Many traditions.

Dear editor,

While I am very grateful to the Anglican Journal for its story, and for trying to grasp what is often perceived to be a difficult concept (evangelism in the Anglican church), those who know me would understand that it was never my intention to compare ourselves to any other church nor to any other Christian method of proclaiming the gospel.

Perhaps the misinterpretation of my words (Letters, March) was in the fact that I did emphasize that our approach to evangelism will differ from others and will be very respectful of our tradition as Anglicans. This is very important for two reasons. First, our church is different and we have no intention of trying to mimic another tradition. Second, evangelism is a difficult term for Anglicans and I want to alleviate the fears that our members may have about what will inevitably be a wonderful, life-giving process.

What we know is that we have a wonderful tradition in our Anglican community of liturgy, spirituality and hospitality that is unmatched. Our problem is that we often do not know how, or better yet do not have the tools to let other people know about our wonderful gifts. At least in part, that is my job. I help our parishes to recognize their unique gifts and then find ways in which they might proclaim those gifts to their local communities.

We're good people, with a great tradition. The time has come to proclaim that from the hill tops. This does not take away from any other tradition. We all understand that for many people in the wider community, the fit will be better in another church that offers a different theology or a different style of worship. That is wonderful and it is clearly my hope we can all work together, with our differing and complimentary gifts to build the reign of God on this earth.

Canon Michael Patterson

Director of Evangelism

Diocese of Niagara