Disagreement over foundation name resolved

Initially launched in late February as the Canadian Anglican Foundation (CAF), a new foundation that is being created to help fund “traditional” Anglican ministries has been renamed the Cranmer Foundation of Canada (CFoC).The name was changed in response to objections raised by the Anglican Foundation of Canada, an independent body that awards grants and loans to Anglican churches in Canada, provides bursaries to theology students and supports other projects. Because the names were similar, the Anglican Foundation of Canada feared that the public would be confused and would mistake one for the other. Dean John vanNostrand Wright, executive director of the Anglican Foundation of Canada, thanked the Cranmer Foundation for graciously acceding to the request. The new name, honouring Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who is credited for developing the Book of Common Prayer, “is quite appropriate for the ministry that they are serving and we wish them well,” said Mr. Wright.Michael Daley, CFoC chief communications officer, said although the new foundation is not incorporated as a non-profit organization yet, it is intended to be “primarily a philanthropic organization” supporting “traditional” Anglican ministries. He defined traditional as “Anglicans who are committed to the classic formulary of the Prayer Book, the 39 Articles (statements of Anglican belief approved by the British parliament in 1571), who practice traditional Anglican liturgy and therefore believe traditional Anglican doctrine.” Mr. Daley added that the CFoC would consider applications for funding from “Anglicans who believe the traditional Anglican and Catholic views on human sexuality.” The new foundation is not officially affiliated with the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), a group of churches that have left the Anglican Church of Canada largely over blessing same-sex unions, or any other body, Mr. Daley said. Traditional ministries within the Anglican Church of Canada or ANiC ministries would be eligible to apply for funding, he said. The foundation also intends to provide bursaries for theological students as well as technological assistance to ministries, such as creating Web sites. Mr. Wright made a distinction between the two foundations by saying that the Anglican Foundation of Canada has a broader scope. “The Anglican Foundation of Canada supports a wide variety of ministries across Canada within the church and we don’t limit ourselves to one particular part of the church. ….Of course, we do support traditional ministries as well,” he said. The Anglican Foundation of Canada has existed since 1957, granting more than $26 million to hundreds of parishes during its history.A statement on the Cranmer Foundation’s Web site, says that, “While not a political lobby group, primarily, the CFoC remains concerned that the voices of traditional Anglicans in the Anglican Church of Canada be heard in a real, substantive way.” Mr. Daley said the CFoC wants to provide a voice for traditional Anglicans ministries. “A lot of these organizations and ministries cannot have that voice, they cannot provide the leadership that traditional Anglicans need in the Anglican Church of Canada, for example, if they don’t have the financial resources and now the technological resources to do that,” he said. “In some respects, we’ve been a little disappointed with the Essentials Federation, the leadership that they have provided since General Synod, and we may look at providing some sort of ministry to fill in that gap, we’ll see, we still need to speak with them about this.”