This week in Nairobi, over 1300 Anglican ministers from around the world joined together at GAFCON, the ‘Global Anglican Futures Conference’ to encourage each other to persevere with the historical faith that is grounded on the real Jesus, whom we know in his word, the Bible.
One of our Sydney Anglican ministers at GAFCON, Nigel Fortescue, wrote about the persecution experienced by our brothers and sisters around the world:
“There are forces within the Anglican Church that are making it hard for some of our brothers and sisters to remain Anglican. There are forces outside the Anglican Church that are making it hard for some of our brothers and sisters to remain Christian…
“It is too much to go into all the stories here. It was almost too much to hear it all except for the fact that those persecuted had a vigorous and real hope in The Lord Jesus that encouraged me no end. Nothing else keeps them going…
“When we in Sydney talk of persecution we often mention graffiti on the church or the fact someone kicked down our sign. Perhaps we might mean a family member mocked us for trusting Jesus. Perhaps we may have even been the butt of jokes at work.
“But at the end of the day, we have no idea, much to learn and many prayers to pray.”
Let’s keep praying for our brothers and sisters at GAFCON and beyond.
Jodie.