A Call to Prayer from Archbishop Foley Beach

Today Foley Beach, the Archbishop of ACNA, issued a heartfelt and needed call to prayer.  I appreciate its spirit and balance and will most certainly participate.

His call to prayer follows:

Dearest People of God in the Anglican Church in North America:

I write you with a tremendous heaviness in my spirit and soul as I observe and participate in what is happening today in the United States of America. If ever there is a time for the people of God to fall on our faces before God and plead for his mercy and intervention, now is the time. As believers, we are given the privilege of coming to the Throne of Grace with our petitions and requests, and he promises to hear us. (1 John 5:14,15)

Consider what we have experienced in recent days and weeks:

• Another senseless killing by a police officer of an unarmed black man, George Floyd.
• Hundreds of thousands of people participating in peaceful protests.
• The unleashing of a spirit of lawlessness where rioting, violence, destruction of businesses and properties (mostly minority owned), unbridled theft, personal assaults on bystanders, store owners, the elderly, and police officers.
• Covid-19 closing whole countries down, reportedly killing over 100,000 people in the U.S., over 7,000 in Canada, and over 10,000 in Mexico, and creating an economic calamity with tens of millions of people unemployed across North America.
• Numerous businesses and churches have had to close down and many will not reopen.
• Incredible generosity of strangers helping strangers in the midst of calamity.

Sisters and brothers, I am asking you to join me in spending the next week in prayer and fasting for North America (Wednesday, June 3 – Wednesday, June 10). For those who can fast the whole week, a day, or a meal, I ask you set aside time to intercede on behalf of your community, state, and nation.

Pray in the Holy Spirit and as the Holy Spirit leads you, and as you do, consider these petitions:

• Show me my own sin; reveal to me the darkness of my own heart (Ps.139:24)
• Reveal to me the repentance I need in my own life.
• The ending of the lawlessness and violence.
• Justice for those who have had their lives taken from them, especially George Floyd, and comfort for their families.
• Comfort for the family and friends of the thousands of people who have lost their lives because of Covid-19.
• Help for the millions who find themselves suddenly without a job.
• Provision for all those business owners who have lost their business because of rioting, for those who have insurance and those who do not.
• Strength for the health care workers, nurses, doctors, technicians in hospitals and medical facilities who continue to work fearlessly to save lives.
• Wisdom for our government and civil leaders as they seek to keep us safe both from the virus and from the violence in our cities.
• Food and provision for those who are hungry and in need.
• Fresh anointing for the Church of Jesus Christ to faithfully proclaim the Gospel and reach people who are hurting, suffering, alone, and in need.
• Specific acts of grace and mercy that You want me to carry out in this time.

If you would like some specific prayers to help you pray, consider these from the Book of Common Prayer 2019 on pages 657-661:

• #39 – For our Nation
• #40 – For All Sorts and Conditions of Men
• #41 – For Cities, Towns, and other Communities
• #42 – For the Human Family
• #43 – For Social Justice
• #44 – In Times of Social Conflict or Distress
• #45 – For Those Who Serve Others
• #46 – For Commerce and Industry
• #47 – For the Unemployed
• #48 – For Agriculture and Farming
• #49 – For Schools, Colleges, and Universities
• #50 – For the Medical Professions
• #51 – For Those Who Inform Public Opinion

Jesus said: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Luke 11:9,10)

Your brother in Jesus Christ,


The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach
Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church in North America

A Statement from Archbishop Foley Beach

A blessed Pentecost to all.  Speaking of which, I post this in haste as I need to get ready for church but wanted to get this out first.

ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach posted a statement last night addressing the rioting and violence since the killing of George King.  It is needful and I appreciate it.  It is the first statement from ACNA bishops that I have seen that addresses the rioting.  (Feel free to comment if I’ve missed something.)

The Archbishop’s statement follows:

Call to Prayer on Pentecost Sunday...

To the Clergy of the Anglican Church in North America,

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be people of peace and love, reflecting our Lord and Savior. We are called to be light in the darkness and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, shine Christ's love not only in our churches but in our communities. Watching the lawlessness and violence in cities all over the United States is not only heart-breaking and tragic, but completely defeats the purpose of the protests for justice. With our city here in Atlanta on fire, our own mayor broke into tears when reminding our citizens that our city's heritage is one of non-violent protest as the home and ministry center of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

For those of you in the United States, I am writing to ask you to lead your congregation in specific prayer during worship tomorrow (Pentecost Sunday) for peace and justice in our communities; for the violence to stop; for wisdom for our leaders; for comfort for those who have lost loved ones or have been injured in the violence; and for people to be drawn to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Almighty God, you created us in your own image: Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and help us to use our freedom rightly in the establishment of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP 2019, pg. 659)

A blessed Pentecost to you! Shalom.

About AND’s Statement on the George Floyd Killing and Subsequent Riots

To say there is a need for unity in the church and in this country after the George Floyd killing would be an understatement.  Christians and Americans are united in condemning the killing.  But the “social justice” crowd is mishandling their response to the aftermath, particularly the looting and arson, and that is making our divisions worse and even less tolerable.  I certainly include the response of the AND Campaign in that.

Months ago I exposed the AND Campaign as a Democrat front group.  So I was not expecting much from them.  But their statement goes below even my low expectations.  I wonder if I should even bother to respond to it.  But I’m a fool, so here goes…

The riots in Minneapolis are not to be glorified or romanticized, but we must realize that they are a product of a riotous and unjust system. The disorder began when a man’s rights were violated and his life was taken. American racism was rioting against the people long before they took to the streets. We must condemn and address the cause before we can appropriately address the broken reaction. 

So the looting and arson is just “a broken reaction” AND won’t condemn.  The riots are unjust Amerika’s fault anyway.  Got it. 

By the way, the killing has been roundly condemned and is being addressed.  That will not make George Floyd come back.  But the “system,” however imperfect, is striving for justice in this situation.  AND on the other hand cannot even bring themselves to condemn widespread looting and arson.  The excuses for the riots and for AND’s failure are lame.

We cannot place our cultural preferences, partisan interests and flawed race narratives ahead of the Christian justice imperative. 

If you want “partisan interests and flawed race narratives,” look in the mirror, AND.

A spirit of racial hatred and violence has engulfed the United States of America for too long; in fact, it’s our nation’s original sin.

Yes, it’s all AmeriKKKa’s fault.  And the founders came over here because they hated Black people or something.

Now, the Church must offer a sober, determined and steadfast witness against white supremacy as contrary to no less than the very word and judgment of God.

What “white supremacy”?  There are more flat-earthers than white supremacists today.  Cut the CRT posturing.  The church has better things to do than chase around the few remaining idiot white supremacists. 

This is where we stand: not on the shaky ground of man-made ideology or carried by the shifting winds of societal judgment,…

Just a little lack of self-awareness there.

We don’t have to deny our pain, sadness or anger, but we do have to turn it over to God and respond in ways that glorify Him.

Well, you failed, AND.  But then your real objective is conning Christians into supporting Democrats, isn’t it?  That has been Michael Wear’s job for years.

What makes this more sad is that some prominent ACNA clergy are supporting this tripe.  Overall, it is sad that many/most woke church people cannot even bring themselves to condemn looting and arson that is hurting Black people more than anyone else.  Can’t we even unite on that?  Can’t we?