Nigerian Anglican Leader Appeals to ABC for more Openness of Worship Styles in UK Churches
CAPA bishops to meet in Nairobi in April. GAFCON to meet in Jerusalem in 2012
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
April 7, 2011
A delegation of Nigerian archbishops including the Primate of the Anglican Province of Nigeria, Nicholas Okoh, told the Archbishop of Canterbury that he needs to allow Nigerians in the UK to worship "the Nigeria way" in abandoned Church buildings or allow them a scheduled time in parish churches where they could express themselves unreservedly in worship.
In a recent visit to Lambeth Palace, the Nigerian Primate appealed to Dr. Rowan Williams arguing that there was an "unceasing and intense bleeding of our young executive Anglicans moving over to the New Generation Churches due to what they describe as 'cold' worship style."
Archbishop Okoh said his request was viewed positively by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of All England. "The Archbishop requested that we put our proposal in writing. He assured us that it is a practical proposal."
The Nigerian delegation also visited the Lord Bishop of London, Richard Chartres and the Bishop of Southwark. "We addressed a group of Nigerians of different age brackets in London, Manchester and Birmingham and had a special session with representatives of Nigerian Clergy in the UK. Our visit was said to be timely. But a few had their reservations."
They also raised the issues of status, sponsorship and the future of the Nigerian Chaplaincy in the UK. At the present time, they enjoy of the generosity of the Church Missionary Society, and the grace and benevolence of St. Marylebone.
In his address to the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria meeting in Owerri, the Primate made observations about CANA, CAPA and the Global South. His comments follow:
CANA
"The ministry of CANA under the leadership of Bishop Martyn Minns and his wife is going on well, within the obvious limits of funds, facilities and manpower. At the appropriate time issues of additional manpower and the whole range of issues about finance vis-à-vis the desire for additional grouping (emerging "dioceses") will be discussed. We repeat our appeal to our Lord Bishops to apply restraint in granting preferment to clergy abroad, especially in the USA as it has really made the clergymen there quite unruly. We also repeat the appeal for Bishops to respect CANA as a jurisdiction and avoid tendencies that are un-Anglican."
"The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) continues to faithfully bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in the midst of some very challenging religious and cultural circumstances. In his recent pastoral letter, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, the Primate of All Nigeria, strongly supports the continued ministry of CANA as a missionary initiative of the Church of Nigeria and the need to offer faithful Anglicans in North America a direct relationship to the Anglican Communion. He acknowledges the close relationship which exists between the Church of Nigeria, CANA and the ACNA,"said Bishop Elect Julian Dobbs.
CAPA
"We remain an active branch of CAPA. Five of our Bishops were in Nairobi for a CAPA training program in the first week of February. The CAPA Primates will meet in Nairobi in April to assess the situation in the worldwide communion to continue to plan its work of mission and evangelism."
GAFCON
"GAFCON is alive and well. There will be leaders meeting this year in New York, which will have an ecumenical character. Church leaders other than Anglicans who share our stand on the contentious issue of human sexuality and same-sex unions will be invited. The full GAFCON Congress will be held almost certainly in Jerusalem again in 2012."
GLOBAL SOUTH
"Under the leadership of the Global South and CAPA, a decision was taken to stay away from the Dublin Primates' Meeting after sharing some thorny issues with the Archbishop of Canterbury through an official letter after our meeting at Singapore and face to face at Entebbe, Uganda. The issues raised in our Singapore letter which were also discussed at Entebbe were not treated with the seriousness they deserved. Quite apart from the raging issues of human sexuality there was the whole issue of the Agenda for the meeting. The Global South has now been vindicated by the new proposal for a law to authorize the solemnization of same-sex marriages in Churches and other places of worship in the UK. Thankfully, the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church have objected to it. But how long can they hold out, in view of heavy pressures from politicians, journalists, human rights campaigners, legal officers and institutions and a very vocal homosexual minority?"
Okoh said the Global South Primates have arranged a meeting with Chinese Government to discuss the issue of the Christian faith. This meeting will take place in September 2011.
The Nigerian delegation included The Most Revd Nicholas D. Okoh, Primate; The Most Revd Joseph Akinfenwa, Ibadan; The Most Revd Michael Akinyemi, Kwara; The Most Revd Bennet Okoro, Owerri; The Most Revd Ignatius Kattey, Niger Delta; The Most Revd Emmanuel Egbunu, Lokoja; The Rt. Revd David Onuoha, Secretary; Barrister Abraham Yisa, Registrar.
END