October 31, 2017
From Archbishop Beach:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On this 500th anniversary celebrating the beginning of the Reformation, I am deeply aware that we are in the midst of a new Reformation that is sweeping the globe, not just within Anglicanism, but all of Christendom. People are returning to the plain teaching of the Scriptures, and embracing Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior.
It is in that spirit that I am pleased to commend to you a new resource (see below) that has been developed in conjunction with our Lutheran brothers and sisters. “Four Pastoral and Educational Affirmations” is a study guide produced by The Anglican Church in North America and The North American Lutheran Church which highlights our common understanding of Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, Baptism, and Communion.
If you are part of an Anglican congregation and live in a community where there are also North American Lutheran churches, I encourage you to consider joining together in grassroots ecumenical conversations to deepen your faith by learning more about the biblical truths that we share in common.
I am thankful for the hard work of the NALC/ACNA dialogue committee, the co-chairs, Bishop Charlie Masters (ACNA) and Pastor David Wendel (NALC), and Bishop Ray Sutton, Dean of Ecumenical Affairs.
May God continue to lead us as we seek to faithfully live out the next Reformation by leading people to a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach
Archbishop and Primate
Anglican Church in North America
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Dear friends of the Anglican Church in North America and the North American Lutheran Church,
Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
We bring you greetings on behalf of the participants of the ecumenical consultation of the Anglican Church in North America and the North American Lutheran Church.
As a part of our ongoing conversations, we have developed four pastoral and educational affirmations addressing the topics of “Jesus Christ, the Gospel and Justification,” “Holy Baptism,” “Holy Communion,” and “Holy Scripture,” with accompanying study guides designed to involve local lay people of all ages in learning, reflection and conversation. All are included in the attached booklet which may also be printed as hard-copy.
Our hope is that these materials will be used for study, reflection and discussion within congregations, families, small groups or other activities within parishes and congregations of ACNA and NALC.
More importantly, it is the hope of the consultation participants that neighboring ACNA and NALC parishes will seek out each other and develop opportunities to study these four affirmations together. More information about such study groups is provided in the introduction to the booklet.
In service to Christ our Lord,
The participants of the ACNA/NALC Ecumenical Consultation
