Provincial Council 2022
The Anglican Church in North America’s Provincial Council is an annual business meeting for elected delegates that also includes international speakers and guests, as well as public worship services. This year the Provincial Council was held here in the Diocese at The Falls Church Anglican in Falls Church, VA, following meetings of the College of Bishops and the Provincial Executive Committee.View the recorded live-stream videos from Provincial Council here. See photos from the Tuesday night Eucharist here and from Wednesday Evensong here.
The ACNA provides their summary of Provincial Council here.
Jeff Walton, Communications Manager and Anglican Program Director for the Institute on Religion & Democracy and member of The Falls Church Anglican, wrote about the challenges of the Anglican Church that were discussed during Provincial. Read the article here.
Reflections from Delegates to Provincial Assembly 2022
"What a joy to attend the Provincial Council at The Falls Church Anglican, June 14-16. I was not expecting such an emphasis on worship, mission, ministry, and prayer. Sam Ferguson's Bible teaching from Ephesians 3 and 4 on the Church's role in formation and mission was extremely instructive, and highlighting the work of the Anglican Relief and Development Fund through the three days was so encouraging as we saw what the Lord is doing around the world. What a joy to sit with bishops, priests, and lay leaders over meals to discuss the work of ministry and to encourage one another. The healing prayer service on Thursday night was powerful and very helpful to see how a service like that is done well and to receive ministry. While much good work was accomplished, the Provincial Council highlighted the power and work of the Gospel throughout the Church. Well done to Archbishop Foley and his team for keeping us focused on the gospel and mission!" ~David Drake
As a relative newcomer to Anglicanism, I was curious to experience this province-wide event, and enjoyed meeting people from other places, all working to translate the Gospel into their contexts. Two things stood out to me. One was a breakout session on the future of the ACNA, in which we shared our hopes for where we might be in 2030. My hope is that we will be known primarily as a church that loves our neighbor; and welcomes the marginalized, calling all to follow and walk with Jesus. The second thing was the morning Bible exposition, particularly the notion that a vibrant local church is the primary witness of the Kingdom of God, and that the shape of the Christian life is not ecclesial, but congregational. I found this quite motivating; it was a call to focus, as a leader, on sustaining a strong, healthy local church. No aspect of service in that context is too small! The local church is where the action is; where the edges of the Kingdom grow. ~Nancy Sung
We thank God for our delegates attending Provincial 2022 this week hosted by The Falls Church Anglican.
L-R: Bassem Youssef, Nancy Sung, The Rt. Rev. John A. M. Guernsey, The Rev. David Drake