From Kevin at AnglicanTV, an interview with Bishop Robert Duncan of the Diocese of Pittsburgh:
You are welcome to embed this in your blog/website. However, you must credit AnglicanTV with a hyperlink.
From the Living Church [boldface mine]:
The Rt. Rev. Edward H. MacBurney, retired Bishop of Quincy, and Wicks Stephens, his lawyer, have reached an agreement under which Bishop MacBurney voluntarily submitted to discipline.
Last January, the Title IV [disciplinary] Review Committee issued a presentment against Bishop MacBurney for allegedly leading a service of confirmation at a congregation which had left the Diocese of San Diego in order to join the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone in South America. Bishop MacBurney was subsequently inhibited, or prohibited, from functioning in any way as a priest or bishop, pending an ecclesiastical trial which had been scheduled to be held in November.
In her “Sentence Upon Voluntary Submission to Discipline” dated Sept. 9, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori removed the inhibition against Bishop MacBurney and admonished him “not to repeat the actions which caused the presentment to be brought against him.” She also directed him to apologize “in writing to the Bishop of San Diego for not respecting his authority as the bishop of that diocese.”
Bishop James Mathes of San Diego, who originally had brought the complaint against Bishop MacBurney, said he was satisfied with the outcome. The process “held a bishop of the church accountable to his colleagues and this was a good thing,” Bishop Mathes told Episcopal News Service. He said Bishop MacBurney’s willingness to apologize for his actions “provided us a way to provide forgiveness.”
In an interview with a reporter for The Living Church, Mr. Stephens said that the sentence conformed to the terms which were agreed to before the voluntary submission was made adding that Bishop MacBurney is fully restored as a retired member of the House of Bishops, meaning he can again perform priestly and episcopal functions with the permission of the local diocesan bishop.
“I’m sure there are a number of diocesan bishops who would want to have an Anglo-Catholic bishop come and minister,” Mr. Stephens said. “This was a practical means of bringing him back.”. . .
Posted by Fr. Eric Menees of the Anglican Church of the Resurrection, San Marcos (one of the San Diego churches that walked away from their property and is now under the Southern Cone):
This past Sunday, the Youth Groups of Resurrection, Sts. Timothy & Titus and Holy Trinity gathered together at Holy Trinity, Ocean Beach, for a mixer, beach party, pizza fest and some evangelistic action.
About 30 youth gathered from the three churches and marched down to the beach. After setting up camp at Life Guard Station Three and hitting the waves a group of the kids went up and down the beach handing out Christian Bracelets and asking people if they had any prayer requests that they could pray for. They were terrific evangelists!
After they trekked back to HT - O[cean] B[each] they shared in some great hymn singing, went through a ton of Pizza and then gathered for a short video & discussion on prayer. . .
Okay, so I'm a little behind and am still catching up, but here is the letter from Bishop James Mathes to the Diocese of San Diego in which he avers that ++Gregory Venables apologized for incursions into San Diego:
July 31, 2008
Ignatius of Loyola
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I know many of you have felt frustrated by the slow progress of the discussions at Lambeth, so I want to share with you immediately an important step toward healing that occurred Wednesday morning.
Over breakfast, Gregory Venables, Presiding Bishop of the Church of the Southern Cone, apologized for not contacting me before making incursions into the Diocese of San Diego. Over the past two years, Bishop Venables together with Bishop Frank Lyons of the same province, have made numerous episcopal visits to our diocese without my knowledge or consent. I was heartened by his apology and relieved to hear him say he had not received either of the two letters I had sent protesting these actions and outlining the harm they caused to the church here in San Diego. Previously, I had taken his silence to mean his actions were intentional.
In light of these new developments, I have proposed that we continue discussing how to mend the tear these incursions have caused in our diocese. I am in preliminary conversations with Richard Blackburn of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center as a possible mediator for these discussions. I'm delighted to say that Bishop Venables has agreed to consider such a plan and we will be meeting for breakfast tomorrow to discuss it further.
This kind of mutual walking towards each other and entering into respectful dialogue is exactly what the Archbishop of Canterbury has called us to over the past two weeks. Please pray that this, and other breakthroughs of generous love, will be the true fruit of this conference.
Faithfully,
James R. Mathes
Bishop of San Diego
I met with Bp Mathes as I have met with many people during the conference and during the conversation mentioned that I was sorry I hadn’t taken the trouble to tell him what we were doing and why.
Update: So maybe I'm not totally off base in my thoughts below - Matt Kennedy agrees with me (does that give me any street cred?):
. . . There have been two meetings of the Global South, Common Cause, and Communion Partner bishops. I am not breaking news. These meetings have been reported elsewhere. The hope has been to mend fences and begin formulating a common strategy that includes both and inside and an outside track.
The fact is that while orthodox bishops were quite divided coming into Lambeth, the most noticeable shift during Lambeth has been in the direction of reconciliation and unity within the orthodox ranks. Communion conservatives and federal conservatives both on the primatial and episcopal level seem to have realized that though their consciences may lead them in different directions, recrimination serves no one’s best interest. . .
A rival Global South movement is being set up here in Canterbury in an attempt to divide and conquer the Global South movement by encouraging a Lambeth compliant "Communion Partners" movement in an effort to isolate mainstream evangelical and Anglo-Catholics who number 40 million of the 55 million church-going Anglicans throughout the world.
Between 150 and 200 bishops from 17 provinces of the Anglican Communion met last Tuesday at the Kent University campus, with a number of North Americans who included Common Cause Moderator Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh.
Among the speakers were bishops Michael Scott-Joynt (Winchester), Tom Wright (Durham) and Bob Duncan (Pittsburgh) moderation of Common Cause Partnerships. The Rt. Rev. Ian Ernest chair of CAPA spoke and Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis addressed the gathering and spoke of the 2009 Global South Conference. They are to meet again, thought this is not certain, a source told VOL.
Senior members of the Global South Primates who were not there included Archbishops Peter Akinola, (Nigeria), Emmanuel Kolini (Rwanda), Benjamin Nzimbi (Kenya) and Henry Luke Orombi (Uganda), majority representatives of the Global South.
The design of this Lambeth Global South group of primates and bishops, which comes with the full support of Dr. Williams, is to blunt the Global South group of Primates that met in Jerusalem recently which includes Archbishops Peter Akinola, Peter Jensen, Gregory Venables, Emmanuel Kolini, Benjamin Nzimbi and Henry Luke Orombi and Valentine Mokiwa (Tanzania).
The list of 17 provinces includes Hong Kong, South Korea, North India, West Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, Myanmar (Burma) Papua New Guinea, Jerusalem/ Middle- East, South India, Burundi, the Southern Cone, West Indies, Central Africa and the Philippines.
Together they represent approximately 6 million Anglicans. Deeply involved in this group is said to be Archbishop John Chew of Singapore, Secretary of the Global South Group and Bishop Mouneer of Egypt who is treasurer whose chairman is Archbishop Peter Akinola. Ironically the Assistant Bishop of Singapore, the Rt. Rev. Rennis Ponniah is not present at Lambeth. . .
The formation of a new Lambeth Global South movement in Canterbury would be designed to reinforce Williams' leadership of the Anglican Communion and thus would give support to his policy of non-action in the face of the actions of the U.S. Episcopal Church. Archbishop Williams' underlying strategy is to produce an inclusive church that will sideline evangelicals of the Global South who reject the theological and moral relativism that has emerged in Global Anglicanism.
Chris Smith, the Archbishop of Canterbury's aide de camp is reported to have met with Archbishop John Chew of Southeast Asia and Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis of Jerusalem and the Middle East -- leaders of center right Communion Partners group, and Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone - a member of the more traditionalist GAFCON primates' council. The Bishop of Durham and other English bishops also met with the primates to formalize a way forward for conservatives amidst the chaos of the Anglican Communion the unfolding train wreck of the Lambeth Conference.
The two conservative factions currently disagree on the best way of responding to the crisis of doctrine and discipline within the Anglican Communion. The GAFCON wing led by seven primates and comprising over 60 percent of the Communion's members, are seeking to reform the Anglican Communion and affirm that Anglican doctrine rather than recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury is the basis of Anglican identity.
The difference between the "Communion Partner" primates and the GAFCOIN primates can best be summed up in the words of Chew when he spoke to the Church Times, "Whether you like it or not, Canterbury has got to take the lead, and we pray for him and wish him well. Archbishop Chew said that he expressed strong support for the recent Sudan statement. . .
From an article by George Conger in Christianity Today:
The crack-up of the Anglican Communion is at hand, evangelical bishops attending the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury tell Christianity Today, and the 400 year old Anglican project appears over.
“I’d like to expect a miracle,” said Bishop Gregory Venables of Argentina, a leader of the evangelical alliance at Lambeth, but said he feared the prospects for the church holding together were grim.
“Humanely speaking there is little hope for even a peaceful separation” between the liberal and evangelical wings of the 80-million member communion of churches, Bishop Venables said on July 18. . .
Of the 880 Anglican bishops, between 200 and 250 will stay away. The total number of ‘no-shows’ will not be known until registration closes on July 20. However the boycott by evangelicals means that bishops from the liberal-leaning Episcopal Church of the United States comprise 1 in 5 of the bishops attending the conference, while world-wide Americans account for only 1 in 40 Anglicans.
In addition to the absence of many of their brethren, evangelicals are not optimistic about the conference’s prospects for resolving the dispute as the agenda has been designed to avoid addressing the contentious issues facing the church has left those conservative Anglicans at Lambeth not sanguine about the conferences prospects. . .
“I don’t have great expectations” for Lambeth, Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh said. It was important to give voice to the views of evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics marginalized by the dominant liberal wing of the Episcopal Church, and he welcomed the opportunity for “strengthening the bonds of relationship” with bishops from the developing world. However, he was “deeply saddened” that the gap between left and right now seemed unbridgeable.
The pleas for dialogue at this stage rang false, Bishop Venables said. “Although much has been said about talking, it seems to me that on one is listening,” he said. “I’m on the telephone,” but “no one has called me to say ‘let’s talk’ this over,” Bishop Venables said. . .
From here [boldface mine]:
The Global Anglican Future Conference gathered leaders from around the Anglican Communion for pilgrimage, prayer and serious theological reflection. We are grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury for engaging with the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration. We wish to respond to some of his concerns.
On faith and false teaching. We warmly welcome the Archbishop's affirmation of the Jerusalem Statement as positive and encouraging and in particular that it would be shared by the vast majority of Anglicans. We are however concerned that he should think we assume that all those outside GAFCON are proclaiming another gospel. In no way do we believe that we are the only ones to hold a correct interpretation of scripture according to its plain meaning. We believe we are holding true to the faith once delivered to the saints as it has been received in the Anglican tradition. Many are contending for and proclaiming the orthodox faith throughout the Anglican Communion. Their efforts are, however, undermined by those who are clearly pursuing a false gospel. We are not claiming to be a sinless church. Our concern is with false teaching which justifies sin in the name of Christianity. These are not merely matters of different perspectives and emphases. They have led to unbiblical practice in faith and morals, resulting in impaired and broken communion. We long for all orthodox Anglicans to join in resisting this development.
On the uniqueness of Christ. We are equally concerned to hear that 'the conviction of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as Lord and God' is 'not in dispute' in the Anglican Communion. Leading bishops in The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, and even the Church of England have denied the need to evangelise among people of other faiths, promoted and attended syncretistic events and, in some cases, refused to call Jesus Lord and Saviour.
On legitimacy. In the current disorder in the Communion, GAFCON came together as a gathering of lay leaders, clergy and bishops from over 25 countries on the basis of their confession of the common historic Christian faith. They formed a Council in obedience to the word of God to defend the faith and the faithful who are at risk in some Anglican dioceses and congregations.
GAFCON, where the governing structures of many provinces were present, affirmed such a Council of the GAFCON movement as its body to authenticate and recognise confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith.
In their primates and other bishops, the assembly saw a visible connection to the catholic and apostolic Church and the evangelical and catholic faith which many have received from the Church of England and the historic see of Canterbury. It is this faith which we seek to affirm.
On authority. As the Virginia Report notes, in the Anglican tradition, authority is not concentrated in a single centre, but rather across a number of persons and bodies. This Council is a first step towards bringing greater order to the Communion, both for the sake of bringing long overdue discipline and as a reforming initiative for our institutions.
Whilst we respect territoriality, it cannot be absolute. For missionary and pastoral reasons there have long been overlapping jurisdictions in Anglicanism itself – historically in South Africa, New Zealand, the Gulf and Europe. In situations of false teaching, moreover, it has sometimes been necessary for other bishops to intervene to uphold apostolic faith and order.
On discipline. Finally, with regard to the Archbishop's concern about people who have been disciplined in one jurisdiction and have been accepted in another, we are clear that any such cases have been investigated thoroughly and openly with the fullest possible transparency. Bishops and parishes have been given oversight only after the overseeing bishops have been fully satisfied of no moral impediments to their action.
We enclose a response to the St Andrew's Draft Covenant. (See separate post).
We assure the Archbishop of Canterbury of our respect as the occupier of an historic see which has been used by God to the benefit of his church and continue to pray for him to be given wisdom and discernment.
Signed
The Most Rev Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria
The Most Rev Justice Akrofi, Primate of West Africa
The Most Rev Emmanuel Kolini, Primate of Rwanda
The Most Rev Valentine Mokiwa, Primate of Tanzania
The Most Rev Benjamin Nzmibi, Primate of Kenya
The Most Rev Henry Orombi, Primate of Uganda
The Most Rev Gregory Venables, Primate of The Southern Cone
July 18 2008
From Fr. Dan Martins, thoughts on Bishop Schofield and Archbishop Williams and the invitation to Lambeth [boldface mine]:
. . . On balance, I would tend to score this one: Advantage Schofield (and, by extension, Venables, and by further extension, GAFCON). Not point or set yet, and certainly not match. But the Archbishop of Canterbury has manifestly declined to recognize Bishop Schofield's deposition by the Presiding Bishop, and has held open the possibility, through the ongoing work of the Windsor Continuation Group, of in future recognizing the relationship between San Joaquin and the Southern Cone.
Moreover, the strongest negative statement the Archbishop was able to make was that Bishop Schofield's status "remains unclear on the basis of the general norms of Anglican Canon Law." While that may at first blush have an ominous aspect, upon closer inspection it is quite harmless because it is not only true, but completely self-evidently true in a manner that no rational person would contest it. Hence, it isn't even controversial. Not even the most diehard GAFCON-ite would disagree that a province in South America having a diocese in central California is outside the "general norms of Anglican Canon Law."
That's tantamount to saying that rain in the San Joaquin Valley in July is "outside the general norms of local weather patterns." The question is, does such an outside-the-norm arrangement contribute to the greater good of the Anglican Communion. The jury's still out on that one.
From Fr. Russell Martin of St. Timothy & St. Titus in San Diego (Southern Cone) via email [boldface mine]:
Dear Friends in Christ,
All is well with me. The Conference ended on a wonderfully high note as the amended Jerusalem Statement was approved. This was followed up by a closing Eucharist during which our own Archbishop Venables preached. It was wonderful. This is an extremely important and historic statement. It was marvelous as the Primates present all signed their names to the Statement and thus they began their work of working together to form a global orthodox Anglicanism devoted to faithfulness to Christ and the proclamation of His Gospel. I literally wept as the we all stood their brothers and sisters from every corner of the world united as one in Christ Jesus. It reminded me of the magnificent vision of St. John of the Great Multitude in Heaven. I still have much to process related to this incredible day in the life of the Church but I tell you the Holy Spirit was clearly present and we delighted in Him. It has been one of the most significant periods in my life to be amongst the privileged few to take an active part in this important council of the church. I feel so blessed and thankful to our Father in Heaven.
Following the close of the Conference I set out on the follow up tour with Bishop John Gurnesy et al. Our first stop yesterday was Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls where found. It was a wonderful site and very near the Dead Sea. We stayed about three blocks from the Dead Sea. I took in the Sunrise this morning as it came over the mountains from Jordan and illuminated the Sea with startling pinks and reds--like a beautiful rose unfurling. It was simply stunning. I sat with my feet soaking in the water as I did my morning prayers. It was very special. This morning following breakfast we headed for Massada -- the hill top fort build by Herod the Great and the site of a tragic siege that ended with the Jewish Rebels defiantly committing suicide rather than being captured by the Romans. We then went to the Ein Gedi, the place where King David fled and hid while Saul was seeking to take his life and David then cut off the fringe of Saul's cloak as he was relieving himself in cave in which David and his men where hiding (Cf. 1 Samuel 23 & 24). It was beautiful, and it gave meaning to 'streams of living water bursting forth in the wilderness. We then lunched in modern Jericho at a place named Temptation, no less! We then made our way to our next hotel, a Kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where we will stay and tour from over the next two days.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you and I pray that the fire and blessing of the Holy Spirit may embolden you in your witness to Christ and the Kingdom of God!
Russell+
From David Virtue today (6/18):
In a surprise development, conveners of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) were told last night that a principal figure in the pre consultation in Jordan, Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola was not given a visa to Jordan, even though he holds a diplomatic passport, thus throwing the leaders of the consultation into dismay because of the important role he was to play at this assembly of orthodox Anglicans.
"The time in Jordan was very valuable for prayer, fellowship, and networking," said Peter Jensen, a chief GAFCON organizer. GAFCON speaker Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone was also not able to be in Jordan. Both, however, are expected to play significant roles at GAFCON in Jerusalem.
Leaders scrambled to find an alternative way forward allowing the inclusion of everyone expected to attend the consultation. As a result GAFCON leaders decided to move their consultation to Jerusalem and will leave on buses Thursday morning instead of Sunday as originally planned.
"We originally planned to do everything in Jerusalem, but logistical problems forced us to have the pre-consultation in Jordan," said the Rev. Dr. Arne Fjeldstad, GAFCON communications head.
"We will now have a more efficient and productive preparation for the conference in the land where Jesus was born."
The 100 participants left Jordan in high spirits many of whom made a moving visit to the baptismal sites at the Jordan and also visited Mt. Nebo where Moses looked into the Promised Land. Jordanians have undertaken major excavation and restoration at the Baptismal site which is to be the site of a church for each major Christian denomination with the full support of the Jordanian Government, this exhibiting a striking example of Christian ecumenical endeavor in a supportive Muslim country. . .
. . . Sources at the conference tell me that the Nigerian delegation landed in Tel Aviv and went to the northern crossing point. Archbishop Akinola was travelling on his diplomatic passport. After being questioned for four hours, he was turned back, although the rest of the Nigerian delegation was allowed in. He got his passport back, and apparently was told that they needed a particular clearance on a diplomatic passport which he did not possess.
Gregory Venables is not in Jordan because his wife is in hospital after complications following a hip operation. He is hoping to join Gafcon in Jerusalem.
So as they say, if Mohammed won't go to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed. The entire Gafcon is moving to Jerusalem, where rooms have suddenly become available in hotels, because their leader Peter Akinola cannot come to them. . .
From the Diocese of Pittsburgh, 2008 diocesan convention resolutions:
Resolutions to be Forwarded to the 143rd Diocesan Convention
Deemed in proper form by Diocesan Council
RESOLUTION ONE
New Canon I (All subsequent Canons to be Renumbered Accordingly)
Provincial Membership within the Anglican Communion
The Diocese of Pittsburgh shall be a member of that Province of the Anglican Communion known as the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.
RESOLUTION TWO
WHEREAS, Diocesan Provincial Realignment is a matter to be considered by the 143rd Annual Convention in the form of a second reading of a series of Constitutional changes; and
WHEREAS, a new Canon I establishing Provincial alignment with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone is also proposed; and
WHEREAS, the decision of Convention takes effect immediately, and supersedes all local existing provisions to the contrary; and
WHEREAS, many congregations will have to consider how to alter their By-Laws and/or Articles of Incorporation should the constitutional changes and new Canon I be adopted; and
WHEREAS, some congregations will require a season of discernment about whether to accept re-alignment or to petition to break their union with Convention; and
WHEREAS, charity and generosity continue to be embraced as virtues in diocesan life where matters of fidelity and direction profoundly divide us;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by this 143rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, that all parishes of the diocese shall have twenty-four months to bring their By-Laws and/or Articles of Incorporation into conformity with the Provincial alignment adopted by this Convention; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Diocesan Council shall have the authority to lengthen the discernment period on a parish by parish basis, as shall seem wisest to Council and to the representatives of particular parishes; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that negotiation between any parish seeking to break its union with Convention over the matter of Provincial alignment shall be undertaken with Christian grace and charity, and conducted in good faith, consistent with the Constitutions and Canons of the Diocese, consistent with all legal obligations, and consistent with the settlement of debts and other diocesan interests related to the parish property or assets.
RESOLUTION THREE
WHEREAS, the Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (the “Diocese”) has this day voted to realign with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone of America (“Province of the Southern Cone”); and
WHEREAS, as a consequence of such realignment the Constitution and Canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America otherwise known as The Episcopal Church are no longer applicable to the Diocese, any Parish of the Diocese, or any Clergy of the Diocese; and
WHEREAS, neither the Constitution and Canons of the Province of the Southern Cone nor the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese address certain matters of administration, discipline and order that would benefit from a written and publicly available set of policies;
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church be adopted as advisory policies, until a more comprehensive set of Constitution and Canons can be developed and approved by the Diocese, to provide guidance in those areas of administration, discipline and order that are not otherwise covered by the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, for the avoidance of doubt that it be understood that the adoption of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church as advisory policies by the Diocese should in no way be interpreted to suggest that The Episcopal Church has any authority over the Diocese, any Parish of the Diocese, or any Clergy of the Diocese.
From Soundings, the official weblog of the Diocese of San Joaquin [boldface mine]:
The Diocese of San Joaquin: June 4, 2008
Fresno, California
The following facts are given to correct and clarify recently published misunderstandings and misstatements regarding legal claims against the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin
All actions taken by the Diocese of San Joaquin were authorized by its governing bodies, namely, its Standing Committee and its Diocesan Council, along with Bishop Schofield. These actions were done in complete compliance with California law and were done to secure the property until a California court can rule on the issue of ownership. One of these actions was to retitle accounts held at Merrill Lynch; assets were not moved from Merrill Lynch. The property in question is owned by the Diocese and its parishes and not the Episcopal Church. The Diocese expects a favorable ruling by the California court on the issues of property ownership.
The Diocese of San Joaquin is a California unincorporated association that is governed by the California Corporations Code and its own internal Constitution and Canons (akin to bylaws). The Diocese is a corporate person; a legal entity recognized by the civil courts. In California, an unincorporated association is governed by majority vote of its members. There is nothing in the governing documents of the Episcopal Church which forbade or limited the right of the Diocese of San Joaquin from withdrawing and taking its property with it.
On December 8, 2007, the people of the Diocese of San Joaquin exercised their democratic right reserved to them under their Constitution to withdraw from membership in the Episcopal Church and to realign with another province of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Province of the Southern Cone. The vote of the people of the Diocese of San Joaquin at a duly noticed and convened Annual Convention was overwhelming; nearly 90 percent were in favor of the realignment. Special provision was made for those who disagreed with the majority’s decision: each parish in the Diocese was given the option of staying with the Episcopal Church and those who did were permitted to keep all of their real and personal property with the blessings of the Diocese and its bishop, The Rt. Rev. John-David Schofield. Ultimately, some seven parishes decided to stay with the Episcopal Church.
Unwilling to abide by the decision of the majority, the seven stay-behind parishes, in concert with the Episcopal Church, purported to hold their own “re-vote” to reverse the 90 percent majority decision of the Diocese and have filed papers proclaiming themselves to be the “true” or “real” Diocese of San Joaquin and seeking all of the diocese’s real and personal property. These assertions are not legally tenable.
Bishop Schofield remains a fully ordained bishop and is a member in good standing of the House of Bishops of the Province of the Southern Cone, a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Furthermore, at least five dioceses within The Episcopal Church have rejected or questioned the legality of the Presiding Bishop’s actions in deposing Bishops Schofield and Cox.
From Dan Martins comes this info:
I don't yet know what to make of this, but it's interesting. From here:Dear Friends,
I received great news three days ago from the office of the manager of the Lambeth Conference. The e-mail says "we are expecting you at the Lambeth Conference". I was wondering when the invitation would arrive or even, some days, if it would ever come to Jane and me. Well, it is here and we are making plans to attend. We attended the Conference in 1998 when I was the Bishop of Northern California.
I am pleased to be going, but I am more pleased because this a clear sign from the Anglican Communion that the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is the only Anglican Diocese in all of inland Central California. I received this invitation because I am your Bishop and, therefore, entitled to attend the Lambeth Conference as the Bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
We have much work left to do in bringing this Diocese back together. But, rejoice, sisters and brothers, your faithfulness has been recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury and by the Anglican Communion.
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
In peace,
+Jerry A. Lamb
Bishop of San Joaquin. . .
From EpiscopalLife Online:
The Most Rev. Valentino L. Mokiwa was enthroned May 25 as primate of the Anglican Church of Tanzania during a five-hour ceremony in Holy Spirit Cathedral in Dodoma, Tanzania.
The entire service, including the sermon delivered by Mokiwa himself, was conducted in Swahili.
Mokiwa, 43, has served as bishop of the Diocese of Dar es Salaam since April 2002.
Mokiwa's homily centered on Paul's letter to the Philippians and he appealed to all Christians in the province, partners and well wishers to work together to support the church and build the body of Christ, said the Rev. Emmanuel Sserwadda, the Episcopal Church's program officer for Africa, who attended the service. "The new archbishop promised to reach out to all people, especially the marginalized."
Tanzania's vice president, Ali Mohamad Shenyi, spoke for an hour and pledged for the government to work together with the church in improving people's lives.
Archbishops Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and Justice Akrofi of West Africa attended the ceremony, while the primates of Burundi, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda were represented by bishops from their respective provinces. . .
Fr. Bausch is away from May 19th until June 3rd in order to attend the installation of our companion bishop as Primate of Tanzania. John and Lenora Witt will also be attending.
Please pray for their safe travel and for the LORD to continue leading Bp Valentino.
Goodness, Kevin has been busy! Here's his interview with Archbishop Gregory Venables - watch and enjoy!
From AnglicanTV, two videos with Archbishop Gregory Venables, one his teaching on Anglicanism and one his sermon to the Diocese of San Joaquin.
Watch them both!
Archbishop Gregory Venables made a sweep through California this week. Earlier in the week, he visited Bishop Schofield and the people of the Diocese of San Joaquin. Kevin Kallsen of AnglicanTV was there to record his talk and other events.
Then Wednesday, +Venables headed south with Bishop Bill Atwood to visit his clergy and churches in the San Diego area. He had a clergy meeting in the afternoon, and then in the evening there was a Eucharist at St. Anne's Anglican in Oceanside. I was able to make that event and it was glorious!
The church was packed as well as the church hall, where they had set up a video feed so all could see. The music was a combined choir, including a children's choir, from many of the churches now under the Southern Cone. The service used the talents of all the churches, not just St. Anne's, in providing the readers and the clergy.
+Venables was full of energy, humor, and humility. What stood out most to me was the immense feeling of joy and "lightness" (for lack of a better word, in contrast to heaviness or the weighted down feeling that I have sensed elsewhere). It seemed as though something had been released and there was now an outpouring that looked forward.
He, of course, gave a great sermon and encouraged us to consider our answer to God's call to spread the Good News. After the service, there was a reception and +Venables greeted everyone. From those there, I think one of the strongest feelings was a joy in coming together, after all everyone has been through and is still going through, to worship the Lord and know that the essentials are not only spoken by the lips but believed in the heart.
For me, however, one of the highlights was finally meeting Kevin Kallsen! I have been doing interviews for AnglicanTV since 2006, when the Current Unpleasantness started in San Diego, but Kevin and I had only met via email and the occasional phone call.
Kevin was not supposed to be there, but his flight from San Joaquin to the east coast was cancelled until today so he drove down to San Diego to cover the event (hey-it's a God thing). He livestreamed the service last night.
So here we are, the east and west coast bureau chiefs (I just made that up - so those are now our new titles) of AnglicanTV, together at last!
And he had just found out that he now has enough money from donations to make GAFCON - so thanks to all who contributed!
So, in honor of yesterday's visit here in San Diego by Archbishop Gregory Venables, I thought I'd showcase shoes from Argentina. If you google "argentina designer shoes," you get TANGO!
So here we go - these are all handmade in Argentina!
For the ladies
And for the gentlemen
So, who's ready to take lessons??
I'll have more on last night's service and visit later, but for now, if you were at St. Anne's Anglican in Oceanside last night for the wonderful service with Archbishop Gregory Venables, Dave at SanDiegoAnglicans.com wants to hear from you.
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