Tomorrow our house group meets for the first time. We have dedicated it to 'Our Lady of Glastonbury'. We will be praying morning prayer together using the book of common prayer. We spent today getting the house ready assembling our "altar" and candles etc. it really did make me stop and consider what an adventure we are on.
I have never been more certain of the decision I have made and I know that if the Lord has ordained this work then he will prosper it.
We will meet every two weeks at first alternating the leading of the prayers and we will have a reading from a spiritual book in place of a sermon.
This is not how we intend to stay however, we want to reach out to anyone else who might be struggling in their current church situation and who feel they want to explore what the 'Anglican Catholic Church' is all about.
I know there will be many who will think it silly to leave the church of England and join a smaller church. But the truth is not a democracy and size does not guarantee faithfulness to the teachings of Christ. I also know there are many who are happy where they are! I have absolutely no wish to criticise that. they are very entitled to their own opinions.
As for me and my house I will serve the lord, the Anglican communion is no longer a communion, but rather a fighting tribe. The church of England is not unified either for within it you can find affirming Catholics, forward in faith Catholics, Anglo papalists, middle of the roader's and evangelicals. How can one hope to maintain a teaching authority in that situation?
A parish needs to be united around a bishop who teaches the faith and that bishop needs to be united with a college of bishops who hold to the faith.
In the ACC we have this, we have a standard of belief and expression of worship and juridical structures which deal with heresy in an appropriate way.
We are a handful of people here in our house group, we have no priest and no money, but we are open to the Holy Spirit, and to where he might be leading us. We have the faith and we are united with a Bishop who holds to that faith. We are seeing first the kingdom; I know that all the other things will be added!
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