Why I am proud to be a Canadian Anglican
I was honoured to be chosen as a member of General Synod for Kootenay Diocese in 2009. I wanted to go so that I could learn more about the nature of Canadian Anglicanism. I came back proud to be a member of this “Beloved Church”, to use our primate’s favourite phrase.
General Synod 2010 (GS2010) in Halifax was undoubtedly a good General Synod to have attended. There was a great spirit throughout, and none of the wrangling which can sour such occasions. We worked hard and long, 12 to 14 hours per day, but we also partied, and the work was not drudgery. There were many moments of joy and laughter and often there was a strong sense of God’s presence among us. In all of this we were aware of, and grateful for, the prayers of Canadian Anglicans and others. We prayed before, during, and after our sessions, sometimes pausing in silence deliberately to let God in. I came back with three main insights into our Church. Firstly it reflects Canada. Secondly it is profoundly democratic. Thirdly it is deeply committed to community.
1) The Church is consciously Canadian in geography and culture. It’s in the very history of the church – the provinces came before General Synod, and before the primate. The Church is different in the North and the South, in the East and the West, in the prairies and on the coast. We sit between Europe and the USA . At GS2010 we had to do things in ways that reflected our geographic identities of province, and diocese. The issues we faced were the issues of Canadian society, not obscure (and irrelevant) theological niceties. What is significant is the extent to which this differs from the Church of England, where theological networks and issues are often much more significant than geographies or British social contexts. But the most Canadian moment was when a key date was set so it did not conflict with the Grey Cup.
2) The Church is deeply democratic. The key phrase is “Episcopally led and synodically governed”. The bishops (our fearless leaders) were there, but mostly they were undercover with few wearing purple. The synod experts and old-timers were there, but they made space for the newbies like myself. There was considerable effort made to induct and include those who needed it. Everyone who wanted to speak in debate was given time to speak and treated respectfully, even when their comments were ….er…..ill-considered. In the most controversial subjects, we went out of formal session specifically so that all voices could be heard. I understood afresh our Canadian commitment to the circle, where all are welcome to share. In particular it was clear that our primate is both leader and servant of the Beloved Church.
3) The Church is committed to community. Community is a very Canadian word, other nations use it, but we put effort into it. We want our neighbourhoods to be real communities. We volunteer for our community, we have aspirations and expectations of our community and we work to make them happen and to maintain them. Other nations – not so much (trust me on this). At General Synod I saw this in action in the Church, particularly in the same-sex blessing discussion. Both liberals and conservatives were prepared to moderate their positions in order to maintain community. The clear message was “we want you to continue to be a part of us”. Love is our calling and we showed that we are prepared to love those we disagree with, even when that means compromise.
For these reasons and more, I came away from GS2010 proud to be a Canadian Anglican. I am located in a particular parish, diocese and province. And that’s OK, so is everyone else. We will work together on the mission that God has for us. We will do it well because we are a Beloved Church – Canadian, democratic, and communal. I couldn’t buy the t-shirt, but next time you see my coat I’ll show you the pin.
