As an Anglican church, St. George’s is a part of a larger structure of churches and leaders. And as we delve together into what it means to be a Christian and an Anglican in our upcoming ‘Learning to be a Christian‘ series it may be helpful to know a little more about that structure and about our leadership.
So, here’s a a start at a super quick crash course: Anglican churches worldwide are grouped into Provinces. Our Province is called the Anglican Church in North America(ACNA). Each Province has an Archbishop (sometimes called a Primate – pronounced more like Prime-it, not like the gorilla kind of primate!) who leads it. Our Archbishop’s name is Foley Beach. (Yes, it’s an awesome name!)
As Christians the Bible calls us to obey and support our leaders and to pray for them. So, it’s important to know some about them.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:17
Here are 10 things to know about our Archbishop:
1. The Most Reverend Doctor Foley Beach was elected the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America on June 22, 2014.
2. Married for more than 30 years, he and his wife, Allison, have two grown children and make their home in the Metro-Atlanta area.
3. In 2004 he planted a church in Loganville, Georgia called Holy Cross Anglican Church. He was the rector and pastor there until December, 2013.
4. Dr. Beach is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the School of Theology at the University of the South, and Georgia State University.
“My mother was a hippie, back during those days, and was eventually arrested for selling drugs and narcotics”
5. He grew up in a broken home and moved around a lot. His mother was a drug addict and he spent much of his childhood on the streets of Atlanta: “My mother was a hippie, back during those days, and was eventually arrested for selling drugs and narcotics.”
About what his difficult childhood has afforded him: “It has given me a sensitivity to the brokenness in our families and the need of the church, in the name of Jesus, try to minister and care for the broken people in our midst. Of course, in the culture, that brokenness exists as well. And so, trying to have a heart for people in pain and bringing God’s healing touch through Jesus, I think that’s a big part of how the situation in which I grew up shaped me.”
6. He received Jesus as his Lord and Saviour in a Baptist church as a kid.
“When my mother was arrested I went to live with my father who was involved in the Baptist Church in North Atlanta. So we started going and at summer camp that year I remember sitting around the campfire and the pastor talking about salvation and hell and I did not want to go to hell so I received Jesus. That was a very important piece of my life, but no one ever explained that your relationship with God was supposed to grow.”
7. He was involved with Young Life youth ministries in High School.
“I came to see that Jesus wanted to be my Lord, as well as my Saviour, which meant he was to be in charge of my life”
“So as I continued to grow as a teenager, academically and socially and intellectually and physically, my spiritual life didn’t grow. A friend invited me to Young Life and through that ministry I came to see that Jesus wanted to be my Lord, as well as my Saviour, which meant he was to be in charge of my life, and once I yielded, wow! It has been an adventure ever since.”
8. He worked as a youth minister at the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Philip, in Atlanta, from 1980 to 1987.
9. The scripture verse that has most guided his ministry is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (ESV)
10. Archbishop Beach can be heard on radio stations in the U.S. and around the world via his teaching ministry, A Word from the Lord, and his One-Minute Message, an evangelism outreach to the unchurched.
We think Archbishop Foley is a pretty cool guy and it’s a real privilege and blessing to have godly leadership. Please pray for him and all our leaders, that God would be glorified through St. George’s, ACNA and his Church.
Here’s Archbishop Foley’s Easter Message:
*Sources – for the full interviews we quoted from you can read them here: http://anglicanplanet.net/interviews/2014/12/18/foley-beach.html https://juicyecumenism.com/2014/08/12/an-interview-with-anglican-archbishop-foley-beach/
