The diocesan, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, established the Cornerstone Archdeaconry/Directorate at the conclusion of the 2016 Synod. The theme of that Synod was “Jesus Christ the Chief Cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20), from which the Directorate took its name. Concerned about the spiritual laxity that pervaded the culture around us, the diocesan wanted to ensure that every activity within our churches is hinged on two pillars; The Cross and Scriptures. For starters, each parish must have the Cross and the Bible prominently displayed in their place of worship and every preaching and activities stem from them. The initial role of the Directorate therefore, was to ensure sound doctrinal emphasis in all our churches. Later, following the conclusion of the 2nd session of the 2nd Synod in July, 2017, the diocesan expanded our responsibilities to include more in-depth counselling and attending to the welfare of our priests. Just before the takeoff of the Directorate, the diocesan expanded its activities to include;
Matthew 25 (M25) ministry:. The M25 Initiative is a program to fund Christ-centered ministries that promise to meet the real human needs of the poor and needy and transmit the Gospel of God’s Grace to those served. It is a ministry of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) championed by Archbishop Foley Beach and funded by generous donations along with matching donations from an anonymous donor; M25 is helping ministries all over North America reach the poor and needy in their communities. ADOTT, being a member of ACNA, fully participates in this ministry.
Following the restructuring of the relationship between ADOTT (CANA) and ACNA, a new name for the Directorate was suggested and ratified at the last Leadership meeting held at the Anglican Church of the Trinity, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to, Directorate of Jesus Christ Chief Cornerstone and Good Samaritan. The activities of the Directorate remain the same and include:
Cornerstone: The Directorate has had to meet regularly with the diocesan, given the sensitivity of some of the issues with our priests. I have come to regard this Directorate as the chaplaincy of the priests and I as the “Chaplain to the Priests”; regularly bringing the needs and welfare concerns of the priests to the attention of the diocesan.
Doctrinal issues: A few issues, bordering on incorrect practices and gross/misinterpretations of scriptures have had to be addressed and corrected with those concerned. However, there is a trend of great theological proportion that is pervasive in most of our churches that need to be addressed. It is the subtle concept of salvation by works. It may not be blatantly obvious; nevertheless, it is there and must be corrected quickly.
Priests’ welfare: This has been accomplished mainly through regular calls to the priests; through praying and counselling and intimating the diocesan of the needs, based on the seriousness of individual cases. This ministry has personally drawn me closer to most of our priests.
Good Samaritan: Most of our churches are very active in this area; first by looking internally within their own congregation and meeting the needs of those hurting, and those without jobs, and then rendering the same services to those in their community. The recent global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the importance and impact this aspect of the ministry of the Directorate is having within our parishes. Some churches have ceased the opportunity to give back to members, who as a result of the stay at home edict, have lost their jobs.
Ongoing ministry: By the grace of God, my wife, mama Cornerstone, as she is called, and I, continue to minister through the Directorate, when we visit churches. She has had opportunities to minister to individual women, church intercessory prayers and counselling one on one with the ladies of churches we visit. We continue to supply some small, needs here and there in some of the young parishes we visit as the Lord enables us; and we continue to work on a Follow-up material for the diocese.