it is more practical to give what we can to help and support the Church in those countries. One practical way is for a western parish to join with a sister parish in one of the countries where the need is great, to raise funds and to pray. Another is, of course, individual donations which you can make.

Canonical clarifications
The ACC has found it necessary to make very specific clarification in its Canon Law, all of which proposals were voted into effect on Wednesday (Oct. 28) by the lay delegates, clergy delegates and bishops, due to the present day confusion of basic matters of sex and marriage. The language restricting marriage, as we recognize it, to a life long sacramental union between one man and one woman (as ordained by God, and taught by Christ) and concerning what our clergy are allowed to celebrate and bless, and concerning the protection of ACC parishes from litigation regarding the use of their property, etc., was tightly and unmistakably altered so as to avoid any all possible legal loopholes. This also serves the needs of ACC Military Chaplains in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Furthermore, regarding the modern confusion about "gender identity" our Canon Law now clarifies that one's sex is "assigned" at conception and is an objective biological fact. For purposes of marriage, a "man" is an adult who is male and was conceived male, and a woman is an adult who is female, and was conceived female. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:27)." For purposes of marriage we recognize two sexes, not a large variety of "genders." (On The Continuum we have addressed these issues doctrinally and in terms of medical science. See "Not the Author of Confusion" and "The Doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ Concerning Marriage.")

The ACC has acted prudentially in taking these necessary steps both for spiritual reasons and for legal reasons. Obviously, these issues must be understood correctly for reasons of doctrine, as basic teaching and sacramental theology. They must be clarified, also, to protect our clergy, laity and churches from malicious litigation, or maybe even someday prosecution, as the courts continue to side, more and more, with confusion and immorality at the expense of Freedom to exercise religion. 

Continuing Church ecumenism

Present also were the Most Rev. Brian Marsh, Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church in America, and the Most Rev. Walter Grundorf, Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Province of America. This has become normal for the Provincial Synods and is no mere symbolic gesture. This generation of bishops are working together in real and practical ways. Presiding Bishop Royal Grote of the Reformed Episcopal Church was present for a while on Wednesday the 28, but was unable to stay for the whole day and for the Synod Mass in the evening.

Summary

The feeling and atmosphere of Provincial Synods (which I attended every other year since 2009) is one of peace and joy. All things are done decently and in order. The business conducted on the Synod Floor is always about genuine and relevant issues upon which to vote. Spiritually, the whole experience is always rich and rewarding.

From the Congo

Report of the ACC-MD Congo to the Provincial Synod 2013

The ACC- Missionary Diocese of Congo is pleased to thank all who have contributed for its development by granting projects and prayers through the Missionary Society of Saint Paul, Anglican Aid Abroad, the ACC-Traditional Anglican Church of Canada, and the Diocese of the South. Thanks for their assistances.

I thank those who have assisted me during my ordination and consecration as the first Bishop Ordinary of the Missionary Diocese of Congo: Archbishop Mark Haverland, Bishop Damien Mead, Bishop Alan Kenyon-Hore, Father David Marriott, Father Robert Mansfield’s Parish, Holy Guardian Angel Parish- Lantana, Father Lock and his Parish Good Shepherd -Palm Bay, and Father Gregory Wassen. God bless all.

The year 2012 in the Anglican Catholic Church- Missionary Diocese of Congo was characterized by three great events: the consecration of the first Bishop Ordinary of the diocese; the sad event of the lose of some congregations situated in dangerous areas of the Province where the militias and rebels are making the law specially the mountain of Mitumba and Equatorial forest. The diocese has lost 22 churches from four parishes situated in dangerous zone or areas (Equatorial forest) which had 1,287 Christians (adults and many children) who have fled their villages to look for a safe place in other territories of the Province; 2 Missions of 92 faithful in the towns of Kinshasa and Goma lack a deacon or priest to conduct church services. As you know our work is mainly centred in the villages and townships, which have high unemployment, poverty and many social problems created by the long war which has disturbed the population who have lost family members, their jobs and properties. Apart from poverty, which is the common situation of the Church in the poor countries, the Missionary Diocese of Congo has a particular [difficulty] which is the war. With war nothing can be done because people throw off balance and live with despair. This requires the diocese to have many possibilities for trying to lift the development’s level.

A new rebellion against the Congolese government was launched in April 2012 in eastern DRC. The insurgent group is known as the M23 and is thought to comprise around 600 fighters, the core of whom formerly belonged to Tutsi rebel group called the National Congress for the Defense of People (CNDP). According to a recent United Nations report, the M23 has received significant military, financial and political support from senior members of the Rwandan and Ugandan’s governments, including the country’s Minister of Defense and Chief of Defense staff. Rwandan and Ugandan support has included provision of weapons, ammunition and soldiers to the rebellion.

The FARDC focus on the rebellion has created a security vacuum elsewhere. In certain parts of North and South Kivu this has allowed other armed groups, such as the Democratic Forces for Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels and the local militia groups, to regain territory and in some cases attack new areas. Many persons outside DR-Congo think that the war of Congo is tribal war but it is not that. The common thread of the violence is the presence of mineral wealth in the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially in North and South- Kivu provinces where the ACC (Anglican Catholic Church) work is based. The wars officially ended in 2003, but today more than 3 million persons live as refugees in their own country. Armed groups continue to spread terror as they fight for control of and access to mineral resources.  Women and girls even children are raped every day; militias use rape as a new weapon of war, destroying communities and targeting women, the backbone of Congolese society. Tens thousands of women and girls have been victims of sexual violence in the DR-Congo. Attacks are common, and access to medical and psychological support is very limited. In this issue the Missionary Diocese of Congo thanks the Diocese of South in the USA through Berry’s family who has been able to fund the opening of Clinic in the village of Mosho, also the ACC- District “Traditional Anglican Church of Canada” has founded two raped girls with sewing machines to offer new hope.

To be priest or Bishop in the most dangerous place in the world; it is to put your life in danger; Because since 1996, more than 6 million persons have died from war-related causes as government and rebel militias have fought to control the mineral-rich region’s mines. Countless women have been raped. Local communities have been terrorized and sometimes razed. As ministers of God, we are obliged to save the souls of many people because there are numerous religious groups that are continually stealing people away from Christian faith and church tradition. Once a person is captured by any such cult, it is very difficult to reach him or her with the gospel, yet we must reach them because Christ died for them too. Time after time it is either a young or a new believer who is deceived by false cults. Once such people enter the cult, they are blinded so much by the cult's seductive arguments and materials that they become almost insulated from the Gospel message. Praying on the immature, the young, and the uninformed is a very common trick, and this is why Paul exhorted his listeners to grow as soon as possible to a sufficient level of spiritual maturity. He says, “That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive (Ephesians 4:14).”

Most active members of false cults have a very dedicated religious life, and they are very serious about their spiritual duties. This is another reason why we should definitely be concerned about the salvation of people who belong to different false cults; most of them are sincere, but are in the trap of a lie. The lie of the group that salvation is fully secure for them keeps them away from the gospel even though they are sincere. However, introducing the gospel to people ensnared by the cults is not an easy task. Anyone who is interested in reaching them with the gospel should be willing to invest a good amount of time and energy at the preparatory stage itself, and much more after that.

There are a difference between the Evangelization in most African Countries and Western countries:

-          Like DR- Congo, Cameroun, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa and Soudan most of our churches are going to be evangelized and established by us leaders, that means we start for nothing to get the possibility to open a church in the village, township or town. This is contrary for the Western countries where many churches join the ACC with some means necessary to be called a church.

-          The majorities of our members are from false cults and poverty areas which need more teachings and seminars to remove the false teachings they had from their previous churches.

-          The poverty is a common issue for the churches situated in poor countries, but in DR-Congo add the fighting in some areas of our country to make break of work in certain areas. We could concentrate our efforts on the town and townships where seem to be safe but we don’t have income to get plots of land or rent houses.

-          In the poor countries we observe the massive participation of local people in their desire to hear the Word of the Lord is one encouraging point, because this is the very mission of the church as we read in Matthew 28:19-20. What is needed is an investment in the poor countries where the ACC is already an established means to provide them with the necessary means for the development of the church in all aspects (economic, social and infrastructure).

-           The work of evangelization we are doing cannot be achieved without your participation and assistance, especially as this time our countries are split by the poverty and wars. One dollar you give is a big contribution for our work in Africa.

The step of after the Ordination and Consecration of the first Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Catholic Church, Missionary Diocese of Congo has made the church to start the period of maturation because Bishop, Priests, deacons and laymen, each where he works, he is obliged to take over the church’s activities. The Missionary Diocese of Congo is the very heart which beats at the centre of Africa: the strategic launch pad for the growth and development of the ACC in the black world, and in particular the French speaking countries, when we take account of the human and economic potential which is here. The massive participation of local people in their desire to hear the Word of the Lord and to join the ACC is one encouraging point, because this is the very mission of the church as we read in Matthew 28:19-20. Even if Your Grace Archbishop Haverland has called the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo the most dangerous place in the world, the Church is growing; the diocese is well established in the Province of South Kivu where the size is four times the size of Republics of Rwanda and Burundi combined. The Church is going to be established in other provinces of the country Kasai Oriental with 5 parishes, Katanga one parish and Maniema one parish. We have 4 Archdeaconries divided into 6 deaneries, 22 parishes and 33 congregations, with a total of 1,657 faithful (adults and children).

We need your prayer that God sends peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the neighbour countries. We beseech our partners of the ACC-OP dioceses, parishes, individual, Anglican Aid Abroad and Missionary Society of Saint Paul to hold hands with us.

Thanks God bless all

For the ACC- Missionary Diocese of Congo

+The Right Reverend Steven AYULE-MILENGE

Bishop Ordinary

(Editor's note: Financial contributions can be sent through the Mission Fund of the Diocese of the South, ACC-OP.)

Reminder

This was originally published almost two years ago, for Lent and Eastertide 2009, and you can see the whole issue here. The appeal goes hand in hand with the post that follows directly.

The Missionaries of St. Paul the Apostle

The Evangelist

Published by the Mission Society of the Anglican Catholic Church

The Most Rev. Mark Haverland Metropolitan & Bishop-in-Charge of the Mission Society

The Venerable Donald F. Lerow

Executive Secretary

Mission Society: “The Society shall encourage the witness, Faith and practice of the Anglican Catholic Church and shall, on behalf of all Provinces of this Church, provide funding, personnel, and other forms of support for domestic and international missions; for the amelioration, relief, and assistance of persons and communities distressed by natural or man-made events or disasters or by adverse social or political situations; for religious, educational, and medical eleemosynary endeavors; and for works of religion.” [ACC] OP Canon 3.

This is a tall order to say the least. But, the Society is busy working on your behalf to bring order and energy to support the life and growth of the Anglican Catholic Church. Reality teaches us that it takes more than a few committed clergy and laity to bring to fruition the dreams of those Christians living in lands not so rich. Without your financial support, prayers, gifts and offerings it would not be possible.

In spite of the hard financial times the world is struggling with, giving to those not so fortunate is an absolute necessity. Those without suffer greatly. This must not happen: but, alas, it can happen if we don’t act. Let us all pledge this year to give when the giving is hard, pray when the praying is tough and volunteer when there seems to be so little time.

In Christ,

Fr. Donald F. Lerow

The Africa Appeal

Revised at 4:30 PM EST, 1/27/11

From Fr. David Marriott

Parishes of St. Columba of Iona & St. Bride.

February 2011

A few days ago, I was sitting watching a whole bunch of little birds: different varieties, but I cannot tell them apart very well: they were out in a backyard eating their fill of seeds which my host had kindly scattered for them. But the way they went about this feast was different: it involved so much nervous looking around them before every quick peck at the seed, and many, many hasty flights into the nearby trees and bushes, before they deemed it safe to return to their food.

Watching these birds brought me to reflect on the way we can live without the need to check our surroundings every few minutes, that we live in a far safer place than that of the birds: even though we all, birds and humans, happen to live in the same place on earth! And the reason that there is this fundamental difference is that we have embraced the values of law and the civil society: with a respect for the rights of the other: be that neighbour, colleague, friend, or adversary. And in the societies of the ‘West’, we might give great thanks that the values of the very civil society that brings us this peace is the result of the teaching of the Christian faith and the values inherent therein.

Then I checked my e-mail, where a message was waiting which demonstrated that as we give thanks for our freedoms, others, other Christian brothers and sisters, live a life more typical of that which I had observed in the birds: they are, they have to be, constantly on guard, constantly watchful, constantly aware of the enemy within their own community. If you read the Economist of January 15^th 2011, there is an article detailing the impact of rape as a weapon of war: and the grave ramifications of this. The e-mail I received made this article far, far more real: these are people I have met, who have honoured my visit to their town: the little town of Fizi in Sud-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

On the 1st January 2011, an officer of the Congolese army, ‘Amani Leo’ battalion, sat drinking in Fizi. He called out to a young boy, that the boy should go and bring him a local woman whom he had seen in a field close by: he explained that he wanted to sleep with her. The young boy objected: arguing that this was not a prostitute, that the woman was a married woman, mother of a family in the town. Angered by this reply, the officer ordered his body guard to shoot the young boy.

Before the bodyguard was able to carry out the command the officer and bodyguard were assaulted by a group of the young boy’s friends: they were successful in taking the rifle from the bodyguard, and then proceeded to beat the officer and the bodyguard with severe results.

That evening, the commandant of the ‘Amani Leo’ battalion, who was in Fizi-Centre at the time, ordered his troop to take their vengeance by killing with knives any and all people that they found in the neighbourhood of the incident. This was the night of the 1^st – 2^nd January 2011.

You should be aware that the name ‘Amani Leo’ is Swahili for ‘Peace in our day’.

The soldiers in this brigade have been recruited in the main from a former rebel group – ‘CNDP’ (Congrès national pour la défense du peuple) of Laurent Nkudabatware (Laurent Nkunda): these troops include many Rwandan Tutsi who have been brought in to fight the Iterahamwe (Hutu) militia, themselves fugitive from the Rwandan conflict, in both North and South Kivu provinces.

Whereas all may support the need to eliminate the threat of an armed militia terrorizing your community and region, desperately looking to a return to peace and tranquility and the possible establishment of investment in mining and agriculture that this would bring: few can countenance the prospect where the very army you need to rely on for protection are themselves instigators of criminal acts of terror.

In all cases the ones who suffer are the local population: trapped between two vicious armies, where there are no limits to cruelty and violence. These include the people of the parish of St. Paul, Fizi whom I have met: four years ago they welcomed us at the entry to the town with singing and a great procession: they presented gifts, including a handsome goat: they looked to building a new church, a symbol of a return to peace and good governance: they celebrated this past Christmas hiding in the jungle around their town, too fearful to return to home and hearth, giving thanks for the birth of Christ in the shadows, in secret places, while the powers of evil stalked the paths and byways of their town.

I have been told some sad stories which have been circulated about the church in Congo, L’Église Catholique Anglicane du Congo. There are, for sure, elements which need to be improved: but is this not true of all of us? None of this takes away from the responsibility for the people of the villages, of the towns like Fizi: where ordinary people like you and me try and live out their lives in faith and harmony, but unlike us, must be constantly on the watch for the approach of evil, for the marauder who will torture, maim and kill them with little or no compunction: just like those little birds you can watch outside your kitchen window!

Can you help? In Canada, the Africa Appeal at St. Columba or, in the USA, the Missionary Society of St. Paul (http://www.anglicancatholic.org/MSSP_Flyer_2009.pdf) will ensure that any funds contributed will be sent in full to the church in Congo. (Indicate ‘Congo’ on your cheque.)

Fr. David R. Marriott SSC

Please send your donations (cheques payable to St. Columba of Iona) to:

The Africa Appeal, St. Columba of Iona, c/o Fr. David Marriott, 304-9821 140^th Street, Surrey BC, V3T 5R7

Or to:

The Africa Appeal, St. Columba of Iona, c/o Mr. D. Whitworth, 11070B Sunshine Coast Highway, Halfmoon Bay BC V0N 1Y2

Tax receipts will be issued.

ACC Rwanda

Why Rwanda? Is Continuing Anglicanism necessary there? The answer is, yes. The official Church of the Anglican Communion in Rwanda is committed to women's "ordination." Their American church, the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA), though itself refusing to "ordain" priestesses, "ordains" women as deacons, and mistakes that for the lay ministry of deaconess that existed in the ancient Church, and which Anglicanism had revived. True Apostolic ministry has been established however, with the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) in that African country. Rwanda is still recovering from the fighting and mass killings that happened in the last decade of the twentieth century. Pray for the increase of the ministry, and for God's blessing and protection for His people there.

A couple of the many pictures mentioned in the following are posted below.

"Greetings from Kigali,

The attached are some of the photos from Bishop's Garang's visit in ACC Rwanda,

the people who were confirmed from St. Mark Rwanyakayaga, two people being laid on hands for confirmation, some of the confirmed people from St. Stephen with some friends and relatives who are also members of the church, Bishop Garang preaching sermon while Father Phanuel is interpreting at St. Mark All other pictures are about the ordination of deacons, signing the oaths, and father Phanuel with some Deacons, I apologize for some of the pictures which are not clear
Thank you,
Father Phanuel"

The Bishop Garang Episcopal visit in Democratic Republic of Congo

I. Introduction

The Anglican Catholic Church in Democratic Republic of Congo joined the Anglican Catholic Church Original Province and was welcomed at November 2009. The first plan of Archbishop Mark Haverland Metropolitan of the ACC-OP was to endeavour to send a bishop to perform confirmations and ordinations which were waited for five years ago in the former Church. This act has convinced Congolese Church to conclude that the ACC is very friendly to missions in general and to work in Africa particular; because for a length of six months as a member church of the ACC-OP a dream has become a reality.

II. Bishop Garang Episcopal visitation in DR-Congo

Archbishop Mark Haverland has made it a reality by sending Bishop Wilson Garang from the diocese of Awiel South Sudan to perform confirmations and ordinations. On Saturday May 8^th the Bishop, accompanied by Father Phanuel Munezero, was welcomed in the border of Rwanda and DR-Congo by Father Steven AYULE-MILENGE, the Administrator of the ACC-Congo.

1. Saint Trinity Parish- Bukavu

- Sunday May 9^th: Bishop has confirmed 5 persons at Saint Trinity Parish Church Bukavu named: Abumba Alaka, Eca Alaka, Makeci Komite, Mmasa Komite and Mwetaminwa Atebeta.

- In the same day bishop has ordained in the Saint Trinity Parish Church 3 persons to the diaconate, Reverend Deacon Abumba Alaka, Reverend Deacon Ntakubajira Cirimwami and Reverend Deacon Mmasa Komite. Deacon Abumba Alaka will serve as curate in the Parish of Saint Trinity- Bukavu; Deacon Mmasa Komite will serve in the new Parish Saint Francis of Assise- Mosho; and Deacon Ntakubajira will serve in the Saint Nativity- Goma newly opened in the Province of North Kivu.

2. Saint Francis of Assise- Mosho

Monday May 10^th: Bishop has confirmed 15 persons at the church of Saint Francis of Assise- Moshi: Amani Alliance, Baderha Gislaine, Bahizire Déogracias, Bikubanga Jeanette, Byandike Franck, Feza Josiana, Furaha Rachel, Kalimurhima Ariette, Kujirabwinja Maria, M’bwazire Odile, Mugisho Innoncent, Mungu Akwokwa Olivier, Ndamuso Angeline, Nzigire Adeline, Ziharirwa Cesaire.

3. Saint Andrew Parish- Mboko

Tuesday May 11^th: Father Steven AYULE-MILENGE and Bishop’s delegation were welcomed by Father Mamba Itongwa in the township of Mboko, at the parish of Saint Andrew- Mboko Bishop Garang has confirmed 22 persons: Amida Mwilemo, Asa Ngyuku, Butunga Georgieta, Bwami Makutano, Clementine Komite, Ecimbo Ngini, Espoir Polepole, Gelta Magayane, Machozi Nalenge, Maneno Mubiho, Mukandja Ngokero, Mtemanwa Kika, Musengo Sephania, Rashidi Mwamba, Ramazani Amuli, Safari Mwanza, Safi Anjela, Salumu Akili, Shukuru W’Elongo, Wabikwa Rebeka, Wakilongo Aliyabu and Zaina Safi.

4. Saint Peter Parish- Baraka

- Wednesday May 12^th bishop confirmed 16 persons in the Parish of Saint Peter- Baraka named: Abea Bibikwa, Abengwa Ekyekekyeke, Ebuela Ecimbo, Eto Neema, Kalenga Kibasomba, Katiba Musobokelwa, Kitungano Mabruki, Lambert Mkongomani, Lubyula Mnyololo, Masoka Balongelwa, Matunga Lutakengwa, Msaseca Lubunga, Mseko Sibwela, Mbeleci Basilwango, Salifu Ezekiel and Tangazo Mkoko.

- In the same day Bishop has ordained 14 persons to the diaconate: Abengwa Ekyekekyeke, Bitangaca Etambala, Byaombe Ungamweko, Ishibatende Mialano, Katiba Musobokelwa, Kitungano Mabruki, Lambert Mkongomani, Lubyula Mnyololo, Matunga Lutakengwa, Mialano Wilondja, Mmokywa Mtundu, Mmunga Salehe, Mseko Sibwela and Mukandja Ngokelo.

- And then three deacons were ordained to the priesthood: Abengwa Ekyekekyeke, Bitangaca Etambala and Mmokywa Mtundu

5. Saint Matthew Parish- Malinde

Thursday May 13^th , in the morning at the church Saint Luke- Sebele of the parish of Saint Matthew- Malinde bishop Garang has confirmed 24 persons named: Ana Bachinge, Baachana Pendelelwa, Bakajane Louise, Balelwa Chantal, Bawili Nyota, Bilemanga Nyasa, Binwa Nyasa, Bitendanwa Eda, Debora Nabalongelwa, Ebanda Fisto, Kamili Wayule, Kyuku Nabalongelwa, Lavika Kajiweka, M’mambelwa Welongo, M’masa Lesa, Mahango Anastazia, Masoka ‘Yala, Mawazo Na’yenge, Mlake Dewayo, Mmbumu Akili, Mwenehitanda Mwaminifu, Nyota Riziki, Safari Mungumwema and Zawadi Siyapata.

6. Saint Paul Parish- Fizi

Thursday May 13^th , in the afternoon at the at the Parish of Saint Paul- Fizi: Bishop has confirmed 10 persons named: A’aleelwa Miambo, Aliabu Itutu, Furaha Nanyota, Lusekea Maenda, Mngeleza Nongo, Mwalihasha Mandami, Namtengya Mandami, Nasu’wa Safi, Nawitambya Abengwa and Welongo Mwenebatu.

III. The Parishes who missed the Episcopal Visit of Bishop Garang

These things were done by Bishop Garang and many remain to be done. The following parishes missed the Episcopal visit of the Right Reverend Wilson Garang due many reasons of the area where the parishes are situated and distance from the ACC-Congo’s headquarter.

1. The 330 Faithful of the 6 congregations of Saint Luke- Katenga Parish didn’t get confirmation because they live on the mountain where the vehicle can not reach the parish even motorbike and Bishop didn’t get time to do the confirmations.
2. The 329 Faithful of the 9 congregations of Saint Barnabas- Ubwari Parish didn’t get confirmations because they live on the Ubwari peninsula where the vehicle can not reach Parish (accessible only by boat) and Bishop didn’t get time to do confirmation.
3. The 308 Faithful of the 7 congregations of Saint Jacques- Lwiko Parish didn’t get confirmations because they live in the villages situated on the mountain in Equatorial Forest where a four wheel car can reach the Parish and walk 29 Km for other congregations.
4. The 175 Faithful of the 5 congregations of Saint Thomas- Kipupu Parish didn’t get confirmation because they live in the villages situated in Equatorial Forest where even four wheel car can not reach only airplane and walk 87 Km.
5. The 230 Faithful of the 6 congregations of Saint Joseph- Kabandja Parish didn’t get confirmations because they live in the villages situated in Equatorial Forest where even four wheel car can not reach, but only an airplane, and walk 49 Km.
6. The 324 Faithful of the 8 congregations of Saint Mark- Kisanya Parish didn’t get confirmations because they live in the villages situated in Equatorial Forest where even four wheel car can not reach, but only an airplane, and walk 75 Km.
7. The192 Faithful of the 7 congregations of Saint Jean- Misisi Parish didn’t get confirmationsbecause they live in Border of Province of South Kivu and in one territory of Katanga for a distance of 450 Km from Bukavu town, but a four wheel car can reach parish.

IV. Conclusion

The Right Reverend Wilson Garang arrived on Saturday May 8^th with Father Phanuel Munezero were welcomed in the border of Rwanda and DR-Congo by Father Steven AYULE-MILENGE, the Administrator of the ACC-Congo. Our programme has undergone some modification because Bishop has chosen to work very hard for confirmation and ordination for those who were ready during his passage in the parishes. This led us to finish the visit before the schedule established. Thus, Bishop returned Friday May 14^th escorted by Fathers Steven AYULE-MILENGE and Phanuel Munezero to Bujumbura capital city of Republic of Burundi because Bishop lacks entrance visa for Rwanda. On Saturday May 15^th, 2010 bishop gets his airplane at 11 Pm to fly up Nairobi- Kenya.

Bishop confirmed 92 persons adults and children, who were ready, from congregations of 6 parishes situated on the main road of Bukavu to Fizi where we drove 758 Km for our trips. He has ordained 17 persons to the diaconate, and 3 of them were ordained to the priesthood. Now, the ACC-Congo has 5 priests and 14 deacons. Thanks to His Grace Archbishop Mark Haverland for sending Bishop Wilson Garang to do confirmations and ordinations on his behalf. For a length of six months we joined the ACC-OP as member a dream has become a reality.

The 7 parishes with their 48 congregations missed the Episcopal visit of the Right Reverend Wilson Garang because they are situated in Equatorial Forest and mountain where even four wheel car can not reach. Also we can not bring our guest in unsafe area where Rwandan Hutu militia forces (Interahamwe), who had fled Rwanda following the ascension of a Tutsi-led government, had been using Congolese Equatorial forest in eastern DR-Congo as a basis for incursion against the government of DR-Congo who had signed peace accord with the Republic of Rwanda. Much of the conflict was focused on gaining control of substantial natural resources country, including diamonds, copper, zinc, gold and coltan.

Two ordinands from two parishes situated in Equatorial forest and mountain missed their ordinations to diaconate during the Episcopal visit of the Right Reverend Wilson Garang because our letter reached them when the fighting was done in the area. Even in the parish of Saint Paul- Fizi, we arrived when government forces and militia were fighting two weeks ago. This was the reason that pushed us to make Fizi as our last step where Christians met with Bishop Garang for confirmation when they are coming from in the forest where they fled during the fighting and still now waiting for the peace.

We thank Bishop Garang for the work he has done very hard and Father Munezero for his best interpretation of English- Swahili during confirmation and ordination service. Again we thank His Grace Mark Haverland and all ACC-OP bishops who has allowed this Episcopal visitation to be done in the ACC- Congo because a dream has become a reality. God bless all.

Thanks,

For the Anglican Catholic Church in Congo,

+Reverend Father Steven AYULE-MILENGE

Administrator of ACC- Congo

ACC MISSION IN RWANDA

The following is a report that was sent to Archbishop Haverland from a priest in Rwanda, Fr. Phanuel, related to a fund drive.
- Fr. Hart

God is His abounding mercy and unlimited provision and protection continues to uphold and expand ACC MISSION IN RWANDA. The mission that started in September, 2008 with the training of ten elders and started officially with a Sunday Mass on January 4, 2009 has grown to four strong parishes and two small worship centers. In Saint Mark Busumba we opened the center with 10 adults and fifteen children and by February 08, 2009, adult members were 25 and the children 22 and now we have 36 adult members and 32 children.

Some members of Saint Mark, standing for benediction towards the end of Sunday Mass

In Saint John Rwanyakayaga, the place where we bought the land, the center began with 35 adults and by the time we resumed our worship services on February 08, 2009, adults were 42 and the children were 26 and now we have 70 adults and 37 children.

Father Phanuel Munezero administering the blood of Jesus to parishioners at Saint Mark Busumba. This church is two miles from the border of Rwanda and DRC.

Saint Stephen Gihorwe worship center began with 14 adults and 12 children and by February 08, adults were 16 and children were 18 and now we have 20 adults and 22 children.

Father Phanuel Munezero mistering the blood of Jesus to parishioners at Saint Mark ACC Mission

In Saint Francis Butare, the worship center began with 8 adults and 13 children and by February 08, 2009, there were 12 adults and 19 children and now we have 35 adults and 23 children. In addition to this worship centers which have matured to parishes, we have opened two worship centers. The reason was that some parishioners used to walk an average of 14 miles to and from the church every Sunday. Thus, I decided that they remain in their respective places and start worshipping every Sunday. Resultantly, we have two new worship centers in Cyanzarwe and Kirambo.

In the year 2009, God provided for three major needs. We bought two pieces of land for church buildings in Saint John Rwanyakayaga and Saint Francis Butare and we had a humanitarian activity where we distributed beans and maize to parishioners. In this year we got the money to build our first church building in Butare. Due to the growth that we have in our different parishes, we have different needs.

This year we are trusting God to provide funds to buy two pieces of land for our remaining two church buildings namely Saint Mark Busumba and Saint Stephen Kareba and to start building our second church building in Rwanda. We also hope to begin our farming project in all the parishes that we have in Rwanda.

The parishioners of Saint Mark during the mass in a rented demolished building in Busumba.

One of the urgent needs that need financial support is to buy a piece of land for this church and to build a church building. These two are part and parcel of the requirements of the Rwanda Government for ACC Mission in Rwanda to get a civil personality.

As ACC Mission continues to grow both numerically and spiritually we do need enough clergy members to nurture and manage this growth.

These are some of the elders who are undergoing thorough training in ACC doctrines and worship and they are looking forward to being made deacons in April 2010 when Bishop Garang makes an Episcopal visit to ACC Mission in Rwanda.

(Question: The English word "elder" cannot mean in this context πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros) inasmuch as these men are postulants. May we assume it is used for elders of the Rwandan village?

Within an hour the answer came: "Yes, Father, 'elder' is a senior male member of the congregation, with status in the village.")

In the course of the year 2009, ACC mission carried out different humanitarian activities namely distributing beans and maize to the needy parishioners and villagers in our four churches and two centers.

Father Phanuel Munezero distributes beans and maize to parishioners at Saint Mark ACC in Busumba.

However some parishioners and villagers were caught unaware and they did not bring containers to carry their shares of these long-awaited and highly needed blessings.

But this did not prevent them to carry their share because they used whatever was at their disposal. This woman used a piece of her cloth to carry her share.

The Riches of the Poor: A Glimpse of our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

The following article first appeared this past Summer in a parish newsletter called The Evangelist, and was sent to me only recently. It deserves wide distribution.-Fr Hart

by Chris Becher and Ted de la Haye

Photos by Tim Schmidt

As the sun beats down high onto the coastal hills northeast of Haiti’s capital, a group of young children, boys and girls all under the age of 14, walk down a dirt trail following the valley’s contours to the sea. Three boys lead the way with buckets in each hand, silent save the sound of dry dust kicked up with each step. The tallest wears rain galoshes, another sandals, the youngest a pair of Nike sneakers three sizes too large. Their destination, a point of pride to the people of Tapio, is the permanent concrete cistern containing clean drinking water.

By the time they arrive there’s a pack of locals crouched in what shade they can find, chewing grass and cooing aimlessly in Creole about the heat. Beyond them and out of sight lies the source of water: a well sunk deep into the earth with its series of pipes channeling the precious liquid into the cistern and onto a number of medieval hand pumping water stations in the area. Each boy waits his turn to operate the pump, gladly forgetting the days when his journey took him miles further down the valley to the old well. In a land that’s seen thirty-two violent coups in its brief history, constancy is a notion woefully unfamiliar to Haiti’s nine million people. But this cistern, like the man that constructed it, doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.Father Bien-Aime, rector of the ACC’s parish St. Therese de L‘Enfant in Tapio, helped to organize and raise the funds to bring clean water this much closer to the people of Tapio. Born and raised in rural Haiti, Fr. Bien-Aime is acquainted with the sorrows that plague Haitian peasants and has dedicated the last twenty years of his life to serving his countrymen in an effort to better their livelihood. In the past ten years alone, he has erected a beautiful ACC (Anglican Catholic Church) church, school for 500 kids and the first health center in the valley. Beyond that, he runs an orphanage in Port-au-Prince and has added a school for 185 students in the city – all of this of course coming at no cost to the people.

We had the privilege of spending five days with Fr. Bien-Aime in Haiti on a fact-finding delegation from St. Matthew’s. Our flight arrived and we stepped out of the plane, muggy Port-au-Prince air filling our lungs. Within five minutes we were being escorted through the airport on the arms of our host. We were surprised to see Fr. Bien-Aime waiting for us on the tarmac, but soon realized as we watched him seize several airport officials’ hands with a smile, he is a well-connected man. We were off the plane, through customs, and driving to our hotel in a matter of minutes.

Though Fr. Bien-Aime grew up in a relatively poor Haitian village, he was given the opportunity to receive an education in the United States, attending seminary in the Bay Area. Making a life for himself and his family in the United States would have been easy, pastoring among the many Haitian expatriates abroad. However, Fr. Bien-Aime refused to forget where he came from and decided to do something about he plight of Haitians in his homeland. When he first returned to Haiti he tried his hand in politics and even entertained grand ideas of running for office. While this has provided a number of current supporters for his ministries, he found that a career in Haitian government is inherently dangerous and in his own words “dirty.” Instead, he decided to pursue a grass-roots approach to helping the people of Haiti, focusing on the rural outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

It was here that we witnessed Fr. Bien-Aime’s courageous humanitarian spirit. The immediate needs in rural Haiti are primitive by any standard: food, water, shelter, and health care. It is estimated that as much fifty-six percent of Haitians live in abject poverty, lacking the most basic human necessities. As Christ modeled with the crowds that followed him so closely, Fr. Bien-Aime feeds the masses before he teaches them. Feeding the hungry comes before proselytizing; hope for bodily change before ascent to objective spiritual principles. It was invigorating to see a man so connected to the sustenance of his fellows, as brothers and sisters.

However, after witnessing Fr. Bien-Aime preach at Mass one Sunday, we knew it would be ridiculous to think he adheres to the “Social Gospel,” allowing Scripture and church tradition to concede to the urgency of social issues. By all impressions a quiet man, we were fascinated to see him deliver a most animated homily. He preached for about an hour, and displayed all the trimmings of an impassioned Protestant evangelist; hands waving, feet stomping, voice inflecting. He even opened the floor for questions halfway through to ensure that his parishioners understood the lesson about the chief sacraments of baptism and communion. At one point an elderly man stood and argued over something that was said. A ridiculous image when placed inside our sanctuary at St. Matthew’s, but an obvious fit in Haiti where nearly eighty percent of the congregation is illiterate.

Taken together, Fr. Bien-Aime’s humanitarian efforts and spiritual shepherding demonstrate one of the most striking characteristics of his ministry: his genuine compassion for the poor and his commitment to their holistic development. He takes Christ’s teaching in Matthew 25:35-40 literally:

“For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me …Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Our team did not know what to expect when we arrived in Haiti, but we were under the ambitious impression that St. Matthew’s has something to offer the people of Haiti. After all, the most monetarily humble of our parishioners could easily afford to pay a whole year’s salary for a teacher in Tapio (a meager $1,800 US). However, on this side of our trip, having returned from a long week in Haiti, we’ve gained a better understanding for the economy of the Heavenly Kingdom. What we have to give the people of Haiti, namely monetary funds to meet their basic human needs through Fr. Bien-aime’s guidance, is the weaker part of the transaction; the easier “donation;” the small investment. In return, we receive the almost sacramental gift of being connected deeply to a distant member of the body of Christ, to feel their joys, struggles, pains and triumphs a little more deeply. As we develop a stronger partnership with our sister Church in Haiti, we begin truly to experience the communion of the saints.

This reality was most evident during Sunday Eucharist. Rhythmic Haitian drums, not our resonant organ; an assortment of park benches, school desks and stools, not our upholstered pews; a tapestry of the risen Christ, not our stained glass. By all appearances, we were in a distant land far from our family and homes. But when we all knelt together at the altar we received the same Sacrament with that familiar proclamation: “the body of Christ which was given for you, take and eat.” We were truly united into the one Body and Blood.

It is in this economy where all earthly distinctions are ignored and even forgotten. Mother Theresa famously said that the poverty of the wealthy is a far deeper and more dangerous kind than the poverty of the poor. Latent in her words is the fact that we are all impoverished; an easy reality to forget when we only see through temporal eyes. Yet, through a deep connection with what we often deem our “less fortunate” brothers and sisters we are reminded of our impoverished state. In our monetary wealth we rarely exercise the sort of faith that can be cashed in for spiritual riches. But thanks be to God that he has erected his Church for all men of all time, that we might become interdependent, giving and receiving freely of one another.

“There is but one Body and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” (BCP 37-8).

If you are interested in learning more about how to support Fr. Bien-aime and God’s work in Haiti, contact Chris Becher—chrisbecher@gmail.com

Chris Becher and Ted de la Haye are members at St. Matthew's Anglican Catholic Church in Newport Beach, CA.