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May 3, 2004 By Ruth Gledhill THE LONDON TIMES Plans for a formal split in the Anglican Church are being considered in an attempt to resolve differences over attitudes towards homosexuality. A proposal to turn the Anglican Communion into an Anglican confederation is to be considered by the Lambeth Commission, the international body of 18 members set up last year by Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. A confederation, modelled along similar lines to the Geneva-based World Lutheran Federation, would loosen the ties between the national provinces in the Church, to the extent that they would be free to adopt almost any practice or doctrine they wished. The churches at the conservative and liberal ends of the spectrum would still describe themselves as "Anglican" and remain in communion with the mother Church of England through the Archbishop of Canterbury. But where a national church went too far in embracing modern secular mores, it could be reduced to an observer status or not invited at all to meetings such as the Lambeth Conference, held every ten years. Such a system would placate the conservatives who have been demanding disciplinary measures against churches such as those in the United States, which ordained an openly gay bishop, and Canada, where same-sex blessings have been authorised. It would permit provinces effectively to excommunicate each other by refusing to recognise their priests or bishops, but they would remain tied in a loose international Anglican confederation by remaining in communion with Canterbury. Already it is proposed severely to reduce the number of bishops invited to the next Lambeth Conference in 2008 in South Africa. The previous Archbishop, Dr. George Carey, invited every Anglican bishop, nearly 800 in total, to the last Lambeth Conference in Canterbury in 1998. Sources indicated that, if only for reasons of cost, the number would be reduced in South Africa. Bishop Gene Robinson, the openly gay American bishop recently consecrated in New Hampshire, is unlikely to be on the guest list. According to a source close to the Lambeth Commission, canon lawyers are preparing for its second meeting next month in Kanuga, North Carolina, by studying the set-up of the worldwide Lutheran church, which embraces wide degrees of theological and ecclesiological difference, to see if this model could be adapted to suit the Anglican Communion. The source said: "The quality of the communion depends on how far the Western Church is willing to sacrifice its lesbian and gay members." The source indicated: "The primates will be circulated with the recommendations late July. The sort of federation we can expect will probably mirror the Lutheran model, with full members, non-voters and observers, depending on what they've been up to." The Lutheran model is particularly appropriate because Anglicans and Lutherans are already in a "shared fellowship" agreement with each other through the Porvoo declaration, a British-Nordic-Baltic initiative signed by the Church of England in 1995. The Anglican Communion is made up of 38 provinces, which account for nearly 70 million Anglicans in 164 countries. In a letter sent over the weekend to all the primates and moderators of the Anglican Communion, Dr. Robin Eames, the Primate of Ireland, who chairs the Lambeth Commission, pleads strongly with conservatives not to split by forming new provinces or dioceses until the commission has completed its work at the end of this year. He acknowledges the divisions that exist but urges dissenting groups not to break from their parent churches. "It would be my hope that once the report is published we can take such decisions as necessary in a manner which is unrushed, in Christian charity and by means of due process," Dr. Eames writes. "It is my prayer and earnest hope that the report we are preparing will enable the Anglican Communion to move forward together in ways which will stand the test of time whatever difficulties may arise in future years for our world family." Copyright 2004 Times Newspapers Ltd.

By Terry Mattingly The Rev. Julian Rush watched the headlines as 13 United Methodist pastors in the Pacific Northwest judged the fate of one of their colleagues. Few, if any, facts were in dispute. The Rev. Karen Dammann was living openly in a lesbian relationship and leveled with her superiors. And everyone knew, after a generation of bitter strife, that their Book of Discipline banned "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from ministry, because gay sex is "incompatible with Christian teachings." Rush wasn't surprised by the trial and he wasn't surprised by the verdict—not guilty. After all, he survived a similar ecclesiastical minefield two decades ago in Colorado. "What surprised me was the way the news reports brought it all back," said Rush, 67, who rocked the whole United Methodist Church when he left the closet in 1981. "It was spooky, like a flashback. I remembered that whole feeling of powerlessness and total vulnerability. I think that's probably a good thing. No matter how much progress we've made, we need to be reminded that things aren't settled yet." Rush eventually retired with his clergy credentials intact. In the mid-1980s, his peers in the Rocky Mountain region twice ruled that there was "insufficient evidence" to bring the AIDS activist and former youth pastor to trial. After all, church law focused on "self-avowed practicing" homosexuals and Rush simply declined to answer questions about his sex life. "I remember my lawyer saying, 'Make them prove it,'" said Rush, whose easy-going manner still betrays his Mississippi roots. "What were they going to do, hire a private investigator? No one wanted to do such an unseemly thing." The Dammann jury found a similar technicality. While the Discipline says "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings," the jury ruled that it never formally, legally, makes a "declaration" of this. But the jury did find this declarative statement: "Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that enables all persons to participate in the life of the Church, the community and the world. Thus, inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination." Based on decades of experience, Rush knows what will happen next. Furious conservatives will, on April 27, arrive at the two-week national United Methodist General Conference "with their nostrils flared and breathing fire," he said. At the same time, the confidence of the church's progressive establishment will "move up a notch or two" after a much-publicized victory. Both sides will go to Pittsburgh "with their guns loaded," he said. The Internet is buzzing with drafts of resolutions to fix the Discipline and to force the bishops to get their flocks under control. Leaders on both sides acknowledge that the evangelical, growing churches of the heartland and Bible Belt hold a clear majority. Some of their leaders will call for repentance and reform in the Pacific Northwest. "Fact is, we don't need anything more in the Book of Discipline. We just need folks who are willing to abide by it or enforce it," said the Rev. James V. Heidinger II, president of the Good News renewal movement. "We could tweak and tighten, but unless folks are willing to abide by the will of General Conference, they will always find some words to parse or interpret differently." Strangely enough, Rush basically agrees with this legal opinion. Laws cannot hide the fact that the United Methodist Church contains two radically different approaches to the faith, he said. Traditionalists believe there is an "established," "infallible" and "permanent core of doctrine that people have to believe if they are going to be Christians," said Rush. But the "liberal side of the church sees itself as open and expansive and its doctrine, quite frankly, is not as well defined. It sees faith as a kind of process and it is constantly changing. One side knows how to lay down the law and the other side knows how to emote." But the infighting will continue, said Rush, because everyone is afraid to push the scary button labeled "schism." That would be financially devastating. "Everyone dances around that button," he said. "They really aren't trying to be clear and specific. They have to keep the Discipline vague enough to keep everyone in the tent. You end up with a kind of spiritual schizophrenia, but it holds things together." Terry Mattingly (www.tmatt.net) teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University and is senior fellow for journalism at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. He writes this weekly column for the Scripps Howard News Service.

4/27/2004 Clergy and lay leadership in the Diocese of South Carolina voted to affiliate with the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes during the annual convention March 5-6 at the North Charleston Convention Center. In his convention address, the Rt. Rev. Edward Salmon, Jr., Bishop of South Carolina, said the crisis the Episcopal Church has experienced since last summer is the result of improperly seeking to settle a profound theological issue through a popular vote and described the purpose of the network as a means to uphold orthodoxy and provide mutual support during a trying time. "The network also provides a means for primates and others to support us more effectively in this struggle," Bishop Salmon said. "Its purpose is to provide a place of strength and witness within the American Church." Bishop Salmon helped draft and signed the network charter and both the standing committee and diocesan council had previously approved diocesan affiliation. A few representatives spoke against approval. "I believe this resolution would continue the divisiveness … because it would institutionalize a movement that not all parties agree with," said Andy Brack, a delegate from St. Stephen's Church, Charleston. Mr. Brack suggested that individual parishes, rather than the diocese as a whole, should be allowed to decide whether to affiliate. The resolution passed on a show of hands with about two dozen of the 296 clergy and lay delegates voting against it. In other business, convention approved a $2.3 million budget for the current year, a $200,000 increase over last year, but payment to the national church will decrease from $120,000 last year to a little more than $32,000 this year.

ETHICS & RELIGION By Michael J. McManus This week an Oregon judge gave advocates of gay marriage an historic victory - the nation's first recognition of same-sex marriages. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Frank Bearden told the county to stop issuing licenses for same-sex marriages. But he ordered Oregon's legislature to recognize the 3,022 marriage licenses issued since March 3 to gay couples, and to pass a new law legalizing same-sex unions. Does this sound familiar? The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that gay couples have the right to marry and ordered the state legislature to make same-sex marriages possible within 180 days. The magic day is May 17, when Massachusetts is slated to begin allowing gay marriage. The legislature did not do as it was told. It began the process of passing a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman. But the amendment would also legalize civil same-sex unions, which is marriage by another name. However, to be adopted, it must re-pass the legislature in 2005 and then be approved by the voters in a 2006 referendum. Gov. Mitt Romney asked the state's highest court to stay its order, pending full Massachusetts acceptance or rejection of the amendment. That's unlikely. The state's Attorney General, a Democrat, supports the court decision, while Romney is a Republican. What's common to both cases is fierce judicial activism, in which a court orders the legislature to pass a law granting same sex couples either the right of marriage or civil union. In studying American history, I learned it is the job of elected leaders to pass laws, and for the courts to interpret them. On this issue, however, elected leaders have also acted illegally. San Francisco's mayor ordered city clerks to grant homosexual and lesbian couples marriage licenses, though Californians voted in a referendum that marriage is between a man and a woman. One prescient man foresaw these developments and developed a long-shot answer - a U.S. Federal Marriage Amendment that states "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman." Matt Daniels is the man of the hour. Although white, he grew up in Spanish Harlem as a son of a father who deserted his mother when he was only two. "My growing up was miserable," he told USA Today. His father was "a gifted and irresponsible aspiring writer." His mother was a secretary until she was mugged and left disabled, depressed and on welfare. "Things would have been different if my father had been around." Matt was also attacked at knifepoint and gunpoint. No wonder Matt Daniels says, "Marriage is the key to reducing the high levels of youth crime and child poverty, caused by the epidemic of fatherless families in America." Inspired by his mother, he excelled at school, won a scholarship to Dartmouth and became a lawyer. He created the Alliance for Marriage to craft a Federal Marriage Amendment several years ago. Anticipating the argument that gay marriage is a civil rights issue, he first won the backing of Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a former aide to Martin Luther King, Jr. Black denominations were his first national supporters. He now has the backing of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals. It was a brilliant strategy. Today a higher percentage of Hispanics and African-Americans say that marriage is the union of a man and a woman - than whites. And public support for the Federal Marriage Amendment has grown from 55 percent last July to 64 percent. Equally important, President Bush has given his support, as have 118 Members of Congress and leading U.S. Senators such as Majority Leader Bill Frist. However, the amendment is opposed by such conservative groups as Concerned Women for America. Its president, Janet LaRue, is concerned that the amendment would allow states "to create marriage in another name, a phony marriage." Vermont's law permitting same sex civil unions would be untouched by the amendment. Finally, few Democrats in the House or Senate co-sponsor the amendment that must win the support of two-thirds of Congress. So far, the public seems apathetic. Few have called or written Congress. Gay marriage is not inevitable, but it is likely unless an aroused public demands the constitutional protection of marriage. Copyright 2004 Michael J. McManus Michael J. McManus Co-Founder & President Marriage Savers 9311 Harrington Drive Potomac, MD 20854 301 469-5873 (FAX) 301 469-5871 email: MichaelJMcManus@CS.com Web: marriagesavers.org Next National Training to Create a Marriage Savers Congregation: July 10-11 in Washington DC before the Smart Marriages Conference

By David Phillips Following the announcement that Jeffrey John is to be the next Dean of St. Albans there have been some rather contradictory messages emanating from the Diocese. Richard Inwood, Bishop of Bedford, was one of those who last year signed a letter calling on Jeffrey John not to take up the post as Bishop of Reading. The normal protocol for the appointment of Deans means that Richard was not consulted by the Diocesan Bishop but only learnt about the appointment a few days beforehand. Bishop Richard was thus presented with a fait accompli and appears to have acquiesced to it. In his statement on the appointment he said: "The appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as the Dean of St Albans means we shall have a gifted preacher and teacher in this key position. He also brings a commitment to mission, both within the Cathedral community and beyond, which I welcome warmly. Jeffrey John has made certain undertakings to the Diocesan Bishop on the Bishops' statement Issues in Human Sexuality. This assures me that none of the issues that caused concern last summer to so many people, including myself, will arise." Regardless of what else is said it is the view of Bishop Richard that Jeffrey John had made undertakings to abide by the Issues in Human Sexuality report. But what were these undertakings and when were they made? On the PM program last night this point was raised with Christopher Herbert, the Diocesan Bishop: "Interviewer: The bishop of Bedford the Rt. Rev. Richard Inward is quoted as saying that Jeffrey John has made certain undertakings to the bishop on the bishop's statement Issues in Human Sexuality. What undertakings would they be? As was made clear in the press conference today the undertakings were exactly those made by Jeffrey John before and so nothing has changed. Christopher Herbert asserts that no new undertakings have been given. Instead the undertakings were simply those made by Jeffrey John before his non-appointment to Reading. 'Nothing has changed.' The interviewer pressed the point regarding what undertakings had been given. "Interviewer: Could you just spell them out? Herbert: Yes indeed, he is the first person to say yes he is homosexual and secondly he says and always says he has a celibate lifestyle and that for me stays within the boundaries of what the House of Bishops Statement is about for clergy. So I don't have any difficulties with anyone saying "Yes I am homosexual and yes I am celibate I simply don't see what the problem is, it seems to be a perfectly honourable situation to be in and obviously achieved at some great thought and perhaps cost." Therefore all that Jeffrey John has done is to say that he is celibate, which he said last year, and that he will abide by the statement Issues in Human Sexuality. This needs to be clearly understood. Jeffrey John and his current partner, another Anglican clergyman, have, according to them, been homosexually active in the past. This is against the policy of the House of Bishops but no action was taken against either of them. There is no indication that either of them are repentant for their past actions and now this appointment effectively endorses their past behaviour and tears up the House of Bishops policy. In fact, one commentator noted that the House of Bishops has no longer has a policy and is entirely without direction. Last year Jeffrey John claimed to be celibate though there appeared to be different stories circulating about how long his policy of celibacy had been pursued. In his statement yesterday and I believe previously he simply says that he is celibate at the moment. He has made it clear that he does not agree with the House of Bishops statement, he is certainly not going to teach in accordance with it and who knows how long he will continue to teach one thing and do another? More importantly, the prime issue in this case has to do with teaching, not simply lifestyle. Prior to his non-appointment to Reading he taught consistently against the House of Bishops' statement, he has continued to do so since. Therefore for Jeffrey John to say that he abides by the House of Bishops statement is pure fiction. David Phillips is General Secretary, Church Society General Synod and Representative, St Albans Diocese

By David W. Virtue ATLANTA, GA - The Rt. Rev. Frank Lyons, Bishop of Bolivia, baptized, confirmed, received, and reaffirmed over 330 people at two services into Holy Cross Anglican Church, Loganville recently, marking the first time an overseas bishop from the Southern Cone has moved onto US soil to perform ecclesiastical functions, a sign of the growing fragmentation of the Episcopal Church. "They were received into the church as Founding Members," said the Rev. Dr. Foley Beach the church's new rector, and a recent refugee from the ECUSA. More than 450 people worshiped at Holy Cross Anglican Church in Loganville, GA on Easter Sunday. When the church began it officially had only one member (a little girl who was baptized several weeks ago), said Beach. Holy Cross Anglican Church began on February 8th after the Rev. Dr. Foley Beach left the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta and was received into the Anglican Diocese of Bolivia and the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone by Bishop Lyons. Bishop Lyons said that because of the state of the Episcopal Church, USA, he was offering temporary, emergency, pastoral and episcopal oversight to Father Beach and the people of Holy Cross. "The National Episcopal Church's departure from Biblical Christianity on theology and morality was the basis for my leaving the diocese of Atlanta and receiving spiritual refuge and oversight from the Province of the Southern Cone and diocese of Bolivia," he told Virtuosity. "On this our 11th Sunday holding worship services, Bishop Lyons baptized 6 people, confirmed 38 people who publicly proclaimed their allegiance to Jesus Christ, received 44 people into the Anglican Communion, and accepted over 250 people from other Anglican or Episcopal churches who joined by Letter of Transfer." "Bishop Lyons preached on The Revelation of John and exhorted people not to lose their 'first love' as they served the Lord and ministered at Holy Cross. He defined 'first love' as one's relationship with Jesus and the joy and closeness people feel when they first come into a relationship with him." Commenting on why people are excited about Holy Cross, Fr. Beach said: "We have a politically correct, compromised, and unBiblical gospel which has entered the Church in North America. God will not honor or bless a church which proclaims sin in His Name. Holy Cross proclaims the Gospel as taught by the apostles of Jesus Christ in the New Testament and affirmed by the historical Councils of the early church. We make no apologies for standing on the time-tested, Truth-proclaiming, and spirit-nurturing Word of God." Said one parishioner following the Sunday service, "It's great to be under a Bishop who promotes Jesus instead of promoting sodomy." Beach said the congregation was rapidly-growing and he expected the church would double within the next 18 months. After two capacity services at a rented middle school cafeteria, the congregation celebrated at a dinner on the grounds of a ten-acre site recently deeded to the church free and clear. An 18,000 square foot Phase One building, with 14 classrooms and a temporary auditorium, will soon be built, said Beach.

By Matthew Davies and Maureen Shea Episcopalians joined more than one million people, representing 100 religious and religiously-affiliated organizations and congregations, to march on Washington, D.C., April 25 in support of women's reproductive rights at home and abroad. The march recorded the largest ever crowd count for women's rights in the nation's capital. The "March for Women's Lives" was co-sponsored by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), an alliance of national organizations from major faith groups, local affiliates, the national Clergy for Choice Network, Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom, and the Black Church Initiative. According to its mission statement, RCRC supports the constitutional right to abortion and solutions to problems such as the spread of HIV/AIDS, inadequate health care and health insurance, and the "severe reduction" in reproductive health care services. The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Women's Caucus are both members of RCRC. RCRC's president, the Rev. Katherine Ragsdale, welcomed the gathering with assurances that the religious community is behind them. "You can't sustain a movement on outrage," she said. "We are here to support the providers, politicians, women and activists, and let them know that we respect them for their work and their commitment." Ragsdale, an Episcopal priest, added that a punk rock concert was held in Washington April 24 to enlist young people in the movement. Also marching behind the Episcopal Church banner were the Rev. Margaret Rose, director of the Episcopal Church Office of Women's Ministries; Executive Council members Louie Crew and John Vanderstar; long-time women's rights activist and General Convention deputy Marge Christie; and Maureen Shea, director of the Government Relations Office. Before the march, the RCRC also held a "Prayerfully Pro-Choice Interfaith Worship Service." CALL FOR JUSTICE In 1994, the 71st General Convention of the Episcopal Church reaffirmed that all human life is sacred from its inception until death and that all abortion is regarded as having a tragic dimension. "While we acknowledge that in this country it is the legal right of every woman to have a medically safe abortion," the resolution stated, "as Christians we believe strongly that if this right is exercised, it should be used only in extreme situations. We emphatically oppose abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection, or any reason of mere convenience." "General Convention resolutions have expressed unequivocal opposition to any legislation abridging a woman's right to make an informed decision about the termination of pregnancy, as well as the pain and possible support that may be needed for those making difficult life decisions," Rose said, adding that participating in the march shows that supporting women's rights is "essential to our call for justice." "By publicizing this march and other events through our network, we are able to enlist and inform Episcopalians about important events," explained Mary Getz, director of the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN). "This is one of the ways we are continuing to build our grassroots advocacy network." The march came in for criticism from the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), which issued a press release calling it a "scandal" and suggesting that "a majority of church members...would be disgusted if they knew that their denominations have joined…in backing this kind of cause." IRD president Diane Knippers, an Episcopalian, said that "the church's proper role in this issue is to offer godly counsel and ministry to persons involved in crisis pregnancies. But in this case some...are adopting the strident arguments of the secular culture." Other Episcopalians participating in the march included delegations of women and men from California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Virginia. --Matthew Davies is staff writer of Episcopal News Service. Maureen Shea is director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations.

"Wait till the end and you will see the outcome of events. Don't fuss, don't worry yet awhile. Imagine someone who is not of the trade watching a blacksmith start melting down gold and mixing in ashes and straw. If he does not wait till the end, he will think that the poor piece of gold is going to be destroyed. Now, if the farmer waits all the winter, so much the more ought you to await the final outcome of events, remembering who it is that ploughs the soil of our souls. And when I speak of the final outcome, I am not referring to the end of this present life, but to the future life -- God's plan for us aims at our salvation and glory." St. John Chrysostom, On Providence 9.1 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Orthodox believers are being refined in the crucible of the Episcopal Church. The fire is raging all around us. We are all being sorted and sifted. We are being tested to the very limits. Yet St. John Chrysostom tells us to wait. It was another horrible week in the life of the Episcopal Church. ECUSA's first openly homoerotic bishop Otis Charles, now 78, married a 62-year-old man who had been married four times before to women. The ceremony lasted two hours and 45 minutes. When it concluded, Charles, the world's first openly gay Christian bishop, also became the world's first bishop to wed his same-sex partner in church. The retired bishop turned up with his grandson to the "wedding". That alone is enough to have mothers running for cover with their children in hand. When I asked a lady in Colorado Springs, why more and more women were signing on to Virtuosity, becoming more open in their support of this ministry, declaring themselves out of communion with ECUSA, and willing to write for VIRTUOSITY, she had this to say. "Pansexuality threatens our children. When you move sexuality away from God ordained limits our children can become victims of sexual predators, because no one knows where the boundaries are any more." She is right of course. ECUSA is, sexually speaking, without boundaries. Old sodomites marry younger ones; a transgendered man is ordained a deacon, he goes from being Paul to Paula, a pregnant lesbian priest runs the youth ministries for a diocese, a sodomite is consecrated to the Episcopacy, the age of consensual sex is getting lower…and on and on it goes. Parents see their moral authority challenged and they run for cover and take their children with them. "We will leave the Episcopal Church before we allow our sexually vulnerable children hear things approved of that God says a resounding no to," said the woman. And that may well be ECUSA's undoing. Women, mothers with young impressionable teenage children; the rot will stop with the women. IN OTHER DEVELOPMENTS Bethlehem Bishop Paul Marshall, author of a book on lesbian love, comes out swinging, putting his handful of orthodox priests on the defensive. You can read that story today. Or why a self-professed lesbian priest in the Diocese of Colorado may face disciplinary charges because she is accused of luring the lonely widow of a deceased priest in the Diocese into a sordid lesbian affair, and then making up a liturgy to marry her at the church altar to sanctify her misconduct. You can also read that story. But the news is not all bad. The recent Anglican Communion Institute conference in Colorado Springs was a win win. The conference emboldened church leadership around the country. "The sense of urgency that everyday delayed hundreds leave the church is finally dawning on many of us. Clearly the financial situation is far worse than predicted. Parishes are all in a bind, payrolls hard to meet as people are failing to show up, not return after breaks for skiing and spring break, and collections are plummeting. Diocesan assessments are simply going to be the first thing to go--just to keep the lights on and the salaries paid," writes the Rev. Don Armstrong an ACI leader and parish priest who is prepared to stand up to his revisionist bishop Rob O'Neill. The numbers being shared by the clergy around the church are far worse than was first predicted. Members are leaving this tension filled church that lacks leadership and a gospel in droves. The Episcopal Church is disintegrating before our very eyes. In three years the Diocese of Colorado--if things go really well will close 40 congregations--in seven years there may be only a couple dozen Episcopal congregations still viable and the diocese will be bankrupt---all so a practicing homosexual can be a bishop in New Hampshire, and because we lack the integrity and love to tell gays to straighten up and instead take the easy way out by saying they are just fine--when they are not. The Rev. Kevin Martin president of Plano-based Vital Ministries and an expert on congregational development for more than 15 years says in his recent newsletter that in the 40-year steady decline ECUSA is experiencing that we are losing our percentage of the U.S. population faster than the actual numbers. He writes: First is 1930 when we began a long period of steady growth. Second is 1965 when ECUSA was at its largest. Third is 2000, the last year that we have full numbers. It clearly shows the rise and decline of the Church. Several points stand out. Among these I would list: The decline of congregations. The dramatic decline of children in Church schools. Today, the average church school has 37 children. The increase in clergy fueled by the larger number of non-parish and retired clergy. The relative stability of the burial number. The back door remains consistent. The decline in adult baptisms, receptions and confirmations. The fact that we baptize less than one adult per congregation. It is beyond any reasonable comprehension that our leaders can know these numbers and claim that ECUSA is doing well. "I can only attribute this to either denial or political spin," he says. You can read his full report today. The American Anglican Council Board met this week in Atlanta, Georgia and celebrated the realignment of Anglicanism, noting a strong grass roots movement of individuals and churches that are forming coalitions and planning program initiatives, networking, assisting with missionary endeavors and planting churches. A full report is in today's digest. And from the Diocese of Alabama comes this. "I am a member of the Church of the Ascension in Montgomery Alabama. Our Bishop, Henry Parsley, voted against the consecration of V. Gene Robinson but since then he has spent most of his energy threatening the few Alabama Priests brave enough to attend Plano (including our own) saying we need to "move on". When Parsley discovered that Ascension was bringing in an orthodox speaker to discuss the Network, he insisted on being on the agenda as well, and at a well attended and feisty forum pledged to block any effort by the church to join the Network. When asked why Integrity is given free use of the Diocesan facilities, he pointed out that he had no more control over what they did in such facilities than other groups, such as "The Daughters of the King". The comparison did not go over well." And in the Diocese of New Hampshire conservatives in that diocese led by the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop have left to form a breakaway parish. About 40 parishioners of the new Anglican Church of the Resurrection are using facilities of the Durham Evangelical Church, spokesman Richard Ellwood said. The new parish does not consider itself part of Robinson's diocese. It has joined the national Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, formed by conservatives who remain within the Episcopal Church but oppose Robinson's election. Two other New Hampshire parishes have taken steps to affiliate with the conservative network but have not quit the diocese. Said Ellwood, "the issue is far greater than Robinson," calling his election an example of the way the "Episcopal Church has split away from Scripture." Concerned Episcopalians of Rhode Island has been formed by parishioners in that state who oppose Robinson's election. The group, which expects to become a chapter of the conservative network, drew representatives from more than two dozen of the state's 64 parishes to a meeting last weekend. In Virginia, the Robinson election spilled into another denomination. The Baptist General Association of Virginia withheld $350,000 from Averett University in Danville over a professor's pro-Robinson article. The Baptists have now agreed to fund a new independent clergy training program, but not Averett's religion department. In Atlanta a new Anglican parish was aborned with Bolivia Bishop Frank Lyons present to kick it off with 330 confirmations! The Rev. Dr. Foley Beach an ex-ECUSAN priest couldn't be happier. You can read that story today. In Canada Bill C250 has passed into law. Within a month or so it will be a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada to speak out against the gay and lesbian lifestyle, against same sex marriage, gender reassignment, and everything connected with that way of life. The Bible will be deemed hate literature, and clergy who stand up and say "thus saith the Lord" will go to jail. I will test that when I cross the Canadian border some time in the future. Virtuosity's website has already been declared homophobic. Writes Brian McGregor-Foxcroft of Canada and a Virtuosity reader, "This issue, and same sex marriage, should have been put to the vote, so that all Canadians could have a say. But the government knew that a vote would have defeated both proposals. But this should not surprise anyone. Even the current prime minister has subverted the democratic process by parachuting his own candidates into various ridings and shutting out the due process whereby riding members elect their own candidates. We see several political parties doing this. All they care about is getting and holding power. This is not democracy. And in Detroit the Rev. Richard W. Ingalls, Rector of Mariners Church of Detroit, will be consecrated Bishop today by chief consecrator the Rt. Rev. Melvin Pickering, Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Diocese of the Good Shepherd (ADGS). You may remember that the ECUSA bishop of the area tried unsuccessfully to take over Mariners after a lengthy battle, and failed. There are a few success stories, but not many. Mariners is one, as is St. Michael's in Broken Arrow, OK. The Episcopal Missionary Church continues to grow reports its presiding bishop and former Episcopal priest the Rt. Rev'd William Millsaps. From his Monteagle headquarters in Tennessee he says he has a new parish with its own building in Benton, Kentucky; planting a new church in Chattanooga in Eastertide. A parish in Oregon has quadrupled and St. Andrew's in Gainesville, Florida has grown fivefold over the past few years. "Most of our parishes and missions have had their best Lent since our founding," he writes. The Church of England is facing the growing possibility of disintegration as opposition to Canon Jeffrey John's appointment as Dean of St Albans gained momentum this week. Leading evangelicals warned that the appointment would change the relationship of their churches with bishops across the country, raising the possibility of impaired communion across the Church. St Albans clergy met this week to discuss action that they would be taking in protest at Dr John's promotion at a time when the Eames Commission had called for calm and restraint. Many of the churches will be deciding whether to cut payments to the dioceses, and to stop the Bishop of St Albans. They said that the Southwark canon's promotion had "changed everything". The split in the St Albans diocese is expected to widen at the national level, according to one evangelical leader. The Rev John Coles, leader of the New Wine network, which represents the leaders of 600 Anglican churches, said that Dr John was "publicly committed to undermining the historic Christian position." New Wine is now working in connection with the other traditionalist streams in opposing the appointment. The gay dean hit back accusing those who opposed his ministry as being akin to 19th century supporters of slavery. Coles fired back: "The appointment was inflammatory, and his comments are very inflammatory. The house is on fire and we are going to put it out." WELCOME TO VIRTUOSITY If you are a first time reader please go to the website www.virtuosityonline.org where all past digests are stored, stories are posted daily on the front page, multiple chat rooms can be found and much more. Check out some of the three seminaries for online education possibilities and if you feel so constrained to support VIRTUOSITY with your tax deductible dollar you may do so by hitting the PAYPAL link. If you would prefer to support this ministry by snail mail you may do so by sending your check to VIRTUOSITY, 1236 Waterford Road, West Chester, PA 19380 GOOGLE ADS Google displays ads based upon key words that it finds in the text of each page on our site. As such, we have no direct control over Google's ad placement. Also, the ads rotate and change on a regular basis which makes editing a blacklist a very time consuming task. Google's acceptable use policy ensure that there are no ads that advertise overt sexuality, violence or other objectionable material. Please consider ads for sites that are liberal in their theology as an opportunity to understand what others are saying in the debate. Their presence on our site does not indicate an endorsement of their views. All blessings, David W. Virtue DD

Commentary By David W. Virtue COLORADO SPRINGS—That the Episcopal Church is in spiritual free fall, theologically compromised, in moral disarray, perhaps beyond redemption, is not new news. But what to do about it is another matter altogether. It is exercising the best minds across the Episcopal Church and around the Anglican Communion. The CAPA Primates and bishops met in Nairobi recently and issued a sharp warning to the Episcopal Church and Frank Griswold to repent, and put on notice to the whole communion that they would lower the boom, perhaps before the EAMES commission has even finished its work. Every day the American Anglican Council grows stronger and the will of its president David Anderson grows more determined that he will no longer accept the leadership of Frank Griswold and the House of Bishops, and the decisions they make about ECUSA's future. Canon Anderson has drawn the last line in the sand and he will tolerate no further innovations. He has, along with other orthodox leaders, been openly and highly critical of the recent House of Bishops statement on Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight. The recently formed Network (NACDP) is ratcheting up the pain on ECUSA's liberal apparatchik as well. They too, have made it clear, through their spokesman Bishop Robert Duncan (Pittsburgh) that a realignment of the ECUSA is under way and it will no longer be business as usual. On the other side of the bank V. Gene Robinson, the new bishop of New Hampshire has said that perhaps it is time for the orthodox to go if they can't remain in the theologically and morally evolving ECUSA. And Frank Griswold, ECUSA's Presiding Bishop expresses surprise that the consecration of an openly homoerotic bishop is causing so much consternation among the faithful, arguing that the church survived women's ordination, a new Prayer Book and will certainly survive this. He has also said that conservative groups have been around ECUSA for as long as he can remember but that won't change the course upon which the ECUSA is set. He just doesn't get it. Money is drying up in nearly all the dioceses; dozens of orthodox priests are weighing their options for the future, and faithful Episcopalians are leaving the Episcopal Church in droves, concerned that the acceptance of pansexual behavior will compromise their children—the ECUSA being no longer a safe place. Many are fleeing to the Anglican Mission in America (AMIA) while a few parishes are now asking for primatial covering either from Africa or more recently from Southern Cone bishops. Almost weekly there are new twists and turns as orthodox parishes take different stances on how they will deal with ECUSA's apostasy. A parish in St Louis is prepared to go to the wall and will fight in the courts for their property as are three parishes in the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Some six parishes in Eastern Michigan are weighing their options and their futures, with two rectors having already resigned. If they should all go, it would wipe out some 12 percent of that diocese. At least one congregation has lost 50 percent of its membership. In the Diocese of Central Florida Bishop John W. Howe has taken a more irenic approach to one departing parish, showing a different model of how a parish and its bishop could amicably split without too much pain. Revisionist bishops, on the other hand, are showing their colors by coming down hard on fleeing orthodox priests invoking one canon or another, inhibiting and deposing fleeing rectors, in their efforts to maintain control of their dioceses. But one group, the Anglican Communion Institute—ECUSA's unofficial orthodox think tank, met recently in Colorado Springs and came up with what could be the ultimate solution. Meeting under the banner, Anglicanism, History and Hope: The Future of Anglicanism in North America, they declared that the only honest thing to do is for Frank Griswold and some 62 revisionist bishops who have departed from the faith, order and discipline of the church to separate themselves from ECUSA and form their own autonomous, independent national church. The idea has been germinating for some time by this group of brilliant orthodox theologians and churchmen, and came to a head with the blessing of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey. Their argument is simply this. By insisting on going through with the Robinson consecration, the majority of ECUSA's bishops showed their lack of respect for the Communion's integrity and common mind, therefore they should do the honorable thing, and with the courage of their convictions willingly disengage themselves from the Communion and from the structures of ecclesial life tied to the Communion that the Episcopal Church has enshrined in its Constitution. The framers acknowledge that while no one has heeded this call, they maintain it is the only honest course of action, and that further talk of "conversation" and "dialogue"—the much beloved theobabble of revisionists end, and a parting of the ways takes place. All talk of engaging one another in holy conversation with such words as honesty, charity, clarity and harmony within the American church and within the larger Communion, be recognized for what it is; a total fiction. It has yielded nothing. Said the leaders of ACI, "The leadership of ECUSA has resolutely pursued a course of response to evangelical outrage over Robinson's consecration (and other related matters) that has furthered obscurantist denial, malicious accusation, ecclesial confusion, and discord—something we might have been spared had disengagement from the Communion by these leaders been pursued vigorously and openly from the start." They rightly observe that the House of Bishops plan for dealing with "disagreement" in the Episcopal Church, avoids any mention of the Communion's real concerns, and demeans and reduces disagreement by the minority to the category of "dissent" as being divisive. So faithful, orthodox Episcopalians are now being called "ideologically motivated" by Griswold who accuses small "groups within ECUSA of single-handedly perverting the consciousness of bishops around the world" by fabricating their opposition to his own unilaterally-promoted agenda, and thereby derailing the "spreading of the Gospel and the living of the Good News of Jesus Christ". According to Frank Griswold certain unnamed INTERNET journalists are also guilty of spreading malicious gossip and fomenting dissent, compounding ECUSA's problems even more. They and he get mad when they are exposed. Dr. George Sumner, the Canadian theological principal observed in his lecture, that "we are one of the few places you can move to the right just be standing still." "This is how I feel: standing still, and watching the church tumble to the side irretrievably," said the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner, theologian and an Episcopal rector in the Diocese of Colorado. "The silence from Griswold and the ECUSA establishment is absolutely deafening in the face of each new theological talk or Communion-related statement or provincial decision from abroad regarding the plummeting demise of ECUSA's place in world Christianity and the Anglican Communion," he said. "ACI conferences are but one element studiously avoided by ECUSA's strange Doukhobor desires. Are they not listening? If they are not, they are woefully derelict in their responsibilities. If they are, and simply refuse to take what is said seriously, they are deluded. If they take it seriously, but refuse to do anything constructive in response, they are willful destroyers of the church. I fear that it is the last; even more distressing, it may be that a mixture of all these reasons, are at work here." As things now stand, it is the blind leading the blind in The Episcopal Church. And if in this kingdom the one-eyed man is King, Frank Tracy Griswold is fast losing what little sight he has left as the darkness descends over the ECUSA with each passing day. END

Will Revisit Report in Fall By Solange De Santis, Staff Writer ANGLICAN JOURNAL REGINA—Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, at their regular spring meeting, shelved the concept of alternate episcopal oversight (AEO), deferring further discussion until their fall meeting. In several divided votes, the bishops demonstrated deep unease with the concept, which would allow individual parishes unhappy with church decisions to seek an alternative to their diocesan bishops. One of the authors of the report expressed disappointment with the decision. "Two things happened. (One,) we have chosen not to have a safety net in place as we go into the debate (on blessing same-sex relationships) and voting at General Synod. Two, everyone (among the bishops) was so concerned about their own needs, there was an inability to look at the larger picture," said Bishop Victoria Matthews of Edmonton, chair of the task force that produced the report. The report was released last March at the meeting of the Council of General Synod. Bishop Michael Ingham, of the troubled diocese of New Westminster which permits same-sex blessings, spoke against AEO. "If the jurisdiction of bishops can be divided up along theological lines, we are no longer shepherds of the flock but leaders of theological parties," said Bishop Ingham, who said there was a feeling in his diocese that the task force listened only to conservative parishes in New Westminster and ignored the majority who were not calling for change. Bishop Ingham also suggested that a decision on AEO now could be premature before General Synod debates same-sex blessings. The bishops could reconsider the report in the fall. A second member of the task force, Bishop Donald Young of the diocese of Central Newfoundland, said he felt "sadly let down" by the inaction of the house of bishops. "This church is going to be in real peril and I think we need to do something about it," said Bishop Young. Meanwhile, in an interview prior to the bishops' decision, New Westminster Chancellor George Cadman said that while he respected the work of the task force, he had questions about the issue of ceding authority. "The General Synod canons on episcopal jurisdiction are clear and certainly, the traditions of the church have been to respect the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop," he said. "I don't believe firmly that any diocesan bishop would have the ability to cede jurisdiction." The Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW), a coalition of dissenting parishes and clergy seeking AEO said the coalition was grateful that the task force took the time to listen to the ACiNW. "That's a first in the Canadian church," said ACiNW spokesperson Chris Hawley. "Clearly the bishops have taken seriously the issues here and the depth of division. We were grateful for the call for a generosity of spirit on the part of bishops, as this is something we've been appealing for all along." With files from Marites N. Sison

By Todd Wetzel March 30, 2004 The meeting in Nassau was atypical from most meetings we have attended within the last five years. It was an unusual collection of folks, who generally do not meet together. No papers were published, statements released or strategies produced. Therefore, you will be as surprised as we were that the purpose of the Ekklesia Mission Conference in Nassau March 30-April 2, was to minister to those who are bearing the weight of reform and renewal in the US, both on the Missions front and on the Political front. The Most Rev. Drexel Gomez, Archbishop of the West Indies and Bishop of the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands opened the meeting on Tuesday morning by declaring: "We are in the struggle for the future of the Anglican Communion. What kind of Communion are we going to have? ONE THAT IS FAITHFUL TO THE GOSPEL. In the next 5 months, (The Lambeth Commission Report is due on September 30, 2004) we must work for clarity. We must act with perseverance, stout-heartedness, courage and a toughness of spirit. We must put our total dependence on the Lord and His Grace. As we open to that Amazing Grace, we will be strengthened and reformed. It is His mission, not ours." "We have come together to be encouraged. We are on His course and He is with us. In His strength alone, we can prevail." Archbishop Greg Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone (South America) spoke next. When he discovered that all but one participant was from the US, he spoke with great clarity, telling us that others around the world "are praying for us now. They weep for you. They weep with you. It is true that they do not understand how the US has arrived at this impasse." Many Anglican Christians in the countries he serves spend much of their energy on the basics of life: food, water and shelter and whatever jobs are available. These folks find it impossible to understand how the Gospel can be so distorted that people actually believe that men should be allowed—and blessed—to marry another man. "But, we must not lose heart. There is no way to know what our Communion will look like in two years, but we can be assured of the steadfast purpose and presence of God and Christ," he reassured us again and again. Taking full advantage of the opportunity he taught for six hours over the next three days, taking his text from Acts 26. The presentations were Biblical, Christ centered, and refreshing like the spring rains. I can't tell you how compassionately and eloquently he spoke. It was—in the midst of the feelings of distress and despair that we brought with us—soul food of the highest order. Manna. The Rt. Rev. Royal Grote, Bishop of MidAmerica, Reformed Episcopal Church, led us in Bible study on Tuesday, talking about 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:3: "The only point of preaching the Gospel is to see transformed lives. Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 3:1-3: 'You are our letter, (of certification) written on our hearts, written by Christ not with ink but by the Holy Spirit.' Paul explained that the proof of his work was in the transformed lives of the Corinthians, to whom he preached for over two years. Plato was a good teacher but he wrote with ink. That will fade." "Only that written on the heart by the Holy Spirit will survive. Therefore, as a priest, your letter of certification is the lives of your parishioners. That certification is written by the Holy Spirit." Referring to preaching in Nassau the prior Sunday, Bishop Grote said, "With our own eyes, we saw the certification of Archbishop Drexel Gomez, who has preached and labored in Nassau for 30 years. It was quite a thrill to see all of those transformed lives." All of the Reformed Episcopal Church and Anglican Province of America bishops who preached in Nassau had memorable experiences. The churches were full and the congregations were warm and open to the message of the Gospel. Prayer times were intense and the singing was so joyous. Each reflected on how much we have lost in the States—and we don't even know it. Archbishop Venables concluded that the most redeeming purpose of the whole mess with ECUSA was that it would drive us to God. If we let it do any other thing, the enemy and the liberals win. "Nobody ever trusts God unless they have no other option. In America right now, you have no other option," he said. On Wednesday, The Most Rev. Leonard Riches, Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, led us in a Bible study about character. "Whose character do your works demonstrate? 'By your fruitfulness, you demonstrate that you are Mine. Your works bear My character.' (Philippians 1:9) The suffering of the present time should draw us to Christ and draw us together, not further separate us. This is the time that the faithful must stand together and contend as one person for the Gospel; because this fight is not about sex. It is all about the Gospel; the authority of Scripture to dictate how we are to live our lives." "So, my prayer for us is the same as Paul's: 'May your love abound. May your knowledge be firm, especially your knowledge of the truth of Christ. May you have a sure and certain discernment, especially about Christ. May you be blameless and pure; may you be found righteous, so that your life and ministry will have God's impact and shine into this present darkness.'" And that is the gist of it. This time was designed so that the truth and character of God's impact on our lives can shine forth into the present darkness. Many may feel that you can't do much to affect the current situation; but I would respond that you have spent your entire lives preparing for this fight at this time. Your decades of worship have equipped you for just such a time as this. The Truth has been written on your hearts and you must not be silent. What must we do from today on? We must continue to stand, shoulder to shoulder, and repeat quietly and constantly that the Bible cannot be compromised; cannot be rewritten to appease the culture. We must continue to call those who have done so to repentance and renewal of life. We must continue to pray without ceasing. And we must give whatever is available so that the Archbishops, who, unlike Frank Griswold, don't have abundant travel budgets, can get to the critical meetings. So many of these good, Godly men KNOW how the Anglican Communion must be restructured. They are certain that the heresy that Frank Griswold has promoted must not be allowed to be pre-eminent. They are willing to strive to exhaustion for this goal. But, they need our help. Anglicans United needs to raise $40,000 above office expenses in the next 10 weeks so that we, in partnership with Ekklesia and the Rev. Canon Dr. Bill Atwood, can provide travel money for the bishops and archbishops who are in agreement with the Gospel. Trust me, all of those who are not in agreement with the primacy of the Bible have an abundance of resources provided by Griswold. The truth about the redirection of missions monies to support the few bishops and archbishops who are in agreement, is very sobering. And infuriating. We need your help to meet the critical goal of $40,000.00 so that every faithful archbishop can attend all the forthcoming meetings in various parts of the Communion. Please Help! The meetings are critical, the need is real. And your prayers and most faithful financial contributions are needed. Note: For further information and to make a contribution write to: Anglicans United PO Box 763217 Dallas, TX 75376-3217 1-800-553-3645 or Ekklesia PO Box 118526 Carrollton, TX 75011-8526 1-800-303-6267 Online donations: www.ekk.org The Rev. Todd H. Wetzel is Executive Director Anglicans United & Latimer Press

May 2, 2004 The Rev. Henry Pease, President, Standing Committee The Rev. W. Nicholas Knisley, Vice-Chair, Diocesan Council The Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem Diocesan House 333 Wyandotte Street Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015 Gentlemen: This letter is offered in response to your letter dated April 23, 2004 and received by a number of our parishioners. The Rector has distributed copies to other parishioners who were omitted from your mailing. In addition, our Rector and Curate have shared Bishop Marshall's letters to them together with their responses. We are aware that our Vestry has informed Diocesan Council of their decision to redirect funding from the diocese to orthodox, local, national, and international organizations and ministries. We note that this action took place only after the decisions of the 74th General Convention supported by the leadership of the Diocese of Bethlehem. Your comments regarding our movement away from participation in the Diocese of Bethlehem and the Episcopal Church USA are interesting in light of the fact that it is you who have imperiled our relationship with the worldwide Anglican Communion. The 74th General Convention has rejected the declaration of the bishops at the 1998 Lambeth Conference, the counsel of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, and the appeal of the Archbishop of Canterbury. You ask if our parish leadership is "willing to live within the traditional understanding of what makes a church 'Episcopal.'" Please be reminded that our leadership never said we were leaving the Episcopal Church. Yet, we wonder if the diocesan leadership is willing to live within the traditional understanding of what makes the Episcopal Church USA a member of the Anglican Communion? Indeed, does the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem consider itself to be part of the Anglican Communion? If so, we would ask why you have chosen to persecute our parish before the publication of the Eames Report? You write, "Suggestions by the leadership of your parish that the current problem is about homosexuality or the ordination of a gay bishop seem little more than attempts to distract from the matter at hand, etc." Herein lies the major reason our leadership is reluctant to enter into conversation with diocesan representatives. Please don't tell us we are lying to you about what we believe the problem to be. On August 19, 2003 the overwhelming majority of our parishioners signed and forwarded to diocesan leadership A Statement of Repudiation and Disassociation From the Actions of the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Trust us when we tell you that we reaffirm our belief that sexuality is inherent in God's creation of every human being in His image as male and female. All Christians are called to chastity: husbands and wives by exclusive sexual fidelity to one another and single persons by abstinence from sexual relations. God intends and enables all people to live within these boundaries, with the help and in the fellowship of the Church. When there arise within the Church at any level tendencies, pronouncements, and practices contrary to biblical, classical Anglican doctrinal and moral standards, we must not and will not support them. The Church has no authority to ordain anything contrary to God's Word written. If there is to be communication between us in the future you must accept our definition of the problem. You go on to say, "The Episcopal Church does not focus on beliefs held by individual members." Our experience of Christian Community here at St. Stephen's is contrary to your statement. The leadership of our parish actively encourages members to make their beliefs known as together we seek to make decisions consistent with the mind of Christ. As an example we cite that on this day a special parish meeting was called by our Rector and Vestry to obtain the viewpoints of all relative to the questions asked of our Vestry in your letter. Our question to you is, why aren't the beliefs of individual members important to you? Weren't they important to the Apostles? The Parishioners of St. Stephen's, Whitehall affirm the Faith of the Church as it is set forth in the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds and in the classical Prayer Book tradition. We believe that the Holy Scripture is superior to the canons. We join you in prayer for unity which as our Rector wrote to Bishop Marshall, "must be grounded in the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles." Sincerely yours, The Parishioners of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Whitehall, Pennsylvania CC: The Rt. Rev. Paul V. Marshall