The official announcement of the December 3 event is now up here.
WHEATON, IL, Nov. 17—Leaders of the Common Cause Partnership, a
federation of more than 100,000 Anglican Christians in North America,
will release to the public on the evening of Dec. 3 the draft
constitution of an emerging Anglican Church in North America, formally
subscribe to the Jerusalem Declaration of the Global Anglican Future
Conference (GAFCON) and affirm the GAFCON Statement on the Global
Anglican Future at an evening worship celebration in suburban Chicago.
This historic event comes in the wake of GAFCON held in Israel last
June with leaders from more than one-half of the world’s 77 million
Anglicans. At the close of that gathering, Anglican leaders released
the Jerusalem Declaration and the GAFCON Statement on the Global
Anglican Future, which outlined their Christian beliefs and goals to
reform, heal and revitalize the Anglican Communion worldwide.
“One conclusion of the Global Anglican Future Conference held in
Jerusalem last June was that the time for the recognition of a new
Anglican body in North America had arrived,” observed Bishop Robert
Duncan of Pittsburgh, moderator of Common Cause Partnership. “The
public release of our draft constitution is an important concrete step
toward the goal of a biblical, missionary and united Anglican Church in
North America.”
Provinces, dioceses and parishes around the world have been making
formal decisions to support the Jerusalem Declaration and the GAFCON
Statement on the Global Anglican Future since its release this summer.
Leading bishops and representatives of the North American Common Cause
Partnership will officially subscribe to the Declaration and affirm the
Statement at the public worship service at Wheaton Evangelical Free
Church in Wheaton, IL at 7:30 p.m. CST on December 3. All Anglicans in
attendance will also be given an opportunity to individually subscribe
to the Declaration and affirm the Statement.
“We enthusiastically issue a public invitation to all fellow
Christians in hopes that they will witness, participate in and
celebrate our unity and common mission,” Bishop Duncan added.
Prior to the evening service, at 2 p.m. CST earlier on Dec. 3, a
reception will be held at the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton to give
thanks and learn about the mission of Christ Awakening. Rooted among
Anglicans, Christ Awakenings are quickly spreading to the larger
Christian community. The first Christ Awakening was held in September
2007 in Chicago. Since then, the grassroots movement of Christ
Awakenings has held events in Vancouver, Ohio and New England to call
Christians to work together, in unity, partnering for mission
worldwide. After the reception, a media briefing with Common Cause
leaders will follow at 5:30 p.m. CST, addressing the significance of
the historic worship celebration that evening.
The Common Cause Partnership is a federation of Anglican Christians
that links together eight Anglican jurisdictions and organizations in
North America, including the American Anglican Council, the Anglican
Coalition in Canada, the Anglican Communion Network, the Anglican
Mission in the Americas, the Anglican Network in Canada, the
Convocation of Anglicans in North America, Forward in Faith North
America, the Reformed Episcopal Church, and the bishops and
congregations linked with Kenya, Uganda, and South America’s Southern
Cone. Together they represent more than 100,000 Anglican Christians
worshiping each Sunday in the United States and Canada.