Anglican Communion Network

Anglican Communion Network Continues to Grow

Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Anglican Communion Network (ACN or Network), announced the appointment of Wicks Stephens as Chancellor of the Network.

Stephens, who has served as interim Chief Operating Officer for the ACN since June, will be succeeded in that position by The Rev. Canon Daryl Fenton, who has worked since June as the Executive Assistant to Bishop Duncan. Stephens will also continue as Director of Development.

“As civil and canonical legal matters have unfortunately become a large part of church life for many faithful Episcopalians, it became clear to me that the Network needed to offer formal legal support to our affiliates. Mr. Stephens, with over 35 years of experience as a corporate litigator in Los Angeles, is a leading expert in church law and an obvious choice for the role,” said Bishop Duncan.

Other members of the newly expanded staff include: Pam Stephens, who as Ministry Development Coordinator oversees the Network’s national ordination track; Lisa Waldron, Director of Accounting; Canon Nancy Norton, Executive Director of the Anglican Relief & Development Fund (ARDF); and Jenny Noyes, Communications Coordinator. She takes responsibility for a portion of the duties previously handled by Douglas LeBlanc, a highly regarded Anglican journalist, who stepped down from the Network’ s Director of Communications position on December 31st.

The ARDF was established in late 2004 as the outreach arm of the Network. ARDF exists to maximize life change in some of the most challenging parts of the Global South in the Anglican Communion that are adhering to biblically-based Anglican tradition. The ARDF raised and dispersed over $1.5 million in 2005 from among ACN affiliates and outside donors in order to fund approved development projects and provide relief.

The ACN, which was formed just two years ago, continues to grow daily. Presently, affiliates include over 1000 parishes and 2500 clergy, 10 dioceses and 6 convocations, and an estimated 250,000 communicants.