Coming Out of My Anglican Closet....

Coming Out of My Anglican Closet 

It was just over two years ago that I had a profound spiritual encounter.  I was participating in a Communion service at one of the Anglican churches that I preach at regularly.

Placing a piece of bread in the hands of the communicants coming forward to take communion, I uttered the words of the liturgy "The body of Christ broken for you."  As I did so I began to weep, this was not a usual weeping, but a weeping that went to the core of my being. I suddenly became very conscious of the presiding Christ in this act. I had touched something very ancient, and deeply merciful. 

Afterwards, as I reflected on this holy fear filled my heart " Oh heck this isn't just a remembrance." 

15 months ago, I went to Ffald Y Brenin House of Prayer and Retreat Center in Wales. I have blogged on this elsewhere. Here again I had a profound encounter of liturgy in the power of the Holy Spirit. From this encounter I began to embrace in my personal prayer life contemplative prayer, liturgical living, forming a rule of life, daily office, and other discipline's in prayer. 

However, it was discovering Common Worship the daily prayer cycle of the Church of England that I found beautifully crafted liturgy.  For several months I have used this very helpful liturgy to daily walk with the Lord. 

As the months passed, I remember a Baptist minister friend of mine say to me;

"Ally I'm sure you're a closet Anglican." 

His question hit me like a brick.... Was I?

 At first I think it would have been easier if he said I was Gay or a Hindu, as I was a non conformist of the most rabid sort. Raised as a Christian in the Restoration movement, ardent in my position on believers Baptism, the priesthood of all believers and holding to an Anabaptist position of Church and State.  I am a committed Evangelical and Charismatic as are many Anglicans. So, I began to ask myself some hard questions. Was I an Anglican after all, some discovery's awaited me? 

My theology, was moving as I aged, an encounter with my bookshelves.

Studying at Master level of theology opens you up to many other thinkers and perspectives on theological and Biblical interpretation. As I gazed at my book shelves several  prominent writers shone back at me. The first NT Wright, John Stott, J I Packer, all Anglicans, these giants had shaped my Biblical theology.

Then there were the missiologists that were influencing me.  Michael Moynagh, Steven Croft, Graham Cray, Chris Neal, Johnny Baker, Leslie Newbiggin, Rolland Allen...Evangelist's...... Oh No.... Nicky Gumbel, J John, and Michael Green. heck, all Anglican's........

However it was in the area of Social Action that I was most being drawn to Anglicanism. Their polity of commitment to geography and the church in a place as apposed to a gathered church was rapidly becoming my firmly held belief. I believed that God did want an expression of his church in every community, however their focus wasn't just about a building but to be involved in every area of life.

 Anglicans have a  holistic Gospel. One of their organisations that I had really fallen in love with was the Church Urban Fund. This organisation was fighting poverty at the most grass roots level. I particularly liked the fact that finance was not the decider of where they did mission and the diocesan structures helped that to happen. 

Next the prophets began to speak. 

As I prayed, I began to hear the call, feeling the draw of God towards Anglicanism. 

Letting go of my family of Community Church Derby and Salt and Light Ministries was very hard, I love all they are about as a family of Churches, full of missional zeal. Could I be an Anglican and not lose friends? 

Little did I know that God knows my heart. It was this January that he spoke prophetically to me through Roy Godwin of Ffald Y Brenin that: 

"I was to make myself of no reputation, to go and be among the poor not just live among them, and that God would give me many brothers." 

Reassurance now flooded my heart God had started to speak not only to me but others were hearing it as well. I then received other prophetic words in the next three weeks. 

This was no longer a vague sense or a possible journey but an issue of obedience. God was calling me to move from Community Church Derby and join an inner city church in Normanton in Derby. Simultaneously I sensed god calling me to ordination as a Pioneer Minister in the C of E. 

The leaders of EMCF, Mark Mumford, Aled Griffith and the guys who form the Apostolic Team I was a part of have been wonderful, affirming and blessing what God is speaking. They have been gracious and enormously patient with me, (with a hint of mockery about me wearing robes). 

5 years at CCD have been wonderful. It is a brilliant church, with a great vision and excellent leadership, we love this gracious family of God. It has been a place of healing, support, love, fun and wonderful encounter with the Holy Spirit's power, we will miss it. 

My wife, Nicky has been amazing as well wonderfully following me in this journey, patiently understanding that this is Gods call on my life and laying down her life for that. 

So the proposed journey is this. Next Saturday I get confirmed as an Anglican at Derby Cathedral. From Easter we will begin to worship at St Augustin's Church once a month making the final move in July/ August when we are prayed out of EMCF. 

Nicky will still go to CCD once a month for a period of time after September as we still have many friends there. We will be staying as a part of the Salt and Light family as a couple, attending Celebrations and Transform Camps. 

So what of the future journey?

I will be staying I hope long term at Derby City Mission as Chief Executive. 

Firstly finishing my Mth, and the process towards ordination will hopefully unfurl in the coming months.

My hope for the future is to walk with the Fresh Expression agenda across denominations seeing great cross fertilization of mission across the City. 

 Secondly to see Social Action, increase at community level through local churches through closer links with the Church Urban Fund. 

 Lastly through Derby City Mission to see Fresh Expressions of Church emerge all over Derby's most deprived areas.

 If God will be gracious to me my prayer is.

That this life, that he so graciously saved 27 years ago from a life ruined by sin, might be used for the rescuing of our City's poorest, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.