"I hereby call upon the House of Bishops and the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the Primates of the Anglican Communion to heed the Lord's call as revealed in II Chronicles 7:14 - '"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.'" God have mercy on us, if we choose any other path."

"The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion is going through a very difficult time right now. It is easy to get caught up in the belief that this is unique to our generation. Unfortunately, as you study Church history, you will discover that the Church in every generation has had it trials and struggles. The issues might change, but the attack doesn't."

"My brothers and sisters, we are in the midst of a major spiritual war, one that has been raging ever since the fall. Knowing our vulnerability to SEX and MONEY, Satan is using these two areas of our lives to bring division and chaos into the Church, causing us to take our attention off the mission of the Church, and redirect it to attacking one another, dividing and weakening the Church. As Jesus himself said, a house divided against itself cannot stand."

"If the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion are to survive, it is essential that we recognize what Satan is up to, and stop cooperating with his battle plan. I am all too aware of the great diversity in theological views concerning the appropriateness or inappropriateness of homosexual behavior in the Church today. Emotions are raging on both sides of the issue, and as a result, Satan is succeeding in turning what once were friends into enemies of one another. As a lifelong Episcopalian and Anglican, my heart is grieving over what I see happening to the Church."

"Ultimately, each one of us will have to decide how we are to respond to Satan's attack, and that is exactly what it is - Satan's Attack. We can cooperate with his battle plan and continue to rip ourselves apart, OR we can focus our attention on Christ, joining in His prayer, that We may be ONE, as He and the Father are ONE. In so doing, I am not suggesting that we compromise our faith, but rather that we keep Christ and the mission of the Church as our central focus, as we work through our differences, seeking God's will in all that we do."

The House of Bishops will be meeting in September. "High on the agenda will be the Bishops' response to the Tanzania communique from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates concerning the Episcopal Church and the Windsor Report. The Archbishop has accepted the House of Bishop's invitation to join them in September. I will be at that meeting and will participate in all the discussions. The Diocese of Albany has been a strong conservative voice in the larger Church, upholding the traditional and orthodox teachings of the Church. We will continue to do so. At the same time, by God's grace, I will work to ensure that every parish in our Diocese is welcoming and loving to ALL people, reaching out and ministering to everyone who seeks God's love and a closer relationship with Christ."

Love told the more than 900 delegates representing 122 parishes and summer chapels, located in 19 counties and 20,000 square miles that "we are the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion that make up the Episcopal Diocese of Albany. The Holy Spirit is alive and present and doing wonderful and mighty things in and through us."

The theme of the Convention is "Transformation" and is centered on Jesus' promise found in Revelation 21:5 '"Behold, I am making all things new.'" Everything planned for this Convention is intended to help pave the way for the Lord to make us into that "new creation" that He is calling us to."

A spirit of poverty and fear has come over much of the Diocese, negatively impacting its ability to serve God and His people according to Love. "Far too many parishes are in a survival or maintenance mode, due to limited finances and fear. That is not what God wants for us. Satan knows all too well our human vulnerability when it comes to money and material possessions, and he is using it against us, to limit our effectiveness in serving God and growing the Kingdom. What many regard as a financial issue is really a spiritual issue. With rare exception, most of the financial struggles in our individual lives and our parishes are self imposed, not because the expenses aren't real, but because we have failed to trust God with our money, which in fact, is really His money on loan to us."

Love told his listeners that his vision for the diocese is to keep its eyes focused on Christ. "Everything we do must be Christ-centered. The writer to the Hebrews states, "...Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." (Heb. 12:1-2).

Citing Reformation leader Martin Luther, Bishop Love stated, "The last part of a person to be converted is their wallet. For those who have come to trust God with their money and material possessions, they have been set free of the huge financial albatross that drags so many people down, wreaking havoc and misery in their lives. True financial freedom can only occur when God is in control of our finances. It is time to get out of the drivers seat and turn it over to the Lord. If you are not yet tithing, there is still work to be done. Even with the tithe, we still sometimes have trouble letting go."

According to Love, the Diocese of Albany is one of the largest mission fields in the world. "Every one of us knows someone in our own backyard, who is un-churched and has not yet come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. There are more un-churched people in our communities, than there are churches enough to hold them all. Countless unsaved souls are dying everyday. We have no greater gift to share, than the love and Good News of Jesus."

Love urged his hearers to be more serious about reading and studying the Bible. "If we are to grow in our relationship with God and knowledge and understanding of His Word, it is imperative that we get more serious about reading and studying the Bible." He called on clergy and lay leaders to start Bible studies.

"If we are focused on Christ, we can walk through the current storms threatening the Church. Apart from Christ, we will sink."

"We are Episcopalians and we are Anglicans, but first and foremost we are Christians", he concluded.

END