Bishop Love lives up to his name. He is a humble, loving, pastoral soul; deeply concerned for every life he touches. His gentleness, though, should not be mistaken for weakness. He is thoroughly orthodox in faith and morals. He is a Nashotah House graduate, and sees himself as Anglo-Catholic (liturgically), Evangelical (gospel driven), and Charismatic - the gifts of the Spirit including healing are a big part of the diocese's outreach ministry.

VirtueOnline visited the new bishop at one of his two headquarters - Christ the King Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich NY, (the other is in downtown Albany opposite the cathedral), where the bishop gave this writer a conducted tour of the new $9 million center which includes a convent for the 10 Sisters of St. Mary, a retreat and healing center, summer camp for youth programs and where more than 30,000 guests will pass through its doors this year. A 28-room accommodation center is being built to house visitors from many denominations who will use the facility. A director and 18 full time staff stand ready to serve.

We sat down in his modest office for a no holds barred interview.

VIRTUEONLINE: Following up on your statement, posted on the diocesan website Feb 26th, that the Diocese of Albany, as demonstrated by the results of the Primates' meeting, stands in the mainstream of Anglican life and teaching...and by the grace of God, we will continue to do so, what will you do if The Episcopal Church is thrown out of the Anglican Communion or disciplined in some fashion that makes it awkward for you as an orthodox bishop to stay in the TEC?

LOVE: Those questions still have to be worked through. As a life long Episcopalian I love the church, as a life long Anglican I love the Anglican Communion. It grieves me to see the rift in the church and I keep praying that the Lord will bring healing into the church. It will take a miracle - and there are signs of it, but still needs to be done. As far as the Diocese of Albany is concerned, whatever direction we take we will take as a diocese and not by myself. I have publicly stated my commitment to the Anglican Communion. The churches that make up the 120 parishes within the boundaries of the Diocese of Albany are the Episcopal Church in this area and, by the grace of God, remain faithful to the teaching passed down to us through the generations and remain in good standing in the Anglican Communion. We need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ; it is imperative that we reach out to one another in Christian love and charity, treating all people with dignity and respect. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called by our Lord to be obedient to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with all who will receive it.

VIRTUEONLINE: Are you a Windsor Bishop or a Network Bishop?

LOVE: Both.

VOL: Would you accept a Primatial Vicar as called for by the Primates in Tanzania recently?

LOVE: That decision would have to be made by the diocese. It certainly is a possibility. No decision has been made as yet. I stand with the Network and statements made by the moderator the Rt. Rev. Bob Duncan.

VOL: Where does the Spiritual Life Center fit into your long-term plans? How will it support itself? And what about the office in Albany? Will that remain the see of the diocese?

LOVE: The Cathedral of All Saints is the see of the diocese. I have an office in Albany and an office here at Christ the King Spiritual Life Center (SLC). I am in Albany for one day a week, the rest of the time I divide being on the road in a diocese with hundreds of miles between parishes and the Spiritual Life Center. The SLC is the key ingredient in the life of our diocese. The lord has blessed us with this place and we have come together as a diocesan family to be equipped to go back into our individual parishes and businesses sharing the gospel and love of Christ. The SLC facilities can be used by a parish or deanery or family to get away. We have people here who can train and equip people to go back into the mission field. The SLC not intended to be in competition with the parishes but to be in cooperation with them, it does not center around this place...it is a gift the Lord has given us - to all Christians.

VOL: How healthy are your 120 churches? Do you foresee any closings in the near or distant future?

LOVE: Some parishes are more unique than others. A number of small parishes under one hundred are struggling financially; the economy in many areas is depressed. Any financial concerns are a symptom of something deeper - a spiritual issue which impacts most of us. We need to go after the spiritual issues. One of the tools of Satan throughout is to create a spirit of poverty; that is that people are convinced they can't do more than they can do. I don't believe that is the case. Some struggles are beyond their control. I believe the Lord calls us to trust Him in all that we have and are. Some parishes are healthy and spiritually vibrant.

VOL: Do you have mandatory assessment to the diocese?

LOVE: We don't have mandatory assessment. It is left up to each parish to honor their giving to the diocese. The majority of parishes do.

VOL: What are your expectations for the diocese in the next 5-10 years? What are your Goals and objectives?

LOVE: My goal for the Diocese of Albany is that each parish within the diocese and each person within each parish live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission and I intend to do everything within my power and God's grace to remain faithful to that call. God has called us to live out both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, and the Diocese of Albany is in a unique position to bring revival into the church.

VOL: The new lectionary will be mandatory for all dioceses effective 2010. Where are you on this? Will you permit it in your parishes?

LOVE: Some parishes are using the new lectionary. Personally I prefer the current lectionary because it is what we have in the Prayer Book. I'd rather stick with that but I have not prohibited the new lectionary.

VOL: Where do you stand theologically?

LOVE: I am Anglo-Catholic, charismatic and evangelical... and I hope and pray that I am, in the best sense, each of those aspects of Christian discipline.

VOL: Do you plan to start up any new parishes? If so where? And, where will the money come from?

LOVE: I have a couple of locations in mind in the diocese that are ripe for a start up parish. At the diocesan level, we don't have the funds to support that, however there are parishes within the Diocese that could support a start up parish and I am going to be talking to them in conjunction with the diocese. The Wilton area could support a new parish, so could the Luther Forest area where they are building a major computer silicon area.

VOL: Do you plan to call for an election of a bishop suffragan to replace Bishop Bena?

LOVE: Not in the immediate future. I hope to bring in an assistant bishop in the near term and make a decision at a later point. At the moment, the Rev. Bob Haskell is doing an outstanding job as Canon to the Ordinary. The Diocese is being blessed through his ministry. He is taking most of the organizational stuff that Bishop David Bena was doing. This is not unique to the episcopate.

VOL: The national church is having severe money problems. How is the Diocese of Albany faring in all this?

LOVE: Some parishes are more financially healthy than others. It is a concern but I won't be sidetracked by it. The financial problems are a symptom of deeper spiritual issues. I want to bring healing into the diocese and the finances will take care of themselves.

VOL: The average age of Episcopalians is now in the mid 60s; the average size congregation is in the mid 70s, what are you doing to reverse this trend?

LOVE: I am trying to help the diocese get back to the basics...keeping Christ at the center of all we do to reinvigorate sound biblical teaching and start Bible studies and help congregations share the love of Christ with all people that we encounter both young and old. We are trying to encourage congregations to put more focus on religious education for children as well as adults. I have a passion to reach out to families.

VOL: Will you allow non-celibate homosexual or lesbian priests to come into your diocese?

LOVE: No.

VOL: Are you making your assessment to TEC? If so, will that continue if there's no satisfactory response to the Windsor response by Sept 30th?

LOVE: We as a diocese will have some very hard decisions to make in the coming months.

VOL: Assuming no satisfactory conclusion to the Windsor report on Sept 30, will Albany join Bob Duncan and Schofield? If so, how would that affect the parishes of Albany? If not, what do you think the parishes will do?

LOVE: again these are decisions we will have to make as a diocese.

VOL: As a new bishop during these troubling times, do you have advisors to help keep you in a proper focus?

LOVE: I feel very blessed to have both Bishops Herzog and Bena around. They are good friends. I have had them as mentors and they are still there to answer questions. I have great respect and admiration for them and they have invited me to go to them with questions. I have a healthy and strong Standing Committee and I value council lay leaders. I am praying that God will help me to remain faithful and keep my focus on Christ.

VOL: Were you taken by surprise that Bishop David Bena would leave The Episcopal Church and join the Nigerian-based CANA movement?

LOVE: I knew it was a possibility, but I was not aware the decision had been made until after it was made. I believe that Bishop Bena is being faithful to God's call on his life. He will be a real blessing to struggling parishes. There are none in Albany. I also have a great admiration for Bishop Herzog. I don't know his plans but I understand he intends to live in the area.

VOL: How can VirtueOnline help you in your traditional (orthodox) stand in midst of the growing liberal climate in the TEC and the movement against the Anglican Communion?

LOVE: Remain faithful to Holy Scripture and continue to reach out to the church with issues of concern in a positive manner; keep the lines of communication open and show how things can be dealt with in a healthy way.

VOL: Thank you, Bishop.

END