Diocese of the WGC

At the GAFCON IV Conference, new leadership was elected and is now in effect. Archbishop Laurent Mbanda was elected as the new Gafcon Chairman Two Archbishops were elected to fill the two Gafcon Vice Chair positions. They are Archbishop Kanishka Raffel and Archbishop Miguel Uchoa. Please continue to pray for Archbishop Mbanda and his family who lost their son Edwin unexpectedly earlier this week. #gafcon23

GAFCON IV - THE KIGALI COMMITMENT INTRODUCTION [Download the entire commitment using the link below] [Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Colossians 1:18 Greetings from Kigali, Rwanda, where the fourth Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) met from 17-21 April 2023, bringing together 1,302 delegates from 52 countries, including 315 bishops, 456 other clergy and 531 laity. We were grateful for the extraordinary hospitality extended by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda and the Anglican Church of Rwanda. We were deeply saddened to hear the news of the loss of Laurent and Chantal’s son Edwin, and we continue to offer our prayers of comfort for the Mbanda family. We were also privileged to be welcomed and addressed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, the Right Honourable Edouard Ngirente who spoke of the significance of our gathering. Our conference theme for 2023 ‘To Whom Shall We Go?’ (John 6:68), along with our Bible studies in the Letter to the Colossians, focused our attention on Jesus, the one in whom all the fullness of God dwells in bodily form, the Lord of all creation and the head of his body, the church (Colossians 1:15-19; 2:9). Our Chairman in his opening address encouraged us to be a repenting church, a reconciling church, a reproducing church and a relentlessly compassionate church. This is the church we want to be. We were reminded that the purpose and mission of the church is to make known to a lost world the glorious riches of the gospel by proclaiming Christ crucified and risen, and living faithfully together as his disciples. CONTENTS OF THE KIGALI COMMITMENT: Our Fellowship Together The Authority of God’s Word The Current Crisis in the Anglican Communion The Failure of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Other Instruments of Communion Call for Repentance Support for Faithful Anglicans Appropriate Pastoral Care Resetting the Communion Our Future Together THE KIGALI COMMITMENT is available for download in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili (coming soon) here: gafcon23.org/gafcon-iv-conf… #gafcon23

THE BLESSING “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”  (Numbers 6:24-26) #gafcon23 has officially concluded, and a new season for the global Anglican communion has begun! Dozens of videos clips can be found at: gafcon23.org/resources/ Keep an eye on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for a few more photos and highlight reels in the coming days. We pray for travel mercies, and as you return home, let's share how the Lord has stirred our hearts for Christ's mission in this world.

"We are not and cannot be the Church as we have known it. We must be a living Body engaged with the people around us." —Archbishop @FoleyBeach @gafconference #gafcon23 anglicancompass.com/the-four-marks…

Calvin Robinson offering an update to #gafcon23 on the Free Church of England, the equivalent of the Reformed Episcopal Church in the United Kingdom: “We seek to shape our lives around the scriptures, rather than the scriptures around our lives.”

Please pray for the Mbanda family as they mourn and travel to the States

Our prayers are with those in Sudan at the moment - please join us in praying for those in the midst of that tragedy, and for an end to the conflict. A number of delegates for GAFCON IV have been delayed or rerouted due to it - pray for God to sustain them too! #gafcon23

Isaac lost everything. "I would say to anybody, whatever happens we have to face it with faith." @DioceseWGC vimeo.com/233568207

Bp. @CWPLowenfield gave the closing prayer at #HopeStands with @RickWarren #Hope4Houston #Anglican #Texas facebook.com/adwgc/posts/69…

"This disaster will give us the opportunity for boldness in our faith."-@ChristineShook #HopeStands #Hope4Houston

"In every crisis are the seeds of change to make a switch." -@RickWarren #HopeStands #Hope4Houston

"People are more likely to come to Christ when they are under tension or in transition"- @RickWarren #HopeStands #Hope4Houston

bishop @CWPLowenfield (participating in prayer before the event. #hopestands twitter.com/pd_church/stat…

"I fundamentally believe that churches are the best equipped to mobilize the fastest." -@RickWarren #HopeStands #PDChurch #Hope4Houston

"This could be the church’s finest hour." -@RickWarren, to nearly 350 #Houston pastors uniting for #HopeStands. #Hope4Houston #PDChurch

"A storm does not change God's plan for your life. Your security is in eternity." @RickWarren encouraging HOU pastors with @CWPLowenfield

Designed some tshirts, 100% of profits will go to Harvey relief thru @DioceseWGC bonfire.com/god-bless-texas #texasstrong #Harvey2017 #Houston

ardf.org/2017-harvey-up… Thank you to all our donors! ARDF has collected nearly $25,000 in relief funds for @DioceseWGC to distribute.

Wednesdays with the Bishop: Reproducible Discipleship conta.cc/2g6Ww0l

The Diocese is glad to officially welcome David Cumbie as the new Senior Pastor of Church of the Apostles- Houston! @COTAHOUSTON