SPEAK OUT! AN INITIATIVE FOR ANGLICAN LAITY IS LAUNCHED

On Thursday, August 5, lay leaders in the Episcopal Church will launch an initiative geared to and for Anglican laity in North America. SPEAK OUT! is designed to mobilize, encourage and equip laity to communicate their deep concerns regarding the crisis in the Church in the US and Canada.

Fueled primarily through a new website -- www.anglicanlaity.net, the initiative asks laity to commit to pray, write letters to primates of the Anglican communion, register online and recruit at least two other individuals to participate in the endeavor. The website is being launched on the first anniversary of the August 5, 2003 Episcopal General Convention vote confirming the election of an actively homosexual bishop.

SPEAK OUT! is being coordinated by Diane L. Knippers, President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy and Cynthia P. Brust, Director of Communications for the American Anglican Council; they are joined by an advisory team of lay leaders from across the country.

"We lay people must find our voice and speak out," said Diane Knippers. "We have been excluded from important discussions, such as when the bishops went behind closed doors to craft their Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) plan. The laity must not abdicate their great responsibility to hold their priests and bishops accountable to church teaching. Now is the time," Knippers said.

Despite faithful and bold stances by some orthodox clergy, they have been limited by pressure from their bishops, fear of legal action and intimidation tactics. "Unlike clergy, laity can speak to these issues without fear of reprisals," explained Cynthia Brust. "We are encouraging Anglicans to break the virtual silence that has gripped us. To my knowledge, this is the first effort to organize Anglican laity in North America, and I anticipate a significant response."

The website text first and foremost focuses on "speaking out": "At a time when God's people should be speaking forthrightly, creatively, courageously and openly to one another, the discussion has been muted, hidden and fearful....It is time for laity to insist that the future of our churches not be determined by clergy behind closed doors....Ultimately, it is the laity who will decide whether or not to assent to or reject novel doctrines and practices."

In addition, the website will offer resources such as sample prayers and letters, speeches and a calendar of events as well as recommendations on how laity can take action. SPEAK OUT! is particularly interested in targeting students and young adults.

For more information, please visit the website (www.anglicanlaity.net) or contact Mrs. Knippers or Mrs. Brust.

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