October 24, 2024
To The People, Lay Leaders, Clergy of the Diocese of The Arctic and Archbishop Greg Kerr Wilson, Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Eighteen days ago, was my 70th birthday, the age when all Anglican Bishops in Canada must retire within 9 months of their 70th birthday. Therefore, I submit my official notice I will retire from being the Diocesan Bishop of the Arctic effective December 31st 2024.
When elected as your Diocesan Bishop, I believed I would be a transitional Bishop. Many of our Christian leaders of the past had died, retired or were soon to retire and I sensed God calling me to prepare the way for new lay leaders, clergy and your next Diocesan Bishop.
Knowing this day would come, we had hoped that prior to my retirement, the diocese would have an episcopal synod to elect a coadjutor bishop, and I would spend three months with the bishop elect. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented this. However, so that the process to elect another Diocesan may happen as soon as possible I give my official notice of retirement to retire at the end of December as I had planned and unofficially indicated early in 2024.
Rita, our children and I, have been blessed to call the Arctic our home. It is here that we have served our Lord Jesus Christ by serving you as best we could by patterning our lives according to the Bible’s directives and covenants. Our prayer is that the Diocese of The Arctic will continue to follow Jesus and the Holy Spirit rather than the spirit of the age and the ways of the world.
Every generation must decide who they will follow. Sadly, during the past generation forty years, we have witnessed within our National Church the rise of schismatic clergy, bishops and archbishops who have created unprecedented decay and fracture within our worldwide Anglican communion. They did this by undermining the Gospel of our Lord Jesus’ gospel, and the Holy Spirit’s biblical inspired directives. Yet, with all their trying, our Anglican Church of Canada’s General Synod has never formally changed our biblical doctrines. Arctic delegates have always stood during General Synod to face the spiritual storm, to call our church to look to Jesus and the bible. May this continue to be your heart cry and that of our new Diocesan Bishop.
It has been Rita and my joy and privilege to serve Jesus with you. As we leave the great Canaian Arctic we leave a part of our heart behind. We are excited to step into the next chapter of life that God has for us. Be assured of our prayers. In Christ’s service,
+David W. Parsons
Bishop of The Arctic
