Three more AMiA bishops consecrated

By: Ed Beavan.

THREE more bishops have been consecrated into the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA), the ‘alternative province’ set up in North America for disaffected traditonalists who reject the leadership of the American Episcopal Church, particularly their liberal stance on homosexuality.

American priests Terrel Glynn, John Miller and Philip Jones were consecrated bishops into the Church of Rwanda in a ceremony at AMiA’s winter conference in Dallas, Texas, which was attended by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and Justice Akrofi, the Archbishop of West Africa.

The consecrations bring the number of AMiA bishops in the Rwandan House to seven, overseeing a total of 133 congregations, with a further 62 in the pipeline.

Other bishops taking part in the consecration were Common Cause bishops Martyn Minns and David Anderson of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), Bishops Bill Atwood and Bill Murdoch who were ordained into the Church of Kenya last year, and Bishop John Guernsey of Uganda.

Bishop Chuck Murphy, Chairman of AMiA, preached during the consecration service and said there was an urgent need for more missionary bishops, as a ‘Second Reformation’ had begun, and he praised the Rwandan bishops for their role in helping to establish the new grouping.

He said: “We need more missionary bishops to step into the next level of growth. “The critical factor, the God-given vision of this remarkable vision, comes from the Rwandan House of Bishops and their willingness to stand up and be a part of us from the beginning.

“They broke with convention in the early days and pioneered a way forward in mission unheard of Anglican circles.”

The service was also attended by Bishop Sandy Millar, former Vicar of Holy Trinity, Brompton, and an Assistant Bishop in the Province of Uganda, who gave an address on his experiences of evangelism through the Alpha movement.

Bishop Don Harvey, the moderator bishop of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), a similar movement to AMiA, was also at the conference, ahead of the ANiC launch conference in Vancouver in April.

The three new bishops will continue in parish ministry in North America but with extended responsibility.

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