"it is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good" - Galatians 4:18
I've just seen the letter Bishop James Mathes of San Diego has written the people of the diocese - check it out at SanDiegoAnglicans.com. Once I have a chance to take a gander, I'll offer some comments. For now, enjoy!
Posted by Anne Coletta at 5:12 PM 1 comments
Here is a long round-up of news articles and blog entries on what’s been happening in the Diocese of San Diego and departing local parishes, organized chronologically for the most part. I’ve listed straight news stories first—from both the secular press and other sources, and then I've listed blog entries. The list is divided into sections:
Posted by Anne Coletta at 9:58 AM 3 comments
An excerpt from David Virtue's post at Virtue Online:
SAN DIEGO: St. Anne's Church Will Fight for its Property
"The lawsuit was not a surprise, and in light of what The Episcopal Church is doing we are disappointed, but we expected it. It is an incredible waste of dollars that could be used for the Kingdom of God. We are continuing on with our mission however."
Baron said that while his parish was not wealthy, "we have allocated funds for our defense."
Baron said he has the same attorney's as St. James, Newport Beach and will follow their lead if they lose and will appeal up through the various courts. "We feel confident that the Kingdom of God will always prevail over the kingdom of man and we trust His love, power and wisdom and whatever direction He calls us to we will honor, because it is designed for our good."
"We have no intention of vacating the property, but if we are forced out, it is not the end of the world, we will find another place and we will continue to grow."
Posted by Anne Coletta at 8:24 AM 0 comments
Check out Sandi Dolbee's story in today's San Diego Union-Tribune on the churches in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego that have left, been reconfigured, etc. because of what is happening on the national and local level.
For me, the most interesting part doesn't come until the end, and shows that the churches in the area are definitely not "beyond the conflict"!
The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the global Anglican body, and the Americans have irked some of the other branches over such decisions as ordaining an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire. Dozens of U.S. churches have split up, with some conservatives leaving the Episcopal denomination and seeking realignment with like-minded Anglican leadership.
The San Diego diocese has been particularly hit hard. Nine of its approximately 50 congregations were affected. In three cases, the breakaway congregations and priests stayed in the buildings, realigning with Anglican provinces in Uganda, Argentina and Bolivia.
On Monday, the diocese filed a lawsuit in San Diego County Superior Court to get custody of those three churches – St. Anne's in Oceanside, Holy Trinity in Ocean Beach and St. John's in Fallbrook. In the suit, the diocese argues that the congregations violated canon rules, which say all church property is held “in trust” for the local diocese.
An earlier lawsuit filed by the diocese last year against St. John's in Fallbrook was unsuccessful, but a spokesman said this new action argues a different legal point.
Posted by Anne Coletta at 2:12 PM 0 comments
Well, so much for the talking and listening that Bishop Mathes called for in his February diocesan address. The Diocese of San Diego has filed lawsuits agains three Anglican churches who left ECUSA and stayed in their buildings:
St. Anne's Anglican (Oceanside)
St. John's Anglican (Fallbrook)
Holy Trinity (San Diego)
Check out more info on TitusOneNine, Stand Firm, and SanDiegoAnglicans (h/ts to all, since there is nothing yet on the diocesan web site).
Also, interviews that I did with three of the clergy from those three churches are posted on AnglicanTV:
Fr. Joe Rees (St. Anne's)
Fr. Don Kroeger (St. John's)
Fr. Larry Bausch (Holy Trinity)
Posted by Anne Coletta at 10:23 AM 4 comments
Bishop Mathes will be visiting my church on June 17 for all three Sunday morning services (7:45, 9:00, and 10:30) as celebrant and preacher.
I will not be there.
I realized after I made that decision that I needed to be able to articulate why, not just for my own sake, but, since my views are well known (ha!) by some fellow parishioners, for others as well. Basically, I have three primary reasons for staying away:
“The bishop [Mathes] himself leans toward inclusion, telling parishioners that he believes sexuality is not a choice, but is a ‘God-given state.’By my attending church, knowing that Bishop Mathes believes this and he is my current bishop, I would be endorsing and legitimizing his views. My presence says to others that I am interested in what he has to say from the pulpit regarding the Gospel and God’s Word. Based on his tolerance within the diocese for open communion (even though it is against ECUSA Canons [peace be upon them]), his personal support for non-celibate sexual relationships outside of marriage, repudiation of the order of God’s creation, and inability to name sin as sin, I am struggling with whether to stay in the Episcopal Church or not. I certainly don’t want to be perceived as agreeing with his theological stances.
‘Because of this, I believe that God is calling the church to see in His time a more-complete way of including gay and lesbian persons in the church, including blessing of committed relationships and ordinations,’ he says.”
“Even as we avail ourselves of these regrettable civil remedies, we must continually ask ourselves is there a better way. Because we believe the promiser, we must ask how Jesus would expect us to act. So, even as I endeavor to maintain the order, even through civil litigation, I must ask this question.”To be invoking Jesus as he sues a member of Christ’s Body in court shows a logical disconnect that I find staggering. We are called not to take our church differences to civil courts (1 Corinthians 6:1-11), yet this is what Bishop Mathes has done (using my pledge money). His only solution now, also shared in his convention address:
“My simple proposal is that we actually sit down and talk, and here’s the challenge, listen, about a way to be one church with two perspectives. Let us come to that meeting with ideas about how to be the church together.”Now that his lawsuit has been denied, he wants to talk. Not quite the pastoral approach I would expect from a Christian bishop.
Posted by Anne Coletta at 8:39 AM 0 comments
Here in the diocese of San Diego, we now have Bishop Mathes's wife, Teresa, opining on the state of the Episcopal church:
Because what I have to say is that the AAC and the ACN do not represent true conservatives. Like many Episcopalians, I had scarcely heard of these organizations; then, just over a year ago, my husband was consecrated Bishop of San Diego. Over time, I learned that AAC stood for American Anglican Council, a group of parishes that objected, among other things, to the consecration of Gene Robinson. The Anglican Communion Network (ACN) appeared to be an association of bishops with similar views. These names were used interchangeably with “the conservatives,” so when the groups began to distinguish themselves by their actions, I was astonished to see those actions labeled “conservative.”
The conservatives I know are honest, civil people who would scorn secret memos and “innovations” meant to skirt the canons. Let’s face it, that kind of behavior also represents a profound challenge to the traditional understanding of moral fitness for ministry.
Your statements indicate you relied solely on the website information to make your assumptions. Is that how we should judge St. Paul’s Cathedral? When I visited the site I found a lot of information but could not find one link on pre-marriage, marriage or even family counseling. Does that mean that St. Paul’s does not work toward building Christian families? No, I am sure that is not what it means. It means I did an inadequate job of researching the "who and what" of the congregation called St. Paul’s. Could it be that your research on the AAC and ACN would have been greatly bolstered by placing a telephone call to them or better yet visiting a church that is actually affiliated with them?
"The Internet now bristles with memos"
...is correct. Have you read the Via Media plan for the day after convention? If not, you can read it at Drell's Descants. If we are going to throw stones, could we be sure and hit all the houses on the block?
"The conservatives I know would be ashamed of such behavior. I know I am."
We can agree on that statement but it would be for different reasons and different behaviors than you mention. You see, the conservatives I know are indeed honest, civil people who do not choose to meet behind closed doors. They are a faithful people who feel called to defend the faith once delivered. They are a faithful people who do not seek to deny you your right to practice your faith however you choose. They simply are not willing to allow those who would deny them those very same rights to steal their church.
I would ask you, did you happen to notice what four bishops are attempting to do to a fellow bishop when the duly elected people of his diocese voted openly and did not meet behind closed doors?
Posted by Anne Coletta at 10:51 AM 0 comments
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