Greetings in the name of the risen Christ!
“By the providence of God I have been present at the birth of a new people” These words were spoken by the first metropolitan of Rupert’s Land, the Most Reverend Robert Machray in 1888.
As bishop and archbishop, he witnessed and actively participated in the rise and progress of Manitoba and Northwest Canada.
When the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert’s Land, an area as large as Europe and one of the older structures of the Anglican Church in Canada, came into existence on August 3, 1875, the main activity in the region was fur trade. The coming of the railroad, the influx of settlers, formation of local government and agricultural pursuits created a period of rapid change and transition. Archbishop Machray encouraged the church to respond to these challenges by developing new structures and approaches to ensure that the proclamation of the Gospel and the building up of God’s Kingdom would remain our highest priority.
Today, almost a century and a half later, technological advances, aboriginal self-government, and resource development have created another period of rapid change and transition. We too are faced with the challenge of ensuring that our structures are shaped by mission, not our mission constrained by our structures, in order that the Gospel may continue to be our main priority.
The theme of our upcoming provincial synod, June 7-10 “Walking in the Moment”-the Emmaeus Experience” is focused on the exciting new expressions of the gospel and new ways of being church in the 21st century. Like Machray, we too, are privileged, by the grace of God, to ‘be present at the birth of a new people”.
In Christ
Archbishop David Ashdown
16th Metropolitan of Rupert’s Land