My Good Friends in Christ,
I am asking the Lord to bless you in this joyous time of Christmas. I write with extreme thanks for the privilege of leading this church and representing you and your congregations.
May I ask you two things?
First, will you please take a few minutes to read this letter? I want you to join me in prayer and thanksgiving for everything that God has done within and throughout the Anglican Church in North America. We are having a tremendous year and I am most encouraged by everything that I have seen in our Province.
Everywhere I go, people know the story of the Anglican Church in North America:
- They know of our beginning and the heroic efforts by so many of you to form this Province.
- They know of our profound commitment to plant churches and engage the culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- They have heard of our commitment to a renewed Global Anglicanism and my efforts to lead in this area.
- And our congregations seem to know that among our bishops and clergy we have the ONE thing that we must have to convince an unbelieving world that the Gospel is true. We have joy! Glory to God!
But also, people are starting to know about The Matthew 25 Initiative. This is a church-wide undertaking in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Matthew 25 is already helping our churches to live out the words of our Lord Jesus in His last and final: “Whenever you did it to the least of these, you did it to me…” (Matthew 25:40)
What Jesus said is this: As we reach and love the poor, the downcast, the suffering and the sick, the orphaned and outcast, we are reaching and loving the person of our Lord Jesus.
Matthew 25 is a program that symbolizes the hope and vision I have for every single congregation in our Province to start and grow a Matthew 25 effort in their community.
The Province is going to assist in this effort in a big way. I have secured a seed grant of $1,000,000 to help congregations kick-start these new ministries. This money is ours to use for this great cause: to build new ministries as our Lord called us to do.
But it is a matching gift. We must raise $1 million dollars among our membership across the Province to receive this money. As donations are given to the ACNA, the matching funds will be given to us as well. Dollar for dollar…up to a million dollars.
Now, this is the second thing I am asking of you: Will you make this work? I want us to raise $1,000,000 to meet the match! I want our Province to make good on our side of the ‘match’ so that we have the funds in hand to provide our congregations with the resources they need.
(Every church will have the opportunity to apply for these funds as they begin to imagine their own Matthew 25 efforts. That will be an amazing thing to see… But for now, let’s raise our side of the $1,000,000 seed grant and get these funds in circulation for this very important work.)
Will you give generously? Even though you know that every dollar you give will be matched, will you give to meet this incredible opportunity?
Let’s do this.
Make a donation today. You can write a check to the Provincial office and mail it by the end of the year. Or give online. If you like, write an email to our Provincial Development Canon (The Rev. Alan Hawkins) and ask him for wiring instructions or information to receive a stock transfer. We have the capacity to help you give to meet this need.
But let’s do this…together.
To make a right beginning of this, Allison and I are giving $1,000 to this effort over and above the giving that we have committed to the local church ministry. It is just that important. And I challenge YOU to make a sacrificial gift too.
Please don’t hesitate to email our staff if we be of any help. I cannot wait to see how many great things, ‘eternal things,’ happen because of your generosity and this tremendous gift.
The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach
Archbishop and Primate
Anglican Church in North America
