Bishop’s Pastoral Call 2010
to the CANA Council by the Rt. Rev’d Martyn Minns
In the Name of God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
It is a great privilege to be able to address you at this fourth CANA Council. I am so very grateful
for your prayers and your presence here today. CANA is a remarkable community of men and
women who are united in their love for Jesus the Christ and His Church but who come from all
walks of life and many different parts of the world. I note with profound gratitude the
distinguished guests who are with us at this Council, many of whom have traveled long distances
at considerable expense to be with us. Thank you – you honor us and bless us with your presence.
Let me begin by offering a prayer of thanksgiving for you … the prayer that Paul prayed for the
Christians in Corinth: “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
For in him you have been enriched in every way — in all your speaking and in all your
knowledge —because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not
lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep
you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God,
who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”1
In recent days I have been thinking a great deal about the beach. Not just any beach but the pure white sandy beach of the Florida Gulf Coast. We have been regular visitors there for more than twenty-five years and it is now the place where Angela and I have our home. There is something quite remarkable about its purity and also the emerald color sea waters that frame it. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and has been so for generations. It doesn’t seem possible that an incident that took place hundreds of miles away could have any possible impact on its pristine beauty, and yet today there are hundreds of people stationed in tents and school halls trained and ready to push back the millions of gallons of crude oil that threaten to destroy it. On the surface nothing seems to have changed … yet … but the danger is very close and the possibility of devastation very real. All because of careless decisions taken to upset the delicate balance of the forces of nature miles away and ages ago.
In some ways that is why we are here today. We are in the midst of a crisis. There is a tide of
pollution that threatens the church. When the decision was taken, years ago, to ignore the plain
teaching of the Bible on the unique role of Jesus the Christ as the only Savior; to disregard the
delicate balance of relationship between men and women that God has established and promote
disobedience to the revealed Word of God … all hell was let loose. It didn’t look that way at first.
No one imagined the devastation that would erupt – some people still don’t. They still don’t
believe it will affect them. They think that they can continue to live in their own little worlds.
After all it was miles away and years ago. How could it possibly affect them? Just a few
innovations in the name of progress and enlightenment! But now the cost has become clear. No
one can avoid the stain. Everyone is affected by it. A church that was renowned for its aesthetics
1 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
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in music and liturgy, a beautiful church with a love for history and a global vision is now seen as
the church that has lost its way and forgotten its message. A church that was full of life and
missionary zeal is now shrinking rapidly and struggling to survive.
It is all so very sad and yet in the midst of the tragedy God is at work doing amazing things.
Many times I have pointed out that the very first miracle performed by Jesus took place at that
wedding in CANA.2 It was here that Jesus took those stone jars filled with water and changed it
into the finest wine. Jesus took a disaster and transformed it into a celebration. That is His way
and that is what we have been witnessing over these past five years in CANA.
We have seen His transforming love at work.
We have seen lives changed.
We have witnessed miracles.
We have seen men and women respond to God’s call on their lives.
We have marveled as new churches have been born.
I cannot tell you how thankful I am for each one of you, for your courage, for your steadfast
witness and for your willingness to journey to a place that we can only glimpse by faith. Thank
you for your confidence in the Lord and also for the many ways in which you bless and
encourage me.
I cannot possibly single out everyone for whom a special word of thanks is due but I must
acknowledge my continuing debt of gratitude to our Suffragan bishops who serve CANA in truly
sacrificial ways. Each one of them brings a distinctive gift to our common life and I am so very
grateful for their friendship, their faithful witness and hard work.
Bishop David Bena is our senior Suffragan who serves as contact bishop for the Anglican District
of Virginia, the Anglican District of the Northeast, and a number of other congregations in the
West. Before joining CANA he served as Suffragan Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Albany.
Bishop Dave and his wife Mary Ellen live in Albany. He had planned to retire this coming
October to invest more time in their family and local area ministry but recent developments in
the Virginia litigation prompted me to ask that he modify his retirement plans somewhat.
While Bishop Dave will step down from all of his non-ADV responsibilities I have asked that he
continue to serve as ADV contact bishop with a reduced visitation schedule. It is my intention to
increase my ADV visitations and I have asked Archdeacon Howell Sasser to help me in this. I will
also be assigning Canon Missioner Julian Dobbs as an Archdeacon in CANA with special
responsibilities in Virginia. In addition I will appoint John Yates, Rector of The Falls Church, as
Dean for the Region to provide additional leadership for ADV Clergy. Thank you Dave and Mary
Ellen for going the second and third mile with us.
Bishop David Anderson lives in the Atlanta region, with his wife Mary Ann, where he directs the
work of the American Anglican Council as President and CEO. This demanding position is in
addition to his many pastoral responsibilities with CANA. He has also provided practical
encouragement for the formation of a new diocese of the Anglican Church in North America in
the Atlanta region - the Anglican Diocese of the South. Bishop David also serves with me on a
2 John 2:1-11
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number of strategic Anglican initiatives and is pioneering a new work with the Sioux Nation. I
am very grateful for his friendship and faithful witness. Thank you, David.
Bishop Amos Fagbamiye and his wife Abike make their home in Indianapolis where he continues
to direct the ministry of the Anglican Church of the Resurrection in addition to providing
Primary Pastoral Contact for a growing number of congregations across the nation. This work
has now progressed to the point where they are making preliminary steps towards the formation
of the Diocese of the Holy Trinity in the ACNA. This is an exciting development and bears
witness to Bishop Amos’ passion and effectiveness in planting new congregations. Thank you
Amos!
Bishop Roger Ames and his wife Gretsie make their home in Akron, Ohio. As I reported at the
last CANA Council, Roger has been instrumental in the formation of the Diocese of the Great
Lakes and this new Diocese was recognized by the Provincial Council of the Anglican Church of
North America at their meeting in Amesbury, Massachusetts, in June 2010. Roger was also
elected as the first diocesan bishop and will be installed later this year. Congratulations, Roger,
and thank you for your friendship and passion for the Gospel.
Bishop Derek Jones and his wife Connie make their home in Montevallo, Alabama. Until
recently Bishop Derek served as Colonel in the United States Air force. For the past two years
Derek has provided visionary leadership to CANA’s chaplaincy ministry that has now grown to
encompass more than 75 chaplains. The College of Bishops of ACNA received Bishop Jones as
bishop in June 2010 and I expect to propose his recognition as CANA Suffragan at the next
meeting of the Church of Nigeria House of Bishops. Bishop Derek’s passion for the Gospel and
his ability to identify gifted candidates for chaplaincy is an enormous gift to CANA and the wider
Anglican community. Thank you, Derek.
The CANA headquarters staff is an amazing team and I am profoundly grateful for their
dedication and hard work. We still have only two full-time paid staff members, Harry Zeiders
and Julian Dobbs, and four very part-time staff, Judy Schulenberg, Brenda Dobbs, Penny Rauh,
and Linda Fossum; but we are blessed with dozens of unpaid staff that give sacrificially of
themselves. Thank you everyone.
I am also enormously grateful for the CANA Board of Trustees: Chairman Abraham Yisa,
Secretary Chief Delano, Treasurer Mrs. Patience Oruh, the Honorable Sam Thomsen, Mr. Bill
Brinkley and our Chancellor Scott Ward. All of them continue to give freely of their time.
CANA would not have come into existence without your gifted leadership and could not
continue without your dedicated service. Thank you! I do, however, have an announcement to
make … effective immediately General Bob Beasley will be replacing Mr. Bill Brinkley who has
resigned because of other pressing commitments.
There are no words that can properly express my gratitude to the clergy, vestry, staff and people of the Church of the Epiphany for your part in hosting the CANA Council … again! You have not only opened your home to us but have consistently opened your hearts to us throughout these past years. We are all blessed by your generosity and radical hospitality. Thank you Robin and Penny for all that you give and all that you are.
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Finally, I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to my wife Angela and to our daughter
Rachel. Without their total commitment to Jesus Christ and His call on our lives this would be an
impossible mission. Since our last Council we have been on the road or in the air for much of the
time. In the past twelve months I have logged more than 180,000 air miles and spent only 57
nights at our home in Florida. The remainder of the time was divided almost equally between
Bishops Lodge in New Jersey, international travel and a combination of Northern Virginia and
domestic travel. Through it all you have both been a continuing source of encouragement and
inspiration – to me and to countless others. Thank you Mama CANA and thank you Bishop’s
daughter for your love and for your faithfulness. Thank you! Thank you everyone!
CANA — The Story Continues
One of the most rewarding developments this past year has been the formation of two new
dioceses in the Great Lakes Region and around Atlanta. CANA has been at the forefront in both
of these initiatives and I was delighted that both these new structures were recognized as fullfledged dioceses at the ACNA Provincial Council. They are made up of congregations and clergy that come from CANA and other partner organizations that make up the Anglican Church in North America. I am delighted by this development because it not only strengthens our
effectiveness for local mission and ministry but also makes clear that despite our differences we
are growing in unity around the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I expect to see other regional structures
and relational networks forming in the coming months and years.
This all raises question about the future role of CANA.
• Is there a future?
• Where do we fit in?
• What is our purpose?
To answer these questions let me first remind you about our origin. CANA was initially
established by the Church of Nigeria as a Convocation – a non-geographic diocese in North
America – to allow Anglican congregations and clergy alienated by the actions of The Episcopal
Church a way to continue to grow and serve as Anglicans without compromise. It was initially
designed for Nigerian Anglicans but as it became apparent that there were many others who
shared the same faith convictions the doors were opened wide to include them. The intention
was never to create a permanent structure but to serve the Anglican Communion and those
living in North America as long as is needed during these conflicted times.
CANA is legally incorporated as a religious body in the USA and also established as a canonically
valid extension of the mission and ministry of the Church of Nigeria – the largest province of the
Anglican Communion in terms of active membership. CANA therefore provides its members
with an authentic connection to the worldwide Anglican Communion … something that has
been recognized by the vast majority of Anglicans as well as by secular law courts. We now
number over 90 congregations and over 230 clergy scattered across 34 states plus the District of
Columbia and Canada.
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CANA is one of the founding partners of the Anglican Church in North America and the Church
of Nigeria was the first Anglican Province to grant full recognition to ACNA. It is our intention
to do all that we can to strengthen the work and witness of this new province. It should be noted
that clergy and congregations cannot join ACNA directly but always through a bishop, diocese or
convocation. One of the ways in which we are helping grow the Province is by establishing new
dioceses; another way is by planting new churches and receiving new congregations into CANA.
It might be said that we have a ministry of ‘incubation’ … we are developing new churches and
regional structures until they are mature and ready to be recognized by the ACNA Provincial
Council. We have also pioneered what we call a ministry of dual-citizenship whereby clergy and
congregations can become fully part of the emerging Province in North America while
maintaining their canonical ties with the Church of Nigeria. This is not an altogether new idea
since we have several other examples around the Communion including the Diocese of Liberia,
which is both a part of the Province of West Africa and also of The Episcopal Church in the USA.
Dual citizenship is not intended to be a requirement or a burden but simply offered as a gift to
those who wish to take advantage of this generous provision.
CANA has also been at the forefront of innovative ministries such as establishing our Chaplains
Deanery and also raising the important question of how we are to engage with a resurgent Islam.
Canon Dobbs is internationally recognized as one of the most knowledgeable spokesmen in this
area. We expect to continue this vital work. Our role within the Church of Nigeria has been a
crucial one. We have served as a bridge between very different cultures. We have been able to
model the gospel principle that in Christ there is “neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, (also neither Nigerian nor American, Igbo nor Yoruba) for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.”3 It has also allowed us to learn from a Province that has made evangelism its passion and
as a result has doubled in size over the past ten years. On a personal note I would also say that
becoming a member of the House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria has been a highlight of my
ordained ministry. It is a great privilege and inspiration for me to count as friends, men of such
remarkable ability and sacrificial commitment to Jesus Christ.
First and foremost CANA is about supporting all of you who are on the front line doing ministry
in local congregations. That is where the action is and as long as we are needed we will be
standing with you as you work to extend the Kingdom of God. You will recall that when I was
installed as Missionary Bishop I described three principles that will undergird our life together:
RADICAL INCLUSION
PROFOUND TRANSFORMATION, AND
INSPIRED SERVICE.
These principles have not changed although they are expressed in a variety of ways to fit the
particular context of each congregation. Perhaps one of my greatest joys has been the
opportunity to visit different CANA congregations and witness the way in which these principles
are enfleshed. I would like to describe some of them but in mentioning specific examples I am
very much aware that I risk stepping on toes of those that I don’t mention, so let me begin with
an injunction from the apostle Paul, “ … if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”4
3 Galatians 3:28
4 1 Corinthians 12:26
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