Tax Deadlines and Mission

An update from Bishop Dan as we seek to multiply leaders and churches.

Dear friends and partners in the Gospel,

I am humbled and grateful for the way God is using the people of our Anglican Diocese of Canada in His Gospel-work and in supporting our parishes and ministries. This year has been momentous for us in many ways, including seeing our name adjusted to better align with who we now are as an established and growing diocese within the Anglican Church in North America.

Growing

Growth is very much now our focus. We long to see more Biblically faithful, Gospel sharing, Anglican churches planted and established across the country. To do that we need new, well-trained leaders and we need funding through our Multiply for Mission fund to support their planting work. 

Multiplying

This fund also supports Packer College which continues to develop and is preparing our first ordinands this year. With support, we believe it can become an excellent source for well educated and prepared leaders and ordinands. In addition, our Curacy Program that is taking place in training churches across our diocese is a fantastic place for young ordinands to mature in their leadership through real church ministry experience under the guidance and oversight of established rectors. In this way we are excited to see a growing pipeline within the diocese for leaders to be well trained, prepared and then sent out.

Planting

Watch an interview Bishop Dan did with Will at Synod 2024.

This year we have a new church plant in preparation for Winnipeg, MB. In the summer Rev. Will Gray (pictured above) will move there from St. John’s Vancouver with his wife Jourdan and four children for the work of gathering and evangelising in preparation to launch Emmanuel Anglican Church. We also have two other clergy who have been assessed and approved for church planting, and four more church planters undergoing assessment. Our hope is that they might all be given the opportunity to plant churches within our diocese, if we have the funding to help support this work. 

Giving

One of the reasons for writing this now is the Canada Revenue Agency has chosen to extend the 2024 charitable tax deadline to February 28th, 2025. Donations made in January and February 2025 may be used to reduce your 2024 income taxes. So, this is a great opportunity for you to bless your parish and diocesan initiatives. You can learn more on the CRA website here.

I deeply appreciate the Gospel-partnership and generous giving we are experiencing from people like you across the diocese and around the world. Please pray with us for the days ahead and these growing opportunities to multiply. And if you are able to give over and above your giving to your home congregation, please donate towards our Multiply for Mission fund. (dioceseofcanada.ca/give) 

May we see more churches planted, more neighbourhoods reached with the Gospel and more added to our numbers daily as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Yours in Him,

+Dan

The Right Reverend Dan Gifford
Diocesan Bishop
The Anglican Diocese of Canada