Episcopalians ponder alternative alliances

From Lubbock [Texas] Online:

On an average Sunday, fewer than 800,000 worshippers are present in all Episcopal churches throughout the United States, according to the leader of a U.S. Anglican group seeking shelter outside the Episcopal Church United States of America while desiring to remain within the worldwide Anglican family.

"People are voting with their feet," Bishop Martyn Minns said in a telephone interview from his church in Fairfax, Va.

Minns was consecrated as a bishop more than a year ago in Abuja, Nigeria, and was installed as the first missionary bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America on May 5 in Woodbridge, Va. He said he is in conversation with people throughout the country about the possibility of joining CANA, part of the Common Cause Partnership of dissenting groups.

Minns consecrated four new suffragan bishops in December. They are the Rev. Canon Roger Ames, rector of St. Luke's in Akron, Ohio; the Rev. Canon David Anderson, president of the American Anglican Council in Atlanta, Ga.; the Venerable Amos Fagbamiye, vicar of Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Indianapolis, Ind.; and the Rev. Canon Nathan Kanu, vicar of Christ's Ambassadors Anglican Church in Oklahoma City, Okla.

But CANA is not the only alliance seeking a home outside the U.S. church. Some are looking south to the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, under which most South American churches are registered. Others who want to retain their Anglican roots, which they believe have been violated by the American church when it ordained a homosexual priest as bishop, are waiting to see what develops out of the conflict.

The church is national and international, but most of all it is local. Eventually, the fate of the Episcopal Church will be decided locally as adherents make up their minds about the cost of maintaining their principles, whichever side they are on.

Meanwhile, the Episcopal Church is pursuing property lawsuits in cases where churches attempt to leave. One of those lawsuits was filed in the fall by Bishop Wallace Ohl in the Northwest Texas Diocese to keep the property of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in San Angelo from a group that has left the Episcopal Church. . .

In Lubbock, about a dozen people started meeting in December for services in their homes, according to Jo Vaughan, formerly a member of St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in Lubbock. The Rev. David Miller, an Anglican priest, leads worship for the group, which is in the process of organizing St. James Anglican Church, a mission of Christ Church Midland. About three years ago, 90 percent of the congregation left St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Midland to form Christ Church. The departing group left the $3-million St. Nicholas property, making no effort to claim the property, and in June 2007 dedicated a new building. Christ Church is part of the Common Cause Partnership, and is organized under the authority of the Anglican Province of Unganda. . .

There is little doubt that in most cases, if not all, the Episcopal Church will prevail in court on property issues. Minns said that state property laws differ somewhat, but if the bishop's name is on the deed to church property, the Episcopal Church probably will retain the property. In churches that preceded the organization of the Episcopal Church, the ownership is more questionable.

Whatever happens with the property, it remains to be seen whether the church over time wins with the people.

For some, such as the Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, San Joaquin and South Carolina dioceses, the election of Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the church's 26th presiding bishop, sealed their decisions to ask for "alternative primatial oversight."

Schori was officially installed Nov. 1. She immediately sent a letter of warning to the bishops of the dissenting dioceses, promising the consequences of their actions would be costly.

The thought of alliances with other Anglican provinces "is radical stuff because the Episcopal Church has never had anything like this," Minns said. "For a church renowned for being stuck in the same traditional mode, we are all learning what it means to be a global family."

The speed with which the changes are coming are the result of today's global communications, he noted.

"It's hard to get numbers, but the Episcopal Church is getting much more aggressive on its legal suits," Minns said. "(Church membership) statistics show a steady and increasing decline in overall numbers. I think the church has lost its way. People are saying they are not interested in being part of where it is going."

What happens if the Fort Worth Diocese moves out has tremendous implications, Minns said.

"Eventually, we expect all the various branches (of protest) in the U.S. to come together." It won't be in months, but it will happen in a few years, he predicted, saying it probably would not be as long as 10 years. . .

Read it all.

The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.

Proverbs 10:9

An update from the Diocese of San Joaquin and Archbishop Greg Venables

From TitusOneNine:

As a point of clarification, there is no confusion on the part of the Bishop of San Joaquin or the clergy, people, leadership, and convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin of their status. The claims of the Episcopal Church to have oversight or jurisdiction are not correct. The fact is that neither the Diocese nor Bishop John-David Schofield are part of The Episcopal Church. The Bishop is a member of the House of Bishops of the Southern Cone as of December 8th, 2007. The Diocese is a part of the Southern Cone. Neither the Presiding Bishop or the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church have any further jurisdiction. Bishop Schofield is no longer a member of the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church.

A statement from The Most Reverend Gregory Venables, dated January 11,2008:

“As of December the 8th, 2007 Bishop John-David Schofield is not under the authority or jurisdiction of The Episcopal Church or the Presiding Bishop. He is, therefore, not answerable to their national canon law but is a member of the House of Bishops of the Southern Cone and under our authority.

Un fuerte abrazo.

--The Most Rev. Greg Venables, Archbishop of the Southern Cone

A statement from the Bishop of Fort Worth on Bishop Schofield’s inhibition

It comes as no surprise that the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church has initiated canonical actions against the Rt. Rev. John-David Schofield to remove him from office. However, the matter is complicated by the fact that Bishop Schofield and the Diocese of San Joaquin, by constitutional action of their Convention, are no longer a part of The Episcopal Church. They now function under the authority of the Province of the Southern Cone. Disciplinary actions cannot be taken by this Province against a Bishop who is a member of another Province of the Anglican Communion.

The House of Bishops of TEC can indeed prevent Bishop Schofield from functioning as a Bishop in congregations of The Episcopal Church. However, they cannot invalidate his consecration as a Bishop in the Church of God, nor prevent him from functioning as such in congregations that welcome and affirm his ministry as their Bishop.

The Bishop of San Joaquin has my friendship, my support, and my prayers during this time of turmoil in the life of our church.

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
January 12, 2008

H/t to TitusOneNine.

Response from San Joaquin to the Presiding Bishop

From BabyBlueOnline, a statement from the Diocese of San Joaquin on the inhibition of Bishop Schofield by the Presiding Bishop:

The Episcopal Church’s assertion that Bishop Schofield has abandoned the communion of this Church is an admission that TEC rejects the historical Anglican faith.

This is why The Diocese of San Joaquin appealed to the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone of South America for emergency and temporary protection. The majority of the other provinces of the Anglican Communion hold to the traditional faith.

It is the primary duty of bishops to guard the faith and Bishop Schofield has been continually discriminated against for having done so while Bishops and Archbishops around the world have affirmed not only his stance but the move to the Southern Cone. Bishop Schofield is currently a member of both the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church and the House of Bishops of the Southern Cone, not prohibited by either house.

Governing documents of TEC do not prohibit relationships between different members of the Anglican Communion, rather they encourage it. TEC’s action demonstrates that there is an enormous difference between their church and most of the Anglican Communion. Again, this action is a demonstration that TEC is walking apart from the faith and its expression in morality held by the rest of the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church’s own identity is dependent upon its relationship with the whole Anglican Communion.

TEC should consider whether it is imperiling that relationship by taking such punitive actions.

Presiding Bishop inhibits Bishop Schofield of San Joaquin

From EpiscopalLifeOnline [boldface mine]:

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on January 11 inhibited Diocese of San Joaquin Bishop John-David Schofield.

In the text of the inhibition, Jefferts Schori wrote: "I hereby inhibit the said Bishop Schofield and order that from and after 5:00 p.m. PST, Friday, January 11, 2008, he cease from exercising the gifts of ordination in the ordained ministry of this Church; and pursuant to Canon IV.15, I order him from and after that time to cease all 'episcopal, ministerial, and canonical acts, except as relate to the administration of the temporal affairs of the Diocese of San Joaquin,' until this Inhibition is terminated pursuant to Canon IV.9(2) or superseded by decision of the House of Bishops."

Jefferts Schori acted after the Title IV Review Committee certified that Schofield had abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church.

On January 9, Upper South Carolina Bishop Dorsey Henderson, committee chair, wrote to Jefferts Schori, telling her that the nine-member committee had met that day and that a majority agreed that the documentation provided to them "demonstrated that Bishop Schofield has abandoned the communion of this Church by an open renunciation of the Doctrine, Discipline or Worship of this Church."

Jefferts Schori needed, in accordance with Title IV, Canon 9, Sec. 1, the consent of the three senior bishops of the church with jurisdiction (as opposed to being retired or not in diocesan seats) to issue the inhibition. She noted in the inhibition that Leo Frade of Southeast Florida, Peter Lee of Virginia, and Don Wimberly of Texas gave their consents January 11.

"I think what is crucial for us is that the bishop was presented with potential consequences of his actions long ago and repeatedly, and now the review committee has indeed made their determination, which will go forward to the House of Bishops," the Rev. Dr. Charles Robertson, canon to the Presiding Bishop, told ENS. "The three senior bishops have given their consent to his inhibition and, again, the ministry of the Episcopal Church continues and moves forward."

At Schofield's urging, the convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin voted December 8 to leave the Episcopal Church and to align with the Argentina-based Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.

Jefferts Schori warned Schofield of the possible consequences of his actions prior to the convention via a letter and then asked him on December 14 to confirm her understanding that he had left the Episcopal Church and was no longer functioning as a member of its clergy.

Mike Glass, a San Rafael, California attorney who represents congregations and individual Episcopalians who wish to remain in the Episcopal Church, welcomed the actions. . .

On the afternoon of January 11, the Presiding Bishop called Schofield at the diocesan offices in Fresno, California, to notify him of her action, Robertson said. Schofield was not in the office and Jefferts Schori left a message with a staff member, telling the bishop that he would receive copies of the certification and inhibition yet that day via email and fax, and by overnight mail on January 12. . .

Schofield now has two months to recant his position or renounce his orders by way of Title IV, Canon 8, Sec. 2 or Title III, Canon 12, Sec. 7. He can also declare that the Title IV's assertions are false.

The two-month time frame refers the days remaining until the House of Bishops' next meeting March 7-13 at Camp Allen outside Houston in the Diocese of Texas. "The House of Bishops will review and vote on the findings of the review committee," Robertson said.

If a majority of the House concurs, the Presiding Bishop must depose Schofield and declare the episcopate of the diocese vacant.

Those remaining in the Episcopal Church would be gathered to organize a new diocesan convention and elect a replacement Standing Committee, if necessary. An assisting bishop would be appointed to provide episcopal ministry until a new diocesan bishop search process could be initiated and a new bishop elected and consecrated.

A lawsuit would be filed against the departed leadership and a representative sample of departing congregations if they attempted to retain Episcopal Church property.

The first section of Title IV, Canon 9 says that a bishop abandons the communion of the Episcopal Church if he or she takes one of the following actions:

• open renunciation of the Doctrine, Discipline, or Worship of the Church;


• formal admission into any religious body not in communion with the same; or


• exercising episcopal acts [which include primarily Holy Orders and Confirmation] in and for a religious body other than the Episcopal Church or another Church in communion with the Church so as to extend to such body Holy Orders as this Church holds them, or to administer on behalf of such religious body Confirmation without the express consent and commission of the proper authority in this Church.

In addition to Henderson, the 2007-2009 Title IV Review Committee consists of Bishop Suffragan David C. Jones of Virginia, Bishop C. Wallis Ohl Jr. of Northwest Texas, Bishop Suffragan Bavi E. Rivera of Olympia, Bishop James Waggoner of Spokane, the Rev. Carolyn Kuhr of Montana, the Very Rev. Scott Kirby of Eau Claire, J.P. Causey Jr. of Virginia, and Deborah J. Stokes of Southern Ohio.

Read it all, and add (if you haven't already) Bishop Schofield to your prayer list for strength, good health, and continued faith.

BREAKING NEWS: Virginia Attorney General sides with Virginia congregations that voted to separate from the Episcopal Church

From BabyBlueOnline (and don't forget to check the link here to Stand Firm for your reactions, comments, etc.) [boldface mine]:

BB NOTE: The Motion is here and the Brief is here.

FAIRFAX, Va. (January 11, 2008) – Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell has filed a motion to intervene and a brief in the ongoing church property litigation that is being heard by Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows involving eleven congregations that separated from the Episcopal Church in 2006 and 2007 and joined the Anglican District of Virginia (ADV). In his brief, Attorney General McDonnell defended the constitutionality of the Virginia Division Statute (Virginia Code § 57-9), thereby validating the position of the ADV churches and making it clear that there is no constitutional problem with applying the Statute in exactly the way ADV attorneys have advocated.

As stated in the Attorney General’s motion to intervene, “As a matter of federal constitutional law, the Episcopal Church is simply wrong. The Constitution does not require that local church property disputes be resolved by deferring to national and regional church leaders.”

“The Attorney General’s brief validates the position of our parishes and directly refutes arguments that were made by the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia following the November trial,” said Jim Oakes, vice chairman ADV. “Virginia has a long and rich history of deferring to congregational control of property. The Division Statute itself clearly states that majority rule should be the deciding factor in determining the ownership of church property when a group of congregations has divided from its former denomination. In his brief, the Attorney General ratified the authority of the Division Statute and noted that the interpretation of the Statute by ADV lawyers is ‘both textually and historically accurate.’”

“Virginia law does not permit the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church to seize our property from us. Our parishes voted overwhelmingly to disassociate from the Episcopal Church due to its rejection of the authority of Scripture. Our decision is just one small piece of evidence that there is a widespread division within the Anglican Communion. We are confident in our legal position that the Division Statute is applicable in this case and we look forward to the resolution of this litigation,” Oakes continued.

“It is unfortunate that the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church broke off amicable property negations and filed lawsuits against our parishes in the first place, forcing us to defend ourselves in a court of law. But despite the distraction of the legal proceedings, we will continue to remain faithful to the historic teachings of the church while moving forward in mission and ministry,” concluded Oakes.

The Anglican District of Virginia (www.anglicandistrictofvirginia.org) is an association of Anglican congregations in Virginia. Its members are in full communion with constituent members of the Anglican Communion through its affiliation with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), a missionary branch of the Church of Nigeria and other Anglican Archbishops. ADV members are a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a community of 77 million people. ADV is dedicated to fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples while actively serving in three main capacities: International Ministries, Evangelism, and Strengthening Families and Community. ADV is currently comprised of 21 member congregations.

Shoe Thursday: GAFCON edition

I know GAFCON is not taking place until June, but the well-traveled shoe lover should always start at least a few months beforehand to ascertain the proper footwear. Well, I have undertaken to do that research for you.

Typical June weather in Israel is virtually no rain and temperature from 60's to high 80’s F - hey, sounds like San Diego to me! So for any readers that may be on their way to Jerusalem this summer, here are some possibilities from two Israeli shoe makers, Beautifeel (women's shoes) and Naot (men's and women's shoes).

First, the ladies:

Clogs that are comfortable to walk in and very cute:

Fun sandals in summer white, but I'm not sure how comfortable these are to walk in:

The funky look:

If you want colorful:

The casual sandal for dusty walking:

And something a little more dressy:


Now, for the gentlemen, two styles of sandals (I’m personally not fond of sandals for men - my American east coast bias, I suppose - but for those that like them):

The more open look:

A little more protection for the toes:

And, of course, the requisite clergy black:

Enjoy!

As for me, I'll just be hanging out by my mailbox waiting for my invitation which I'm sure is coming any day now! (Why do I feel like Charlie Brown waiting for a letter from the little red-haired girl?)

Yea, what Churchill said

If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without blood shed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory . . .

Winston Churchill
(1874-1965, English statesman, orator, author, and defender of Britain)

H/t to Free Mark Steyn!

Fort Worth: A Preliminary Report from the Bishop and Standing Committee

From Bishop Iker and the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Fort Worth [boldface mine]:

A Preliminary Report from the Bishop and Standing Committee
on the Invitation to Join the Province of the Southern Cone

In accordance with the Resolution adopted by our Diocesan Convention, this is our preliminary report on some of the implications of accepting an offer which we received from the Southern Cone shortly before our Convention.

The Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth in November 2007 took the first step toward dissociating itself from actions of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church. This decision was made in response to TEC's failure to heed either the repeated calls for repentance issued by the Primates of the Anglican Communion or the recommendations of the Panel of Reference. The leadership of TEC has threatened us with false claims of canonical power to correct and discipline us while condoning or even promoting in other dioceses false teaching and sacramental actions explicitly contrary to Holy Scripture.

In early November we received an invitation from Archbishop Gregory Venables, on behalf of the Province of the Southern Cone, stating that, as an emergency, pastoral measure we and others like us would have a welcome place within that Province until such time as TEC either changes its direction or a new ecclesial structure within the Anglican Communion is established in North America.

The Province of the Southern Cone includes the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. With a membership of around 27,000 persons, it is one of the smallest provinces of the Anglican Communion in terms of numbers, but among the largest in geographical size.

Following Anglican missionary work in the region during the 19th century, missionary dioceses were formed in each of these South American countries, and bishops were appointed to serve under the direct metropolitical oversight of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1981 these dioceses came together to form the new Province, focused on carrying out the Great Commission and maintaining a strong commitment to the traditional teachings of the Church in all matters of faith and morals. It is led by an elected Presiding Bishop who serves as the Primate and Archbishop of the Province. This office is currently held by the British-born bishop of Argentina, The Most Rev. Gregory James Venables. He is a principal leader of the traditional, orthodox movement in the worldwide Anglican Communion and has taken an active role in the Primates’ Meetings in recent years.

At its November 2007 Synod, the Province adopted a resolution to extend the offer of membership to traditional dioceses electing to leave revisionist provinces. In December, the Province received the Diocese of San Joaquin in California. Archbishop Venables has also received several retired TEC and Canadian bishops into the Province. It was in that context that he recently declared: “Christianity is specific, definable and unchanging. We are not at liberty to deconstruct or rewrite it. If Jesus was the Son of God yesterday then so He is today and will be forever.”

We have now had opportunity to review the Constitution and Canons of the Province of the Southern Cone; an English-language edition of those documents is being edited and will be released shortly. Based on our review, we have concluded that the structure and polity of the Province of the Southern Cone would afford our diocese greater self-determination than we currently have under the General Convention of The Episcopal Church. This autonomy would be evident most specifically in the areas of property ownership, liturgy, holy orders, and missionary focus.

While nothing will change in the day-to-day operations of the churches in the Diocese of Fort Worth, we expect a significant change in attitude and focus of the clergy and people of the diocese. Becoming a member Diocese of the Province of the Southern Cone would allow the Diocese of Fort Worth the opportunity and freedom to continue to practice the “Faith once delivered to all the saints” without being constantly distracted by the controversies and divisions caused by innovations hostile to traditional Christian norms. Instead, it would allow the Diocese to concentrate on the call of Jesus Christ to preach the Gospel and make new disciples, while at the same time assuring our continued place in the mainstream of Anglicanism, an assurance The Episcopal Church is unable to give.

Presented by
The Bishop and Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
January 9, 2008

Check it out!

H/t to Midwest Conservative Journal.

Invading Anglican closets

You know, this is getting nastier and nastier - if I hadn't been born into this branch of Christianity, I certainly wouldn't join it now. Wormwood must be writing a glorious new toast to propose.

From Terry Mattingly for ScrippsNews [boldface mine]:

. . . What we have here is an attempt to pull British bishops out and into open combat with conservatives in Africa, South America, Asia and other parts of the 70-million-member Anglican Communion. The presiding bishop has played the England card in a high-stakes game of ecclesiastical poker inside the Church of England.

The tensions were already rising, as Canterbury prepares for its once-a-decade global Lambeth Conference of bishops, this coming July 20-Aug. 3. Conservatives are planning their own Global Anglican Future Conference, June 15-22 in Jerusalem.

Thus, it was symbolic that Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently presided at a closed-door Eucharist in London for the Clergy Consultation, a support network for gay Anglican clergy, seminarians, monks and nuns. The Times of London offered this detail: "Secrecy was so tight that a list of names attending was sent to Lambeth Palace with orders that it be shredded as soon as Dr. Williams had read it."

Meanwhile, a few liberal activists have focused on the leader of the one U.S. diocese that has -- so far -- voted to cut its ties to the national church. . .

Read it all, if you want to. I find the entire thing reprehensible and the Presiding Bishop's comments and insinuations puerile.

Bishop Duncan: Common Cause bishops receive invitations to Jerusalem

From the Common Cause Partnership:

Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Common Cause Partnership, a federation of Anglican jurisdictions in North America, has invited members of the Common Cause College of Bishops to join him and other Anglican archbishops, bishops, clergy and laity from around the world in Jerusalem June 14-22.

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), as the June conference is known, is being organized by a worldwide team of Anglican archbishops and bishops. GAFCON’s primary goal is to move forward with the work of Christian mission and ministry among Anglicans, not to replace the Anglican Communion’s Lambeth Conference of Bishops slated for July and August of 2008. “This is an extraordinary development in our life together,” wrote Bishop Duncan.

“In the land where our Lord Himself came among us, the planners of the Global Anglican Future Conference (of which I am one) hope that we, as Anglican leaders, can re-commit ourselves to our apostolic call, under the Word, as we examine the emerging outlines of a missionary and post-colonial Global Anglicanism for the 21st Century,” he continued.

The full text of Bishop Duncan’s letter follows:

6th January, A.D. 2008

Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ

TO ALL BISHOPS OF THE COMMON CAUSE PARTNERSHIP:

My very dear Brothers,

A worldwide gathering of bishops, their spouses and other key Anglican leaders will take place from June 15th to June 22nd at Jerusalem. With the unanimous support of the Global Anglican Future Conference leadership team, I am writing to invite all members of the College of Bishops of the Common Cause Partnership and their wives to participate. This is an extraordinary development in our unfolding life together.

The Global Anglican Future Conference will bring together orthodox Anglican bishops from all over the world, especially gathering those who for reasons of conscience are unable to accept their invitation to this year’s Lambeth Conference, as well as some who believe it crucially important to attend both conferences. It will also gather some bishops and wives, especially true of the Common Cause College of Bishops, who were not invited to Lambeth.

The Primate or Moderator of each Province is responsible for providing the list of invitees to the leadership team (see below). Please signify to me your intention to attend. Having heard from you I will then send the central office (Oxford, UK) your contact information so that details of travel, registration, accommodation, conference and cost can be sent directly to you.

Each bishop will be responsible for his own expenses, and that of his wife, for travel, accommodation, meals and conference fees. I know that few among us will be prepared for this expense (except those who had originally been planning on Lambeth), but I hope that each one of us can find some way to make this extraordinary opportunity a reality.

In the land where our Lord Himself came among us, the planners of the Global Anglican Future Conference (of which I am one) hope that we, as Anglican leaders, can re-commit ourselves to our apostolic call, under the Word, as we examine the emerging outlines of a missionary and post-colonial Global Anglicanism for the 21st Century.

In addition to bishops and wives from every part of the Anglican Communion, it is our intent that a number of clergy and lay leaders, including young leaders, from every continent will be a part of the Global Anglican Future Conference. These places will be balanced according to provincial strength and will be allocated after bishops have registered. A conference maximum of 1000 is the present constraint.

When our Common Cause Partnership College of Bishops first met at Pittsburgh this past September, the hope was that the College of Bishops might meet twice during this next year. The Lead Bishops Roundtable, aware of the GAFCON invitation, has recommended that we take this extended international meeting as our 2008 opportunity to be together. I am sure you will see the wisdom in this.

The Common Cause Partnership Leadership Council met in the week before Christmas at Orlando. We had an exceptionally productive meeting. Details are available at our new website: www.united-anglicans.org. I was elected CCP Moderator. Charlie Masters of Canada was elected General Secretary, and Patience Oruh of CANA was elected Treasurer. These officers, together with the members of the Lead Bishops Roundtable, were given charge to serve as the CCP’s executive committee. Please pray earnestly for the formative work this leadership team is now called to engage, including appointment of various committees and task forces to serve us all.

Again, please respond to me – and as quickly as possible – with your initial response about desire or inability to attend GAFCON.

May God bless you, your clergy and people, the Global Anglican Future Conference, and the Common Cause Partnership in this New Year of Grace 2008.

Faithfully in Christ,

+Bob Pittsburgh

Moderator of the Common Cause Partnership

Invitation issued on behalf of Archbishops Peter Akinola (Nigeria), Emmanuel Kolini (Rwanda), Donald Mtetemela (Tanzania), Benjamin Nzimbi (Kenya), Henry Orombi (Uganda), and Greg Venables (Southern Cone), and Archbishops Peter Jensen (Sydney) and Nicholas Okoh (Nigeria), Bishops Bob Duncan (Common Cause North America), Martyn Minns (CANA), Don Harvey (Canada), Bill Atwood (Kenya), Michael Nazir-Ali (England) and Wallace Benn (England) Canons Vinay Samuel (India) and Chris Sugden (England)

H/t to Stand Firm.

The 2008 AnglicanTV Season

From Kevin at AnglicanTV:

AnglicanTV needs to raise money for two major trips and one Equipment purchase. We also need to buy a backup system to hold all the video we have produces over the last two years. Also, please recommend any conferences/events you would like to see AnglicanTV cover. You can check the calendar page to see what we are planning to cover.

AnglicanTV is seeking your input for future video projects. If you have an event you would like to see AnglicanTV record and/ or live stream please call us at 203-525-2558 or email us at AnglicanTV@gmail.com.

Thanks

Kevin

BabyBluePodcast: On the Road to the Sudan

From BabyBlue Online:

The latest BabyBlue Podcast is now up. The focus on this episode is the Sudan. The podcast features an interview with Jim Oakes, a member of the board of Five Talents International, and just back from the Sudan. Jim has traveled widely and often on short-missions for Five Talents, including to Uganda and Rwanda. This is his second trip to the Sudan and as he tells us in the interview, it was one of the most challenging missions he’s ever been on. Listen to his story.

Here's an earlier post I did on the Five Talents Ministry. And in my AnglicanTV interview with Bishop Martyn Minns, we also talked about this, as Bishop Minns was one of its co-founders.

My Roe IQ Test results

Huh - I didn't do so well on the Roe IQ Test:

You got 7 out of the 12 questions correct for a 58.33%.

That result puts you in the 53rd percentile when compared to everyone who has taken the test.

Guess I have some studying to do!

The language and behavior of Pandemonium

From Captain Yips Journal, his take on what he calls "++KJS’s deceptive little interview with the Beeb in which she opens the Gossip Front in the Anglican Civil War - and provides the last evidence anyone, even Rowan Williams, should require to conclude that the Anglican Communion would be better off without the grotesque thing that TEC has become" [boldface mine]:

. . . How toxic, this opening the door to a campaign of gossip and innuendo, veiled insinuations and sneak attacks. It is the language and behavior of Pandemonium. It’s a hint of a threat against American dissidents, too, that Katherine and her ferrets (yeah, a good name for a rock band) will seek out whatever anyone may struggle with, bring it into the open air in the name of “openness” to combat “hypocrisy.” Bishop, priest, lay person, there's a silent threat here to use fear to keep the local systems in line. Few of us would care to have our lives minutely examined, the least stumble dragged out and exhibited with mockery.

And indeed, in the race we have to run, a marathon, we each and every one will trip, stumble, and fall flat on our faces along the course, many times. It’s not the fallings that matter so much, as whether we get up to run again, or decide that it’s nice down here in the mud, that since I tripped, it’s where God wants me to be, and I should stick out my legs to trip up others. It’s part of the work of the Church to help us on the course, to cheer, to pick us up, hand us water when we need it: not to cause stumbling.

The Episcopal Church a generation or more ago forgot what it once knew of sin, repentance, forgiveness, and grace. This incitement to riot, this unleashing of gossip, should be the final proof that TEC is a desperately ill institution. I suppose that there are many courses of therapy possible, but for certain it cannot heal itself. Intervention on several fronts is glaringly necessary.

Read it all.

The WebElf Report: We were nuked, but good

Just when I think they've finally stopped posting, they're back! Please read "So long, and thanks for all the fish" before reading below.

Dear Readers:

Please read: “So long, and thanks for all the fish: An Anglican website opens a window (pun intended).”

Excerpt:

Then came the crash. It was bound to happen sooner or later and happen it did. A hacker who has since been traced to an Anglican office took us out for several days.

And again in November 2007, except right down to rock bottom, wiping out (forever) months of data, blog-entries, and information. Deliberate. Destructive. Costly.

In retrospect, it looks like the CaNN servers had been under semi-constant attacks for a long period– whether from the same ‘Anglican office’ or not, we don’t know for sure.

Mark this: this was pure cyber-war (a fine & jail-worthy Federal crime within the U.S., prosecutable by the FBI) directed against CaNN, our hosted blogs, ourselves, our audience, freedom of speech & religion, just to mention a few targets.

Stay tuned for further details.
Binks

Roe IQ: Do you really know Roe?

From a new website, RoeIQ:

January 22, 2008 marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that dramatically changed our nation.

In spite of its impact, true understanding of Roe and what it accomplished remains relatively vague in the public consciousness.

We can expect both sides in the abortion debate to ratchet up arguments in the coming months as we mark this anniversary. It is imperative that we, as citizens, understand the facts about what Roe does and does not do.

We have created the Roe IQ Test to measure the current awareness of Roe and its effects, as well as to provide detailed information about the ruling. It only takes a few minutes to complete the test. Your answers and results will remain 100% confidential. We hope you will take the IQ Test and invite your friends to do the same. If you think you know Roe, we think you'll be surprised!

Click here to take the Roe IQ Test today.

H/t to Anglicans for Life.

The MCJ: Meet the Press

From the fertile mind of Chris Johnson comes his take on the Presiding Bishop's most recent insinuation about the CofE clergy. Ya gotta check it out!

I particularly like his reaction to Tim's question, inserted into the middle of the "interview":

Well, gee whiz, Tim, I see this in two ways. One is that this is a kind of liberal McCarthyism, Bishop Schori essentially stating, "I have here a list of so many known partnered gay bishops in the Anglican Communion..." The other is as a kind of projection, a post-modern wish fulfillment if you will. The Episcopal Church needs this to be true so they just decide that it is and go from there. They can't provide any actual facts so they just assume their narrative is true and that anybody who doesn't believe it must be a bigot even if the narrative is as fictional as John Chane's connection to anything remotely resembling orthodox Christianity.

From a "Worthy Opponent": Men and Women in the Episcopal Church

I like to occasionally offer a view from the other side, so in that light, from the Rev. J. Douglas Ousley on his Incarnation Web log [boldface mine]:

An article of mine on men and women in the Episcopal Church entitled, "The Battle of the Sexes has Subsided" was recently published in the weekly magazine, The Living Church. This essay began as an address to a group of Manhattan clergy that I belong to; my original intention was simply to survey the field.

By the time I completed the paper, though, I realized that I wanted to stress my personal opinion that ordained women had largely been accepted and assimilated in our church. And I could not resist adding my view that in a generation or two, this would likely be the case with lesbian and gay clergy.

In a way, my views were confirmed simply by the article being accepted by the traditionalist publication, The Living Church. Even though they published my thoughts as a "Viewpoint" piece, it was published. I hope my optimistic predictions turn out to be true.

The article is not available on the limited Living Church website but if you contact me, I will email or mail you a copy. --J. Douglas Ousley ousleyjd@churchoftheincarnation.org

Bishops to protest Anglican liberal tilt

From the Washington Times:

A coalition of conservative Anglican and Episcopal bishops has announced an eight-day conference in Jerusalem in mid-June to register their disenchantment with the liberal direction of the Anglican Communion.

It will be six weeks before the once-per-decade Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops, scheduled for July 20-Aug. 3 at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. Although more than 800 bishops are invited to Lambeth, up to one-third may boycott it to protest the 2003 consecration of the openly homosexual New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson.

Bishop Robinson has not been invited to the Lambeth gathering, but the 18 active bishops who helped consecrate him in November 2003 were invited, sparking furious reactions from Anglican conservatives, who declared they would not attend the same conference.

"The idea is to provide pastoral support for bishops and their wives, who would have normally been expected to go to Lambeth for that, but for reasons of conscience cannot," said Canon Chris Sugden, one of the Jerusalem organizers and executive director of the Oxford-based Anglican Mainstream.

The estimated cost per person in Jerusalem, he added, is $1,000, far less than the $7,000 per bishop levied by the Lambeth conference. Jerusalem organizers are hoping for at least 250 attendees. Their plans were finalized in mid-December at a Nairobi, Kenya, meeting of 11 Anglican and Episcopal bishops claiming to represent 30 million of the world's Anglicans. . .

The alternative event, called the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), is slated for June 15-22. The invitation-only conference will include bishops and their wives, church planters and missionaries, clergy and laity.

It could be the final break between liberals and conservatives in a denomination of 77 million now paralyzed by infighting. Thousands of Episcopalians have fled their U.S. churches for Anglican congregations, and last month an entire diocese — San Joaquin in Fresno, Calif. — voted to leave the Episcopal Church. . .

In an open letter dated Oct. 30, nine conservative archbishops meeting in Shanghai asked the archbishop to postpone Lambeth until all bishops "can participate in a spirit of true collegiality and unity in the faith."

The letter added, "What is at stake is the very nature of Anglicanism — not just about sexuality, but also about the nature of Christ, the truth of the Gospel and the authority of the Bible."

The Jerusalem event drew immediate opposition from Anglican Bishop Suheil Dawani of Jerusalem, who said he had not been consulted. . .

Canon Sugden said two organizers — Archbishop Peter J. Akinola of Nigeria and Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney, Australia — will meet directly with Bishop Dawani to allay his fears.

Bishop Dawani's superior, Archbishop Mouneer Hanna Anis, Anglican primate of Jerusalem and the Middle East, is also unhappy about the GAFCON event. In a letter to Archbishop Akinola, first publicized on the Web site www. virtueonline.org, he suggested conservatives should attend Lambeth.

"It will be a great joy for the liberals if the conservatives boycott the Lambeth Conference," he wrote. "They will not find any resistance like the one made by the Global South bishops in 1998."

In a reply, Archbishop Akinola promised GAFCON would not "be in reaction to Lambeth."

"We must set the agenda of the Gospel first," he said.

Read it all.

H/t to Anglicans United.

Berkeley preacher calls for blacks to fight abortion

From SFGate.com:

Saying they are faced with a civil rights crisis that demands immediate attention, African American anti-abortion advocates will hold three events in the Bay Area later this month in an aggressive push to combat the high number of abortions among black women.

"The abortion issue is huge. It is the Darfur of America," and it's time to educate the public about it, said Walter Hoye, a Berkeley preacher who founded the Issues4Life Foundation, a recently formed Union City-based organization intent on drafting more African Americans into the fight against abortion.

Issues4Life has organized the events to coincide with the Jan. 22 anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 18 and Black History Month in February. All three events will feature Alveda King, the niece of the slain civil rights leader.

A two-mile Walk for Life will be held in Oakland and a conference will be hosted at a Berkeley church Jan. 18. The following day, a walk similar to the one in Oakland will take place in San Francisco.

But Hoye has bigger plans, hoping to eventually open chapters of Issues4Life across the country as a way to create a "one-stop shopping place" where black leaders, particularly pastors, will be able to get the information they need to teach others about the problem.

"We want to create opportunities to dialogue on issues concerning life, and abortion is the leading cause of death in the African American community," Hoye said. "It is a moral issue as far as the church is concerned, and we want to strengthen the African American leadership.

"We have always taught abstinence. That is Christianity 101. But when people decide to have sex outside of marriage, we want to do other things like post-abortion counseling, anger management, day care and recovery programs."

Hoye said he sees a problem with abortion clinics located in black neighborhoods and says people should be just as concerned with them as they are homicides, liquor stores and genocide in Africa.

But not everyone agrees with him.

The Rev. Amos Brown, president of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP, said that abortion is not a civil rights issue and that he has no plans to take part in the events.

"San Francisco's top civil rights issues are education, economic empowerment and political engagement," Brown said. "African American students are behind every ethnic group in this city academically. People who are learned and informed do the right thing. If not, they engage in destructive behavior.

"These pro-life people are demagogues and ideologues and are not receiving overwhelming support from the black community."

The African American anti-abortion groups base their argument in part on statistics from the Guttmacher Institute that show black women account for 32 percent of those getting abortions nationwide, while they make up just 13 percent of the population.

"Black women are nearly four times more likely than white women to have an abortion," said Lawrence Finer, director of domestic research at Guttmacher, a nonprofit research and policy organization. "The numbers have been like that for awhile.". . .

Read it all.

H/t to TitusOneNine.

Remain Episcopal: Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin Listening Tour

From the Remain Episcopal website, info on the upcoming "Listening Tour" for those who have not joined Bishop Schofield in moving under the Province of the Southern Cone:

Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin Listening Tour

January 21st - 25th - covering the entire central valley

The Rev. Canon Bob Moore, appointed by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as an interim pastoral presence in the Diocese of San Joaquin, will make a 5-day "Listening Tour" of the central valley.

From January 21st through the 25th, Canon Bob will travel the valley meeting with both clergy and laity who wish to remain in the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of San Joaquin. At stops in Stockton, Lodi, Fresno, Hanford, Bakersfield, and other towns in between, Canon Bob will listen to the stories, concerns and hopes of the Episcopal faithful in San Joaquin. To assure that your parish, clergy or laity group is included in the Listening Tour, please contact us at contact@remainepiscopal.org.

At the conclusion of the Listening Tour, the Rev. Canon Bob Moore, interim pastoral presence in San Joaquin appointed by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, will keynote a day-long gathering at the Church of the Saviour in Hanford on Saturday, January 26th, 2008. Canon Bob will be joined by special guest Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church. This will be Bonnie's second visit to San Joaquin following an event in Lodi held in February, 2007. Both Canon Bob and Bonnie will address those gathered and have additional time set aside to take questions.

Attorney Michael O. Glass, who respresents both congregations and individuals within the diocese, will provide pertinent legal information followed by a Q & A session. Remain Episcopal co-founder, Nancy Key, sees the gathering as "an opportunity to tell people in the diocese who do want to stay in the Episcopal Church what are the next steps. It will answer their questions from a pastoral and legal standpoint because they're hungry for information."

The title of this event, "Moving Forward, Welcoming All" expresses the desire of the Remain Episcopal membership that their diocese be rebuilt with an inclusive and Christ-centered message of love and salvation, rather than a judgmental attitude that demands schism. We hope many will experience the joy of reconnecting with the national church in a spirit of mutual respect, and the prospect of a renewed mission for Jesus Christ as experienced in and through the Episcopal Church. . .

Bishop Lyons transfers churches to CANA

From the CANA (Convocation of Anglicans in North America) website:

In a historic act, Bishop Frank Lyons of Bolivia has transferred ten congregations in the midwest United States to the care and jurisdiction of CANA. These congregations had been under the oversight of Bishop Lyons and the Diocese of Bolivia, part of the Anglican province of the Southern Cone in South America. Now, these congregations will be part of the indigenous US ecclesial structure in CANA. This transfer of congregations is a harbinger of the consolidation of Anglicanism for which many orthodox Anglicans in the US have been longing.

And check out the CANA press release here.

Ould: Number two in "Eight for 2008"

And the prediction I like best from Peter Ould in response to Cranmer:

His Grace, Archbishop Cranmer has tagged me to respond to a meme over at his site. . . Hmmm…. The original meme from Iain Dale was a list of 8 predictions, so to even the balance I shall do 4 predictions and 4 wishes. Are you ready? Then I’ll begin…

Prediction #2. Peter Akinola et al will turn up to Lambeth 2008 after a rather successful Conference in the Holy Land. The gathering of Bishops from across the world in Canterbury will prove to actually be a landmark occasion with Lambeth 98 1:10 being reaffirmed by a large majority and the Covenant being approved in a form that makes it impossible for the heretics in TEC and Canada to maintain any meaningful position in the Communion.

Some FAQs from GAFCON

From the Global Anglican Future Conference FAQs:

Why call it in June?
The pilgrimage is to strengthen bishops at a crucial time in the life of the Anglican Communion. Many bishops will not be able to accept the invitation to the Lambeth Conference as their consciences will not allow it. Some will attend both gatherings. The purpose of the consultation is to strengthen them all spiritually.

Is it not really an alternative to the Lambeth Conference?
No.

It is not at the same time or in the same region as the Lambeth Conference. So there will be some who will attend both conferences and thus be able to consult with the Archbishop of Canterbury and others there.

As Archbishop Gregory Venables has said: “While there are many calls for shared mission, it clearly must rise from common shared faith. Our pastoral responsibility to the people we lead is now to provide the opportunity to come together around the central and unchanging tenets of the central and unchanging historic Anglican faith. Rather than being subject to the continued chaos and compromise that have dramatically impeded Anglican mission, GAFCON will seek to clarify God’s call at this time and build a network of cooperation for Global mission.”

GAFCON is a call to vision and action for mission based firmly on the “faith once delivered to the saints” and revealed in Scripture, to reform the church and transform persons, communities and societies through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. African Bishops had this focus at their Lagos 2004 conference. The Episcopal church’s agenda has recently overshadowed it. We now need to develop this gospel agenda for all like-minded in the communion.

It is to outline the mission imperatives for the next 25 years and how to begin to respond to them.

It is a pilgrimage to the places of the Biblical story to renew our faith and commitment. It is to envision the Global Anglican Future.

The Lambeth Conference has a different agenda.

Is this all over a gay bishop?
No.

GAFCON is about churches being grouped by what they have in common. We're for growth, we're for being passionate about the truth. We want to look to the future. That's what the conference is about - Global Anglican Future.

Aren't you splitting the church?
No. Communion depends on having something in common. Churches in the Global South are growing. They're passionate about the truth and their faith. We are building on this strength.

As the Anglican Communion develops, some of the old bonds are loosening, and some new bonds are being formed. That's a good thing. These bonds involve churches which are growing, and which have something distinctive to say to the world.

GAFCON is enthusiastic about mission. Its focus is the future.

Read them all.

"Continuing" Episcopalians meeting January 26 in San Joaquin

Read this interview with Bishop Schofield before you read the post below - just for a little comparison.

The ECUSA spin is whirling faster and faster - from EpiscopalLife Online [boldface mine]:

. . . From Sonora to Bakersfield, from Stockton to Fresno, a growing number of remaining Episcopalians—those who opposed a December vote to realign the Central California Valley Diocese of San Joaquin with the Argentina-based Anglican Province of the Southern Cone—are meeting in homes, community centers and other churches, excited to be "moving on" to evangelism, mission and Gospel good news.

Fed up with years of rancor over the ordination of women and gays, they say healing is emerging after initial grief and loss over the split. So are new congregations. "They are preparing to reconstitute the diocese; it's heartwarming because it's been a long haul for them," said the Rev. Canon Robert Moore, appointed by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as a pastoral presence in the interim.

Also affirming, Moore said, is observing a flood of "support for them (which) has come from all over the world and being able to watch the church rise up and to say, 'You do not have to do this alone, we will do whatever we have to do to help you move forward.' "

The Presiding Bishop's canon, the Rev. Dr. Charles Robertson, agrees: "We want to reassure all continuing Episcopalians in San Joaquin that we will continue to be there for them as the larger Church."

Moore will be among those offering support and encouragement at a January 26 gathering in Fresno planned for continuing Episcopalians. Also present there will be House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson, and representatives of Remain Episcopal, a group dedicated to reconstituting the diocese and advancing the Episcopal Church's ongoing ministries in the region.

Anderson commended the faithful laity and clergy for their "sheer grace and hopeful courage to refrain and reconstruct the diocese and to listen to what God is calling them to do at this time in our history.

"The Episcopal Church at large has a unique opportunity to encourage and support these faithful Episcopalians," said Anderson who keynoted a 2007 mission conference in San Joaquin.

It will be the "first gathering of the faithful" since the San Joaquin convention's December 8 vote to split and "an opportunity to tell people in the diocese who do want to stay in the Episcopal Church what are the next steps," said Nancy Key of Remain Episcopal and one of the group's founders. "It will answer their questions from a pastoral and legal standpoint because they're hungry for information."

Those scheduled to address the January 26 gathering also include Remain Episcopal President Cindy Smith, and Michael Glass, an attorney active with the group . . .

In Atwater, some 60 miles west of Sonora, the people of St. Nicholas' Mission will meet January 6 for the first time at a local community center, says the Rev. Fred Risard, the congregation's vicar and the son of the Rev. Martin Risard.

The congregation has adopted the name "St. Nicholas-in-exile" because former Bishop John-David Schofield "fired me on Christmas Day and locked me out of the church the next day," Fred Risard said. About 25 members and friends of St. Nicholas also assembled for Sunday services on December 30 at a venue not far from the church site. . .

Attempts to reach Schofield for comment were unsuccessful. Despite the vote to leave, he has said he intends to retain diocesan property and has said dissenting congregations could retain individual church property "as long as they don't owe the diocese money." During a December 23 pastoral visit, he told the Atwater congregation he was concerned about the congregation's dwindling membership and financial resources, assertions Fred Risard and others dispute.

"Clergy are being fired and the church's property taken over by the bishop," Fred Risard said, adding that Schofield had also seized church records. "My congregation and I don't recognize the bishop's actions at convention," he said. "We just don't think it's legal, so we've been locked out of the building. Now we're a congregation in exile, and we're not the only one."

Meanwhile, by allowing Schofield time to reconsider his decision, the canonical procedures followed by churchwide leaders are affording Schofield the "due process" that he is concurrently denying to Fred Risard and other clergy, Risard said. . .

While the ordeal has been "personally devastating," Fred Risard said that, if anything, the split has boosted attendance, drawing worshippers from such nearby communities as Los Banos, Merced, and Turlock, and even a few from as far away as San Francisco who come twice monthly to offer spiritual support.

Risard added that the pastoral presence of Moore -- who is married to Bishop Suffragan Bavi Edna "Nedi" Rivera of the Seattle-based Diocese of Olympia, whose father Bishop Victor Rivera was Schofield's predecessor -- has helped healing begin.

"It's been a tremendous help and inspiration to know we can have true leaders that know how to be pastoral and to lead," said Risard, who spent January 3 seeking a worship space for his now-growing congregation. "Now, we're back to basic mission work. We want to build a new church and it's actually fun," he said. . .

. . . Similarly, other remaining congregations report increased attendance following the vote to leave. Of the diocese's 47 congregations, 42 approved the split; clergy approved it 70-12 and the laity voted 103-10 for realignment. At the Parish of Holy Family in Fresno, attendance has nearly doubled, said parishioner George Wade.

"We're packing the house on Sundays," he said. "They're even sitting in the crying room, but they're not crying anymore." He expressed concern for mission congregations that need to know they have the support of the larger church.

Beryl Simkins is another Episcopalian-in-exile who said she found much-needed support at St. Anne's Church in Stockton. Simkins, a former vestry member at St. Francis Church in Turlock, said she left in August after Schofield placed a priest there who had been deposed in the Diocese of Western New York. She has since attended a regular Tuesday evening prayer service and has begun to organize "St. Francis-in-exile with a lot of support from Father Mark Hall of St. Anne's."

With Hall's assistance, the group organized a Christmas Eve service at a local Methodist church, and arranged for a priest from the Diocese of California to officiate. Hall designated space for parishioners to pledge money for ongoing support to St. Francis-in-exile, and the Methodist church has offered continued use of their sanctuary or other space, Simkins said.

"We plan to start with a local Eucharist one day a month, to be followed by fellowship, bible study, and we want to start acolyte training and group activities for kids," she said. "We also want to begin a faith commitment as a group, like feeding the hungry in Turlock. It's a small beginning, but we have high hopes and a real desire to move beyond what has occurred and begin anew."

Remain Episcopal's Nancy Key said she has adopted as her mantra an affirmation from House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson: "Seize the vacuum.

"We're in a vacuum space, with no bishop. Our ecclesiastical authority is unclear at best. Our own bishop has gone south. We know the Presiding Bishop is trying to allow him due process, but there's no precedent for any of this so when people ask me if they can start a new mission, I just say yes.". . .

Lori Brown says she found her way to the group now pastored by Vivian after moving to Bakersfield two years ago. "I tried several churches here and the anti-gay and anti-women's ordination message was appalling," she recalled. "Basically, the message was, "if you're a white straight male, you go to the front of the line. Anybody else, we don't want you in the door. I thought, 'You're kidding me, this can't be happening.' I thought we'd landed on nowhere land," but the new church has brought joy and community," she said. . .

Read it all.

H/t from Father Jake Stops the World.

York: Police chase at Archbishop Sentamu's home

From the BBC:

Police were called to Bishopthorpe Palace near York on Wednesday by an eye-witness who spotted two men removing lead from the roof.

Officers were on the scene in minutes and pursued the men as they tried to flee, arresting one shortly after. It is not known if Dr John Sentamu was at the 13th Century palace at the time of the alleged attempted theft.

North Yorkshire Police are continuing to hunt the second man seen on the roof after he managed to escape. A spokesman said: "Officers arrived on the scene within minutes and gave chase as the suspects fled.

"One of the suspects, a 26-year-old local man, was arrested.". . .

The arrest followed an earlier report of lead theft activity at the property, which is believed to have occurred during the past two to three days.

The palace is the official residence of Dr Sentamu, who was appointed in 2005, and is located on the outskirts of York, close to the River Ouse. It was built in the 13th Century on the site of a former manor.

Now, if they wanted to get the "lead" out of the Archbishop of Canterbury, I wouldn't object! Read it all.

H/t to Padding Up.

AAC: A conversation with Archbishop Venables

Via email [boldface mine]:

Date: January 4, 2008

By Robert Lundy, Communications Assistant, American Anglican Council

Earlier today I had the opportunity to speak with the Primate of the Southern Cone, The Most Rev. Gregory Venables. I asked him what his thoughts were on current events in the Anglican Communion. Below are some questions and answers from that conversation.

AAC: Are you going to attend the Lambeth conference? If not, then why?

++Venables: My personal conviction after a very long period of active participation in this drawn-out process is that the system is not allowing a solution. It's Catch 22. We believed initially that there was a simple, albeit painful, solution but there seemed to be an overwhelming reluctance to pay the price. It's not even "unity whatever the cost" because that's the one thing we won't end up with. The Anglican Communion has already unraveled, and things are even further away from resolving the deadlock. Under these conditions, Lambeth will not only fall far short of anything positive but actually make things worse. Perhaps, looking at it from the outside, it looks easy but inside it's not only labyrinthine, but there is no centre to get to. It's an ecclesiastical Alice through the Looking Glass, but there's no humour and little real love.

AAC: Why do you think there is disillusionment with Canterbury and the Anglican System?

++Venables: It's not personalised but it is definitely to do with the Anglican system and the whole procedural set up. So much has been done such as Lambeth 1:10, several very clear communiques, the Windsor report and even some crucial and concrete decisions taken, yet nothing seems to have really changed and it's hard not to read this negatively. It's as if every time you have to start from scratch and people have just got tired. The latest disillusionment is that there won't be another primates' meeting, which is a tragedy because it was there that everything was developed. In the real world you don't dismiss the medical team before the operation is completed.

AAC: There are orthodox Anglicans who think attending Lambeth is the answer and that the GAFCON is a mistake; what do you say to them?

++Venables: God bless them but they're probably making a mistake. Some of us who have actually participated in all the meetings believe we have to get on with the really important ministry of the Church, which is to do with salvation and eternal life, and that this can only be done with those who share the historic biblical faith. It's a question of realism and priorities.

Beer could supplant sacramental wine in historic church

From Canada.com:

GATINEAU, Que. - A local businessman wants to convert the Ottawa Valley's oldest Protestant house of worship, a deconsecrated Anglican church, into an industrial brewery and brew pub with nightly entertainment.

Alain Geoffroy, president of Brasseurs du Temps Inc., has offered to buy the former church, which was closed in September 2006 because its congregation had shrunk to a handful of parishioners. . .

"I am not happy that this place could become a brewery because people on city council told me it could only be used as a church," said Blaine Meadows, a former member of the St. James congregation, adding that he and three or four supporters still hold prayer services on the sidewalk in front of the church every Sunday morning. "As far as we are concerned, it is still our church, even though the diocese changed the locks and stole our church."

"I don't know whether we could have our prayer meetings inside if the building became a brew pub. It gets kind of complicated."

Geoffroy, however, said the church would be an ideal home for a microbrewery because its basement has a ceiling high enough to accommodate brewing equipment. Some of the world's most famous beers are brewed by religious orders in Belgium, he argued.

Geoffroy also noted that the main floor has excellent acoustics and religious artifacts that could be preserved in a pub.

"We intend to enhance and promote the historic, brewing and industrial heritage of the city," Geoffroy said. "It will be a cultural place that would offer classical music and performances by small groups.". . .

Read it all.

H/t to The Lead at the Episcopal Cafe.

Archbishop of Canterbury: Plans for pre-Lambeth meeting for conservatives do not signal disloyalty

From Anglican Mainstream:

From George Conger’s report in the Church of England Newspaper

The Archbishop of Canterbury told a national radio audience on December 19 that the gist of his Advent letter was that he “wanted to encourage bishops around the world to come to the Lambeth conference because I think that it is better to meet face to face and talk about these things rather than dealing with them at right angles or through other people or through slogans.”

He said he intended his Dec 14 Advent letter to ‘set out what I thought were the basic minimum conditions for staying in a close relationship as a world wide church. I wanted to suggest some practical steps in the next few months to make some conversation happen and get some facilitated meeting moving among the Anglican Communion’s disparate factions.’

Plans to hold a pre-Lambeth meeting for conservatives did not signal disloyalty, Dr Williams said, as such a meeting ‘would not have any official status as far as the Communion is concerned’.

Read it all.

H/t to Midwest Conservative Journal.

Shoe Thursday: Yuck!

Oh no, 2008 is not shaping up to be a shoe year I will like. The first trend noticed is the return of the pointy shoe! From the Manolo:

Yes, it is the return of the pointy toed pumps. Although, they never completely went away, pointy toed shoes have been in eclipse for the past three years. But you may now look for them to begin to creep back onto the runways in the coming months.

New home for Anglican Church of the Resurrection in San Marcos, California

From SanDiegoAnglicans.com:

Anglican Church of the Resurrection has a new home!

Starting Sunday January 6th, services will be held at:

135 Vallecitos de Oro, Suite F
San Marcos, CA 92069

Anglican Church of the Resurrection is under ++Gregory Venables.

31 bishops stand with Bishop Schofield and Diocese of San Joaquin

From Surrounded (the official weblog of the Diocese of San Joaquin):

Dear Bishop John-David,

We, Episcopal colleagues from across the Anglican Communion and across the world, write to salute you on the courageous decision of the Diocesan Convention of San Joaquin to take leave of The Episcopal Church and to align with the Province of the Southern Cone. We know that decision was to a large extent the result of your tenacity and faithful leadership, and for that we give thanks to God. It has been said that you are isolated and alone. We want you and the world to know that in this decision for the faith once delivered to the saints, we stand with you and beside you. May Christ abundantly bless you and your diocese with all the gifts of the Spirit and with joy in believing.

Yours in Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth

and:

The Most Rev. Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney
The Rt. Rev. Matthias Medadues-Badohu, Bishop of Ho
The Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester
The Rt. Rev. Gerard Mpango, Bishop of Western Tanganyika
The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh
The Rt. Rev. Ross Davies, Bishop of The Murray
The Rt. Rev. Keith L Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy
The Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield
The Rt. Rev. A. Ewin Ratteray, Bishop of Bermuda
The Rt. Rev. Michael Hough, Bishop of Ballarat
The Rt. Rev. John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham
The Rt. Rev. Martyn Jarrett, Bishop of Beverley
The Rt. Rev. John Goddard, Bishop of Burnley
The Rt. Rev. Keith Newton, Bishop of Richborough
The Rt. Rev. Robert Forsyth, Bishop of South Sydney
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Rt. Rev. Lindsay Urwin, Bishop of Horsham
The Rt. Rev. Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes
The Rt. Rev. Henry Scriven, Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Pittsburgh
The Rt. Rev. Bill Atwood, Province of Kenya
The Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, Convocation of Anglicans in North America
The Rt. Rev. David Anderson, Convocation of Anglicans in North America
The Rt. Rev. John Gaisford, lately Bishop of Beverley
The Rt. Rev. Edward MacBurney, lately Bishop of Quincy
The Rt. Rev. Roger Jupp, lately Bishop of Popondota
The Rt. Rev. David Silk, lately Bishop of Ballarat
The Rt. Rev. Nöel Jones, lately Bishop of Sodor and Man
The Rt. Rev. Edwin Barnes, lately Bishop of Richborough
The Rt. Rev. William Wantland, lately Bishop of Eau Claire
The Rt. Rev. Donald Parsons, lately Bishop of Quincy

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A reminder from Paul

Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:23-26

VirtueOnline: San Joaquin bishop goes on the record about his life and ministry

From an interview by David Virtue with Bishop Schofield in the Diocese of San Joaquin:

VirtueOnline recently interviewed the Rt. Rev. John-David Schofield Bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin. For months now, the single and celibate Bishop of San Joaquin has been the subject of slander, and possibly libel, by liberal and Episcopal pansexual bloggers saying he is a closet gay and much more. The bishop also answered questions about his handling of St. Nicholas, Atwater. He has also been vilified for his and his diocese's recent move to come under the ecclesiastical authority of the Most Rev. Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone. This godly Anglo-Catholic bishop agreed to answer a series of questions about his personal and ecclesiastical life. . . [Interview follows]

. . . VIRTUEONLINE: You have led the way by being the first diocese having voted unanimously to leave The Episcopal Church. How are you taking this personally?

JOHN-DAVID SCHOFIELD: In actual fact, so much has been going on I have not had much time to reflect personally. I am so grateful, however, to Bishop (Robert) Duncan and Bishop (Frank) Lyons of Bolivia who stood with me at our convention. And, I have been amazed at the e-mail, personal letters, and personal visits from clergy and lay people all over the United States and the world who have encouraged me. Many, whom I have never met before, have come to my office simply to express thanks for standing up for Scripture and the ethical positions that come from the Bible. They refer often to their own denominations as facing similar battles and are grateful someone, somewhere has begun to stand up for "what is right".

VIRTUEONLINE: You have been threatened by Mrs. [Katharine] Jefferts Schori [Presiding Bishop] that your pension would be cut off. As I understand it, she cannot touch your pension. It is only that you cannot continue to add to it. Is that correct?

JOHN-DAVID SCHOFIELD: Bishop Jefferts Schori's letter to me specifically said it contained no threat. None has come.

VIRTUEONLINE: Canon Bishop William Wantland, the retired Bishop of Eau Claire, has said in an interview that the national church has no claims on a diocese (though dioceses may have a claim on parishes). Is this your understanding as well?

JOHN-DAVID SCHOFIELD: I agree with the position stated by Bishop Wantland.

VIRTUEONLINE: Are you gearing up for a long legal battle?

JOHN-DAVID SCHOFIELD: Not knowing the future, we have tried to take a reasonable course of action by being in contact with attorneys both within and beyond the diocese.

VIRTUEONLINE: You have said that parishes who do not agree with your coming under the Archbishop of the Southern Cone are free to leave with their properties (but no debt). Is that still your position?

JOHN-DAVID SCHOFIELD: Yes. A parish without indebtedness is free to leave. . .

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"US Anglican head in sexuality row"

From the BBC:

. . . Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori refused to criticise US parishes that carry out services of blessing for gay couples, saying that it was a decision for each individual church.

Lambeth Conference

2008 is a critical year for the unity of the Anglican Communion.

In July, Anglican bishops from around the world are due to attend the Lambeth Conference, convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury once a decade.

Some African churches are threatening to boycott the conference - particularly if US Bishop Robinson receives an invitation.

But Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori says she thinks he might yet be invited.

"We're still hoping that that might be the case," she said.

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