jQuery Slider

You are here

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Orthodox Episcopalians vow they will not give up

NEW HAMPSHIRE EPISCOPALIANS VOW THEY WILL NOT GIVE UP
“Orthodox will not accept less than we have demanded from gay bishop,” says lay leader

Special Report

By David W. Virtue

ROCHESTER, NH—Hundreds of orthodox Episcopalians in five parishes in the Diocese of New Hampshire vow they will not give in to the demands of the homoerotic bishop V. Gene Robinson, and they will reject his ministry and have notified him of the parishes wishes not to pass through their doors to celebrate or confirm.

“We will not give up and we will not accept anything less than we have demanded,” said Jerry DeLemus, senior warden of Redeemer Episcopal Church in Rochester, NH.

“We want alternative episcopal oversight, nothing less. We don’t want the watered down episcopal care options of the ECUSA leadership or Robinson,” said DeLemus in a phone call to Virtuosity.

Despite talks with the bishop and a stage managed media invitation at the church last week nothing has been settled, said DeLemus to Virtuosity yesterday.

“We don’t believe we will get from Robinson what we want, but we will stay and fight to defend Holy Scripture for us and other Episcopalians. We want to be a light to stand,” said DeLemus.

“This church does not belong to him, it belongs to Jesus, and we are standing firm for Jesus Christ and His gospel and against the apostasy that is being put upon us from The Episcopal Church's leadership.

Where is Archbishop Rowan Williams on this issue, we are in perilous times and are asking for him to support us in this attack by the apostates that are supporting this blasphemy on us?”

DeLemus said he would welcome Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola and he plans to invite him to come and speak, and would like him to perform eucharistically and confirm. It's obvious that Archbishop Akinola is not ashamed of Christ's word, he said.

DeLemus said that a month ago Robinson’s Canon to the Ordinary Tim Rich called to say Robinson wanted to set up an appointment with us, which we agreed to. “We said we were looking for alternative episcopal oversight and we want to come under an orthodox diocese. Robinson was offering pastoral care. It was not good enough and we rejected it.”

“When we met last Monday at the Church of the Redeemer in Rochester we, as a vestry gave him two names; Albany Bishops Dan Herzog and David Bena, with two weeks to contact them. Right away Robinson said no. Later he said he would be willing to talk with them and get back to us with a list of 20 Bishops he feels are orthodox. Mind you Bishop Robinson said that he considers himself to be very orthodox.”

DeLemus said only two parishioners currently attending services at Redeemer supported Robinson. “We are 99 percent united”. The parish has a supply priest – a British evangelical Gordon Allen. “As a supply priest he functions at the mercy of the bishop,” said DeLemus

DeLemus said the vestry presented the bishop with a letter regarding the situation at Redeemer and for all the orthodox in New Hampshire. “We are still waiting for a reply to our letter. Until we do, nothing is settled.”

DeLemus said he has asked Robinson to his face to repent. “Robinson told me, I don’t need to repent on the issue of my homosexuality as I don't feel God is asking me to. If Gene would repent it would put an end to this and be a blessing for him as well as us.”

END

Subscribe
Get a bi-weekly summary of Anglican news from around the world.
comments powered by Disqus
Trinity School for Ministry
Go To Top