ACNAC Meets in Canada
Diocesan Press Service. September 19, 1973 [73226]
PORT CREDIT, Ont. -- The Anglican Council of North America and the Caribbean (NCNAC) met in Canada in September for the first time in its five-year history and, as usual, most of its discussion centered around its role within the Anglican family of churches.
Restricted by its inability to legislate or act on behalf of the American, Canadian and West Indian churches which make up its membership, the council has devoted its time to mutual consultation and joint planning. Although it has been a valuable information- sharing forum for the delegates, its effect upon the day-to-day life and plans of the national churches has, so far, been minimal.
Steps were taken by council delegates at this year's meeting, held in a Roman Catholic conference center a few miles from Toronto, to try to make ACNAC's existence more widely known and to move more directly into the planning of the churches, especially in the areas of ministry and mission.
One of the obstacles ACNAC has to overcome is that each delegation of seven persons from the Episcopal Church in the United States, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Church of the Province of the West Indies is appointed or elected by different methods and its delegations report to different bodies within their church. Some of the hierarchy of the member churches have recognized the need for regional consultation, while others have not.
One of the major acts by ACNAC this year was to recommend to the churches that they adopt a two-stage approach to such controversial issues as the ordination of women -- that is, they seek first an expression of the mind of the church on essential theological principles and then permit a time period to elapse before developing the necessary canonical changes or guidelines for implementation.
This "two-stage approach " follows the line of action recently taken by General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada which approved in principle the ordination of women to the priesthood and discharged to the House of Bishops the responsibility for developing an educational program and for determining how and when implementation should take place.
The Episcopal Church in the United States, on the other hand, faces legislation proposals at its General Convention this fall which seeks approval of the principle and provides for immediate canonical changes to open the doors for women clergy.
ACNAC delegates acknowledged that their recommendation may be interpreted as a "go slow" recommendation, but said it provides a means of separating consideration of the key theological issues from factors of culture and timing which cannot and ought not to be ignored.
More important, it makes possible time for comparing the direction of movement with the thinking and decisions of other Anglican churches in the communion and of those in a wider ecumenical context, ACNAC said. It also provides a greater opportunity of interpreting to the church membership the principles that are involved and the rationale for the proposed change.
In another action, ACNAC delegates approved plans for a 1974 regional conference in the Caribbean which will draw together representatives of the decision-making committees of each national church.
The regional conference will seek to broaden the knowledge and experience of church membership with visits by " discovery groups " to eight or 10 islands in the Caribbean, followed by a three-day session by all delegates in Tobago. It is hoped the conference will discover parallel forces and issues throughout the region and enable delegates to determine how individual Christians and the church can respond to the issues effectively.
One of the major issues the conference is expected to face as more and more West Indians emigrate to Canada and the United States, is ministry to these persons. Another will be joint mission as the Caribbean church seeks development funds and manpower to assist in the extension of its presence and its support for education and social assistance programs.
Jal Ghadially, director of the Canadian Hunger Foundation's programs for development, told ACNAC delegates that non-governmental organizations, such as church relief and development funds, play a very useful role because they permit development funds to be used for local assistance.
"Most aid on a government-to-government basis provides for big projects such as dams and factories. Its benefit does not trickle down to the poor rural peasant," he said. " Non-governmental organizations have a vital role because they start at the other end, at the village level, and work with the fisherman and the farmer. They try to assist in the form of food production and marketing co-operatives."
World food and fish production each declined by one percent last year, according to Ghadially, while the world's population increased by 75 million to 3.5 billion persons. A failure of next year's harvest in developing countries, some of which have experienced poor harvests in the past two years, would make the situation grim, he said.
ACNAC delegates found themselves unable to deal specifically by resolution with the threats of a world food shortage this decade, but recognized that it is an issue with which member churches are now dealing through development funds and in their petitions to government for increased foreign aid to assist in food production.
The 1972-73 officers were returned to office by the meeting. Bishop Clive Abdulah of Trinidad and Tobago was re-elected president; Mrs. John (Jean) Jackson, Lake Oswego, Ore., vice-president; John Ligertwood, Toronto, secretary, and Bruce Merrifield, Williamsville, N.Y. , treasurer.
Delegates from the Episcopal Church were Mrs. John Jackson; the Rev. Henry Mitchell; Bruce Merrifield; Bishop Quintin Primo; Bishop Francisco Reus-Froylan; and Miss Eleanor Richards. The Rev. Samuel Van Culin of the Executive Council staff was also present.