wfn.org | [ACNS] Digest 30 Sept 2005

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

The following is a roundup of the recent ACNS Digest stories, with
reports from  Burundi, West Indies, Canada and England. The ACNS Digest
can be found here:

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm

(472) 30-September-2005 - New Diocese and two new Bishops for the
Anglican Church of Burundi - Burundi

The weekend of November 5-6th 2005 is set to be memorable and historic
for the Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi as two newly-elected
Bishops are consecrated, and the new diocese of Muyinga is inaugurated.

Plans to divide the diocese of Gitega and create a sixth diocese, with
its centre in the town of Muyinga, have been under discussion for
several years. The diocese will serve the parishes in the north-eastern
areas of Cankuzo and Muyinga that stretch to the border with Tanzania.
It is a predominantly rural area. Many of those seeking repatriation
will pass through the diocese of Muyinga.

The Rev. Eraste Bigirimana has been elected by the House of Bishops to
be the Bishop of the new diocese. Rev. Eraste has been working as
diocesan secretary for the diocese of Gitega. Married to Consolata, he
has four children.

The Rev. Sixbert Macumi has more recently been elected by the House of
Bishops to be the new, and third, Bishop of Buye. He will take over from
the former Archbishop, and Bishop of Buye, the Most Rev. Samuel
Ndayisenga who is retiring. Rev. Sixbert has been the Principal of the
Bible School in Buye. He is married to Clothilde and has two children.

Both Bishops will be consecrated in Muyinga on the 5th November 2005.
Rev. Sixbert will be installed in Buye on the following day.

Pray for Rev. Eraste and Rev. Sixbert, and their families, as they
prepare for, and begin, their new ministries.

Pray for the life and work of the dioceses of Muyinga and Buye.
Pray for the unity of the Church as it moves forward in its commitment
to mission and evangelism; to peace and reconciliation; to repatriation
of refugees and displaced people; to community development, literacy and
education, and HIV/AIDS; and to theological education and training for
ministry.

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(471) 30-September-2005 - Church Games Get The Ball Rolling With Cross
Run - West Indies

The momentum and excitement in anticipation of the first Church Games
set for October 11-21 is building very quickly.

The games officially got underway on Saturday with a Cross Run that is
similar to the Commonwealth or the Olympic games torch run where a
representative from each of denomination had the opportunity to run with
the cross as it made its way around the city before ending at the Sir
Kendal Isaacs Gym.

Church Games organizers were forced to reschedule the fun run walk and
push because of threat from hurricane Katrina, it is unclear if they
will still try to host that event.

However when the games begin, dozens of churches from eight
denominations will compete in nine events including baseball,
basketball, boxing, cycling, soccer, softball, swimming, track and field
and volleyball.

Athletes will compete for the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Church of
God, Baptist, Full Gospel, seventh Day Adventist and a number of
independent churches.

Bishop Reverend Dr. Williams Thompson, President of The Bahamas
Christian Council emphasized that the games are not only for the young
members of the church.

He said, "One of our aims is to promote a healthy lifestyle for the
entire family and although we like to use the word youth we expect to
see some of the older church members competing as well because we want
to see the entire family get involved."

"Also," he added, "we want to open the doors of the church to those
people who see church as a place for a certain grouping of people, and
we want to show them that that is not so and we believe we can do that
through sports."

In recent years local churches have been criticized for not taking the
message of God directly to the sinner in the streets.

Thompson said, "Because sports has a way of bringing people through the
doors of the church, the games will also give many churches an
opportunity to reach outside their four walls to touch the lives of the
young and old."

It is estimated that the games will cost approximately $150,000 to stage
successfully. In addition to corporate and small business sponsors, the
Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture and the Baptist Christian Council
have given the organizers their full support.

The games organizers have been able to secure the assistance of several
of the local sporting associations and federations to help with
organizing of the various sporting disciplines.

The games will be held biannually and when the government is not hosting
The Bahamas Games.

Article from The Bahama Journal by Gerrino Saunders

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(470) 30-September-2005 - New Bishop for the Diocese of Central
Newfoundland - Canada

After a one-year delay, the diocese of Central Newfoundland, in an
electoral synod held September 9-10, finally chose a new bishop: Rev.
David Torraville.

Last year the synod was unable to elect a bishop since no candidate
received more than two-thirds of the vote after 11 ballots; Mr.
Torraville, who was also a candidate then, was in deadlock with Rev.
John E. Watton, of the parish of Badger's Quay/Pool's Island.

At this year's synod, held at Holy Trinity Parish, in Grand
Falls-Windsor, Mr. Torraville was declared the new bishop after he
received 26 votes from the clergy and 62 from the laity on the third
ballot. (He only needed 24 votes from clergy and 50 from the laity to
win.) He bested two other candidates: Rev. Perry Cooper of the parish of
Lewisporte and Rev. Michael Li of St. Alban parish, Grand Bank.

"It's overwhelming and humbling," said Bishop-elect Torraville, reacting
to his win. "Oddly enough, it's like asking your wife to marry you and
she says, 'yes,' and you wonder, 'Oh my goodness, am I able to?'"
Bishop-elect Torraville, who has worked as executive officer of the
diocese at the central office in Gander for nearly five years, said he
considers providing pastoral care an important priority for Central
Newfoundland.

"Our diocese is very much a rural diocese. It's a place of incredible
blessing. But we're in a difficult time right now. Young people are
leaving because they feel there are no opportunities here," he said in
an interview with the Anglican Journal. He added that the
"disintegration of culture, community and family" has also been
distressing for many. "We grew up in a time when grandchildren could
simply go across the street to grandma for a cookie but now it has
changed considerably. That change is a terrible loss and we have to be
there for people."

He added: "We're a good-news people and a lot of our churches need a
great deal of good news. We need to provide hope and stability; we have
to be there to nurture and provide spiritual comfort."

Bishop-elect Torraville received a bachelor's degree from Memorial
University (1978) and a master of divinity degree (1985) from Queen's
College, both in St. John's, Nfld. In 1994, he completed his course work
and qualifying exams for a doctor of ministry at Princeton Theological
Seminary in New Jersey, and became a fellow in pastoral leadership and
development at the same university in 1999.

He has served as rector of the parish of Gander and the Cathedral of St.
Martin from 1992 to 2000, as assistant priest of the parish of Gander
from 1989 to 1992, and as deacon in charge and later, rector of the
parish of Twillingate from 1985 to 1989. He was a teacher in Labrador
before he was ordained a deacon in 1985 and a priest in 1986.

Prior to his election, Bishop-elect Torraville was a member of the
diocesan joint committee, chair of the health and community regional
pastoral board, and a member of the diocesan executive committee, among
others.

He is married to Karen Flemming of Brookfield, N.S., and they have two
children, Paul and Catherine (who is a member of the national church's
eco-justice committee).

He is the son of a retired Anglican priest, Canon Arnold Torraville, and
Mrs. Nita Mesher Torraville. The bishop-elect will be consecrated on St.
Andrew's Day on Nov. 30 at St. Martin's Cathedral.

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(469) 30-September-2005 - Bishop criticises BMJ approach to assisted
dying debate - England

The Rt Revd Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Albans, has criticised the
British Medical Journal for publishing five articles (including an
editorial) effectively in favour of euthanasia but only one article
against it. "There needs to be a balanced approach to reporting views
about assisted dying as the subject assumes greater prominence in the
run-up to the House of Lords debate on 10 October," he said.

Bishop Christopher, who chairs the Hospital Chaplaincies Council, and
was a member of the House of Lords select committee whose report is to
be debated on 10 October also expressed concern that the BMJ had not
considered that there might be a theological perspective to include in
this public and emotionally charged debate.

"It is also all too easy," he said, "for such unbalanced reporting to
foster the erroneous impression that there is widespread support among
doctors for a change in the law to allow medical assistance with suicide
or euthanasia.	The great majority of doctors who wrote to the committee
were strongly opposed to a change in the law, while the General Medical
Council warned that such a change would have serious implications for
the doctor-patient relationship and would be difficult to reconcile with
medical ethical principles."

"Aspects of the debate given prominence by the British Medical
Association's spokeswoman in the Journal suggest that consideration of
safeguards and conscience clauses is all that is required now," Bishop
Christopher said.  "This is fundamentally to overlook the fact that the
law has not been changed to allow assisted dying and many within and
beyond the Church feel strongly that the law as it stands should not be
changed.  Does the BMA really want to give people the legal right to
demand and require death?"

Bishop Christopher welcomed the recent announcement by the Royal College
of General Practitioners  (RCGP) opposing any change in legislation.
"Any changes in current legislation would be likely to fall heavily on
GPs and it is very encouraging that the RCGP have publicly promoted
their opposition to any legislative change," he said.

Further information from: Church of England Communications Office
Alexander Nicoll and Steve Jenkins	   tel (020) 7898-1326
Anna McCrum (St Albans Diocese) 	tel (01727) 818143 or 07956
547353

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