From the ACNA:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2009
In just three months, the Anglican Church in North America has
welcomed 39 new congregations. When the Anglican Church in North
America officially launched in late June, it included 703 churches in
the United States and Canada. Today, there are 742 congregations
affiliated with the Anglican Church.
"We have an ambitious goal of planting 1,000 new churches in the next
five years. It is very encouraging to see how much progress has
already been made," said Archbishop Robert Duncan.
Some congregations have joined the Anglican Church in North America
with a well-defined identity and history. Christ the King Anglican
Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, represents the leadership and a
large majority of the people of an Episcopal Church parish. The
congregation, which walked away from property and endowments valued at
more than $2 million, has been in the words of its rector, the Rev.
Roger Weber, "overwhelmed by God's provision."
When the people of Christ the King made their decision to step out of
the conflicts in the Episcopal Church over basic Christian beliefs,
they did not know where they would meet for worship. Within a period
of weeks, God provided an 18,000 square foot church building with
enough seating for their average Sunday attendance of 300 and complete
with office equipment "all for an incredibly reasonable price," said
Weber.
Weber added that Christ the King has also spiritually benefited from
their decision to leave the conflicts of The Episcopal Church behind.
"Being free of it is like being one-thousand pounds lighter. There is
just a joyous, grateful spirit, amazement about what God has done and
a real looking forward to great things," he explained.
A number of the new congregations are recent church plants, like St.
Barnabas in Covington, Kentucky. According to Fr. Christopher
Peterson, who leads St. Barnabas, the young church held its first
worship service on June 7. Just a few months into their life, St.
Barnabas has already benefited greatly from its relationship with
other Anglican Church in North America congregations in Kentucky, said
Peterson. He and other members of the launch team have also been
amazed by the way God has sent people to St. Barnabas. "It is not like
we have found a lot of people, but that people have found us. It is
astounding," said Peterson.
More information about St. Barnabas is available online at
http://www.kentuckyanglican.com
Calling together new congregations is a key goal for The Anglican
Church in North America. "We are convinced that the Good News of Jesus
Christ and the transforming power of His love offer life-change
wherever they are preached. Vibrant, multiplying local congregations
are both the primary tool to fulfill that important evangelical task
and the natural result of our friends and neighbors responding to the
Gospel," said Archbishop Duncan.
Formed in June of 2009, the Anglican Church in North America unites
742 Anglican congregations into a single Anglican Province. The
church's mission is to reach North America with the Transforming Love
of Jesus Christ.
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