"Anglicans across Canada are being called to demonstrate -- in the 22 days following the closing event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission -- that this ending is only the beginning of healing and reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous people. Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald have issued a call to the whole church today to participate in #22days, a campaign that will stretch from the start of the closing of TRC event in Ottawa on May 31 [2015] to National Aboriginal Day on June 21 [2015]. 22days was first conceived of by a group of cathedral deans from cities in which a national TRC event was held and was 'heartily endorsed' by the House of Bishops" (p. 10). "The General Synod communications team has created a web page -- 22days.ca -- that will offer resources, including 22 videos featuring former residential school students and staff describing their experiences in the schools. The videos are not the typical 30-second sound bytes people are used to viewing on television, they are about 15 to 20 minutes each, in order to tell the stories in a more whole and sensitive way, said Anglican Video senior producer Lisa Barry. One video will be added daily to the website during the 22-day period and each will be accompanied by a prayer, written by various people in the church" (p. 11).
The Anglican Consultative Council, which met in Nottingham in June, voted to censure the Canadian and American churches for their more-liberal stand on homosexuality after listening to presentations from both churches.
"Anglicans across Canada will be invited to 'help shape the mission priorities' for 2010 to 2019 of General Synod, the governing body of the Anglican Church of Canada, by participating in a voluntary, congregation-based lenten study next year. The study will allow participants to share their vision for their church's work". Dean Peter Elliott, chair of the 2019 Visioning and Planning Task Group, said that the lenten study "can lead us to many exciting possibilities. There's a great future for our church. We can sometimes get discouraged and depressed, but there's a fresh wind blowing in the life of the Anglican Church of Canada to engage us again in this important reflection on God's mission and what it is we're called to be and do".
"The province of British Columbia announced on April 10 [2015] that it will give $1 million to Christ Church Cathedral's building campaign, which is raising money to repair the cathedral's roof, add a new bell tower and expand its community outreach kitchen". "The campaign, called 'Raise the Roof, Ring the Bells, Feed the Hungry', aims to raise $7.5 million for a 'badly needed roof' and an 'all-new illuminated glass bell spire', and to double the size of its kitchen, which feeds 100 people a day during the coldest months of the year. Construction preparations on the project began in April [2015]". The donation was announced by Sam Sullivan, the local MLA for Vancouver-False Creek and former mayor of the city. "The bell tower is one of the most striking elements of the campaign: for 40 years, it has been a dream of the congregation, a dream that will now be embodied by Sarah Hall's 'Welcoming Light', a series of glass-art panels that will cover a spire that holds four bells". "While a church's decision to spend more than a million dollars [i.e. $1.5 million] on something purely aesthetic might raise some eyebrows, [Dean Peter] Elliott sees the new spire as being a vital form of outreach. 'I think the Anglican tradition has a long history of being a champion of performing and visual artists', he said. 'There is, to the spiritual life, a strong link with the arts, with beauty. It's one of the ways that we're drawn to the divine'."
Photo and brief from the Diocese of New Westminster newspaper 'Topic' of Peter Elliott and former deans of Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver, at a fundraiser for the Sorrento Centre.
A new book published by the Anglican Book Centre "Living Together in the Church: Including Our Differences" is supportive of gay and lesbian Christians.
"Council of General Synod (CoGS) has voted to recommend the Vision 2019 report be adopted by General Synod 2010 when it gathers in Halifax in June. Written as a a strategic plan for the Anglican Church of Canada, the report lists priorities that include developing leadership education for mission and ministry, supporting the Council of the North, journeying with indigenous peoples, working for peace and justice, engaging with young people, enlivening worship, and becoming leaders in the Anglican Communion and in ecumenical actions". The Vision 2019 Task Force is chaired by Dean Peter Elliott.