PITTSBURGH: Bishop Duncan Writes to his Diocese about Appeal

ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH
Office of the Bishop

30th October, A.D.2009

TO THE ELECTED LEADERSHIP OF THE DIOCESE:

Beloved in the Lord,

I am writing to you from Southern California on Friday afternoon. Yesterday was a very important day for us in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. I want to give you some first-hand information on yesterday's announcements, and the decisions leading up to them.

As those of you who have been with us in leadership through the first phase of the Calvary lawsuit will recall, the long-established practice in the diocese is to have the Standing Committee serve as the body of direct oversight relating to legal matters. Particularly in times of major decision and legal consultation it is the Standing Committee that we entrust with responsibility for setting the course forward.

All in the Diocese have, in recent weeks, been asked to fast and pray as the Standing Committee deliberated about whether to appeal the decision of the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas regarding transfer of all diocesan held assets to the Episcopal Church minority. The Standing Committee has also been wrestling with issues of how to keep our congregations focused on their mission, how to best protect that congregational mission, and how to communicate with the media in the most effective manner possible. Yesterday's press conference and simultaneous distribution to the whole diocesan family were the fruit of all the labor and all the answered prayer.

The decision to appeal was a unanimous decision, taken one week and re-visited in the next, allowing for the kind of consideration that such a critical decision demanded. Moreover, the reasons were precisely as stated in the press release: protection of the assets of the parishes (not accepting a diocesan-level precedent that would have immediate and damaging consequences when applied to the parishes) and assuring that the ultimate question of whether a diocese has the right to re-align (affecting not just Pittsburgh) receive its day in court.

A blessing of the deliberateness and faithfulness with which the Standing Committee acted was that the decision for re-branding the diocese also emerged. Our people are exasperated by the confusion of being part of an "Episcopal Diocese," and the media shy away from important stories because it has been so hard to make clear which players are which. The lawyers encouraged us to make the change to "whatever best expresses your mission." The "Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh" fit that bill. Furthermore, the stories of the last ten days in national and international media about the Vatican and the Anglicans have so changed the landscape that the present moment seemed propitious in the extreme.

As you may be aware, the Anglican Archbishop in Pittsburgh has been quoted on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, seen in a story of the CBS Evening News, and will be featured in the Sunday New York Times Magazine the weekend of our Diocesan Convention. The Standing Committee was also unanimous about the name change and the timing. At Diocesan Convention we will be able to make a simple canonical addition to Canon 1 that allows us to do business as "The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh," while still having the old name appear throughout our official documents.

One other item of importance - one of which many of you are already aware - is that our lawyers recommended establishment of a corporation and accounts completely separate from the presently disputed ones. This has been done. The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc., now exists, has its own EIN number, and is receiving assessments and donations. Parish treasurers have been advised. There is now no way funds - given presently or in the future - will be co-mingled with disputed funds. Most will immediately see the wisdom in this.

Have we done what is right? One source has come forward and almost completely paid off our existing legal debt. Another source is talking with me about a challenge grant of six figures to encourage significant giving to our Staying Faithful (Legal Defense) Fund. A high-powered marketing executive has come forward and committed to helping us get our message out in a way that builds momentum as we help the public to understand the inherent unfairness of a minority seizing everything. I think these are pretty significant signs that the Standing Committee has done its work in a way that has God's favor.

Jonathan Millard, rector of Ascension Church, and then Geoff Chapman, rector of St. Stephen's - both members of Standing Committee - pointed out during our deliberations that St. Paul appealed to Caesar when wronged by a local court. Our brothers also pointed out that, despite the difficulties and losses along the way, Christianity was thus proclaimed at the center of an empire. We do not know where our efforts will end, but we do know that there is Scriptural warrant that can be called on for encouragement. In any case, it is the mission, not our sufferings, that matters.

There will time in the meetings of Trustees and Council during the weeks ahead to answer more specific questions, but this letter is an immediate offering to the whole of our elected leadership team. Each one of you matters. The involvement of every one of you is crucial. (It is the same for our clergy, who are being copied on this letter.)

Join us for Diocesan Convention next weekend, especially for Friday night if you can. There are great days ahead for the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh and for the Anglican Church in North America.

Faithfully in Christ,

+Bob Pittsburgh