Today was a bit wild and wonderful at COTM. It was a "Rock Eucharist"--so lots of non-cheesy, interesting Christian Contemporary hymns supported by the choir, bass, and drums. And, of course, Matthew rocking out on the piano. Kids were in church the whole time. Attendance was excellent. And on top of all that we had a guest preacher: Bishop Abraham Ackah from Ghana and his wife.
Bishop Ackah is the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Wiawso. He has about 15,000 Anglicans on the rolls worshiping in 70 congregations in 17 parishes served by 25 priests and 50 catechists. That means that the priests are stretched very, very thin among so many people and congregation. There are plenty of people who feel called to ordained ministry and plenty of opportunities to train them (including scholarships of various kinds, etc.). the problem is that Wiawso is rural and very poor and can't really pay many of their priests. Incidentally, the bishop told me that he has refused to accept payment, either, since he feels he can't be paid when his priests aren't. the lack of economy development is hindering his ability to create sustainable ministry.
So, he has come to Toronto (and COTM) seeking partnerships to help. The outlines of such a partnership are still up in the air, but I'm eager to hear more and gave him some advice about next steps.
So church was very encouraging and fun today!
-t
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