|
Greetings Res Family! Wow! What a day here in Kigali. After being up most of the night not yet having adjusted to the time change, I got up (tired!) for an early breakfast and to head out with about 100 others to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. There is real comradery among the delegates and an openness for conversation which is refreshing and encouraging. For those who have been to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Israel, you can imagine how hard it was to walk through the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Not only are there 250,000 people buried inside the memorial compound in mass graves, but the building is designed to walk you from the Rwanda of 1897 to today. The goal is to show how the groundwork was set in place for genocide decades before 1994, to depict the 100 day genocide and then report on the post 1994 aftermath and road to recovery. It was overwhelming, tragic, and hard to take all in. The sheer gruesome reality of this genocide – neighbors butchering neighbors with machetes - was on full display. Humbled and sobered, I was moved to prayer and much reflection. What was even more scary was how, starting in 1957 there began a systematic plan to dehumanize and demonize political opponents that led to the long downhill slide into what became mass genocide on the ground level. There was lots of conversation on the bus ride home about how we are seeing the same signs from Rwanda in the 1950’s and 60’s in our current political dialogue in America today. (The dehumanizing of political opponents). Could we be 30 years away from what now seems like an absurd possibility of one political party slaughtering the other with guns and violence en masse throughout the country? They never could have imagined it in 1964 Rwanda. And yet it happened full scale 30 years later. Again, lots to pray and reflect on. Back at the hotel I had a wonderful lunch with Mike McDonald. Canon for Ordination Jim Beavers (who took over the position from Jack Grubbs) and Bishop Chris and Catherine Warner sat at the table next to us. We had a great conversation and strategized over how to best identify, equip, and serve leaders and churches. I love being around strategic thinkers who are also great pastors! I came back to my room for a quiet time before getting ready for the conference to start. In God’s sovereign grace, Psalm 10 was my psalm of the day and couldn’t have been more helpful in processing my visit to the Memorial. Vs 1 is the lament I was feeling: ”Lord, why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” the psalmist asks . . . and then goes on to describe the “wicked man” who in arrogance and pride “does not seek the Lord” (vs 4) and who “lies in wait in villages and from ambush murders the innocent” (vs 8). Vs 10 goes on to say “His victims are crushed; they collapse they fall under his strength.” But then the Psalmists finds his footing amidst the suffering and questions. First, he prays: vs 12 - “Arise O God, and lift up your hand and do not forget the helpless.” Second, he remembers what is true: vs 14 - “But You, O God, do see trouble.” Third, he commits his way to the Lord : vs 14 - “The victim commits himself to the Lord; You are the helper of the fatherless.” And finally he trusts God will judge with eternal judgment: vs 16 - “The Lord is King for ever and ever and the nations will perish from the land.” This was a tremendous encouragement as I reflected on the testimonies we heard of God’s faithfulness and care before, during, and after the genocide. I am so grateful the Lord meets us in our times with Him each day and speaks through His Word. I was reminded again why reading Scripture is a great way to process our pain and questions! And then the fireworks began! At 6pm local time, 1,300 of us gathered to begin the conference. With opening greetings from the Archbishop of Rwanda, we then received a “Rwandan Welcome”. A choir kicked off the conference with a local hymn and then burst forth with Handel’s “Alleluia Chorus” in the local Rwandan dialect! I can’t tell you how moving it was. What followed was more Rwandan dance, music and worship. So powerful! Archbishop Foley, not only a good friend to me and to Res, but the chairman of Gafcon (he is the only American who will speak during the whole conference) gave the opening address. He rose to the occasion in a powerful way. “Clear. Anointed. Timely.” Is what I texted him later. He called the worldwide Anglican Church to repentance, calling out Archbishop Justin Welby of England and those who have left the historic Christian faith to repent and return to the gospel and the authority of scripture. He couldn’t have been more clear when he said it was “well past time to no longer have a secular government (England’s Prime Minister) appoint the head of a church (the Archbishop of Canterbury)”. He called for new mechanism for choosing the leadership of the worldwide Anglican Church that is faithful to the gospel and appointed by new instruments of unity. It was a shot across the bow from the opening of the Conference. His speech then called Gafcon participants and the churches we represent, some 80 million Anglicans, to recommit to four priorities:
It was a very powerful speech. The best I have ever heard him give. It was a historic moment that was not lost on any of us who are there. You can imagine there was quite a buzz afterwards. If you can get a chance, you can listen to it on the Gafcon website: https://gafcon23.org/resources/. Archbishop Ben Kwashi of Laos, Nigeria, whom I know from Trinity Seminary, then spoke as General Secretary of Gafcon. He challenged us and the churches we lead to commit to the three foundational principles of the Gafcon movement:
His message was as clear and anointed as Archbishop Foley’s. It was a powerful evening as we closed in prayer. Tonight I had the privilege of having dinner with David Hanke, Rector of Restoration Anglican church. He is a good friend, an anointed leader and a treasure trove of wisdom, ministry experience, and pastoring. The evening ended with a few of us processing the day and talking through the implications of Foley and Ben’s opening statements on the worldwide Anglican Church. Overall it was a full, exciting, and very exhausting day. Please do continue to keep us in prayer. I felt under spiritual attack and oppression in the night and at times throughout the day. I know my family is feeling a bit of oppression as well. Please pray for them. This very well may be a historic gathering and the enemy will do everything to divide and discourage as we pray, lead, deliberate and plan. May the Lord Jesus Himself lead His church and give us wisdom and boldness in how to live into the vision which our leaders laid out for us tonight. Please know I think of Res often. We are known throughout the ACNA and many come up to me to ask how things are going. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to be here on your behalf. I also love learning what I can about how to be a better pastor and leader and I’ve already picked up some gems of wisdom and best practices to bring back with me to Res. Praying and serving with great gratitude and anticipation, David 
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
