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By David W. Virtue     CHARLESTON, SC--The rectors of one of the largest parish churches in the Diocese of South Carolina has sent a letter of personal regret to AMIA Bishop Chuck Murphy and to the rector of All Saints Church, Waccamaw for its decision to withdraw from the diocese. The Rev. Marc Boutan, associate rector of St. Philips Church, a flagship parish in the heart of Charleston, said some 15 clergy and laity signed a letter saying, We, some of your fellow clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina, gathered coincidentally for the Anglican Communion Institute at St. Philips Church, wish to convey our deep sorrow over this loss.     Although we have been separated to some extent by the legal actions you have taken against the Diocese over the land issue, your friendship, your talent, your vitality and leadership in the cause of Jesus Christ over the years have been wonderful gifts to us -- not something we can relinquish easily. We hate to see our alliance come to this end. We will miss your participation in our common life.     We wish you would reconsider your decision. We need your voice along with ours to stand for the historic Christian faith against the tide of revisionism. We appeal to you give the Anglican Communion an opportunity to discipline ECUSA, and then move together toward the best solution.     Fondly in Christ,   Rev. Haden McCormick, rector Rev. arc Boutan, Associate rector (15 Signatures followed after this letter.)     ***** Catholic lawyers urged to fight gay marriage     BOSTON (AP) Archbishop Sean P. OMalley yesterday urged Catholic lawyers to oppose same-sex marriage, saying the institution of marriage and the family are under assault and lawyers need to help protect them. The social cost of the breakdown of family life has already been enormous, Archbishop OMalley said at the annual Red Mass, which is dedicated to judges, lawyers and others in the legal system.   It’s not a question of live and let live, its a question of right and wrong, Archbishop OMalley said.     Later, in an interview, he said: We hope that [Catholic lawyers and judges] will use their profession and their understanding of the law to defend marriage. They’re in a better position than any of us to understand what needs to be done to correct a very complicated situation that the court has put us in.   The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that the state cannot deny marriage rights to same-sex couples, a ruling applauded as a civil rights milestone by homosexual activists. The court gave the Legislature six months to pass a law that complies with the ruling.   At a Catholic Lawyers Guild luncheon following the Mass, former Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork assailed the Massachusetts ruling, calling it untethered from the state and federal constitutions.   If anything justifies the term judicial tyranny, this one does,said Mr. Bork, who converted to Catholicism last year.   Gary Buseck, executive director of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, didnt immediately return a call seeking comment on Archbishop OMalleys statements.   Archbishop OMalley was installed July 30 as the head of the Boston Archdiocese, which has an estimated 2.1 million parishioners.   His first priority was to settle hundreds of clergy sex-abuse lawsuits filed by people who accused priests of molesting them, and the archdiocese of covering up the scandal. In September, the church agreed to an $85 million settlement.   http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040112-123616-4956r.htm

No business as usual Global South will not compromise   Archbishop Gomez Address to Anglican Communion Institute   The following address was given by Archbishop Gomez (Primate of the West Indies) at the Anglican Communion Institutes Future of Anglicanism Conference held in Charleston, SC on January 8-9, 2004.     By The Most Rev. Drexel W. Gomez     Recent events in North America have placed the entire Anglican Communion into a state of crisis.  We are, as Anglicans, at a critical crossroad in our pilgrimage as a Communion.    I refer of course to the actions of the Bishop and Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada where same sex blessings were officially endorsed and authorized by the Synod and subsequently implemented as a matter of diocesan policy.  These actions in New Westminster must be considered against the background of an existing official policy that forbids such actions and a Provincial Authority that refuses to enforce the policy.  Meanwhile many Anglicans in New Westminster are suffering and enduring spiritual persecution simply because they have elected to remain faithful to the historic teaching of the Church which prohibits homosexual practice in conforming to the universal teaching of Holy Scripture. In the United States, four actions have contributed to the growing state of chaos in worldwide Anglicanism.  They are:   1. The action of the Diocesan Convention in New Hampshire in electing a   non-celibate homosexual living in an openly gay relationship as the Coadjutor   Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire.   2. The confirmation of the election by the General Convention.   3. The Consecration of Canon Gene Robinson.   These actions must be viewed in the context of:   a. The declared official teaching of the Anglican Communion as stated in Lambeth 1:10.   b. The repeated affirmation of Lambeth 1:10 by subsequent Primates Meetings.   c.  The specific condemnation of same sex blessings from the Primates Meeting in May 2003.   4. The approval of General Convention [2003] in regard to same sex blessings.   There are persons who admit that we face a problem but wish to minimize the impact by reminding us that, Anglicanism, since its beginning has been forged on the anvil of ecclesiastical controversy (Philip Thomas in Sykes, Booty and Knight, page 250).  Paul Avis, The problem of [Anglican Identity] is perennial.  It is as old as Anglicanism itself, but it has surfaced particularly strongly at times of greatest stress and conflict (page 11).  [The Anglican Understanding of Church].  In its mid-16th century efforts of Bishops Jewel and Parker to determine Anglican Identity over and against rival claims of Roman Catholicism.  At the end of the century, Hooker - Of the Laws of ecclesiastical polity in which he defended and defined the integrity of Anglican polity over and against the radical puritans.     The work of Cosin and Hammond led to the restoration of monarchy in 1660 - 62.  19th Century Oxford Movement - the conservative theological and politically conservative defense of Anglican Identity in the face of an emerging secular state.   While we cannot deny that the identity has been our constant companion of our Anglican ecclesiastical journey, we are presently faced with an acute challenge as the nature and future of Anglican Communion, the worldwide family of legally autonomous but spiritually and pastorally interdependent churches that are in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury.   In 1930, the Lambeth Conference defined the Anglican Communion as follows:   The Anglican Communion is a fellowship within the one holy catholic and apostolic church, of those duly constituted dioceses, provinces, or regional churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, which have the following characteristic in common:   They uphold and propagate the catholic and apostolic faith and order as they are generally put forth in the Book of Common Prayer as authorized in their several churches.   They are particular or national churches and as such, promote within each of their territories a national expression of Christian faith, life and worship; and ;They are bound together not by a central legislative and executive authority but by natural loyalty sustained by the common counsel of the bishops in conference.     Alongside is the 1930 Lambeth statement we must place the Lambeth 1948 declaration on the dispersed nature of Anglican authority regarded by some as a classical definition of the nature of Anglicanism.     The positive nature of the authority which binds the Anglican Communion together is moral and spiritual, resting on the truth of the Gospel, and on a charity that is patient and willing to defer its common mind.     Authority, as inherited by the Anglican Communion took the individual church of the early centuries of the Christian era, is single in that it is derived  from a single divine source, and reflects within itself the richness and  historicity of the divine Revelation, the authority of the eternal Father, the  incarnate Son, and the life-giving Spirit.  It is dispersed among Scripture,  Tradition, Creeds, the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments, the witness of saints, and the consensus fidelium, which is the continuing experience of the Holy Spirit through the faithful in the church.     It is then a dispersed rather than a centralized authority having many elements which combine, interact with and check each other; these elements together contributing a process of mutual support, mutual checking, and redressing of errors of exaggerations in the many-sided fullness of the authority which Christ has committed to His Church.      Where this authority of Christ is to be found mediated not in one mode but in several we recognize in this multiplicity of Gods loving provision against temptations to tyranny and the dangers of unchecked power.     In respect of this dispersed authority at the very heart of Anglicanism we should note that ECUSAs actions, sighted above, displayed a distinct lack of charity and an unwillingness to defer to the common mind of the Anglican Communion as declared at Lambeth and reaffirmed by subsequent Primates Meetings.    In addition ECUSA has violated the process of mutual support, mutual check upby taking unilateral action without conference with other members of the Communion.    Indeed the contempt towards the other members of Anglican family displayed by ECUSA, clearly demonstrates an inherent weakness in our Anglican system that offers no clear guidelines for holding each other accountable and for admonishing one another.      While many have found solace in the absence of a central authority, there are many voices within the global community insisting that the time has come for us to introduce some mechanism in our common life to prevent each Province from going in separate directions without reference of the fellow members of the Body.     Some of you may recall that Archbishop Sinclair and I raised this issue in To Mend the Net. Despite the urgency of our appeal, the document has not been debated on the level of the Primates, having been relegated to the Standing Commission on Doctrine.  Copies have been supplied for the new Commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to advise on the structural and judicial issues which have arisen out of the actions taken by ECUSA and the Diocese of New Westminster. One of the factors that has blocked clear focus on the authority issue in Anglicanism is the fear of a Vatican-style central authority coupled with a dread of the Archbishop of Canterbury assuming the role of pope with the implicit dangers of unchecked power and authoritarianism and monolithic conformity.     The existence of these phobias have led some in our midst to refuse to face up to the reality that we have no established mechanism, as Anglicans, for dealing with the resolution of the conflicts for the building up of the Body of Christ. II.       Our present crisis in the leadership many Anglicans to question the merits of  the highly acclaimed comprehensiveness and diversity at the heart of Anglicanism. As members of a culturally diverse worldwide communion of churches, Anglicans are habituated to the idea that communion can co-exist with onsiderable diversity of belief and practice.     The varieties of faith and practice that are a feature of Anglicanism are held together at a fundamental level in the communion that Anglicans have with one another across divisions of churchmanship that does not mean that all varieties of belief are equally valid, or that the differences do not matter, or that Anglicans should not be striving for greater coherence and cohesion; only that there is something that is greater, deeper and stronger than all these differences- the fact that all the baptized belong to the one Christ and in Him to one another.     This idealistic portrayal of Anglican diversity and comprehensiveness does not address the situation created by contradictory and mutually exclusive teaching and practice within the one body as presented in our present crisis that challenges us to accept the validity of contradictory and mutually exclusive teaching and homosexual practice.      Furthermore, our incorporation into Christ at baptism issues us a common life, a common faith and a discipline of Christ-like lifestyle. Our Anglican devotion to its diversity of comprehensiveness obscures very often the need for boundaries.  There are patterns of behavior which place us outside of the boundaries of the Christ-like life.  There are too many advocates of Anglicanism without boundaries. III  The challenge to the Catholic tradition   Anglicanism has always maintained its allegiance to its catholic tradition, its historical continuity in the life, worship and ministry of the Church, and to the authority of the undivided church of the early centuries. The catholicity of Anglicanism has been justified historically - Ecclesia Anglicana represented at the Council of ARLES 314.  In addition, the Celtic Church existed before the arrival of Augustine of Canterbury in 557.      The English Church existed before the Reformation and all Anglican Churches trace their origins to the Church of England and thereby to the historic catholic tradition. The catholicity of Anglicanism is justified theologically because Anglicanism incorporates an upholds the ancient structures of the catholic church, the canon of Scripture, the historic creeds, the dominical sacraments of holy baptism and the Holy Eucharist (put in the context of liturgies that trace this lineage to the liturgies of the early church) and the historic episcopate.  These structures of catholicity are enshrined in the Chicago Lambeth Quadrilateral (Lambeth 1888).   The catholicity of Anglicanism can be supported polemically by its acceptance of the General Councils of the undivided church and its commitment of its council on Catholicism.  Despite the fact that the Roman Catholic Church does not recognize Anglican orders, eucharists and authority, Anglicanism affirms its membership within the one, holy and catholic and apostolic Church along with the Roman Catholic Church and the historic churches of Orthodoxy.     Our present crisis poses a threat to our catholic heritage because the acceptance of homosexual practice as a holy pattern of living represents a departure from the historic tradition.  Representatives from the Roman Catholic Church and some segments of the Orthodox churches have already indicated their opposition.  It is noteworthy that the Presiding Bishop has resigned from ARCIC and the Vatican has suspended the meeting of IARCUM until further notice.  The Oriental Orthodox have cancelled the bilateral meetings with the Anglican Communion  and the Russian Orthodox Church has issued a strong condemnation of  ECUSAs actions. IV   Threat to our reformed heritage.   Although  the English Church predated the Reformation, it was strongly influenced by the Reformation especially in regaining its Biblical center of gravity.  The central place of the Bible in the life of the Church has been jeopardized by the actions of ECUSA and New Westminster.  It has been clearly demonstrated by several scholarly works that the Bible does not support homosexual practice.  I refer you especially to the treatment of this violation of Scripture in our booklet entitled, Claiming our Anglican Identity - The Case Against ECUSA. V. A departure from Anglicanisms appeal to reason and sound learning.     Under normal circumstances, one would have expected the authorities in ECUSA, out of respect for this Anglican proclivity for sound learning, to have initiated serious and diligent inquiry into the theological and ethical dimensions of the issues related to homosexual practice before embarking on a deliberate course of action to promote change in the church’s historic and Biblical teaching and practice.      Instead we observed a refusal to travel the road of serious theological dialogue.  All too often, we were informed by the leadership of ECUSA that there were several views within ECUSA in respect homosexuality without any attempt to examine each approach with a view to arrive at a consensus.    I am convinced that the leadership of ECUSA is not interested in a serious theological approach to the issues since they are driven by a secular cultural agenda. In this regard, we note that our two publications - True Union in the Body and Claiming Our Anglican Heritage have not received any formal response form ECUSA.    In both of these publications, we have set out in an orderly and well-reasoned manner the arguments for the retention of the Church’s historic teaching on homosexual practice.  In addition, we have detailed ECUSAs violations of the teaching and historic order of the Church.  In my opinion, we must place some pressure on ECUSA to mount a reasoned response by circulating our material to all and sundry. VI. Our present crisis requires some major realignment within Anglicanism -   1. Within ECUSA - According to its own self-definition, ECUSA is a constitutional member of the Anglican Communion. is communion with the See of Canterbury. The emergence of the Network of [Anglican Communion] Dioceses and Parishes should lead to the determination as to which grouping fulfills the terms of ECUSAs declared self-definition. In addition, it should agitate for a critical and objective assessment of ECUSAs violation of its constitution and self-definition as an integral member of the Anglican Communion and in communion with the See of Canterbury.  We hope that that this aspect will not escape the attention of the new commission.   2. Within the South/South bloc of Anglican Provinces, where the overwhelming majority of Anglicans reside (at least 50 million of 75 million).  A majority of the Primates and Provinces have firmly declared an altered status of relationship with ECUSA ranging from impaired communion to a complete break of communion. Within the grouping there is 100% agreement that the actions of ECUSA are unacceptable.  In addition, there is a strong consensus for some form of discipline to be applied.    It is quite clear that there will be no possibility of business as usual without repentance and disavowal.   In a real sense, the future of the Communion will be determined by the response of the Global South to the proposals from the new commission.      The Global South is not prepared to compromise on the non-acceptance and repudiation of the actions of ECUSA and New Westminster.      While we hope and pray for the continuation of the Anglican Communion, we of the Global South cannot and will not accommodate the numerous violations of ECUSA within our ongoing life.   As a member of the new commission, I request your prayers for all members as we begin our formal work on the 9th of February.  We must present our report by September 30 [2004].  We are all cognizant of the fact that so much rides on our recommendations and their acceptance by the decision-making instruments of the Communion.    Please pray that the Spirit of God will lead us to a positive determination that will enable the worldwide Anglican Communion to prosper in mission and ministry in this century and for the foreseeable future.       END

Special Report   By David W. Virtue   TO THE BISHOPS AND STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE CHURCH   Dear Brethren:   It is with great heaviness of heart and deep personal distress that I write to provide you with the following information. Under date of November 30, 2003, I have received a letter from Gregory K.  Hotchkiss in which he officially vacates his episcopal office and renounces his ministerial orders in the Reformed Episcopal Church. In his correspondence he cites changes in his moral and theological understanding which have resulted in a growing distance between himself and the Reformed Episcopal Church. In particular he makes reference to the official statements issued by the bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church in response to the 2003 General Convention of the Episcopal Church and in response to their consecration of a practicing homosexual to the episcopate. He affirms his disagreement with our church’s stated position, and states that he can no longer continue in good conscience as an ordained clergyman in this denomination.     Accordingly, in conformity with Canon 31, Section 1 (d) of the Canons of the Reformed Episcopal Church, I have accepted his voluntary renunciation of all gifts, authorities, prerogatives and duties which were conferred upon him at the time of his ordination and consecration. As a consequence, he is no longer a minister of the Gospel, or a bishop in the church of God. I commend him and his family to your intercessory prayers.     May God enable us to see beyond the distress and disappointment of these events to the good purpose for which He has called us to Himself in Christ Jesus, and which He is working out among us from day to day. And may we dedicate   ourselves anew to the unchanging truth of His eternal Word, to the imperative of uncompromising Gospel witness, and to the privilege of working together to build this portion of His Kingdom as that opportunity has been entrusted to us in this promising day and time.   Faithfully yours, in Christ,   (The Most Rev.) Leonard W. Riches Presiding Bishop     SC STANDING COMMITTEE URGES BISHOP SALMON TO DROP LAWSUIT     Report from the President of the Standing Committee Regarding All Saints Parish   January 09, 2004   Following the actions in December 2003 of the Vestry of All Saints Parish, Waccamaw, to change their Corporate Charter, to leave the Diocese of South Carolina, and the Episcopal Church, the Standing Committee met with the members of that vestry.  We met in the hope of reaching a positive resolution, and in an effort to avoid the actions that ultimately took place at the January 8, 2004 meeting of the Parish.   As evidenced by the resolutions passed at the Special Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina held in October of 2003, the Diocese, including the members of All Saints, are deeply concerned about the crisis in the Episcopal Church.  We strongly believe that our working together is the best witness in this struggle.     At our meeting on January 5th, the Standing Committee, in an effort to find common ground made the following proposal:     1.) Recommend to the Bishop he consider dropping the appeal to the lawsuit filed by All Saints against the Diocese.   2.) Recommend that seat, voice and vote be given to All Saints at the upcoming Diocesan Convention.   3.)  Recommend the reinstatement of the Vestry   4.)  Recommend the restoration of Parish Status   5.)  Recommend the scheduled meeting with a replacement vestry be cancelled.   We asked the Vestry simply to a) rescind their vote and to b) put on hold the proposed Parish vote on the resolutions altering their Charter and severing their relationship with the Diocese until at least January of 2005.     Following that meeting, we shared our proposal with Bishop Salmon, who immediately acted on our request by canceling the scheduled meeting with the replacement vestry.  In light of the fact that the appeal of the lawsuit has already been heard, and the ruling from the court is still pending, the Bishops discernment was to wait for the courts ruling.  However, the Bishop was more than willing to engage in all manner of discussions regarding the use, and ownership of the Church property.  In addition, Bishop Salmon was willing to reinstate the vestry and restore All Saints to Parish status. He also supported the Standing Committees recommendation that All Saints be given seat, voice and vote ad the upcoming Convention.     Our efforts included the support of the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, and Moderator of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes; as well as the overwhelming majority of the clergy of the Diocese, who urged All Saints not to take this action. Sadly, despite the efforts on the part of the Standing Committee and the willingness of the Bishop to find some common ground, the vestry of All Saints was unwilling to rescind their vote, or to delay the Parish meeting so as to avoid the tear in the fabric of our Diocesan Common life. We recognize this is a difficult time for all faithful Orthodox Anglicans. We continue to offer our love and prayers for the members of All Saints Parish, whom we know to be our brothers and sisters in Christ.     Faithfully,     The Rev. Craige N. Borrett, President The Standing Committee   END

AMIA Wave-on-line News     The small African nation of Rwanda has suffered much loss in the last ten years.  The genocide of 1994 cost it an estimated 800,000 lives, and left it to walk a difficult road of rebuilding and restoration.  It has also paid in other ways.  When the Anglican Province of Rwanda came to the aid of orthodox Episcopalians in the United States, it was threatened with the loss of financial support from the powerful Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA).  When the province went ahead, on principle, to establish the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA), it felt the wrath of the ECUSA hierarchy in the forfeiture of much needed  financial support.     In one instance, Trinity Church Wall Street withdrew a promised sum of funds to theological education in Rwanda an amount of over $150,000 that was subsequently raised by the fledgling AMiA.   Today, Theological Education by Extension, or TEE, is thriving in Rwanda, having trained nearly 2,000 candidates since 1999.  The Rev. Canon Martin Nzaramba, TEEs Coordinator, is clear about the vital role the program fills: Our immediate vision is to help the Episcopal Church in Rwanda to grow numerically and spiritually.  We also desire to offer theological education to all levels of our church leaders, that our churches would have abundant life. Nzaramba was beaten in the early stages of the genocide, presumed killed and buried alive.  He regained consciousness, got out of the grave and walked to safety in Burundi!     Last year the TEE program trained Diocesan coordinators and facilitators across the country that oversee the local programs and administrate the appropriate examinations each term.  They hope to train 60% of church leaders by the end of 2007.     The House of Bishops in Rwanda has declared that it has a goal to establish a residential theological college that would also be home to the extension program.  Several Anglican Mission congregations have expressed interest in assisting with this goal, and attendees of the AMiA’s Winter Conference in Destin will have opportunity to contribute to this project through the conference offerings.     For Canon Nzaramba, it is a partnership that is paying important ministry dividends in Rwanda, We are pleased that the program is progressing so well, and were very thankful for the support we have received.       Anglican Mission in America   Doom Town     The following tract is from Chick Publications. See this tract and others at their website: http://www.chick.com                         Report from AAC Plano East Meeting in Northern Virginia     http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1055144/posts   01/09/2004

Church of England Newspaper Jan 8, 2003   The truce brokered by the Canadian House of Bishops on Oct 31 between Bishop Michael Ingham and traditionalists in the diocese of New Westminster has collapsed following the closure of Holy Cross Church in Abbotsford, British Columbia, by the Bishop.   On December 18, Bishop Ingham banned the Rev James Wagner, vicar of Holy Cross, from ministering to the three-year-old congregation of 50 forcing it to close. Archdeacon Ronald Harrison told the National Post Holy Cross brought the closure upon itself. At its October meeting, the New Westminster diocesan council voted to disestablish Holy Cross and terminated its funding for having requested alternative Episcopal oversight. Bishop Ingham told Holy Cross that funding would be restored if the congregation rescinded its request for alternative Episcopal oversight.     On December 5 the wardens of Holy Cross rebuffed Bishop Ingham saying they would remain part of the Anglican Communion in New Westminster [ACiNW], a traditionalist coalition of parishes within the diocese of New Westminster that comprise 23 per cent of the dioceses communicants, and would soldier on without diocesan financial involvement.   In response Bishop Ingham wrote to Mr Wagner on December 18 stating he may not undertake any continuing or permanent Anglican ministry for which a licence would be required The diocese also declined to offer another priest to Holy Cross.     Though it withstood having its funding cut off, Holy Cross could not continue without a priest and the mission closed. Holy Cross last service took place on Christmas Eve at Mr Wagners home.     By refusing to submit, Archdeacon Harrison said the mission had declared itself independent of the diocese forcing the decision upon Bishop Ingham.     Holy Cross senior warden Bill Glasgow denied the congregation wanted to be independent asking whether it is our church or the Diocese of New Westminster that has in fact declared itself independent.     The blessing of same-sex unions is the tip of the iceberg Mr Wagner told The Church of England Newspaper. The issues at stake were the revelation of God, inspiration of Scripture, uniqueness of Christ and the ministry of the Spirit.     Bishop Inghams introduction of same-sex blessings creates a sixth lesser sacrament that our Lord didn’t institute or practice, Mr Wagner noted.     The demand that Holy Cross accept this new theology and submit to Bishop Inghams unconditional authority was at odds with the Primates October 15 and the Canadian Bishops October 31 statements endorsing an adequate provision for Episcopal oversight for traditionalist congregations, Mr Wagner stated.     A spokesman for the ACiNW denied that the request for alternative oversight was, in itself, schismatic. Chris Hawley told The Church of England Newspaper: the request for alternate episcopal oversight is not leaving the Diocese of New Westminster or the Anglican Church of Canada, or a declaration of independence. Holy Cross wants to remain in the Anglican Church of Canada and the Anglican Communion.   Bishop Inghams new policy, critics charge, is at odds with his earlier statements of latitude. Addressing the Anglican Consultative Council in Hong Kong on September 18, 2002, on the situation within his diocese Bishop Ingham assured the ACC that, There will be no discrimination in terms of employment or advancement or licensing or ordination against any person who in conscience cannot support the decision of the diocese to support same-sex blessings.     His primary concern was to care for people of every point of view within the diocese; to make sure that everyone was pastorally supported.     Acting Warden Church of the Holy Cross, Abbotsford responds     Letter To the Editor Church of England Newspaper   Dear Editor,     I would like to clarify a few points with regard to your on the closing of our Mission church, Church of the Holy Cross.     The Christmas Eve service which you referred to as taking place in Rev. Wagners home actually took place on Christmas Day. It was held there because our usual meeting place, a local recreation centre, was closed for the holiday.   Secondly, and more importantly, this was not our final service. We have continued to meet for Sunday morning services and have made arrangements for a clergy presence during these services.     Contrary to the declaration of Bishop Ingham, we consider ourselves genuine Anglicans and see no reason why we should cease to act as such. Church of the Holy Cross is a community, not simply a legal entity. Every decision we make is designed to keep us in full communion with the worldwide church. We have been in contact with a number of Bishops and at least one Primate to explain our situation and seek a way forward through this difficult time. I feel strongly that this is a critical time for the Anglican Church of Canada. The unilateral declarations initiating rites which are contrary to the proclaimed mind of our national church and international communion display remarkable arrogance and insensitivity. The self-destructive actions taken by our leadership, such as the declaration of the closing of our church amidst a time when restraint and patience have been agreed upon, will eventually lead to the severe crippling and probable dissolution of our diocese. Clergy and laity, straight and gay are all fearful and confused as to the course mapped out and actions taken by the bishop of New Westminster.   Bishop Ingham has demonstrated by his words and actions that he has no interest is honouring the clear statement from the Primates, and the Anglican Church of Canada is unable to hold him to account for failing to do so. At a January 7, 2004 gathering of laity and clergy in the diocese of New Westminster which I attended, one question that was raised repeatedly to a visiting primate was: why won’t the Archbishop of Canterbury help us? Our options are running out.     Bill Glasgow Acting Warden Church of the Holy Cross, Abbotsford formerly of the Diocese of New Westminster British Columbia, Canada P.O. Box 102 Abbotsford, B.C. V2S 4N9   *****

About 2,600 Episcopalians will meet in Woodbridge today and tomorrow to discuss the future of the denomination     By JESSICA ALLEN Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star 1/9/2004     A conference this weekend sponsored by the American Anglican Council could give area Episcopalians a first-hand view of how deep the division over last summer’s vote to approve an openly gay priest as bishop of New Hampshire really is.   About 2,600 Episcopalians are expected to attend the Plano-East conference in Woodbridge, a follow-up to a meeting among conservative members of the denomination held in Dallas in October.     Unlike the Texas gathering, this event, to be held at the Hylton Memorial Chapel on Gideon Drive, will be open to all members of the Episcopal Church USA, without a requirement that they sign a statement in opposition to the election of the Rev. Gene Robinson last August.   Some Episcopalians opposed that election and threatened to leave the church.     The Woodbridge conference will serve as an outlet for those who object to the decision, said Bruce Mason, spokesman for the American Anglican Council in Washington.     This is an opportunity for many to respond to the actions [of the General Convention] and move forward, he said. We will discuss where we stand today and where we are headed in the future.   The American Anglican Council is a network consisting of conservative bishops, clergy and laity within the Episcopal Church. It is not part of the structure of the Episcopal Church.     The group helped form the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, which aims to realign itself with the worldwide Anglican Communion without separating from the Episcopal Church, Mason said.     The network is providing a home within the Episcopal Church for those who are still totally in line with the worldwide teachings of the Anglican church, he said.     Last year, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury in London, suggested creating a church movement or network in America to deal with the issue, Mason said.     Down the road, it will be up to the Anglican primates--international church leaders--to decide whether they want to recognize the network as the official expression of Anglicanism in the United States, Mason said.     One of the networks goals is to create a program called adequate episcopal oversight. It will assist people in orthodox parishes who feel their bishops aren’t in line with their beliefs to work with an orthodox bishop outside their diocese.     Mason said the details have not been discussed yet.   The network plans to meet again on Jan. 19-20 in Plano, Texas.   The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, bishop of Pittsburgh, who is helping to lead the network, will also participate in the Woodbridge conference.     The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, Episcopal bishop of Virginia, agreed to invite Duncan to attend the event. Before preaching in another diocese, a bishop must be approved by the bishop of that diocese. Lee, who was one of the 62 bishops who voted to confirm Robinson, said last summer after the vote that he received hundreds of phone calls and letters from people expressing their discontent over the matter.   He will not attend the conference.   As a way to clarify its stand, the Richmond-based Diocese of Virginia adopted a policy in 1994 that states: The normative context for sexual intimacy is lifelong, heterosexual, monogamous marriage.   The controversy has taken a financial toll on the church.   Many Virginia Episcopalians asked that their church contributions not be sent to the diocese. About $188,000 in pledges from parishes went unfulfilled in 2003, said Nancy Jenkins, director of communications of the diocese. A hiring freeze has been imposed as a result, she said.     We are anticipating a 20 percent reduction in budget, Jenkins said. However, at this point, 83 churches have pledged the same amount or increased pledges as compared to the 51 churches that reduced or zeroed out their pledges. Not all the pledges are in.     Most pledges from the Episcopal churches in the Fredericksburg region have remained the same or increased, Jenkins said.     The Diocese of Virginia--one of three dioceses in the commonwealth--stretches from Richmond to the Washington suburbs and over to Charlottesville.     With 86,000 members and 188 churches, the diocese is the largest in the country, Jenkins said.   Lee said he can’t predict the conferences outcome, but knows a number of leaders in the American Anglican Council who don’t want a schism.   I hope people who are gathering [at the conference] will understand they are valued members of the Diocese of Virginia, Lee said. And that they can respect people of different points of view who are also members of diocese.     But some local Episcopalians fear that the conferences true intent is to split the denomination.     The Rev. Kent Rahm, senior rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg, said he isn’t attending the conference because he thinks separation is high on the agenda.     It seems to me the family of church ought to stay together, discuss their disagreements and allow the Spirit to guide us, Rahm said.     The Rev. James Reed, who is a member of the American Anglican Council and plans to attend the conference, said the conference is a way to discuss the issue.     Reed, vicar of the Church of the Messiah, an Episcopal mission church in Spotsylvania County, said he felt hurt and betrayed when the church confirmed Robinsons election as bishop and the blessing of same-sex unions.     Reed said the election of Robinson was schismatic because it didnt represent the beliefs of the majority of Episcopalians or Anglicans worldwide.     At the root of the debate is the authority of Scriptures. There are at least seven references in the Bible that call homosexual practice a sin, Reed said.   The church interpreted the Scriptures to prohibit homosexual practice, he said. But there are a number of progressive scholars who reinterpret it to say that those Scriptures don’t apply to homosexual practice today.     Reed didn’t attend the Texas conference, but he, his vestry and a number of his congregation signed the document supporting its stance.   I don’t want to leave the Episcopal church, he said. AAC is simply making a stand for those who are orthodox in the Episcopal church.     To reach JESSICA ALLEN: 540/368-5036 jiallen@freelancestar.com   1/9/2004   END

Editorial from New Hampshires Union Leader     ON THE SUBJECT of abortion, General Wesley Clark simply has no idea what he is talking about. He is in over his head. Worse, his ignorance has led him to an abominable conclusion.     In an interview with The Union Leader on Wednesday, Clark said that life begins with the mother’s decision. He said he would place no restrictions on abortion even up to the moment of birth. He went on to say that neither science nor religion nor law has any role to play in abortion decisions.   He then added that judges must uphold existing law on abortion. But existing law restricts a mother’s right to choose by placing limits on when a baby can be killed. So Clarks own views are inconsistent with the law and with the majority of Americans on both sides of the issue.     Asked whether he would appoint a judge who happened to hold pro-life views, Clark first said he had no litmus test for the federal bench. Shortly after the interview ended, he phoned back to say he would never appoint a pro-life person as a federal judge because people with pro-life views cannot be trusted to uphold existing law.     Well. That automatically eliminates every traditional Catholic from qualification for the federal bench. It also eliminates many Jews and untold numbers of Muslims, many of whom believe that abortion is proscribed either completely or before a certain point in the pregnancy.     If pro-lifers are not to be trusted to uphold Roe v. Wade as judges, we suppose they also aren’t to be trusted with writing the laws or administering the federal government, which means that they should never be elected to any federal office. Sorry, Catholics, you’re just too nutty to be given the reins of government.     Partial birth abortion is a practice that almost all Americans, even pro-choicers, find disgusting and repugnant. General Clark apparently does not, as he would allow abortions up to the very moment of birth.     Medical science has found that babies in the womb feel pain and are even aware of what is happening to them during some of the second trimester, in which the law allows them to be killed. Technology has advanced to the point that abortable babies now can survive outside the womb. None of this sways Clark to consider that perhaps it might be wrong to kill these infants. And that sways us to consider that Clark is either too ill-informed or too cold-hearted to be trusted with the Presidency.   END

First Report By Auburn Faber Traycik The Christian Challenge January 9, 2004     IT WAS CALLED as a follow-up to Octobers Dallas (Plano) meeting—where some 2,700 conservative Episcopalians gathered to stand for the faith and seek a way forward after the watershed Episcopal General Convention--but its registration has well exceeded that of the Texas confab.   Welcome to Plano-East! the Rev. John Guernsey, rector of All Saints Church, Woodbridge, Virginia, near Washington D.C., told the enthusiastic congregation assembled this evening at Woodbridge’s huge Hylton Memorial Chapel. The January 9-10 gathering, meeting under the theme A Place to Stand, A Call to Mission is being sponsored by the Virginia and Washington chapters of the American Anglican Council (AAC).   We are nearly 3,000 strong, Guernsey said, with bishops, clergy, laity and seminarians, persons of all ages, from 45 dioceses in 25 states including, praise God, New Hampshire home to Vicky Gene Robinson, the actively gay cleric the August General Convention approved as the states next bishop.     The turnout is the more remarkable considering that there was less lead time or publicity for  Plano-East agreed AAC media officer Bruce Mason.     IT SEEMS A GOOD GAUGE of the gathering strength of the nascent Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, the movement of North American faithful that started to take shape in the wake of the conventions endorsement of Robinson and of optional same-sex blessings. While the actions capped some 25 years of liberal revisionism in the Episcopal Church(ECUSA), they were for many the most biblically clear-cut. Because they defied what the vast majority of Anglicans see as the plain teaching of scripture--teaching repeatedly affirmed by Anglican leaders in recent years--ECUSAs decisions, and the subsequent consecration of Robinson, have led to a crisis and breakdown in communion across the global church.     We are here to worship Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life and to gather and unite around His leadership, Guernsey said in his welcome address to Plano-East.. We are here for solid biblical teaching, for fellowship and mutual encouragement to offer hope to the next generation, and to gain insights into Anglican realignment and the emerging Network, due to be formally inaugurated January 19-20 in Plano, Texas.     We are here to pray for our broken church he went on. We are not here because of what we are against, but of what we are for the transforming love of Christ, he said. He welcomed any persons present who may disagree with the AAC.   The evenings gathering and worship had begun with robust, foot-tapping praise songs, and, after Guernsey’s remarks, led into the Eucharist service, with Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan preaching and celebrating.   In his moving sermon, Duncan elucidated obvious parallels between the situation of ECUSA conservatives and the gospel for the day, the story of Jesus walking on the water, and Peters attempt to walk out to Him. The disciple began to sink when he became afraid and looked away from Jesus. The scripture says the Lord reached out his hand and caught him. `You of little faith, he said, ` why did you doubt? And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him...   Saturdays session will begin with Morning Prayer and Bible study led by the Rev. Dr. John Yates, rector of the Falls Church in Virginia. Among others featured on the program Saturday will be the Rev. Kendall Harmon, Canon theologian of the Diocese of South Carolina; the Rev. Canon Martyn Minns, rector of Truro Church, Fairfax, Virginia; Diane Knippers, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy; A Hugo Blankingship Jr., Chancellor of the AAC; the Rev. Thomas W.S. Logan Jr., rector of Calvary Church, Washington, Andrew C. Pearson, director of AACs Affiliates Ministry   Auburn Traycik is Editor of The Christian Challenge

by Pat Ashworth CHURCH TIMES     THE Church of England’s Bishops will look at a draft report on women bishops this month, at its first meeting of 2004, but it is likely to be the end of the year before anything is published. A motion before the Synod in July 2000 asked the Bishops to initiate further study on the episcopate focusing on the issues that need to be addressed in preparation for the debate on women in the episcopate in the Church of England and to make a progress report on this study to Synod in July 2002     No View from Rochester   The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, who chairs the working group, would make no comment this week in advance of the Bishops meeting.     His chaplain, Canon Chris Stone, said on Monday that all options for the future were being examined in the draft report. It is setting out the issues rather than trying to answer them, he said. The document had no official status, and the House of Bishops could send it back to the working group to ask for more work to be done.     Speculation is centred on the possibility of creating of a third province in England to accommodate those opposed to women bishops. The Archbishop of Canterbury is on record as looking with some sympathy on the option.     Dr Williams told the Church Times in an interview before his election as Archbishop was confirmed: You can’t indefinitely perpetuate a situation in which, in one body, the ministry of some is regarded wholly negatively (29 November 2002).       Scots view   The Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church voted in June 2003 to admit women to the episcopate. Women candidates are thought to be on the nominations list for the current vacancy for the Bishop of Argyll & the Isles, but are less likely to be on the shortlist, which is due to be announced in February or March.     It could well happen that a woman was nominated from the Church of England, said the Revd Alison Wagstaff, co-ordinator of the Movement for Whole Ministry, a Scottish group campaigning for women’s involvement, on Tuesday.     There was no debate on a further province or alternative episcopal oversight in the Scottish Church. We had a very strong College of Bishops, led by Richard Holloway, who were all exceedingly against any idea of flying bishops, said Mrs Wagstaff.   END

by Bill Bowder     THE Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is facing the loss of one third of its members. The 16-million-strong Southern Baptist Convention is planning to withdraw from the 48-million-strong BWA because of what it calls a leftward drift.   A key element in the rift is a report of the BWA study committee prepared for the Southern Baptist Convention by Professor Paige Patterson of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.     Southern Baptists were not being given a fair hearing, said Professor Patterson. The BWA showed a leftward drift which included an anti-American tone, continued emphasis on women as pastors, and no open discussion about abortion.     Those and a host of other facts had led to the decision not to support the BWA, as it no longer represented world Baptists, he said.     View of Germany As an example of the drift, Professor Patterson cited a meeting at which a German Baptist theologian said: I am not sure that there is any such thing as the Great Commission, but if there is I am confident that Jesus never said it.     Professor Eric Geldbach, a visiting professor at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in the Czech Republic, believes he is the theologian referred to, and claims to have been misquoted.     All your allegations are totally unsubstantiated, Professor Geldbech said in a letter to the Southern Baptist Convention’s committee chairman, Dr Morris Chapman, quoted in this week s Baptist Times. Your committee is therefore guilty of trespassing at least two commandments: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour, Lie not one to another.†Religious games The Southern Baptist Convention expects to withdraw its financial contribution — $300,000 in this current year — to the BWA by 1 October. Its president, the Revd Jack Graham, said at the end of last month: In a world full of terrorists and extremists, we do not have time to play religious games or become bogged down in the quagmire of Baptist debates. It is time for Southern Baptists to move on.†      Dr Denton Lotz, the BWA general secretary, has called the decision a sin against love. It brought schism into the life of Baptists worldwide, he said in a statement last week.     The BWA leadership had bent over backwards to accommodate the concerns of the present Southern Baptist leadership, but, alas, now to no avail he said.     What message is this schism against love sending to the non-believing world?†    Illiberalism confirmed He rejected the false accusation of liberalism made by the Southern Baptists against the BWA. It did not have a liberal agenda and it had rejected the theology of liberalism, he said.       Dr Billy Kim, president of the BWA, said that SBC had pioneered the establishment of the BWA nearly a century ago. It is essential that we remain united to fulfil the Great Commission before Christ returns.     The final decision over a split will be taken at the Southern Baptist Convention in June.     END

BY DAVE MUNDAY Of The Post and Courier Staff   PAWLEYS ISLAND--One of the biggest Episcopal churches in South Carolina voted itself out of the denomination Thursday night.     The 1,000-member congregation of All Saints Episcopal Church of Pawleys Island called a special meeting to sever ties with the Episcopal Church and amend its charter to delete references to the denomination and the Diocese of South Carolina.   The motion to amend the charter passed 464-42 and the one to sever ties 468-38. Of 507 voting members present, two stood to voice objections. What’s the rush said Guerry Green. We need to keep trying.   The denominations approval of an openly gay bishop last summer might have been the last straw, but the separation had been coming for a long time.   We’ve been feeling for years like the liberal side of the Episcopal Church USA has hijacked the church we know and love, Russ Campbell, a vestry member, said before the vote. S.C. Bishop Ed Salmon, also a vocal critic of the Episcopal Church, has been urging members to stay put while awaiting intervention from the primates of the Anglican Communion, the worldwide body of which the Episcopal Church is a member.   All Saints wants to work outside the national church. We want to work within the national church, to try to reform, Chancellor Ned Zeigler of Florence, the diocesan attorney, said before the vote.   Were all working for the same thing. It’s hard to understand why we don’t just work together.   All Saints had to leave the Episcopal Church because many parishioners were threatening to leave otherwise, Campbell said.   We are already seeing the potential for the erosion for what has been a strong and vibrant church here by not standing up for what we believe, he said. We certainly don’t want to leave the Diocese of South Carolina, which we consider not to be representative of the Episcopal Church. But how do you reconcile going along with this revisionist theology and political correctness, which is based on culture and not on Scripture?   The diocese plans to continue a three-year legal battle to regain control of the property, Zeigler said.   The canons of the Episcopal Church say that members hold the property in trust of the denomination. In other words, members can choose to leave, but they can’t take the property with them.   A judge already has ruled that the church’s deed, which is older than the denomination, invalidates the denominations claims on the property. The diocese has appealed that ruling.   Salmon recently said he will replace the leadership at All Saints, but getting a new vestry into the building may require another court order.   We’re still functioning, and we have possession of the property, Campbell said. We have a court order that says neither the diocese nor the denomination has control of the property.   Theres also the problem of who would pay the bills on the multimillion-dollar, 50-acre property if Salmon deposes the vestry, which would likely cause most of the members to leave.   That would present a plethora of interesting questions, said the church’s rector, the Rev. Tim Surratt, who is also a target for replacement. If a small minority wishes to remain, how could they pay the bills?   The local church, rather than the diocese, pays a priest’s salary, he said.   All Saints has already had two priests leave the Episcopal Church and remain at All Saints. The Rev. Chuck Murphy resigned in 2000 after becoming a bishop of Rwanda. A year later, his successor, the Rev. Thad Barnum, also became a bishop of Rwanda.   All Saints is headquarters of the Anglican Mission in America under Murphy’s leadership. The network includes about 60 congregations who have left the Episcopal Church and affiliated with the leaders of Rwanda and South East Asia.   AMIA was preceded by a movement at All Saints called First Promise. The charter document in 1997 rejected the authority of the Episcopal Church USA where it contradicts the traditional gospel and vowed to set up alternative Anglican networks where necessary.   END

The Most Reverend Frank Tracy Griswold Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA 815 Second Avenue New York, NY 10017 USA   8th January 2004     Dear +Frank,   This comes with a prayerful greeting from the Southern Cone in Jesus name.     As you can see from the attached statement, the decision of ECUSA to consecrate Gene Robinson, a person sexually active outside marriage, and to declare by resolution that same-sex blessings are in bounds has left us no choice but to recognize the situation which you have created. That is one of a profound impairment of communion.   Our deep sadness comes on two fronts. First of all, you have done what you had no right to do. You have represented as God’s blessing your promotion of an unbiblical agenda. You must know that the overwhelming majority of the people in this province view that as absolutely scandalous. Our concern is very great for those who embrace the deception you foster. Spiritually, it is a terrible place to be.     In addition, you should know that many of us in the provinces you obviously consider to be of little consequence are also deeply offended at the arrogant, strident and unilateral action ECUSA has taken. This is doubly problematic because you personally have been so critical of your own government’s failure to be collaborative in international affairs. Is stridence only a problem when you happen to disagree with the action? Could you not at least have discussed your convictions and underlying principles with your fellow primates before the final steps were taken?       With deep regret, I must also inform you that the Province of the Southern Cone is designing a process for certification of missionaries. Candidates will have to demonstrate their commitment to orthodoxy in order to be acceptable for ministry here.     Surely by now, you must see the folly of what you have done. The implications are staggering. Hardly a day goes by without international mention of more consequences.  It is my fervent hope that you will repent. The mercy of Jesus knows no limit.     I continue to pray that you will turn away from the course you have taken and turn to the faith once delivered to the saints.     With great sorrow,   +Greg     The Most Reverend Gregory James Venables Primate of the Southern Cone     ++++   To ECUSA and the churches of the Anglican Communion, from the House of Bishops of the Province of the Southern Cone of America.     In the Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.   Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.     The recent unilateral actions of the Episcopal Church in the United States (ECUSA) in consecrating a bishop who is sexually active outside marriage, and the recognition of same-sex blessings have created a deeply painful and divisive situation and devastated our Christian witness. In the light of Tradition, it reveals a misinterpretation of the clear witness of God’s Word and a deaf ear to the heartfelt pleas of the entire Communion. When the economically powerful church in America acts, it attracts worldwide attention; and despite repeated warnings, ECUSAs leaders have shown selfish indifference to the difficulties and confusion their actions have now brought this and other provinces.   Their action is a clear departure from the moral teaching, practice and common understanding of the Anglican Communion, clearly expressed by the Lambeth Conference of 1998. Following the example of Jesus we are open to all people, but we reject as sin those acts which separate us from God and from each other. ECUSAs action has forced painful division in the Communion and is a schism of their own making. Because by its precipitous action it has fomented needless division and denied the Tradition of the Church catholic, we believe that ECUSA cannot represent the Anglican Communion in any legitimate or moral sense.     As a consequence, this Province now shares only a profoundly impaired communion with ECUSA and, in faithfulness to the Word of God, we cannot accept this consecration as a valid one. Impaired communion means that we cannot share fellowship, ministry, Eucharist or gifts with those who have affirmed or participated in the consecration of Gene Robinson, nor with those who perform or permit blessings of same-sex unions outside historic Christian marriage, nor with any clergy who are sexually active outside marriage.     We give thanks to God for the bishops, clergy and laity of ECUSA who have stood firm against these unacceptable acts. We remain in full fellowship, ministry and Eucharistic celebration with them. At the same time, we are deeply concerned about increasing reports of pressure and persecution against those who hold fast to the Scriptures and the historic faith through retributive applications of canonical and secular legal procedures. Missionaries desiring to serve in our Province must reject the erroneous decisions of ECUSA and must affirm traditional scriptural norms.     It is our hope and earnest prayer that ECUSA will come to its senses, repent and turn back from its schismatic actions; but without renouncing their present position there is little hope of it. As a Province we believe institutional unity in meaningless unless it is based in the truth of the Holy Scriptures.     May God have compassion on His church.   END   *****