“A Man of God is one who depends on the Grace of God, preaches the Word of God, stays in the Will of God, fulfills the Purposes of God, respects the Servants of God, edifies the Family of God, is filled with the Spirit of God, devotes himself to the Ministry of God, loves the Word of God, and lives for the Kingdom of God!”- Dr. Billy Graham
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
We have now concluded our Diocesan Synod in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and there should be no doubt in the minds of everyone who attended that the Lord sovereignly blessed us in every way. To him be all the glory now and forever. Amen.
My gratitude goes to everyone who attended and especially to all the faithful brothers and sisters who worked very hard to make this Synod successful. May the Lord richly bless you all.
In my Episcopal Address I asked the Diocese to endeavor by the enabling grace of God to love the Lord with all that we are and have and to love one another from the heart as we continue to fulfill our mission which is to make disciples of all nations and tribes for Christ. We must NOT lose our focus on our mission and the centrality of Christ in our message and ministry. Our Lord Jesus Christ must be at the center of our preaching and prayer, our fellowship and worship, our ministry and mission. He must be the crux of everything we think, do and say because he is our Savior, our Lord and our Hope of glory!
There are few matters to which I must draw your attention:
First, the Diocesan Synod has granted me the concurrence to propose to the House Bishops of the Church of Nigeria names of clergy to be elected Suffragan Bishops for our Diocese. Their responsibilities will be to plant churches and assist me in my work as the Diocesan Bishop. God willing, I will propose names of some clergymen to the Primate before September. Please pray that the Lord will give us Suffragan Bishops who are converted Christians, humble, godly, dependable, loyal and faithful to the gospel.
Second, Sir Ike Oraedu (Irvington, New Jersey) and Deacon Sheri Graham(Dallas, Texas) were elected to the Diocesan Board for a three year term.
Thirdly, we are pleased to welcome two new parishes and Rectors to our Diocese.
-The Rev. Richard Lepage
Reformation Anglican Church Grey, Maine.
-The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Smith
Redeemer Anglican Church. Casselberry, Florida.
Please pray for them and welcome them enthusiastically when you run into them personally and on social media.
Three more clergy and a parish have contacted me and are in the process of joining our Diocese.
Fourthly, in my new role as the Missionary Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America(CANA), I will be handling several new responsibilities in addition to my role as the Diocesan Bishop of the West(CANA), so please be patient with me and keep me in your prayers. I will soon be a setting up the CANA office in Houston, Texas.
Finally, I want to remind Rectors and parishes to ensure that you are up to date in sending your Diocesan monthly tithes to the Diocesan Office in El Paso. Consistency is important as we need these finances to carry out our ministries and fulfill our obligations as a Diocese. Thank you.
Keep preaching the Word of God. Stay away from false teaching and keep yourselves from Idols.
