Month: April 2015
Archbishop Ben Kwashi to speak at CANA East Synod (April 30 – May 2, 2015)
Archbishop Ben Kwashi, a well known as a preacher and evangelist throughout Nigeria, Africa, England and the United States will be speaking at the CANA East Synod, April 30-May 2, 2015 in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Bishop Julian Dobbs describes him as, “One of the most importa
nt and courageous Christian leaders of our generation.”
Originally destined for a military career, in 1976 Archbishop Kwashi received a clear vocation to ordained ministry. He was ordained in 1982 and 10 years later became Bishop of Jos. In January 2008 he was presented as the Archbishop of Jos Province in the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). He has worked in rural and urban churches, as a Polytechnic Chaplain, and at a Theological College. In 1987 his church and vicarage were totally burned down in Christian-Muslim riots. He and his wife Gloria have six children.
Archbishop Kwashi has survived three attempts on his life. He can speak first hand of God’s grace and power, experienced in the most difficult of situations. The province of Jos covers North Eastern Nigeria, which has had numerous outbreaks of religious violence where Christians have been targeted by Islamist militants. The Archbishop has been outspoken and openly critical of the press and the authorities whenever he has witnessed lies and injustice.
Such courage has come at a price, for Archbishop Kwashi who has been personally targeted and his wife, Gloria, and son have been badly beaten. On that occasion, Gloria was dragged through the streets to the diocesan offices. She was left blind until an operation in Texas restored her sight. Almost 18 months later, as the family prepared to celebrate Gloria’s recovery, four young men arrived to kill the Archbishop, who immediately fell to his knees to pray. “Man of God, we have come for you,” they said. “This is not the time for prayer.” They took him outside but stopped to negotiate the price of his life. One of them screamed. “I’ve changed my mind. Let’s take him back inside and kill him there.” It never happened. They took what money Gloria could find and disappeared into the night. That’s something of what contending for the faith has meant for Ben and Gloria Kwashi.
CANA East is one of four missionary dioceses in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. Home to 31 congregations and almost 70 ordained clergy, CANA East is committed to planting and building biblical missionary Anglican churches across North America.
All are welcome to attend Synod and meet Archbishop Kwashi.
The Resurrection of Our Lord | April 2015
Come and see… Now go and tell
“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” Mark chapter 16 verses 6-8
In Mark’s gospel, two women both named Mary, visit the garden tomb on the first Resurrection Sunday morning. They find the stone which had sealed the tomb already rolled away, they encounter an angelic messenger who speaks to them about the risen Messiah and they see with their own eyes the tomb of Jesus is empty. And yet, we are told in verse 8…”they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
The angel said to them, “Come and see, now go and tell.”
This is the Christian gospel in a sentence: come and see for yourself and now go and tell someone else about it.
In the longer ending of Mark’s gospel, Jesus commissioned the disciples to go into the whole world, preach everywhere, believe and baptize. Life and death is at stake because if someone does not believe in the risen Christ, they are lost. And so, obeying the commission of the risen Lord, the disciples go out with a pile of evidence, with hearts full of experience and the risen Lord Jesus went with them everywhere they went.
Just as the risen Lord was with them, so too He is with us who believe. May the evidence of the rolled stone, the empty tomb, the heavenly angel, the testimony of the disciples, give way to an experience with the risen Christ, that we too may “Come and see and go and tell.”
Christ is Risen… He is Risen Indeed!
+Julian
Easter, 2015
julian dobbs 