BREAKING NEWS

The Church of the Province of Uganda officially recognizes the Anglican Church in North America

The Anglican Church of Uganda, through its House of Bishops, has today officially recognized the Anglican Church in North America and has transferred all their U.S. bishops, clergy and parishes to the ACNA, Bishop John Guernsey just announced to the ACNA Assembly in Texas. All Saints is now canonically within the ACNA. ALLELUIA! We give thanks for the Church of Uganda's place in our lives in holding us safely in the Lord until this day!

Our New Life and our continuing story...

All Saints Anglican Church of Rochester

All Saints is moving forward as a newly incorporated church in New York State. We are technically a 'Free Church' that owns its own property and is free to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and live under His Sovereign Authority and under the Authority of the Holy Scriptures.

• We are a member congregation in the newly constituted and emerging church of biblical and orthodox Anglican Christianity named the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Glory to God: All Saints is alive and well!

• In our past, the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester would not tolerate us as we sought to function true to the historic Christian Faith 'built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone' (Ephesians 2:20). In order to remain true to our conscience in Jesus Christ we could not conform or acquiesce any longer to a diocese that was clearly moving away from Scripture as it stridently marched forward as its own authority regardless of what the Bible says... As we stood up for the primary place of Holy Scripture as the Word of God and the authoritative guide in faith and practice in the Church, our congregation was excommunicated from the diocese and had the parish's property taken through a lawsuit against their, at one time, brothers and sisters. No, a campaign was waged against our parish and our members were rejected as 'renegades' because we, in good conscience would not cooperate with their false teachings and false representation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We had finally come to the agonizing truth: that we could do nothing else... we must stand up for Christ against all the odds, the sentiments, and the judgments against us. The diocese acted decisively against 'one of their own', evidently hoping that they would put us out of commission by declaring All Saints 'extinct'.

• Well, by the grace of God and through the life-giving Truth of His Holy Gospel: All Saints is still alive and well to the glory of Almighty God! It can be said that in all of this we have experienced a bit of the amazing Reality of the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!
  

• Our new church meets in the downstairs Chapel at 111 N. Chestnut St. (at Reformation Lutheran Church) on Sunday mornings at 10 am. We meet for Worship in the wonderful and historic tradition of the Anglican Church as a body of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. We seek to honor the Lord and worship Him in the 'beauty of holiness' Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We seek to reflect upon His Word: the Bible, during sermons that are based upon the Holy Scriptures from the Revised Common Lectionary. We seek to apply biblical truths to our ways of thinking and our ways of living. We believe that the true Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms our lives rather than leaving us 'as we were'... We want to help each other to grow in faith, genuine and life-changing Christian faith, through the work of the Holy Spirit guiding us into all Truth. We also seek to join with other Christians who long for these same awesome realities of the Christian Faith. We pray to help those who do not as yet know the saving and holy love of Jesus Christ to get to know Him and to love Him...
  

• We have learned the importance in today's culture and in today's church of proclaiming that Jesus is the only way to the Father, the only way to salvation, for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and as He proclaimed: 'no one comes to the Father, but by Me' (John 14:6). The 'go your own way' churches cannot fathom this Truth spoken by our Lord Jesus, nor can they understand it, nor do they agree with it. Unfortunately, many so-called 'Christians', who proclaim inclusiveness without the need for transformation, will be learning the hard way what the genuine love of Almighty God is truly like. It is the absolute, holy, generous, forgiving, yet principled love of God in Jesus Christ:

who 'was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.' (John 1:10-13)

• Sadly, too many of us in this world are still rejecting Him, still do not really know Him and still, as yet, are not born of God through repentance and life-transforming faith in Him...

• We, the members of All Saints, were hoping that we could help with the renewal of the church from within the Episcopal Church. We were hoping that our ministries of proclaiming the genuine, biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ by word and deed would be welcomed or at least tolerated by a self-proclaimed 'tolerant' church. We found the truth to be that our Lord Jesus was calling us forward to stand up for Him, even if it meant rejection and loss. We were resolutely rejected for standing up for historic, biblical Christianity. We began to understand that we were called to stand up for Jesus not only as Savior yet also as Lord - no matter the cost. In doing so, we realized His Promise that He would be with us even to the end of the ages to bless us, care for us, and grant us His New and Eternal Life. Nothing in all of life can compare with these blessings!

• Now we keep praying to remain faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ and to His Holy Word, and 'run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God'. (Hebrews 12:1-2).

• We offer our heart-felt thanks to all of our sisters and brothers in our Lord Jesus who have been praying for us that we would live on in Him and still be His Church. These are the people who supported us, praying that by the grace and power of Jesus -the forces being waged against the Holy Bible and the true Gospel would not be allowed to stop us- in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord! Those prayers are being answered!
  
• Praise and Glory to Jesus Christ: All Saints is alive and well! Amen.

Church spat might head to Supreme Court - Rochester, NY - MPNnow

Church spat might head to Supreme Court

By Linda Quinlan, staff writer
Irondequoit Post
Fri Sep 12, 2008, 04:02 PM EDT


In a property dispute stemming from a rift with the Episcopal Church of America, the attorney for All Saints Anglican Church urged New York’s Court of Appeals Tuesday to set aside a previous decision from a lower court that essentially allowed the removal of the congregation from its longtime church building at 759 Winona Blvd. in Irondequoit.

It’s a case that might not be settled until it gets to the U.S. Supreme Court.

During court proceedings Tuesday, parish attorney Eugene Van Voorhis argued that secular state law — and not ecclesiastical canon — should govern the transfer of property in New York.

“All of the funds that bought the church, built the church, bought the land — all was donated by parishioners,” Van Voorhis said in court. “This has to do with legal principles ... It has nothing to do with doctrinal disputes.”

The point, Van Voorhis said Wednesday morning, is that the lower court applied religious canons — or law — rather than the secular laws of New York state to determine property ownership, and that is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s first amendment regarding the separation of church and state.

Because the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester got a summary judgment from the Appellate Division courts, “the All Saints parish never got its day in court,” Van Voorhis added. “The real issue is whether All Saints held its property in trust for the diocese or not.”

With about 100 similar cases in courts around the country, Episcopal Diocese attorney Thomas P. Smith said the All Saints case appeared to be the first to reach a state’s top court. The Court of Appeals is New York’s highest court.

At issue is whether the parishioners who built the church own it, or whether they simply held it in trust for the Episcopal Church of the USA and the diocese under the national church’s 1979 Dennis Canons, Smith said.

“These were Episcopalians giving to an Episcopal church and not to a free church,” Smith said. “They’re free to leave and join the church of Uganda or wherever, but not take church property.”

Trial and mid-level appeals courts sided with the diocese, concluding it was entitled to the property under canon rules.

A rift developed between the Irondequoit parish and the Episcopal Church of the USA after the 2003 ordination of its first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

“That (ordination) was just a precipitating factor,” said the Rev. David Harnish, who is rector for All Saints. “We’re way beyond that now.”

There was no formal split until the Rochester diocese voted at a convention Nov. 19, 2005, to expel All Saints from the local Episcopal diocese.

“All Saints didn’t leave voluntarily,” Van Voorhis said.

“All along, the core issue really has had to do with whether we could be the church we were organized in 1925 to be for ministry and mission and not live under the threat of the diocese taking major punitive action against us,” Harnish said. “And, indeed, in 2005, hostile action was taken against us as a parish, while we have always just wanted to be faithful as a Christian church.”

Harnish notified the diocese about a month after the 2005 vote that the parish had been placed under the authority of Archbishop Henry Orombi of the Anglican Church of Uganda. It is now called All Saints Anglican Church and holds its worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays in the chapel at Reformation Lutheran Church, 111 N. Chestnut St., in downtown Rochester.

After what Van Voorhis calls “all the fuss and feather,” the diocese and All Saints congregation did agree to sell the Irondequoit church building, which is at the corner of Winona and Chapel Hill Drive.

The diocese subsequently sold the building to another Protestant denomination, Trinity Communion Church, for about $475,000. Smith said the diocese is holding the funds, depending on how the Court of Appeals rules.

If the Court of Appeals rules in favor of All Saints, the proceeds from the sale could come to the local congregation, which is already considering building a new church.

“We’re examining whether there’s a calling to be a more regional church or return to our Irondequoit roots,” Harnish said.

He said congregations like All Saints are combining now into what is called the Common Cause Partnership, The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, that is expected to lead toward a new Anglican church in North America that would be different from the Episcopal Church.

“What we’ve been involved in from the beginning is a true reformation of the church that’s emerging,” Harnish said.

Van Voorhis expects the Court of Appeals decision could take a couple of months. Regardless of the decision, both he and Brown agreed the case could eventually go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Includes reporting by Michael Virtanen of the Associated Press. Contact Linda Quinlan at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 350, or at lquinlan@messengerpostmedia.com.

Gospel Conference 9/6/08

Life-changing Power of the

Gospel of Jesus Christ

A Conference hosted by All Saints Anglican Church

Saturday Morning, September 6, 2008

Main Sanctuary at Reformation Lutheran Church

111 N. Chestnut St., Rochester, New York

A Church Leader from Africa comes to the U.S. to lead this Biblical Christian Conference on:

The Power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Transform Lives

vs.

Challenges to the Gospel and Unchanged Lives

~~~

The Rt. Rev. Elia Paul Luzinda Kizito
Bishop of the Mukono Diocese
The Province of the Church of Uganda (Anglican)
The home diocese of All Saints Anglican Church

Life-changing Power of the Gospel

Conference Program:

8:30 am Gathering for refreshments and greetings in the Lord

The Conference will begin with a time of prayer & praise

9:00 am Bishop Luzinda shares his testimony to the trans-forming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in people's lives as witnessed in Uganda

10:00 am Participants share the challenges they are experiencing to the gospel in the U.S. during a question & answer time with the bishop

11:00 am Time for refreshments and fellowship

11:25 am Encouragement and Equipping of those participants who seek to share the gospel and its transforming power

NOON Time of prayer & praise and a 'sending forth'

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… Romans 1:16

This conference is a time of fellowship, support, encouragement and equipping for those who are standing up for the Lord Jesus Christ and for those who believe in the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let’s join in the emerging reformation and renewal of the true Christian Church among brothers and sisters who believe in the Lord Jesus and who affirm the authority of the Bible in our lives.

IMPORTANT:

Please call and leave a message at All Saints at 342-1605 or (even better) e-mail us at allsaintsr@yahoo.com that you are planning to attend so that we can properly prepare for all those who will be participants. God bless you!

Those who would like to support this conference with a gift are encouraged to send their check marked ‘Gospel Conference’ to:

All Saints Anglican Church

P.O.Box 67824

Rochester, NY 14617

May our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in what we share together!