Many of Anglican Aid’s partners are from GAFCON provinces including Archbishop Ande from the Anglican Church of Congo. He is on GAFCON’s Council and is pictured (right) with Anglican Aid CEO Tim Swan.

Anglican Aid gives thanks to God for the gospel faithfulness of the leadership of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), following their recent statement regarding the future of the Anglican Communion. This announcement is a declaration that the Anglican Communion would not centre around a person or an office, but rest on a single foundation: the Word of God.  

As the overseas aid, development, and ministry support agency of the Sydney Anglican Diocese, Anglican Aid is committed to resourcing churches in the world’s poorest countries with faithful servants trained in the word of God. We are building and resourcing theological colleges and supporting the training of over 2,500 people for various ministries. Anglican Aid longs to see the word of God faithfully proclaimed to the nations. 

Anglican Aid works in all of the Anglican provinces represented by the leadership of GAFCON, as well as with many other like-minded and trustworthy dioceses in around 34 countries. These dioceses together represent a majority of Anglicans around the world. We know these leaders and share with them a rich fellowship, grounded in a common belief that the Scriptures are authoritative. It is this fellowship that allows us to partner together – Christians from Australia praying and giving to help our brothers and sisters in the world’s poorest nations to love God and their neighbours, and to make disciples. 

The GAFCON statement is the culmination of years of fellowship and support amongst leaders who are steadfast in the mission to, “Proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations.”  GAFCON began at a gathering in Jerusalem in 2008, prompted by the steady move away from the authority of scripture by some churches in the Anglican communion into errors in doctrine, church governance, and matters of human sexuality. You can read GAFCON’s full recent statement here. 

It is a privilege and joy for Anglican Aid to partner with these brothers and sisters.  As Bishop Alfred Olwa from Uganda shared at Sydney Synod recently, “We need each other!”. Australian Christians must share our theological resources and training, as well as our encouragement to them to stay faithful in times of persecution and compromise. But we in Sydney must learn from Africa’s testimony of God’s power to grow the church in hardship and their witness of resilience through poverty and pain, as well as their passion for prayer and praise. As Bishop Olwa said to those gathered at Synod, “What we do together in training, in mission, and in partnership, truly strengthens the gospel and the body of Christ!”. 

Pray:

• Praise God for the fellowship we share with our overseas partners.