Reflections from Provincial Assembly
by Morgan Reed
I was blessed to attend the 2024 Provincial Assembly in Latrobe, PA (June 24-28). This was my first opportunity to attend a provincial assembly. I was privileged to serve as a delegate and as a subdeacon in the opening Eucharist. It was a gift to see how our life together at Corpus Christi Anglican Church (CCAC) fits into the broader story of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). There was a three-part video montage about churches in the ACNA that have acquired property in the last 10 years. It was a blessing to see the ways that God has provided some level of permanence in the cities and neighborhoods in which these various churches are serving. I joked with someone (though I wasn’t really joking) that at the next Provincial Assembly there should be a video montage of church plants that meet in non-traditional spaces. It was inspiring for those of us who meet in cafeterias, fellowship halls, theaters, breweries, and rec centers to know that our work is at the forefront of what comes in the next generation for the ACNA.
During the breakout sessions I attended the Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) gathering. We have very strong female leaders (both clergy and laity) at CCAC and it was helpful to hear about the resources that the WLN is putting together to support women in our province.
I also attended the session led by the Rev. Summer Joy Gross, which gave a summary of her new book, The Emmanuel Promise. Our last clergy retreat for DOMA was heavily focused on right-brain-oriented discipleship and this felt like a “part-two” of what began at the clergy retreat. Attachment styles provide so much help in explaining how we relate to others (for better or worse), and Rev. Gross’s book brilliantly connects attachment styles with spiritual direction and asks helpful questions about how we relate to God and one another. I enjoyed it so much that this will now be the topic of our Fall Retreat in November at CCAC.
I attended the Always Forward lunch with the Rev. Dan Alger. When Archbishop Beach took office 10 years ago, it was rare for a diocese to have a canon assigned to the work of church planting. Some dioceses did not yet have a formal program for church planting. Over the course of the last 10 years, most of our dioceses have developed a church planting program and there is a network of canons in the ACNA who are committed to the work of planting new churches.
I came away from the provincial assembly very encouraged about the future of the ACNA. While there will always be disagreements between brothers and sisters in the ACNA, there was a deep commitment to one another and a profound sense of unity of mission that came through clearly at the assembly. Knowing that Archbishop Steve Wood is now at the helm, I have no doubt that church planting will continue to be a major part of our life together and I think this is crucial for the future sustainability of the ACNA. In five years, at the next assembly, I’ll be encouraging people in our church to go, whether or not they are delegates. It is a powerful experience to worship together with brothers and sisters from across the world and to contextualize our life together at CCAC within the broader context of the ACNA.
The Rev. Morgan Reed is the Vicar at Corpus Christi Anglican Church in Springfield, VA.