Wash Post: Christ Anglican Church, Vienna, VA

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/vienna-pastors-spiritual-journey-leads-him-home/2012/05/08/gIQA1drmCU_story.html



Shamus Ian Fatzinger/Fairfax County Times) - Johnny Kurcina Jr. prays with Caroline Berry, Sarah Roper and Holly Berry during Sunday service at Christ Church Vienna, which he began late last year

Vienna pastor’s spiritual journey leads him home

By Gregg MacDonald,  Published: May 9/The Washington Post

For Johnny Kurcina Jr., Mark 6:4, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own home,” has special meaning.

“I’m determined to prove that wrong,” said Kurcina, 36.

Amid controversy and court battles between the local Episcopal and Anglican dioceses, Kurcina, a 1993 graduate of James Madison High School, recently started an Anglican church in his native Vienna. He is ministering to a congregation of about 250, and that number continues to grow.

The church is an offshoot of the Anglican half of the Falls Church, which has been embroiled in a legal land battle over church property for several years with its Episcopal cousins.

Eleven local churches broke from the Episcopal Church in early 2007 to join a more conservative Anglican Church under the auspices of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. The Anglican churches, however, kept the Episcopal church properties.

In January, Fairfax County Circuit Judge Randy Bellows reversed his original 2008 ruling that the breakaway congregations were entitled to the properties.

Kurcina began Christ Church Vienna late last year and continues to be amazed with its success. Services are in the Louise Archer Elementary School cafeteria, where parishioners sit in plastic chairs and the walls are adorned with lunch menus.

“Holding services in a school cafeteria does hold some challenges,” Kurcina said. “We are not allowed to use wine for communion so we use grape juice, and our candles look real but the flame is really a small flickering light bulb because we are not allowed to use real flame candles on school grounds.”

Despite the obstacles, the church continues to draw new parishioners.

“My idea was just to bring Jesus to anyone who would accept him,” Kurcina said. “I thought we would perhaps garner interest from about 50 people, mostly friends, family, neighbors and acquaintances. It has been through the grace of God that we have been able to minister to so many more.”

Growing up in Vienna, Kurcina said, he was a typical teenager. He was active in sports and dreamed about being accepted into a military academy. But then he got involved with a Christian youth group and became aware of a talent he never knew he had.

“I began to see that my faith and love for God began affecting others,” he said. “When I was 16, I would hold Bible study sessions for kids a few years younger than myself, and I took notice that I was actually getting through to them.”

After graduating from the University of Virginia, Kurcina attended a seminary in Massachusetts and eventually moved to Bristol, England, to pursue a doctorate in New Testament studies. While there, he said, he felt a strong urge to return to Vienna.

“My family is strongly rooted here,” he said. “My mother also graduated from Madison in the 1960s, and my father moved here from Pennsylvania around that same time. He opened, and still owns, a business — John Edwards Hair Design — in town.

On any given Sunday, Kurcina’s father, mother and wife can be seen helping out with the services.

“My father works as a greeter as people come in,” Kurcina said. “Sometimes people who don’t know he is my dad come up to me and say, ‘That guy looks just like an older version of you.’ ”

Vienna native Brian Berry, who went to U-Va. with Kurcina and sits on the Christ Church board of directors, attributes the church’s success to the fact that Kurcina and his extended family are so charismatic and entrenched in the community.

“Johnny is the real deal,” he said. “He is not an egghead and doesn’t come across as holier than thou or anything like that. In his spare time, he coaches football, baseball and his love for Vienna shows. People know him and his family, and see him as a regular guy from the neighborhood.”

For now, the school cafeteria works fine for the church but it soon might no longer meet its needs, Kurcina said.

“We won’t stay there long term,” he said. “We are not a static church. We are dynamic ,and we want to grow, bringing Jesus to as many as we can.”

That sentiment has not gone unnoticed within the Anglican Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.

“This new church is thriving,” Bishop John Guernsey said. “Christ Church Vienna is an excellent example of our diocese’s commitment to spreading the Gospel. The congregation is living proof that you don’t need a steeple to grow in mission, ministry and numbers.”

ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES: The 1928 American Prayer Book Is NOT the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Robin Jordan is exactly correct.  For "men of discerning spirits," there are some obvious reasons that the new American Anglican entities essentially bury the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The time has come for a rational, thoughtful, doctrinal, energetic, and--yes--full-throated exploration of the issues. We expect nothing from www.virtueonline.org, www.standfirminfaith.org, or www.anglicanink.com.   We want answers.  Robin's article, in brief, follows.

ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES: The 1928 American Prayer Book Is NOT the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

By Robin G. JordanThe 1928 American Prayer Book differs from the classic Anglican Prayer Book, The Book of Common Prayer of 1662, in a number of ways. A number of these differences are significant. They show that the doctrine and liturgical usages of the 1928 American Prayer Book and the classic Anglican Prayer Book are not the same. They belie the claim that the 1928 book is the American edition of the 1662 book, an erroneous view that the Prayer Book Society USA has championed for a number of years.

It is noteworthy that none of the Prayer Book commentators in the first half of the twentieth century—E. Clowe Chorley (1929), W. K. Lowther Clarke (1932), Edward Lambe Parsons and Bayard Hale Jones (1937), and Massey Hamilton Shepherd, Jr. (1950) make such a claim. In their works they draw attention to the substantial differences between the two books.

The 1928 American Prayer Book was compiled at a time when Anglo-Catholicism and Broad Church latitudinarianism were the dominant influences in the American Episcopal Church. As a consequence the 1928 book reflects these influences. The 1928 revision was far-reaching and even radical in the changes that it introduced in the American Prayer Book.

The 1662 Book of Common Prayer was compiled two years after the restoration of the Stuart dynasty after an interregnum of almost 20 years. During the Commonwealth Period the Church of England was without bishops and a Prayer Book. Upon ascending the throne Charles II would take steps to restore the episcopate and the Book of Common Prayer.

The Restoration bishops were Laudian High Churchmen. While they made a number of minor alterations and additions to the Book of Common Prayer, they were for a large part content to leave the Prayer Book substantially as it was during the reign of Charles I. The revised book that they submitted to Convocation, Parliament, and the King was remarkably moderate in tone. It is essentially the 1552 Prayer Book.

For more, see:
http://anglicansablaze.blogspot.com/2012/02/accept-no-substitutes-1928-american.html

ACNA Ousts AMiA Bishops from College of Bishops

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=15346

ACNA Archbishop Reports AMIA Bishops Ousted from ACNA College of Bishops

A Pastoral Letter from ACNA Archbishop Duncan Concerning the AMIA Split
http://anglicanink.com/article/pastoral-letter-archbishop-duncan
December 20, 2011

"Recent events within the Anglican Mission in the Americas have challenged us all. The vision, however, that governs our fledgling Province remains unchanged: a Biblical, missionary and united Anglicanism in North America."

20th December, A.D. 2011

Eve of St. Thomas the Apostle

TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA:

Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Recent events within the Anglican Mission in the Americas have challenged us all. This letter is a brief report to you all about those events and about our efforts to find a path forward. The present reality is brokenness. The vision, however, that governs our fledgling Province remains unchanged: a Biblical, missionary and united Anglicanism in North America.

The resignation of nine Anglican Mission bishops, including the Bishop Chairman, from the House of Bishops of Rwanda, changed relationships with Rwanda, with fellow bishops and with the Anglican Church in North America. The resigned bishops lost their status in our College of Bishops as a result of their resignation from Rwanda. The Anglican Mission also lost its status as a Ministry Partner, since that status had been predicated on AMiA's relationship with Rwanda. In addition, confusion and hurt has been created in Rwanda and in North America, and there is much serious work ahead of us.

Representatives of the Anglican Church in North America and of the Pawleys Island leadership met today in Pittsburgh. For the Anglican Church in North America the starting point was the importance of our Provincial relationship with the Province of Rwanda (a sister GAFCON Province) and with His Grace Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje, of our relationship with the North American Bishops Terrell Glenn and Thad Barnum and all the clergy licensed in Rwanda, and of our relationship to those represented by the Pawleys Island group with whom we were meeting.

We, as the Anglican Church in North America, have been deeply connected to all three, and we can only move forward when issues and relationships have been adequately addressed and necessary transitions are in progress.

The agreement from today's meeting in Pittsburgh was that the Anglican Church in North America is prepared to enter into a process by which our relationship with those who will rally to the Pawleys' vision and leadership (Anglican Mission in the Americas, Inc.) might be restored to a status like the one existing before the Ministry Partner decision of 2010. All those at the meeting today agreed "that there were no subjects that were not on the table."

For the Anglican Church in North America, these subjects must include leadership, relationships, and jurisdictional participation in a way that is fully Anglican.

We made a partial beginning. Bishops Leonard Riches and Charlie Masters agreed to lead the negotiations from the Anglican Church in North America. Bishops Doc Loomis and TJ Johnston will lead from the AMiA side.

There is much about what has happened that will have to be faced. The other part of this beginning will be to come alongside P.E.A.R. and their designated bishops (Barnum and Glenn), clergy, people and parishes in North America as they discern their next steps. The good news is that we know a God who has called us and who is able. [I Thess. 5:24] We are sure that He wants all the pieces back together in an ever-more dynamic, ever-more-submitted, ever-more transformed and transforming North American Church. [John 17]

Keep praying. With God nothing shall be impossible. [Luke 1:37] And besides that, He works all things together for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. [Rom. 8:28] Blessed Christmas.

Faithfully in Christ,

Robert Duncan
Archbishop and Primate Anglican Church in North America

American Anglicans as Clear as Mud

CANA Continues

by joelmartin

http://livingtext.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/cana-continues/

Lost in the AMiA kerfuffle has been the CANA story. If you think back to the first AnglicanTV episode with tidings from Pawley’s Island, you’ll remember that there was also a story about CANA creating a new diocese in America geared towards Nigerians. This was met by mutual statements of support from ACNA and Bishop Dobbs (a man that I respect a great deal).

In my view, the problem is not so much the creation of a new diocese, but rather the continued existence of CANA. CANA issued a pastoral statement yesterday, saying in part:

The bishops rejoiced in the recent creation of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic where many clergy and congregations continue in their relationship with CANA. While acknowledging that the concept of ‘dual citizenship’ continues to raise some questions we heard a number of testimonies from those who have embraced this gracious provision and celebrate this opportunity for a direct connection to the Anglican Communion through the Church of Nigeria. We believe that this can only strengthen the ongoing work of ACNA in its determination to demonstrate the transforming love of Jesus Christ throughout North America.

Yes, this concept does raise some questions, such as, what is the end game? I can understand why groups with theological qualms might hesitate to jump into ACNA with both feet. The REC seems to be sticking only one foot in the water, for example. But as far as I can tell, there is no discernable theological difference between ACNA and CANA. Further, there is not a difference in praxis. Both ordain women, both do not seem to be particularly affectionate for the Prayer Book in their worship and so forth. So why the separation? And what event or series of events will signal to CANA bishops that their structure can come to an end? The pressure should be on Bishop Minns and the other CANA bishops to answer these questions clearly.

I must say as an observer of the Anglican scene in North America that the lack of transparency from all parties does not engender trust. Statements from bishops seem to assume knowledge that does not exist. ACNA has not revealed its “Theological Lens” document, CANA has not revealed why it keeps a separate identity, and the issue of women’s ordination is as clear as mud. For there to be unity, these discussions should be had in the open, not revealed to the masses when the bishops feel that it’s safe. Perhaps an unfortunate legacy of the Episcopal Church is this tendency to do things quietly behind closed doors and only reveal a matter when it has been decided. CANA should lead the change here by openly stating why they continue to exist, and what would allow them to cease existing.

Corrections of/to the Rt. Rev. Bena, ACNA

http://www.anglicandistrictofvirginia.org/uploads/ADV_booklet_Final60.pdf?utm_source=Master+List&utm_campaign=7f1b407c8d-Anglican_Insights_Promotion_0719117_15_2011&utm_medium=email

The Rt. Rev. David J. Bena,  District of Virginia,  from the Convocation of North American Anglicans (CANA),  wrote an article for “Why Anglicanism? 

He oddly refers us to Wikipedia as a source…a catchy joke of sorts?  

He speaks of the love-hate relationship between Rome and Ecclesia Anglicana, the Church of England.  OK, that has a long history.  For example, the Celtic Church finally acquiesced to Rome at the Synod of Whitby in the 7^th century.   

Then, the chasm with Rome in the English Reformation is noted. Today, we are told about 38 autonomous Anglican communions exist worldwide. 

Bishop Bena claims these Anglican distinctives and we quote:

1. The Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation, and as the final authority.

2. The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, locally adapted.

This document is as close to a “Confession” as we get and it’s found in the Prayer Book.

3. The historic creeds. You say the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed regularly. The third, the Athanasian Creed, is not as well known.

4. Common worship. We all use a Book of Common Prayer styled from the 1662 English Book of Common Prayer, with some adaptations.

5. Sacramental Life. We practice use of the two Gospel Sacraments—Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, as well as five sacramental acts—Healing, Confession, Confirmation, Matrimony, and Holy Orders (Ordination).

6. The Apostolic Succession, whereby all our deacons, priests, and bishops are in the Apostolic line dating back from the original Apostles.”

The Bishop concludes tendentiously and errantly, if not a tad sophomorically: 

“Those similarities are what hold Anglicans together, and that’s why we are in such an Anglican uproar today. Some Anglican Churches want to move away from those historic moorings and still claim to be Anglican. That’s a problem, folks. `We either is or we ain’t.’”

There are very elemental truths here, but a few observations are in order.  We must correct the Bishop and his readers:

1.                   #2 above re: the 39 Articles, “locally adapted?”  This begs for an explanation.  For example, “Yes, we don’t yield to Article 37 and the King’s rule in the land.”  Of course, we’ve locally adapted the Articles and the Prayer Book for a few centuries.

                                                  

2                    There is a  sad, dismissive, and incompetent tone in #2  above re: Confessional Churchmanship.  It is most unhelpful, unfortunate, and is potentially misleading.  This tone allows for wiggle room for Anglo-catholic and gibberizing (charismatic) “innovations.” Anglicanism’s failure has been its century-long refusal to be “Confessional” and “subscriptionistic. ” 


Subscriptionism fell on hard times in the 19^th century Church of England.  The Americans have always been worse.  American Anglicans have been dysfunctional on this point.  Furthermore, while you talk about the Articles, Bishop, you know they are not functional.  ACNA and AMiA talk only.   Bp. Bena is blowing smoke here.

3.                  #4 above is regrettable, at best.  It is false.  No one in America, despite your claim, Bishop Bena, or ACNA for that matter, uses the 1662 Book of Common Prayer or an updated version.   Most use the oddballish and apostate 1979 BCP with its Pelagian, atavistic, and erroneous catechism.  Sell the sandbags to others, but not this Marine.  The 1979 BCP was crafted by liberals and retained in Bishop Bena’s new Anglican Church in America.   Cranmer nor the English Reformers would ever have accepted the catechism in the 1979 BCP.  It’s just that aweful.

4.                  #5 above is flat wrong.  Historic Anglicanism disregards healing, confession, confirmation, matrimony and holy orders as sacraments.  There are two sacraments in the 39 Articles.  Mr. Bena gratuitously introduces new sacraments where they’ve been previously denied for centuries.

5.                  Apostolic succession, as presented by Mr. Bena, is an Anglo-Catholic orientation of late vintage.  Bena doesn’t tell his readers that, but it’s true.   His view is not that of the English Reformers.  Lutheran, Reformed and other Churchmen, seeking admission to Anglican orders, were not “re-ordained” when received into the Church of England.  Archbishop Duncan requires that, however.  

The bishop then asks, “Asleep yet? Wake up.”  Thank you, Sir. Glad the Bishop said that because he was putting me to sleep with the few errors that were noted.   But, we appreciate the Bishop’s effort at humour.  It helps.  We like that.

Bishop Bena  puts forward a few chatty quips that are helpful (but should be extended as we’ll suggest).  The Bishops says and we quote:

“If you view Holy Scripture as just an old history book `which we wrote and we can change,’ you have left Anglicanism.”

“If you say something to the effect that Anglicanism rests on a three-legged stool with legs of equal authority—Scripture, tradition, reason—you have left Anglicanism after misinterpreting Richard Hooker, who put Scripture first and interpreted tradition and reason in light of Scripture.”

“If you say something to the effect that Jesus was a good guy but not the way to salvation, you have left Anglicanism because you have denied the historic creeds.”

These are nice, quippy and effective, but not helpful.  However, the Bishop, if consistent, should have added these to his list:

If you are not a subscriptionist, you’ve left classical Anglicanism.

If you are a charismatic with gibberashionism, tongues and wildcat enthusiasms, while using a Prayer Book, you’ve left Anglicanism (AMiA).

If you are a soteriological semi-Pelagian, Arminian, Wesleyan or Charismatic, you’ve left Anglicanism (ACNA, AMiA).

If you deny the covenant and infant baptism, you’ve left Anglicanism.

If you believe in free will, you’ve left Anglicanism (ACNA, AMiA).

If justification by faith alone is not central and dominant, you’ve left Anglicanism, like Archbishop Robert Duncan.  Robert never talks about JBFA, but, like Romanism, the “transformative love of Jesus.”  (ACNA)

If you invoke saints during prayers, like Anglo-Catholics, you’ve left Anglicanism.  The ACNA and AMiA leaders tolerate this while claiming to hold to the Articles and Prayer Book (ACNA, AMiA).

If you believe that Churchmen can prescribe liturgy consonant with and not repugnant to Sacred Writ, yet use Missals, saint invocations, and Capernaitic views of the Table, you’ve left Anglicanism.

If you deny predestination and election, you’ve left Anglicanism.

If you permit belief in purgatory, you’ve left Anglicanism.

If you count confirmation, penance or confession, orders, matrimony and extreme unction as 5 other sacraments beyond the 2 of the NT, you’ve left Anglicanism (ANCA, Bp. Bena).

If you hold to Apostolic Succession in the Anglo-Catholic sense, you’ve left Anglicanism (Bp. Bena, ACNA).

If you do not regularly teach the Homilies, you’ve left Anglicanism.

If you discount these matters while claiming to hold to the Thirty-nine Articles, you’ve left Anglicanism.

If you affirm Tract XC of John Newman as Bishop Iker has done, you’ve left Anglicanism (ACNA, Bp. Iker of Fort Worth).

The Bishop concludes most oddly:

“I  didn’t know much about Anglicanism growing up. Ninety percent of my village was Roman Catholic and I was one of them.  I did date an Episcopalian and she was fun to be with. It was before Vatican Two, so we were still using Latin in the Mass.  Barbara told me that Episcopalians were just Catholics who flunked Latin. She tried to describe what went on in her church on Sunday morning, and by golly, it sounded a lot like what went on in my church, except in English rather than Latin. And then I got a new, Catholic girlfriend and didn’t think about it anymore.”

Odd, chummy, and irrelevant.   A curious and nice start.  But, Bishop Bena needs correction.  With wisdom and reading, we correct him and his readers.   Odd, but not surprising from American Bishops either...given their training.

VirtueOnline--"Tables Turned in Entebbe" by Bp. Martyn Minns

Whatever the answers are about African Anglicanism, including biases, blindnesses, or indifferences, this storyline, African Anglicanism in the 21st century, will not go away. The tables have been turned on Western Anglicans. Bishop Martyn Minn offers one informed perspective. We in the "Anglican Babylonian Captivity," in the West, must not yield as we review other parts of the world.

Reported without a footnote from Virtue, but the article comes from: http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2010/09/02/tables-turned-in-entebbe/

VirtueOnline - News - As Eye See It - Tables turned in Entebbe - Martyn Minns

Tables turned in Entebbe

by Bishop Martyn Minns
Sept. 2, 2010

The tables were turned in Entebbe, Uganda this week as hundreds of Anglican Bishops from all over Africa gathered for their second All Africa Bishops Conference (AABC). The first took place six years ago in Lagos, Nigeria in October, 2004 with the theme - "Africa Has Come of Age" - this time the theme was "Securing the Future: Unlocking our Potential".

Both the Prime Minster of Uganda, the Honorable Dr. Apolo Nsibambi, and the President of Uganda, His Excellency Yoweri K. Museveni personally welcomed the Conference. They also hosted a five-course formal dinner at the palatial State House, Entebbe, accompanied by a full orchestra playing revival hymns. Both men turned the tables on the assembled bishops by using the opportunity to both establish their credentials as sons of the East African Revival and also deliver challenging biblically based sermons. Their words were refreshingly direct.

The Prime Minister called on the participants to sit lightly on their status as bishops and stay true to the plain teaching of Scripture. The President reminded them of the dangers of religious intolerance and challenged them to follow the example of Jesus especially in his commitment to preach the Word, feed the hungry, heal the sick and love the downtrodden. The messages were delivered with clarity and conviction and well received.

Throughout the conference there were many calls on the various governments of the countries represented to be faithful stewards of their people's trust and their nations resources. This healthy interchange between church and government leaders was a reminder that Anglicanism has historically embraced the call to serve the common good through deliberate engagement with those in civil government.

At the first AABC conference the Archbishop of Canterbury was conspicuous by his absence, this time he came and preached at the opening Eucharist. In his carefully nuanced sermon on Jesus as the Good Shepherd Dr. Williams warned the gathered bishops to listen to their people and take risks.

In his Conference address Archbishop Ian Ernest, Chairman of CAPA (Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa) responded by making it clear that Dr. Williams was there to listen to the voice of the Anglican Communion in Africa and not take risks on its future. He went on to state that the existing leadership structures of the Communion had failed, were increasingly irrelevant and unrepresentative of the majority of the Communion. This view was echoed Archbishop Henry Orombi, Primate of Uganda and host of the conference, who declared to one reporter "the Anglican Church is very broken. It (church) has been torn at its deepest level, and it is a very dysfunctional family of the provincial churches."

These challenging words were delivered respectfully but there was no mistaking the determination and resolve. In a meeting with the Primates, Dr Williams was left in no doubt that unless he was willing to follow through on the numerous decisions to exercise discipline towards The Episcopal Church (USA) and its fellow travelers, the Anglican Communion focused on Canterbury will continue to disintegrate. Both Archbishops Ernest and Orombi also made it clear that the days of deference to the West as the sender of missionaries and resources were over. They are now ready to turn the tables and re-evangelize the West understanding that Gospel mission is no longer from the "West to the rest" but from "everywhere to anywhere".

The conference itself was a combination of enthusiastic worship, energetic expositional Bible Studies and a wide variety of plenary presentations and group discussions that dealt with many of the practical issues that confront Anglican Churches in Africa. The spectrum was wide including issues of climate change, HIV/Aids, corruption, neglect of women and children and the need for economic empowerment. At times the language for these sessions sounded more like that of a United Nations development conference and several participants cautioned that while the church must engage in practical social concerns it must always do so mindful of its distinctive role as the Body of Christ with spiritual resources that are indispensible if we are to see a lasting transformation of the communities where they serve.

In keeping with African tradition the tea breaks were generous and it seemed that much of the real work of the conference took place as leaders from across Africa met, drank tea, shared experiences and prayed together. One of the most moving moments in the Conference took place when bishops from those countries experiencing violent conflict were invited come forward and kneel for extended prayer from the rest of the conference participants. This willingness to be humbled before one another and before the Lord is, of course, a distinctive element of the East African Revival and was embraced by all present.

The overall attitude of the conference was a recognition that while many problems remain the remarkable growth that they have all experienced in the past six years is a sign that they are ready to take on the challenges before them. The Gospel they proclaim is Good News of Great Joy for all people and it showed in Entebbe.

----The Rt. Rev'd Martyn Minns is a Missionary Bishop with CANA, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)