Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, has been visiting people and places in dioceses across the Anglican Church of Canada, where he was invited to teach and preach around the theme of ‘Becoming a Church of Missionary Disciples’. His two-week visit began in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and ended in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Archbishop Stephen met with clergy and lay leaders, and delivered several addresses on spirituality, evangelism and discipleship as they contribute towards becoming a church of missionary disciples. He spoke at clergy gatherings and conferences, including the Joint Anglican Lutheran Conference and Provincial Synod of Ontario, as well as undertaking Q&A sessions.
The Most Revd Anne Germond, Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, Bishop of the dioceses of Algoma and Moosonee and acting Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada said, “We’ve come to the end of our Provincial Synod, and our whole Province of Ontario has been blessed by the leadership and presence of the Archbishop of York. We were challenged by his words as we stand at the crossroads at a very important time in the life of our church, and the Archbishop’s call for us to become a simpler, humbler, bolder church. And yet we’ve also been given words of great hope. We never walk alone because God is always with us. And in the midst of great challenge and change I think the strongest message that has come out for all of us is that we are so deeply loved by God. That’s the message that I and fellow synod delegates will be taking home.”
The Right Reverend John R. Stephens, Bishop of New Westminster said, “Archbishop Stephen is a gifted communicator and evangelist. He helped us break open some current practices of the Church and asked some important questions of ourselves, helping us to examine our model of Church and come to rethink our assumptions. We pondered more carefully how God might be working in the world of today and to be open to new possibilities of how we invite, encourage a walk of faith, and create disciples of Jesus. He invited in the Holy Spirit to help us reimagine our response to the gospel and live into it more fully, even in the world of today. I am grateful for the time that we had with Archbishop Stephen.”
Archbishop Stephen said, “It has been so encouraging to visit people from the Anglican Church of Canada. The schedule has been exhausting and energising in equal measure! Exhausting, because this has been a Coast-to-Coast visit, meeting with and speaking to hundreds of clergy and leaders, but also energising because of the wonderful hospitality received and by being inspired by the Anglican Church of Canada’s determination to find ways of sharing the gospel that are generous and inclusive and pay attention to the mistakes of the past.
“In this regard, it has been a privilege to see some of the work that has been done in truth and reconciliation with Indigenous communities and discover the parallels with our own commitments in the Church of England to racial justice. We have much to learn from one another and it is always a joy to discover the breadth, diversity and unity of the Anglican Communion. In every diocese we visited, we encouraged the church to reflect deeply on missionary discipleship, while we ourselves were challenged and inspired by their faithful witness and mission. Rebecca and I received a warm Canadian welcome wherever we went and a true openness in seeking ways to be the Jesus shaped church for today.”
