From the Rectors Desk

Emancipated. Therefore, Set Free!!! 

"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free... So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed ” (John 8:32-36). 

This text from John 8:36 gives us a clue to live in freedom God has given us as humans, especially to those who accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. In the Anglican Church of Canada, every last Sunday in July is now designated as Emancipation Sunday with a motion passed at the General Synod  in 2025 (See more on this link https://gs2025.anglican.ca/resolutions/c002/ ). Therefore, this Sunday we begin to mark and celebrate Emancipation Sunday this year as a church. For me as a person of African descent who has made Canada my permanent home, this call is pastoral. Our great father in the Lord, The Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said and believed that, “sharing one's experiences of pain and struggle is a crucial step towards healing and liberation.”  With all sense of humility and honour as the National President/Board Chair on behalf of Black Anglicans of Canada  with our siblings in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), it is with such a great privilege to speak as a voice among many on this occasion. Thus, we mark Emancipation Sunday as observed on the Sunday closest to August 1st — the day the Slavery Abolition Act began in 1833 and came into effect across the British Empire in 1834.

Please kindly permit me to share a personal story some of you might not know here. I am the fifth generation of those who have experienced generational trauma of slavery and systemic racism within and beyond the four-walls of the church. With this experience from the cradle of Christianity in Abeokuta, Nigeria, West Africa connecting to “Point of No Return” in the coast of Badagry, Lagos to the “Gate of No Return” at Elmina Castle in the Gold Coast of Accra, Ghana, and to many other historic slave sites across the continent of Africa, time will not permit me to share the full story here. However, my own personal experience has connected me to many of my other siblings across continents and in diaspora who have experienced similar generational trauma of slavery and systemic racism. My instance this day is just one among many of these untold stories of the same shared history from East Coast to West Coast of Africa, from North to the Southern Region of Africa, and not to forget the same shared history of our fellow siblings from Latin America to the Caribbean Islands. In the diversity of our voices, we are seeking ways in the church through "Emancipation" that calls us to action by "embracing cultural diversity”, in a policy statement (“No Longer Strangers: Ministry in a Multicultural Society”) and development on racism as advocated by The Rev. Dr. Romney Moseley (A Barbadian Reverend gentleman in the Diocese of Toronto over 34 years ago). 

As Black Canadians and people of African descent, it cannot be overemphasized that in the last 192 years since the end of more than 250 years of enslavement, our stories of courage have continued to spur us on with grace and resilience to face whatever that lies ahead with how we identify ourselves as blacks and people of colour in the church and in our diverse faith expressions and multicultural ways of worshiping God. We envision a Church that values and respects the rich diversity of Black people who are empowered to enjoy equitable participation, representation and a sense of belongingness in the mission of Jesus Christ and in the full life of the Church as an institution.

Therefore, Resolution C002 passed to recognize this last Sunday of July, it is an inspiring moment for us as Black Anglicans in full communion with ELCIC, who have been embraced by the church in our unique identity as a sign of renewed hope for freedom, justice, equality, and in commemoration in the acts of remembrance of our ancestors who had endured untold hardships for more than 250 years of enslavement. This is another reminder for us to continue to focus to be who we are in the church and to enjoy the freedom God has given all of us as human beings, by living up to our Baptizmal Covenants. And as we shine Christ's light in the world, we will not relent to keep reconciling our differences with everyone within and outside the Church of God, because we too are bound and committed to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). 

To this end, for Anglican parishes across Canada, Emancipation Sunday is a day of remembrance and commemoration - honoring Black Canadians and their ancestors who endured slavery and systemic injustice. A day to lament and to give thanks to God the spirit of freedom, global friendship, neighbourliness and love for one another regardless of who are, where we come from, colour of our skin, culture, language/accent, ethnicity; by lamenting the sin of slavery, giving thanks for emancipation and resilience; and to proclaim and declare that in Christ, we are called to freedom, dignity, and justice for all. To all of us as Christ people, and to those who believe in the teachings of Christ, He enjoins us with these words: "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free... So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed ” (John 8:32,36). 

I will now encourage you to join us live on this link provided for a virtual commemoration service on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 7pm Central Time: https://youtube.com/live/P-gtdJaC2no?feature=shared   

Let us pray: 

God of deliverance,
On this Emancipation Sunday, 

We remember those who were set free in 1834.

We also remember generations of those who have 

experienced generational trauma of slavery and systemic racism.
We thank you that through your Word we are all set free. 
Lord, make us people who will continue your work through our 

spiritual emancipation — setting captives free by our words and deeds, and
lifting up those who are oppressed or marginalized by actions and for all of us 

to live as one in you. Amen. 

Thanks be to God.

With every blessing,