The Anglican Appeal gives Canadian Anglicans the opportunity to directly support the mission and ministry of General Synod. Many years ago, there was an appeal for the North and overseas. Anglicans in Mission was able to provide sufficient funding for this work, but when this campaign ended, the capacity for mission and ministry was drastically curtailed.
After consultations with the dioceses, it was decided to conduct a direct-mail campaign to give individual Anglicans across Canada an opportunity to support mission and ministry in Canada's North, the Indigenous Healing Fund, and the work of our church partners overseas. Authorized by the 1992 General Synod, the Anglican Appeal was designed to ensure that the valuable work done by partners in Canada's North and overseas received the attention and the financial support it deserves. Today, all dioceses participate in some way. In some cases, the Appeal revenue is shared with the dioceses benefiting local ministry projects. Without parish support, this essential work at home and overseas would simply not be possible.
The work the Appeal supports is diverse and wide-ranging. It helps further the work of Partners in Mission. Our church has mission partnerships around the world. Financial assistance is channeled to partner churches in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the South Pacific.
The church is expanding rapidly in many countries, often beyond the resources of the people to sustain it. Growth strains the capacity to provide spiritual nurture and pastoral care.
The church is expanding rapidly in many countries, often beyond the resources of the people to sustain it. Growth strains the capacity to provide spiritual nurture and pastoral care. Overseas, the Appeal helps theological students finish their education despite countless hardships. It provides opportunities for local people to receive training as clergy or lay leaders. The benefits go far beyond the church walls, as these leaders are often involved in important work in their communities, such as running day care centres for poor families and ministering to those with HIV/AIDS. When they see that something is lacking in their community, they are the ones who provide the leadership to work for change. Without your support, their potential to help their community would be lost.
The need for clergy in Africa is so great that often they are ordained before they finish their training. Scholarships provide assistance to African theological students in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, and Rwanda. The Rev. Samuel Githinji, a priest from the diocese of Eldoret in Kenya, recently studied in Toronto. Samuel can now offer his church a broader perspective on ministry. At the same time, he enriches the Canadian church with his experiences, leading to a deeper understanding of what it means to be Anglican. Contrasting the Canadian church to that in Kenya, Samuel explains that the church there is very young and has far fewer ordained clergy. Instead, there is a strong tradition of involvement from lay people. “People expect to be involved in their church,” he says.
With such a large number of adherents, it is not surprising that diversity is one of the characteristics that defines the Anglican church. The scope of Anglican Appeal is just as diverse. In Myanmar, it means educational resources in several languages for Sunday school and young people's religious education. In Brazil, it provides help to people living in a garbage dump to build safe, clean housing. In Jerusalem, the Appeal supports the Episcopal Church's efforts to work for peace in the Holy Land. In Uruguay, it means a warm and clean shelter, as well as medical and emotional support, for HIV/AIDS patients who have little money or family help. While these partnerships are of immeasurable help to overseas dioceses, they are also intimately connected to parishes at home. Over the years, more than 30 Canadian theological students have gained invaluable experience by being placed with international church partners. Another partnership program, Volunteers in Mission, matches Canadian volunteers to requests and requirements of international partners. From teachers of English as a second language, to medical practitioners, to daycare workers, Canadians are in demand to help serve partner churches overseas. These Canadians then return to share their new perspective on the church and the world with their home parishes.
Closer to home, the Appeal supports the Council of the North dioceses, where enormous distances and a scattered population make it very difficult to minister to parishes. The Appeal helps to provide opportunities for local people to train as lay leaders or ordained clergy without having to leave their families, jobs or communities. The training at schools such as the Arthur Turner Training School in Pangnirtung, NWT, is culturally appropriate, structured to the needs of the community, and provides much needed leadership to the Northern church. Arctic Bishop Andrew Atagotaaluk, himself a graduate of the school, has said that, “volunteers can be great teachers or counselors, skills which are highly valued in their community. Everyone has a gift they can contribute to their church.”
Closer to home, the Appeal supports the Council of the North dioceses, where enormous distances and a scattered population make it very difficult to minister to parishes. The Appeal helps to provide opportunities for local people to train as lay leaders or ordained clergy without having to leave their families, jobs or communities.
The Appeal also supports the church's Indigenous Healing Fund, which was established to provide support to Indigenous people for healing and reconciliation. The Healing Fund makes no compensation payments to individuals, but rather, gives grants to community groups for projects of collective healing, and restoration of language and culture. The Fund contributes to many projects such as traditional healing circles, youth activities, and language recovery. For instance, a young aboriginal person receives training to help counsel others who are struggling with the effects of attending a residential school many years ago. The fund also supports Tumivut (which means “Our Footprints” in Inuktituk), a transitional centre offering hope to homeless youth in Toronto.
These are just a few examples of the work being done here at home and around the world. Wherever the Anglican church lives there are dedicated Canadians working towards positive change with energy and imagination. Not everyone can be in Uruguay or Iqaluit. But you can support the people who are there doing God's work. You too can be a partner in the transforming power of God's love by supporting the Anglican Appeal.
