He disagrees with the recent decision made by the Anglican Synod to give bishops the freedom to allow the blessing of same-sex couples in their dioceses.

The motion allows only for blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples who have been married elsewhere.

The proposal also gives each diocese's bishop and clergy immunity from complaint if they refused to conduct blessings of same-sex couples.

Behan is chair of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans New Zealand (FCANZ), an evangelical conservative group within the church, that opposes same-sex blessings.

A statement on the FCANZ website greeted the synod vote with "deep sadness."

"We are ready to support people and parishes that cannot remain within this changed Anglican structure.

"We will work together nationally and internationally to provide fellowship and support as we look towards new ways and structures of ministering the unchanging good news of Jesus," it stated.

FCANZ is governed by a Trust Board located in Christchurch.

It is unclear how many members it has. The FACNZ website reported that a total of nearly 500 Anglicans attended two conferences in Auckland and Christchurch to launch the organisation in 2016.

FCANZ is the New Zealand arm of a Global Movement known as the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA).

FCA is closely associated with Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCOM).

It is a coalition of Anglican bishops, archbishops and lay people from around the world.

They come mainly from churches in the southern hemisphere - Africa, Asia, Australia, South America - but also enjoy the support of unhappy conservative evangelicals from the US, Canada and England.

According to a Guardian report, gay clergy and same-sex unions are the main issues for FCA.

However, members are also unhappy with the west's failure to proselytise to non-Christians.

FCO claims to represent around half of the world's 77 million Anglicans.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• theguardian.com
• anglicandownunder.blogspot.co.nz
• fcanz.org
• Image: newshub.co.nz

She was speaking to leaders and members of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Polynesia attending a training session at the Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Polynesia.

Eleanor says that in the early church, "People that were alive with the gospel and were sent out"

By contrast, "We think 'churches', we have a culture where we come and consume.

"We need to send people out to be part of the mission in communities and neighbourhoods and that is a lot harder," Eleanor said.

In 2016 she became diocesan canon theologian in the Anglican diocese of Wellington, New Zealand.

She has recently been elected assistant Bishop of Wellington and will be ordained 2 June.

Eleanor was formerly a lecturer at the School of Earth Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington.

She completed her PhD in Geography at Victoria, focusing on the intersection between community development and Christian spirituality.

"The background I've got in international community development fits alongside the priorities that we have in the Church.

"It's about developing a deeper sense of Christ-centred community."

"There's also a commitment to the lost and the least—that is, a commitment to places of poverty, and to places of the least powerful, as opposed to the most powerful, which also means challenging our assumptions and definitions of poverty and power."

The General Synod of the Anglican diocese of Polynesia is taking place in Suva this week.

115 representatives of the Anglican Church from Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa, New Zealand and Fiji are discussing issues affecting the church, passing laws and making decisions which will shape the future of Anglican life and ministry in the Pacific.

Source

• fijitimes.com
• movementonline.org.nz
• www.victoria.ac.nz
• Image: fijitimes.com

The report upheld the "traditional doctrine of marriage", which defined marriage as being "between a man and a woman ... life-long and monogamous".

However it proposed a compromise solution which would allow the blessing of same gender couples who are already civilly married.

While both Tikanga Maori and Tikanga Polynesian agreed they could adopt provisions of the A Way Forward report, the seven New Zealand dioceses asked for more time to address misgivings about the two services of blessing posed.

The Synod moved into conference mode, and requested space to operate with only members and those with speaking rights present.

After the discussion, the Synod appointed a new working group to draft an alternate response to the A Way Forward report.

It consisted of seven members - two from each tikanga and a legal adviser.

This working party presented its proposal on Wednesday.

Agreement could still not be reached.

And so the report "lies on the table" with the Synod coming back to it after further work in two years time.

Church spokesman Rev Jayson Rhodes said the synod decided that "it needs more work and time to create a structure that can allow for blessing of committed life-long monogamous same-sex relationships".

"The synod has asked for a working group to ensure there is a structure that can safeguard different views concerning the blessing of same-gender relationships, and that will be considered in two years' time at the next General Synod," he said.

The the original working group said that the proposed new rites of blessing are "additional formularies" rather than doctrinal changes.

"It is the view of the majority of the group that the proposed liturgies do not represent a departure from the Doctrine and Sacraments of Christ, and are therefore not prohibited by [the Church's constitution]"

The proposal was modelled on what happened in France, where "everybody gets married in the town hall and comes to church the next day".

On Monday, Bishop Jim White, who was part of the working group, told the Synod that blessings would require the legal union to take place elsewhere at an earlier time, then the couple themselves would be blessed by the Church, not their marriage.

This provided an opportunity for blessings but kept the Church's understanding of marriage intact.

Some church members think the proposed blessing ceremonies looked too much like a marriage, he said.

Others have criticised the report saying it creates a second class ceremony for same gender couples.

Bishop Kito Pikaahu, also one of the report writers, said different groups inside the Church must learn to be tolerant, particularly when disagreeing with others.

Other working group members said the report was designed to spark discussion and was not a final solution.

They said there was not unanimous agreement within the working group and the report offered recommendations to be debated.

Prior to the presentation of the report two dioceses had already intervened.

The Christchurch Diocesan Synod proposed a motion that states that the General Synod "does not adopt any recommendations without first referring the report to the Synods . . . of this Church for discussion, and resources a significant period of education, discussion and discernment throughout this Church."

The Nelson Diocesan Synod have tabled a motion calling for "at least four years of intentional theological reflection, education and discussion across our Church on the substance and impact of the [proposed changes]."

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• episcopaldigitalnetwork.com
• nzherald.co.nz
• www.gaynz.com
• Image: anglicantaonga.org.nz

Many people on the walk, he said, wanted to talk to him about his role as a Bishop, and his experience of God.

He was surprised that monasteries and churches appeared not to engage with pilgrims, and a final Mass he attended notably failed to invite pilgrims to reflect on their journey.

‘People are hungry to talk about faith', he said ‘but not interested in the institution of the church'.

Bishop Justin was addressing the Synod of the Wellington Anglican Diocese which took place last weekend in Palmerston North.

Bishop Justin continued, ‘People want to engage with issues of faith, but they do not want to belong to an institution. People want deeply to belong, and they want to be gathered around the table, to be called in from the highways and byways'.

‘We need to change our culture', he said. ‘How we do things is just as important as what we do; if we get the right culture, then the other stuff will flow'.

Bishop Justin made three points:

• We are family, not ‘islands'.
• We cannot disciple people unless we are disciples ourselves.
• We are a church of the lost, last, least, and a church that prioritises the proclamation of the Gospel, good news to the poor.

Source

• Anglican Taonga
• Image: Synod News

Rod Oram, who moved the proposal, told synod that it "gives us the opportunity to offer leadership on, and to make a practical response to, climate change.

"Thus, it speaks to two marks of our Christian mission: care of creation and righting unjust social structures.

"Of all the ways in which we live unsustainably," he said, "it is climate change that is causing the gravest harm - right now, here and around the world - to the very ecosystem on which our existence depends."

And climate change, he said, is being driven "simply by pumping a rapidly rising volume of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases" into the atmosphere.

Oram is a journalist specialising in economic issues.

The motion drew impassioned support from Tikanga Pasefika speakers, most notably Bishop Api Qiliho, who said the survival of Pacific Island people was at stake.

There were notes of caution, however, from Mark Wilcox, General Manager of the Anglican Pension Board.

He told synod that the Pension Board manages $160 million of funds on behalf of its members, many of whom are retired or serving clergy.

Mr Wilcox said the Board took its ethical investment philosophy seriously, and had wrestled with how to respond "to the growing tide of sentiment around the world for divestment of fossil fuel investments."

But it also had to take its fiduciary obligations to its members equally seriously.

Source

• Anglican Taonga
• Pacific Scoop
• Image: Anglican Taonga

Polynesia's Anglican Archbishop, Winston Halapua, says it is important for all races to unite for what he deems a 'worthy cause' by supporting the Fiji government towards the election process.

"The power of democracy is already set in 2014, we see that the mechanism and various channels are being made to have the election," he said.

"As the leader of the Anglican Church I would like to encourage our people to engage dynamically."

New Zealand Archbishop David Moxon echoed similar sentiments saying the church was praying for the Fiji government and her people.

"A time line for this process has now been offered. We continue to invite prayer for this crucial journey, as the people of Fiji discover, determine and discern for themselves the form of governance that best suits their needs," he said.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• Image: AnglicanTaonga