"I don't think the people at St John's have been as happy since Christmas 2001", commented a member of St John's Shaughnessy in Vancouver Canada. That was the Christmas before the Synod and the Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster agreed to permit parishes to bless same-sex unions. That decision " that decisive move away from the Bible and historic Anglicanism - caused St John's delegates to leave the Synod, so that they could remain Anglican. They gathered for prayer, tears and communion at a nearby church and tried to discern their future.
Now, some six years after those tumultuous days, as reported briefly last month, they feel like they have come home. On the weekend of April 25-27, at a conference of the Anglican Network in Canada, St John's clergy and those from like-minded parishes were licensed for ministry by Bishop Donald Harvey of the Anglican Network in Canada. They were part of the Anglican communion once more.
The people of St John's remain strong and positive as they trust their sovereign Lord. They have been sharpened in the fire of trial. "God has been very gracious to St John's,” commented one parishioner. "This whole situation has meant that our people are more grounded in Scripture; there are not as many here who are merely along for the ride,” commented another. "I'm very proud of my church and our clergy for taking the stand they have,” said another.
Significantly, the very weekend following St John's welcome into the Anglican Network of Canada, the church was in mission mode, with evangelist Rico Tice from All Souls Langham Place speaking at functions Thursday-to-Saturday and at services on Sunday. As a result, a good number of people have started the Christianity Explored course. One person who had only been at St John's for about five weeks attended the first night of the course and enjoyed it so much he proceeded to invite four or five friends to join him from week two. They did and he wrote excitedly: "Our friends are really enjoying Christianity Explored and now we go for coffee and dessert after, to talk about what we have learned." So in the midst of the challenges facing the church, the work of promoting the gospel and proclaiming the Lord Jesus goes on and the Holy Spirit is drawing people to himself.
I first visited Vancouver and St John's in January of 1996. My Bishop (Paul Barnett) sent me over to observe the ministry there and take a short winter course at Regent College. It was an impressive church then! Now some 12-and-a-half years later, I had the privilege and blessing of visiting again. I spent the month of May in Vancouver and was welcomed as part of the ministry team at St John's. I led and preached at their 7.30am service for four weeks, attended staff meetings, met with some parishioners and many of the staff. Their positive outlook and determination to press on with mission was an inspiration. The rector, the Rev David Short, is providing godly leadership not only at St John's, but across Canada for like-minded parishes. And there are other Australians on the team " with Ruth Flannigan (nee Howard) as a brilliant children's worker and Ken and Julie Moser heading up the excellent youth ministry.
Yet the context in which they are ministering is throwing up great challenges and can prove a distraction from ministry. David was informed last month that having resigned as a clergyman of the Anglican Church of Canada, he would be considered to be trespassing if he entered St John's property. The property battle looms large for St John's, but they are ready: ready with a very able legal team, but more importantly, ready spiritually. On June 11, David wrote in their parish news, "It is very important for us to increasingly place our confidence in Christ and his gospel. St. John's is not the building, it is you, the people who belong to God. St. John's will continue to be the church of God with or without the building, so long as we stand on the foundation of the teaching of the apostles and prophets and align ourselves with Jesus, our cornerstone. We believe the property and buildings are owned by the legally incorporated parish of St John's and are a great facility for ministry. But as a congregation we will hold together whether we have the buildings or not."
The trustees and wardens: absolutely supportive. The congregation of St John's: Likewise. In the words of one: "Last Sunday, David gave a fabulous sermon on the church being the Body of Christ, not the buildings, and the whole congregation is behind him".
Meanwhile David's ministry is being appreciated across North America. During my time in Vancouver, he led preaching workshops in Calgary and California and then headed to Chicago for a meeting of the Gospel Coalition. He now aims to do two things: teach the Bible and train others to teach the Bible"”thereby multiplying Bible teachers and Bible-believing congregations across Canada and America. That means he travels extensively in both countries, meeting with like-minded pastors, interns and seminary students, running preaching workshops and girding up the church for a solid grounding in the Word of God which will last for generations. St John's runs a training institute where interns are trained and mentored for ministry by David and another Moore College graduate - Canadian born - the Rev Eric Thurston. Together, it is their plan and prayer not only that more existing congregations will join the network, but also that many new churches will be planted. The gifted staff team at St John's under the direction of associate minister Dan Gifford and director of ministry Joanne Lawrie frees David up for this ministry beyond the parish.
Although carrying such a weight of responsibility, David is a man of extremely good cheer. This can only come from a deep and enduring trust in the Lord Jesus as the sovereign Lord of all. And David's trust and clear Bible teaching inspires a similar trust in others.
Will you pray for St John's Shaughnessy, for David and his staff team, for the Anglican Network in Canada and its congregations, that no matter the challenges that lie ahead, they will conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel; stand firm in one spirit and contend as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose them? (See Philippians 1:27-28.)
(For more information visit St John’s website)
