Don Francisco wrote a song

a few years ago called, "I Gotta Tell

Somebody!" Well, I just gotta tell somebody about

developments in my denomination, the Charismatic

Episcopal Church. (CEC).

According to Canon James

Nicholas, 1999 has been a banner year for the

International Development Agency (IDA), the overseas

development arm of the CEC. During a recent interview for

Sursum Corda, Canon Nicholas shared some of the

significant highlights of developments in the CEC.

At the end of 1998, there

were 366 congregations of the CEC under the jurisdiction

of the International Development Agency. (The oversight

of the IDA does not include churches within the United

States, Southeast Asia, or the Filipino Confederation.)

As of Sept. 30, 1999, there were 604 congregations with

150,000-plus communicants under the IDA umbrella.

Each area of ministry has

seen significant changes and improvements during 1999. In

Kenya, Africa, there are now more than 350 CEC

congregations, resulting in our denomination having a

"substantial presence" in that nation.

The Church in Uganda has

experienced a "breakthrough year," according to

Nicholas. In 1998, Bishop John Obokech was able to report

that 42 churches had been established, nearly all of them

"new church plants." In less than one year,

that number has mushroomed to over 220 congregations.

In Europe, the path is more

difficult. "There seems to be a `spiritual pall'

over the whole of Europe," Canon Nicholas related.

"Inroads into Europe will be won with determination,

persistence, and spiritual warfare." In England,

less that 3 percent of the citizens will be in church on

a given Sunday and the rest of the continent records

similar results. At present, the work of CEC churches in

Europe continues with much foundational work being done.

"This is a time for strengthening the church,

stabilizing the congregations, training the clergy, and

building an infrastructure. The best days of Europe are

ahead of us," Nicholas explained.

With the recent planting of

two congregations, Canada finally has a CEC presence.

With a strong Anglican tradition and a recent,

well-documented, "charismatic renewal", Canada

seems to be fertile ground for future CEC missions

efforts.

Fr. Guillermo Cordoba, an

early member of the Spanish-speaking congregation of

Jacksonville's Church of the Messiah, has established the

first CEC church in Latin America with a new congregation

in San Jose, Costa Rica, while, in the nation of

Pakistan, Bishop-elect Prakash Yuhanna, who had his

throat cut by Muslim fundamentalists and was thrown into

a lake to die, has founded 10 churches in that Muslim

stronghold. Even though all of the Pakistani churches

meet in homes, a "house church" in Pakistan

might well exceed 100 in attendance.

Currently, the CEC is

quietly working in other nations and expects, before the

year's end, to see other significant gains. Canon

Nicholas expects four to five CEC churches to be

established in Brazil within the next few months, and

work continues in the African nations of Burundi, Zaire,

and Tanzania with existing churches desirous of a

relationship with the CEC. Indeed, Nicholas expects up to

40 new CEC churches to be present in these three nations

shortly. Elsewhere in Africa, a CEC presence is expected

within the next six to 12 months in the nations of

Nigeria and the Congo.

The significant thing is

that the Charismatic Episcopal Church is only seven years

old and began with just three congregations! Much good is

happening in the Christian Church in our day in many

denominations. Please forgive me but, like a proud

father, I just felt that I had to tell somebody what's

happening in our young family!

[Canon David Epps is canon

to the ordinary of the diocese of the armed forces and

rector of Christ the King CEC in the south metro area of

Atlanta. He may be contacted at [email protected] or at P. O. Box 2192, Peachtree

City, GA 30269.