October issue examines continued pandemic adaptations

As some Canadian churches continue to reopen while others face renewed restrictions, the Anglican Journal’s October issue offers a view into just a few of the places where the church is becoming something new.

From Sunday school to ordination, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how Christians deepen their understanding and practice of faith—yet it hasn’t stopped the church from raising people up. We take a look at how ministries for children and youth have continued online, and the ways that seminaries have continued their efforts to educate future leaders in the church. We also hear from three newly ordained clergy on what it was like to be ordained amidst lockdowns—and to enter a career that changes day by day.

Just as Christian education has continued during the pandemic, so have the efforts of national Anglican organizations. The continuation of a program for expectant mothers in Africa—run by PWRDF partner Village Health Works and made possible by a pandemic-related extension to a federal grant—is featured in this issue. Likewise, we learn about a new online bookstore, launched by General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, that should improve access that Anglicans have to faith-related resources.

What lies ahead for Anglicans as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds? Three theological reflections in this issue may help answer that question. Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, takes a look at the discomfort of faithfulness amid transformation. “As our world opens up again, will we simply try to go back to the way things were before the pandemic?” she wonders. “Or will we pay attention to what we have seen and commit to new ways of mutual care and responsibility within the church and in the world around us?” Archbishop Mark MacDonald, national Indigenous archbishop, also takes a look around to see how God calls people to hope—and to a “World to Come.” And Canon Martha Tatarnic meditates upon bodily pain and what it can teach us about our relationships with the world.

Read the October issue of the Anglican Journal on anglicanjournal.com or in digital PDF.