God’s work through the ministries of the General Synod

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for the mercy of God endures for ever. —⁠Psalm 136:26

A message from the Acting Primate

When we gather for General Synod in June, we will do so under the inspiring theme from Isaiah 40:31, which speaks of hope, strength and renewal: “They will soar on wings like eagles.” In the Anglican Church of Canada, we share a common vision of God’s mission for the world, entrusted with a Christian witness in word and deed.

Bearing the name of Christ, we put our collective faith in God and maintain hope in an environment of ever-increasing suspicion and hostility. When it seems as though we have come to the end of our strength, God, the Creator of all things, will renew us and care for us. We will “soar on wings like eagles” and our strength will be renewed.

Anglican and Lutheran youth gathering together

Hundreds of youth and their leaders will participate in the Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth (CLAY) gathering from August 21 to 24 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The theme of CLAY this year, “Rooted and Rising,” will help youth explore their faith in the context of the land where we gather. We will put down roots in our faith so that we can rise to be the people God is calling us to be in this world. 

The community gathered will learn, reflect, pray and play together. Each young person will leave empowered to know their relationship with God and their faith community more clearly.

Walking together with Sacred Circle

Indigenous Ministries continues to work towards a self-determining Indigenous Church—Sacred Circle—through truth-telling and reconciliation. These efforts encourage all people to walk together and bring healing, which only happens when truth is told and both sides can fully understand and appreciate the other’s life and faith.

In February, the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP) held their annual in-person meeting. National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop Chris Harper and co-chairs Rosie Jane Tailfeathers and the Rev. Canon Murray Still introduced two new appointments to ACIP: the Ven. Travis Enright of the Diocese of Edmonton and the Rev. Lt.-Col. Catherine Askew of the Military Ordinariate.

Excitement is building for the triennial gathering of Sacred Circle, taking place August 4-10 in Calgary. Sacred Circle is the heart of Indigenous Ministry—a meeting of hearts and spirits from Indigenous Nations across Canada and around the world. It will be a time of music, discussion and learning. All bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada are invited to attend.

Support from generous donors is critical to ongoing ministries in communities that have experienced significant trauma, including preventing suicide and addiction among our young people. The need to address the mental well-being of men in these communities has become apparent. Trauma response training and education are priorities and are central to building relationships and support.

Nurturing right relationships

Global Relations continues to nurture right relationships among people of faith in local, national and global communities and networks, including a new focus on internal Canadian companion diocese relationships. We are accompanying the Africa 6 in developing a new Center for Anglican Women’s Leadership and Research, and we are supporting the primatial ministry of Archbishop Marinez Bassotto of Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil.

Global Relations is partnering with the Anglican Oceania Fono for prayer, mutual learning and prophetic witness, and is connecting with Anglicans creating strong regional movements of young adult leaders who are seeking justice for migrants. Advocating for peace with justice in Palestine, Israel and the Philippines continues to be a priority, as does the ministry of the Companions of Jerusalem.

Serving the wider church

Ecumenical shared ministries—including full-communion local worshipping communities of Anglicans, Lutherans and Moravians—are growing in number in Canada. Faith, Worship, and Ministry (FWM) continues to support the life, worship, work and witness of these communities.

Within full-communion gatherings and on our own as Anglicans, we are planning in the coming triennium to have robust conversations across the church to deepen our understanding of, and to support those serving in, the diaconate. The aim is to engage the wider diakonia of the church as a whole.

Deacons, lay persons, priests and bishops have been involved in the ongoing liturgical development work that takes place under the auspices of FWM. In the coming year, this work will continue as we lead conversations about ordination rites, currently in draft for study and trial use for feedback towards final drafting. The Calendar of Holy Persons is undergoing revision, a new Feast of the Creator is being proposed in concert with a global ecumenical movement, and other projects in pastoral liturgy continue.

Discerning God’s mission

At the time of writing, we are still a few weeks away from the first step in choosing a new Primate—the nomination of a list of three to five bishops by the Order of Bishops. When you read this, we will be a few weeks away from the second step, which is the election of a Primate by the Orders of Clergy and Laity at General Synod. There is a lot of excitement (and, I hope, prayer) about this process and about the other decisions and elections General Synod will engage in. 

The future is open-ended. With the leadership of our new Primate, it is our responsibility to discern God’s mission as faithfully as we can. Your generosity in supporting the ministries of the General Synod as we begin a new three-year cycle will help us pursue that mission. We are very grateful for your faithful support.

—The Ven. Alan T. Perry,
General Secretary

Thank you!

If you feel called to support the ministries of the General Synod, please donate online. Your generosity inspires and motivates us.

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