ACA & Communion Partner Bishops of Canada affiliate

(Staff)  ANGLICAN Communion Alliance and the Communion Partner Bishops of Canada have formally affiliated. A press release dated March 7th  announced their common intention to “stand within the Anglican Church of Canada in witness to the teaching and authority of Scripture over all of our lives,” to “maintain unity and to continue into the future encouraging and building up the Church.”

ACA is a lay-led national organization representing theologically orthodox Canadian Anglicans. The Communion Partners are an episcopally-led, international movement in the Anglican Communion that devotes itself to “promoting deeper communion in the faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.”

Following General Synod 2016, the Canadian Communion Partner bishops (then known as the Gracious Restraint bishops)released a statement expressing their dismay at the passage on first reading of a Resolution to amend the Marriage Canon to include same-sex marriage, and their concern for the “consciences of dioceses, clergy and congregations” that would also oppose this change.

In the Statement of Affiliation, ACA’s National Director, Sharon Dewey Hetke, said, “We are so thankful for the leadership of the Communion Partner bishops in our Church, and for their consistent and gracious witness within the House of Bishops. We look forward to continuing to work with them as we seek to deepen biblical faith in the Anglican Church of Canada.”

Dewey Hetke says that Anglican Communion Alliance plans to be at General Synod 2019 as a “gracious and prayerful presence.” They will provide a hospitality suite and a booth, which will promote educational materials on Christian marriage, but also on youth discipleship and other topics.

The full text of the Statement of Affiliation and the Communion Partner bishops’ 2016 Statement can be found at www.anglicancommunionalliance.ca.   TAP