BISHOP’S LEADERSHIP LETTER (Advent 2019)

GOD SHINES FORTH FROM HIS CHURCH

“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.” (Psalm 50:2, ESV)

Dear Church Family,

With thanksgiving to God, I look back on 2019 as the year of God’s great victories. I praise Him for –

• triggering a new movement of personal evangelism and discipleship through the Celebration of Hope rallies.

• granting significant growth in membership and qualitative change for the Diocese as a whole.

• making possible a robust unity among orthodox Anglicans globally through the adoption of the Covenantal Structure for the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSA) in Cairo this year.

What God begins, we must continue in the power of the Holy Spirit. Only then will His good purposes be fully accomplished. So let us not take our hands off the plow or our feet off the pedal. With faith, humility and love, let us keep our respective ministries “pressing on”. This will enable the Diocese to remain in gear for Kingdom advance even as we prayerfully await the appointment of the new Diocesan Bishop. I am expecting the announcement of the Bishop-designate to be made in February 2020 and look forward to working with him to effect the leadership transition by the time I step down from office on 30 August 2020.

ADVENT is the time of waiting for God (Isaiah 25:1-9). We look back on Christ’s first coming and we know God will always deliver on His promises ‘from of old, faithful and sure’. We gain a deep and joyful confidence of Christ’s coming again with His saints in glory. This gives us new strength to keep shining forth His glory and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. We do so with the Spirit’s power until that Day when Christ returns as King and the new universe is fully bathed in the morning light of God’s glorious presence. May the Lord bless all our specially-prepared occasions this Christmas for bearing witness to Him in our parishes and deaneries.

May the glory of the God who saves shine forth from our hearts, our homes, our churches and our Diocese. May we, His redeemed people, bring HOPE to our land.

As Isaiah says, This is our God and we rejoice in Him! (Isaiah 25:9)

Warmly in Christ,
Bishop Rennis