Dear
Friend in Christ,
As we put this newsletter together, it is HOT outside. Clemmy, the new and unofficial EFAC mascot, is hiding in the shade. We recently returned from GAFCON in Israel, where it is HOT. We just got a communication from Bishop Okeke in Nigeria, where it is HOT (and rainy). We received a commendation from Lee Gattis at the Church Society in England, where it is HOT. In Sydney, Australia, where Archbishop Glenn Davies, who expressed pleasure with regard to EFAC's relaunch, lives, it is not so hot, but it is raining. The weather in these EFAC provinces reminds us of EFAC--which is boiling with activity and enjoying floods of blessing from the Lord! (Ok, I hear you groan.)
Anyway, welcome to the many who just signed up for our email newsletters. If you want to catch up on what has gone before, just follow this
link and click on the newsletter you want to read. You will see that there are several other excellent articles for your edification and enjoyment. We also invite you, if you haven't already, to connect with via
Facebook,
LinkedIn, and our
website. Please also feel free to contact us via
email. We want to work together for the health of today's and tomorrow's Church--and, for that, communication is vital!
This month, our prayer for the Church is that He
will pour water on those individuals and churches who are thirsty, and floods on the dry ground. That He will pour His Spirit on our descendants, and His blessing on our offspring. That they will spring up among the grass like willows by the water
(based on Is 44:3-4). The Lord Jesus did this at GAFCON, but we believe it is His will to do it throughout His Church. And we believe that EFAC is one way in which it will be accomplished.
Grace and Peace to you from your fellow EFACters...
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Fellowship is EFAC's Middle Name
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by Rev'd Richard Crocker
In the second of my articles on the purpose of the Evangelical
Fellowship in the Anglican Communion, I am focusing on "fellowship". The 1962 charter for EFAC specifies that it will:
1) Foster fellowship between Anglican evangelicals throughout the world, to encourage the isolated, reminding them of the larger body to which they belong.
2) Support regional Anglican evangelical fellowships and encourage the formation of such where none exists.
This is what EFAC has been doing and will be doing into the future: encouraging
koinonia
on a local and international scale. We are making friends in Christ across borders. We are forming partnerships with other groups who share our faith commitment. We are seeking and encouraging those who can continue the work of biblical leadership in their region. (See below)
All this work is made possible by the shared relationship that is ours “in Christ Jesus". As we promote scriptural authority and witness, we are finding the delight of encounters with brothers and sisters in Christ who are new to us, but have met the same Jesus who is revealed in the scriptures and who, like us, are called to serve Him.
One particular delight for me is to recognize, across different cultures and nations, the same Jesus who is formed in His disciples worldwide. Although the dress and language may be different, the Gospel message has bought unity in Jesus to the peoples of the world. It is part of the work of EFAC to enable and grow that Gospel fruit as we act as a resource to bring people together under the scriptures throughout the Anglican world.
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What Did Jesus Mean by Unity?
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Recently there has been much talk about maintaining unity in the Anglican Church. Sometimes this has included requests that groups of people compromise on their beliefs about the authority of Scripture. Given the concern for truth in
Revelation
, how do we understand the concern for unity in John 17?
Jesus’s Prayer for Unity in His Church
By Alan Purser, recently retired from Crosslinks.
This forms an Appendix in ‘The Reformation: What you need to know and why’ by Michael Reeves and John Stott, published by Lion Hudson, May 2017. Lausanne Movement. Posted with permission.
John 17 is holy ground: Jesus prays for unity, that his Church may be one, for this is the key to effective mission. It is a passage which has often been misunderstood and mis-preached.
I recall hearing a church leader say that the most serious cause of failure to evangelize our country was disunity within Christ’s church. Referring to Jesus’ prayer recorded in John 17, he pointed to Christ’s ardent desire for unity amongst his disciples, and the close connection between such unity and effective mission (17:21).
This raises the question of what exactly Jesus was saying, and leads us back to the text to investigate. In John 17 it is obvious how important unity is – three times Jesus prays for it (vv 21,22, 23) – so we are bound to ask ‘Who is such unity to be between?’ and ‘What kind of unity is meant?’ ‘What could be the connection between unity and effective mission’?
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The EFAC table was busy at all times.
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GAFCON was held in Jerusalem, an inspiring venue for all.
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Participants in the first of two EFAC international Council meetings.
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EFAC took the Kenyan delegation on a tour of Israel.
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After leading communion on the Sea of Galilee, Richard clears up while the crew begin selling their wares.
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EFAC News
by Richard Crocker, General Secretary
GAFCON
: The big news in the Anglican world in June was, of course, GAFCON in Jerusalem. Whether or not you love GAFCON, it is an Anglican force to be reckoned with. And, of course, many EFACters were there.
EFAC Stand
: EFAC had an exhibit stand at GAFCON, and the response far exceeded our expectations. The stand was kept very busy during all the breaks. Many people knew about EFAC, and commonly expressed delight at its appearance. Others had not heard of EFAC, and were able to gain information about our history and purpose by speaking to representatives at the stand.
EFAC Growth
: Many delegates signed up for the email newsletter, so that today, after only three months in existence, the emails go out to 539 people. Those with PhD’s and DMin qualifications asked about the Theological Resource Network (TRN), and EFAC currently has 44 scholars signed up to help. Many bishops and archbishops wanted help in starting EFAC chapters in their diocese, nation, or province; EFAC Global is now in contact with people from 31 countries! EFAC was asked to visit, to help train clergy, to speak at events, to write articles, to partner with other organizations, and more. Follow-up will take considerable time and resources, but we know the Lord will provide.
International Council:
The first part of the EFAC international Council meeting was held on the Sunday before the conference started. As we encourage the expansion of EFAC, it is important to develop the structures that will assist with this work. We enjoyed a very positive afternoon, starting with a Bible reading from Bishop Keith Sinclair and continuing with introductions and reports from the chapter representatives present. As General Secretary, Rev’d Richard Crocker gave an initial report: 1. The EFAC expansion plans have encountered an enormous amount of goodwill; 2. We are short of resources and must develop them. The meeting concluded with a report from Bishop Rufus Adepoju, who brought a most encouraging picture of the life, large dimensions, and evangelistic action of EFAC Nigeria.
EFAC Tours of Israel:
EFAC was also active before and after the conference. Before, with Dr Peter Walker as guide, EFAC took the entire Kenyan delegation on a mini-tour of the Holy land. This proved to be wonderfully beneficial, in bringing a devotional and fellowship time to the entire team (65), some of whom did not know one another, and as preparation for the conference set in the land of Jesus’ ministry.
After the conference, Peter Walker coordinated another short tour. The participants, mostly from the UK and USA, enjoyed a brief, but powerful, time visiting the sites of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, with some additional visits to Dan, Mount Carmel, and Caesarea. You can review the tours and see photos on the EFAC
Facebook
page.
EFAC Intercessors
: The team
has grown. These faithful people are willing and able to pray for us and for all EFAC chapters.
So, if your chapter has a prayer need, please
email us
.
We will add your need to the monthly prayer request email.
EFAC Website
:
What's new at our website? Check it out! We have new posts and reports on GAFCON (found on the
homepage
), new entries to the
calendar
, and a couple of new papers (found on the
Reading
page).
Incidentally, if you missed the May or June newsletter, they are available on the EFAC website under Resources, Reading, Newsletters. Or you could just click
here
.
While you're on our website anyway, check out the whole thing and
let us know
what you think! Input is welcome.
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Don't Miss Out on the Chance to Join with Us!
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Please join with EFAC in achieving the goal of encouraging and developing biblically faithful teaching and mission. Here are some suggestions for what you can do to help:
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Spread the Word!
When you receive the email newsletter,
share it with friends who may be interested.
Like EFAC Global on
Facebook and click
share on our posts, so that your Facebook friends see them, too.
Follow our
website and
share our posts through your social media feeds.
Invite us to your Church or church gathering, so that we can get to know you and your friends.
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Pray!
EFAC has a prayer team, but the more prayer, the better! Praise God for the great response we have had to EFAC's relaunch.
Please pray now as we continue to set up the structures to undergird the mighty work that God is doing through EFAC.
Also, please pray for all EFACters around the world, that they will be faithful to the mission of Jesus Christ and powerful in His service.
Finally, if you missed responding to our request for intercessors and want to be on the prayer team, please
email us
.
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Give!
EFAC has tremendous potential for good, but we need to be adequately resourced.
Please
give generously, either by sending a check to either our British or our American address, or by clicking on the
donate button on our website.
We encourage you to
give us what you won't miss
every month. It won't hurt you, but it will help spread the gospel throughout the world.
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