California Church Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court

California Church Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court

St. James’ Anglican Church, Newport Beach, Calif., announced today that it will file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in its dispute with The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Los Angeles.

“The constitutional issues St. James’ will raise before the U.S. Supreme Court go far beyond St. James’ or even the Episcopal Church,” the legal team for the congregation said in a news release. “Every local church, temple, synagogue, parish, spiritual center, congregation, or religious group is possibly at risk of losing its property upon a change of religious affiliation. As a result, religious freedom is suppressed, as those who have sacrificed to build their local religious communities are now at risk of having their properties taken based on some past, current or future spiritual affiliation.”

The congregation of St. James’ voted overwhelmingly to leave The Episcopal Church in 2004, and in 2005 a judge in Orange County Superior Court ruled in favor of the congregation, striking the complaint brought by the Diocese of Los Angeles. The diocese appealed, however, and in 2007 an appellate court reversed the lower court ruling. The congregation appealed to the California Supreme Court which found in favor of the diocese in January 2009. The state supreme court ordered the case be returned to the lower court for trial with new instructions. That case has not yet begun.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear only a small percentage of the appeals made to it. In its release, the St. James’ legal team believes its appeal stands a good chance of being heard in part because there are dozens of church property cases in various state courts, and the local laws regarding the handling of these cases are contradictory.

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/5/5/california-church-appeals-to-us-supreme-court

Sudan: Anglican Head Warns Nation Could Return to War

Sudan is in real danger of sliding back to war, according to the head of the Anglican Church in the Eastern African nation.

On Monday, Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, Primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, wrote a passionate letter to representatives of the international community in the country appealing for their increased support for implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the civil war in 2005.

He said he had recently toured many parts of South Sudan and witnessed first-hand the suffering of the people due to growing insecurity.

"In the Church's opinion, this is the biggest problem in Sudan today, and prevents any further material or economic development, as well as the free and fair elections desperately needed in February 2010 and the referendum on Southern secession scheduled for 2011," the archbishop said.

In Western and Central Equatoria provinces, the people are under attack from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), rumoured to be supported by certain people within Sudan. A large number of civilians in Eastern Equatoria, Lakes and Jonglei states are armed, the prelate said.

The proliferation of modern weapons has also worsened tribal conflicts over cattle and grazing rights.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/200905050756.html

Zimbabwe: Bakare Steps Down As Anglican Bishop for Harare

RETIRED Bishop Sebastian Bakare leaves his post as Bishop of the Anglican Church's disputed Harare Diocese following the appointment of Reverend Canon Dr Chad Gandiya as the new leader of the Province of Central Africa.

Bishop-elect Gandiya is expected to take up the post in July this year.

Addressing a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Rtd Bishop Bakare said he was leaving the post since he was appointed on an interim basis.

"As a bishop I am passing on the responsibility.

"I was here on a caretaker basis until another bishop was found," he said.

He said he had been disturbed by the battles for control of the diocese that had raged during his tenure.

"I fathered this diocese . . . I shepherded this diocese so I was looking after its sheep," he said.

Bishop-elect Gandiya, who was trained as a priest in Harare, is currently based in the United Kingdom where he has worked as a lecturer at Birmingham University, among other occupations.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/200905050069.html

California Court Rules Against Bishop Schofield

The Episcopal Church has prevailed on all issues in its dispute with the former leadership of the Diocese of San Joaquin, according to a tentative ruling for summary judgment issued May 4 by a Fresno County Superior Court judge.

Oral arguments are scheduled for tomorrow, but the summary judgment indicates that the judge intends to rule in favor of The Episcopal Church, barring unforeseen developments.

“The documents are clear,” according to the ruling. “Only the 'Bishop' of the Diocese of San Joaquin has the right to the incumbency of the corporation originally entitled 'The Protestant Episcopal Bishop of San Joaquin, a Corporation Sole' and given the number C0066488 by the Secretary of State. Moreover, the Episcopal Church has spoken as to who holds the position of Bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin – Reverend Lamb. Defendants challenge Lamb’s election as Bishop on procedural grounds such as notice and quorum, but this court has no power to rule on the validity of the Episcopal Church’s election of its Bishops.”

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/5/4/california-court-rules-against-bishop-schofield

ACC asked to send covenant to provinces for approval

The representatives of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting here May 2-12 are considering whether to ask the member provinces of the worldwide communion of churches to sign onto the latest version of the proposed Anglican covenant.
After a 40-minute presentation May 4 by retired Province of the West Indies Archbishop Drexel Gomez, who headed the covenant drafting group, the representatives were given a draft resolution to guide their private discussions between now and May 8, when they are due to decide on a course of action. The resolution calls for sending the covenant out for adoption and asks provinces to report by December 2014 "on the progress made in the processes of adoption and response to the covenant."

The resolution came to the ACC representatives from the Joint Standing Committee of the ACC and the Primates, or leaders, of the communion's churches. That committee met in Kingston last week before the ACC meeting.

In presenting the resolution, Diocese of Brisbane Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, said, "Archbishop Drexel has left us with no doubt that there is no matter that will come before us this week that is more important than the question of the covenant," adding that a "solemn responsibility" had fallen on the ACC.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_107307_ENG_HTM.htm

Uganda primate protests decision to disallow delegate to ACC

The primate of the Anglican Church of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi, has written a strongly-worded letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, protesting the decision by the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) not to allow an American priest who was appointed as the clerical representative of the Ugandan church to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting here.

Archbishop Orombi called the decision “unjust, unbiblical, unconstitutional, …short of imperialistic,” and appealed to Archbishop Williams in his capacity as president of the ACC “to help the Joint Standing Committee understand the limits of their authority.”He asked Archbishop Williams to recognize the appointment of Philip Ashey, a former priest of The Episcopal Church, who is now the chief operating officer of the Anglican American Council (AAC). The AAC is part of the Common Cause Partnership, which is advocating for recognition as a separate province in North America.

The JSC of primates and the ACC said on May 1 that it was “not satisfied” with the qualification of Mr. Ashey because his relationship with the Ugandan church was “a result of cross-provincial intervention,” Canon Kenneth Kearon, Anglican Communion secretary general, told a press briefing.

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/uganda-primate-protests-decision-to-disallow-delegate-to-acc/?cHash=f2d44f64bd

Church briefs PM on chaos besetting Harare diocese

The Anglican Church on Monday briefed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on the chaos currently besetting the church in Zimbabwe in which ex-communicated Bishop Nolbert Kunonga is allegedly clinging to the church’s financial books and properties.

The regional synod, officially known as the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) and comprising Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe dioceses, told Tsvangirai that Kunonga was no longer a bishop or member of the Anglican Church as he had been ex-communicated after deciding to withdraw from the church together with Manicaland Bishop Elson Jakazi, a former army chaplain.

Albert Chama, a Zambian bishop who led the delegation that held discussions with Tsvangirai, told journalists at a press conference that the meeting with the Prime Minister was also meant to convey the church’s condolence message in the wake of the death of Susan Tsvangirai and nephew Shaun Tsvangirai.

http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=4552

Kenneth Kearon explains decision to disallow Uganda clerical delegate

Kenneth Kearon addresses the media on decision to disallow Ugandan clerical
delegate

The Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion,
addresses the media May 4 regarding the decision to disallow the clerical
delegate of the Church of Uganda to participate in the May 2-12 meeting of
the Anglican Consultative Council. Former Episcopal Church priest Philip
Ashey from Atlanta, Georgia was accepted into the Church of Uganda in 2005.

Kearon said the Joint Standing Committee concluded that his relationship
with the East African province is a result of a cross-provincial
intervention. Kearon commences his briefing with details about the upcoming
elections of the ACC's chair, vice chair, and standing committee.

video here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81231_ENG_HTM.htm

ACC-14 Press Briefing 4th May 2009

On Sunday May 3rd, the second day of the Anglican Consultative Council the laity clergy and Bishops had an opportunity to see the “big picture” of the work of the Anglican Communion. The representatives of the Anglican Communion Networks shared something of their goals, activities and plans for the future. Other Communion-wide mission initiatives were also represented in the fair-like atmosphere as many stories and experiences about mission were exchanged.

The press conference today (4th May) presented two of the Networks and a portion of their story. Dr. Jenny Te Paa from New Zealand spoke about her work on the Peace and Justice Network and the retired bishop of Canberra and Goldburn George Browning shared the story of The Anglican Environmental Network.

http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/4/ACNS4604

ACC welcomed at opening Service at National Arena Kingston Jamaicahttp://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/4/ACNS4602

Few of the close to 8000 people who attended the opening Eucharist of the Anglican Consultative Council will soon forget the incredible mixture of colour flowers music and energy that was incorporated into the Communion service.

The Service was a national event as all Anglican churches on the island closed to enable their members to attend the service which was broadcast live on television. The Governor General, political leaders interfaith representatives and ecumenical guests were all part of the processions that entered the National Arena to loud applause and welcoming shouts. Numerous drummers and two young women dancing a welcoming ceremony greeted the entrance of the Bishops of the Province of the West Indies and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Music was another unqiue feature of the service. In the welcoming notes The Right Reverend Alfred Reed, the Bishop of Jamaica and The Cayman Islands stated, “I believe the gift of music in one of God’s most precious gifts to the Caribbean…” All of the music used originated in the West Indian Church. A commissioned hymn to mark the visit of the Anglican Consultative Council spoke of diversity, fellowship, listening, arguments, respect and challenge. The peace was exchanged with the song “One Love” being sung by a favourite son of Jamaica Bob Marley.
The Good Shepherd gospel from the 10th chapter of St John was an integral part of the sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury the text and the audio podcast which are below.

http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/4/ACNS4602

Statement from the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.

The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Canon Kenneth Kearon has
issued the following statement on behalf of the Joint Standing Committee
concerning the clergy representative to the Anglican Consultative
Council from the Province of Uganda.

The matter came to light at the Joint Standing Committee meeting before
the ACC during a routine review of membership, press accreditation and
other participants at the ACC.

The Revd Philip Ashey had applied for press accreditation to the ACC
Meeting, describing himself as the 'Chief Operating Officer' of the
American Anglican Council, with an address in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Subsequently he was nominated by the Primate of the Church of Uganda as
a clerical representative for that Church to ACC in a letter dated 23rd
April 2009.

In a letter to Archbishop Orombi the Joint Standing Committee stated:

"We understand that the Revd Philip Ashey's relationship with the Church
of the Province of Uganda is as a result of a cross provincial
intervention, and note that such interventions are contrary to the
Windsor Report and other reports accepted by successive meetings of the
Instruments of Communion, including Primates' Meetings which you have
attended."

http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/4/ACNS4603

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Don't know who this is but I love the hat !

Church of England publish 'crammer's prayers' to help stressed exam students

Ooops, I thought they said, "Canmer"

The brief prayers, available to download on the Church of England's website, have been designed to look like the revision cards used by school pupils.

They are even written like a revision aid, in a clear bullet-point style, and remind students to remain calm and keep a sense of perspective.

One of the crammers prayers is written by the Bishop of Lincoln, Rt Revd John Saxbee, who is also the Chair of the Church of England Board of Education.

"Ever since I was a lad, exams have brought me out in a cold sweat. The last minute cramming, the nervous anticipation of turning over the test paper, the packed timetable of exams that never seems to have an end in sight. It all makes it easy to forget that God's plan for each of us is about much more than a test score," said Bishop Saxbee.

"I hope these prayers and assembly plans will help young people face the forthcoming tests with calm and strength, safe in the knowledge that God loves them no matter how bleak the exam timetable looks."

Bishop Saxbee's prayer reads:

Read on-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/5272717/Church-of-England-publish-crammers-prayers-to-help-stressed-exam-students.html

Archbishop calls for Anglican unity

London Times-

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has called for the schism-torn Anglican Communion to embrace forgiveness, reconciliation and justice.

Dr Rowan Williams said the Church must put itself in order so it can turn outwards and help the needy, the hungry and those nations struggling with conflict and debt. To move forward meant "letting go" of what felt safe, he said.

The Archbishop was preaching before a crowd of about 8,000 Jamaicans in that country's National Arena at the start of an Anglican conference that will prove crucial in determining the future unity of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Senior bishops, clergy and laity from the 14th Anglican Consultative Council, the Church's central policy-making body, will discuss the third or "Ridley" draft of a new covenant which all 38 provinces will be asked to sign up to in a bid to prevent further splits and damaging disputes over matters of faith, doctrine and order.

Before the Anglican worshippers in Jamaica offered each other the symbolic "peace" - a smile, handshake, hug or kiss depending on which wing of the church a worshipper attends, and done this time to the singing of Bob Marley - Dr Williams urged Anglicans to ask themselves: "Is ours a community in which there are still people in need?”

He said: "Sadly we’re still on our way to becoming a church that God wants us to be.”

He asked for prayers from the Jamaican church so that “in all we do, we may assist our Anglican family to become more deeply a community shaken by the Holy Spirit…Where we seek to create a community in which there is no needy person.”

The needs of the world go beyond food and other material things, added Archbishop Williams. “We need forgiveness. We need reconciliation. We need justice,” he said. “We need to hear from one another words of forgiveness.”

More here-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6221171.ece

ACC Meeting Starts with Credentials Flap

From the Living Church (trouble in River City!!!)

The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting in Jamaica began May 2 under protest when the credentials of the Rev. Philip Ashey, the clergy representative designated by the Church of Uganda, were rejected by the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) of the primates and the ACC.

“The Joint Standing Committee has discussed this at length,” wrote the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the ACC in a letter dated April 30 and sent to the Most Rev. Henry Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda. “We understand that the Rev. Philip Ashey’s relationship with the Church of the Province of Uganda is as a result of a cross-provincial intervention, and note that such interventions are contrary to the Windsor Report and other reports accepted by successive meetings of the Instruments of Communion, including Primates’ Meetings you have attended.” Canon Kearon was to offer a statement on the credentials situation at the conclusion of a May 4 press briefing.

Archbishop Orombi wrote to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on May 2, claiming that the JSC exceeded its authority in rejecting Fr. Ashey, because the Windsor Report and similar documents do not have the authority to override the constitution of the ACC.

“Our reasons for appointing one of our American priests to represent us as our clergy delegate are our reasons, and are not for the Joint Standing Committee to question,” Archbishop Orombi said. He added that Fr. Ashey spoke for “almost 100,000 orthodox Anglicans in North America who … will not otherwise have voice or seat at the table of the ACC … There is a double standard at work here and it favors the Western world and marginalizes Africa and others in the Global South.”

There is no primate representing Africa at the JSC meeting. Both Archbishop Orombi, who has not attended any meeting since his election in 2006, and the alternate, the Most Rev. Justice Akrofi, Archbishop of West Africa, said they have scheduling conflicts.

The seating of the clergy representative from Uganda was not the only controversial issue to arise during the opening session. Archbishop Drexel Gomez, former Archbishop of the Church of the Province of the West Indies and the chairman of the Covenant Design Group, introduced the covenant draft that is expected to be voted on during the ACC meeting. A proposed resolution calling for member churches to respond by December 2014 “on the progress made in the process of adoption and in response to the covenant texts…” drew expressions of concern. The meeting went into recess, and then went into private session after the meeting resumed.

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/5/4/acc-meeting-starts-with-credentials-flap

The Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina Withholds Consent in Forrester Election

The Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina is unable to consent to the election of the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester as Bishop of Northern Michigan for the following reasons:

1. Writings and sermons of Fr. Thew Forrester and liturgies composed by him call into serious question his understanding of and commitment to Nicene orthodoxy regarding the nature of the Trinity 1, the unique revelation of God in Christ 2, the nature and necessity of the Atonement 3, and the Virgin Birth 4.

2. An unauthorized Baptismal rite composed and used by Fr. Thew Forrester calls into serious question his sacramental understanding and judgment. Within the rite itself, the lack of the renunciations – in any remotely recognizable Christian form- represent a cutting loose from the historic moorings of Anglicanism in the catholic Tradition of the Church 5. We see this as a grave error.

3. The Episcopal office is the teaching office of the Church, therefore the consecration of a bishop is, in effect, a public teaching on behalf of the whole church. Consenting to Fr. Thew Forrester’s election would then be an endorsement of heterodox views with regard to core elements of the Faith, causing confusion and scandal among the flock, and also exacerbating rather than healing divisions within and between the Anglican Communion and the wider Body of Christ.


We recognize the Fr. Thew Forrester is the choice of the people of the Diocese of Northern Michigan and appreciate the esteem in which he is held. His election is a testimony to this esteem and his character. Further, this Diocese is keenly aware of the pain and difficulty, to say nothing of the expense, incurred by a Diocese when a Bishop–elect is denied consent. As a Standing Committee we pledge to hold Fr. Thew Forrester and Diocese of Northern Michigan in our prayers.

Unanimously Resolved – April 21, 2009

http://www.dioceseofsc.org/mt/archives/000405.html/

Bishops: Don't go near the (bottled) water

Episcopal bishops from the West have defined a new secular commandment: Stay away from bottled water, and don't bring it into the church's upcoming General Convention in Anaheim, Calif.

"We urge you to encourage delegates not to buy bottled water, but instead to bring metal or ceramic water bottles that can be refilled with tap water," said a letter signed by 12 bishops from six Western states.

The two diocesan bishops in this state, the Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel in the Diocese of Olympia and the Rt. Rev. James Waggoner in the Diocese of Spokane, signed the letter. So did a pair of other Washington-based bishops serving temporary duty in Oregon dioceses, Bishops Nedi Rivera and Sandy Hampton.

The thumbs-down on bottled water was contained in a passionate, quite political and politically correct post-Easter message on global warming and a needed response by the faithful.

"We urge you to vote for political candidates who will help our country make a swift transition to clean, safe and renewable energy," the bishops wrote.

The prelates also supported the so-called Genesis Covenant, an initiative whereby the Episcopal Church commits to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from every facility it maintains by a minumum of 50 percent in 10 years.

It is an ambitious goal, particularly for a denomination that has lost members and recently reported a drop in church attendance.

More here-

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/167949.asp

P.B. in West Texas: ‘Media Doesn’t Cover Good Things We Do’

When Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori arrived for a whirlwind visitation on April 23 in the Diocese of West Texas, she may not have expected her visit would begin with a leisurely walk near sunset along a Gulf Coast beach. But a stroll and conversation at the diocese’s Mustang Island Conference Center with diocesan Bishop Gary Lillibridge and the Rt. Rev. David Reed, Bishop Suffragan, were among the few leisurely moments during her stay.

Bishop Jefferts Schori visited several diocesan institutions and participated in two question-and-answer sessions with members of the clergy. The first stop was at Cliff Maus Village, where 260 occupants, of which half are children, live in a low-income apartment complex. Cliff Maus Village was founded and is operated by several Episcopal Churches in Corpus Christi.

The majority of Friday afternoon was spent with more than 100 clergy and lay leaders who gathered at Church of the Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi, to have a conversation with the Presiding Bishop. She began the discussion by noting the importance of having sufficient time “to see God at work,” in each other. She added that the example set by West Texas could teach the broader community that conversation has to do with where one starts.

In the question-and-answer forum that followed a Bible exercise she led, the Presiding Bishop touched on several areas of church life. Asked if she thinks it necessary for a person to be baptized before receiving Holy Communion, she replied that is what the church canons prescribe. “However,” she said, “in the ancient church it was all one – baptized and fed immediately.” She said this is a conversation that is ongoing, but “clearly our practice is one must be baptized before receiving Communion.”

More-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/5/1/west-texas

Two Prominent Episcopal Leaders Leave The Episcopal Church Citing Foundational Differences

I don't usually post from David Virtue but this is a very interesting development.

Two prominent lay Episcopal leaders, one a woman professor, the other an African American, have announced they are leaving The Episcopal Church, citing irreconcilable differences over the innovative theology and morals that are now all pervasive in the national church.

Dr. Edith M. Humphrey, William F. Orr Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, said in her letter of resignation that the foundations of The Episcopal Church and Anglicanism have been compromised and have become unrecognizable.

"After over 13 years of discernment, I will be chrismated and received into the Eastern Orthodox Church on Orthodox Pentecost, June 7th. I will be making my church home at St. George Antiochian Cathedral in Oakland (Pittsburgh)."

Humphrey said she had worked for the health of the Anglican Communion, but cited "foundational differences" in understanding the Church, the sacraments, and the place of tradition.

Humphrey attended GAFCON in Jordan and Jerusalem. She said she was encouraged by the ability of leaders with different expressions of Anglicanism to listen and to learn from each other. She said she was optimistic that the interplay between evangelicals, charismatics and Anglo-Catholics would bring about something very good.

"At the same time, I have wondered for several years about the possibility of our continuing together, given the recent developments, including the continuing autonomy of AMIA within the proposed new Province, suggestions that we can continue in parallel with TEC, Primatial statements that expressed satisfaction with the last Primates' meeting when it seems to contradict GAFCON, and continued attention to pragmatics rather than to the nature of the Church have been very problematic, in my view."

"All the while, I have been drawn for some time in a compelling manner towards the Eastern Christian tradition, and have gained deep appreciation for its apostolic claims, its ancient theologians, its healing disciplines, its sacramental spirituality and its rich liturgical tradition. Despite my temptation to stay and fight for the Anglican way, it seems clear to me now that I must go where the Lord is directing me."

More here-

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=10371

In Jamaica, thousands attend Anglican Consultative Council Opening Eucharist

From Episcopal Life Online-

The Anglican Church must challenge itself and challenge its neighbors to respond to the material and spiritual needs of the world, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams told more than 6,000 people May 3 who attended the Caribbean-flavored opening Eucharist of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting here.

Williams' message reiterated remarks he made to ACC the day before when he called for a "proper focus on theology and our mission" and called mission "one of the elements that most securely and profoundly binds us together as a communion, not just an assembly of local enterprises."

The Anglican Communion is made up of around 77 million members in 44 regional and national member churches around the globe in 164 countries. The 14th meeting of the 40-year-old council is being held in Kingston from May 2-12.

The ACC is the Anglican Communion's most representative decision-making body and includes bishops, clergy and laity. While it has no jurisdiction over the members of the communion, it makes policy, approves the Anglican Communion Office's budget and encourages the communion's members to engage together in mission and ministry.

The opening Eucharist May 3 was hosted at the National Arena in Kingston by the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and the Province of the West Indies and featured Jamaican drummers and dancers, and combined reggae music with incense-laced Anglican high-church liturgy. Deacon Garfield Campbell chanted the gospel and the congregation sang Jamaica reggae legend Bob Marley's "One Love" during the passing of the peace.

The rest is here-

http://www.episcopal-life.org/79901_107264_ENG_HTM.htm

Anglicans to decide on sending covenant out for approval

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and other Anglican leaders are to decide on whether a draft covenant aimed at uniting the worldwide Anglican Communion is ready to be sent to member churches for approval.

Anglican leaders are to make the decision on the third ‘Ridley-Cambridge’ draft during the 14th Anglican Consultative Council meeting, which began on Friday.

Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Canon Kenneth Kearon told press: “The hope is that the ACC will feel that it’s mature enough to go to the provinces.”

He stressed that it was not the role of any instrument of the Anglican Communion to decide whether to adopt the covenant but rather up to the member churches.

“I think the Covenant Design Group thinks that it has done what it can with the text and feels that it is now mature enough to be handed out to the provinces,” he said.

Mr Kearon went on to reaffirm the voluntary nature of the covenant, saying that churches would not be made to forfeit their membership in the Anglican Communion if they decided not to sign on to it, reports Anglican Journal.

“The covenant will only be operative for those who agree to sign the covenant. It becomes operative for any church soon as that church signs on to it,” said Mr Kearon.

“We’re not looking for a substantive majority – the covenant will only ever apply to those churches of the communion which decide (to sign on to it).”

Speaking at the opening plenary on Saturday, Dr Rowan Williams told the ACC meeting that he wanted them to get through “the difficult business” of the Communion’s structures so that they could move “towards a proper focus on theology and mission”.

“A proper focus on mission is one of the elements that most securely and profoundly binds us together as a Communion,” he said.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/anglicans.to.decide.on.sending.covenant.out.for.approval/23254.htm

Covenant: Is this an instrument to castrate Gafcon?

Is the Anglican Covenant an instrument to castrate conservatives, or a stick to beat liberals?

The third, Ridley draft of the Covenant is one of the main items under debate.

The future unity of the Communion depends on this instrument, to which all provinces that want to be in full communion with each other will have to sign up, and which contains the germs of a disciplinary process to penalise those who go against its fundamentally Biblical norms on doctrine and practice.

In other words, it implies that no province that wishes in future to consecrate gay bishops or bless gay marriages with an authorised liturgy, will be able to do so.

This is why, understandably, liberals in The Episcopal Church in the US are extremely wary.

Ultimately, a lot will depend on what happens at The Episcopal Church's General Convention in July. Although the Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has ruled out discussion of the covenant for another three years, giving dioceses and parishes time to debate it properly.

Rumours of attempts in July to overturn or eclipse the GenCon06's Canon BO33, which in the name of the international unity so desperately courted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, imposed a moratorium on the move to equal rights for homosexuals in the Church, will not go away.

If that happens, the Covenant process will be finished.

More here-

http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2009/05/covenant-is-this-an-instrument-to-castrate-gafcon.html

Swine flu outbreak forces churches to reconsider communal wine cup

Thousands of children will be making their first Communions in Catholic churches across the region this weekend, their first opportunity to partake in what Catholics believe is the body and blood of Christ.

But the ceremonies may not go off exactly as planned for some, as churches consider suspending the communal cup for sacramental wine, along with other precautions to stem the spread of the swine flu.

Concerns about a possible swine flu pandemic spread through Wisconsin houses of worship this week, where leaders were taking steps to educate their congregations and minimize any potential spread.

"We're using this as a teachable moment to underscore the idea that Christ is present in both" the Communion bread and the wine, said Julie Wolf of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, which issued a statement late Friday reminding pastors that they have the option not to offer communal wine as part of the sacrament of Eucharist if they see fit.

(snip)

Episcopal and Lutheran leaders said they were leaving it up to individual pastors to decide whether to use a common cup for wine.

David Pfaff, canon to the ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, issued an e-mail to pastors suggesting they remind parishioners that they have the option of dipping their consecrated host in the communal wine, or declining the wine altogether.

"We will continue to offer both and let people use their own judgment," he said.

The rest-

http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/44203067.html

Blest be the ties that bind

From The Christian Century-

While I never suffered the childhood trauma of parents getting divorced, I know as an adult what it is like to suffer with a divided family. That is because I am an Episco palian. As everyone knows—the late-night arguments and breaking of dishes have been audible since spring 2003—the Episcopal Church teeters on the edge of a breakup.

If you zoom in from the denomination level to individual parishes, you see that divorce has already occurred in many parts of the family. According to at least some of the people who have separated from the Episcopal Church, there isn't a single parish in America unaffected by the turmoil. And surely it's on the parish level that the family fight hurts the most. That is where it really comes, well, home.

A while ago someone suggested to me that the best way to choose a congregation is to ask oneself: Are these the people I want to bury me?

And I thought, Yes, there's something deeply right about that. But I have probably 20 or 30 years before my death. Will there then still be an Episcopal Church, or my particular Episcopal church, to bury me? What a shame that such a thought might be the first to occur. Children need a par ental union that will undergird their childhood, and a Chris tian needs a church that will outlive him or her.

More here-

http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=6896

Future of the Reverend Coyle remains uncertain

In his 14 years as rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, in Newport, the Rev. Lorne Coyle hosted an impressive array of dignitaries, from Queen Elizabeth II to Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Then, in 1992, he left Rhode Island to join a diocese he felt was more in tune with his conservative views on sexual morality.

Now, Father Coyle is facing an uncertain future after his public admission that he had a sexual affair with a woman not his wife over a period of many years –– starting when he was in Newport.

Until February, Father Coyle was the lead minister of Christ Church, in Vero Beach, Fla., a breakaway parish of 400 members that he and others opened in a shopping mall last July as an alternative to a 2.4-million-member denomination they felt had grown too liberal, particularly on such issues as the ordination of a gay bishop and biblical interpretation.

To further underscore their break, Father Coyle and two other priests in the new parish had transferred their allegiance from the U.S. Episcopal Church to the Anglican Church of Uganda, which had formed a special province as a way of reaching out to disaffected Episcopalians.

All appeared to be going well for the charismatic 58-year-old married priest until earlier this year, when a woman wrote to the Right Rev. John Howe, the Episcopal bishop of Central Florida, alleging that the two had had a long-running affair.

Rhode Island Bishop Geralyn Wolf, whom Howe notified as a courtesy, said Wednesday that she was not certain why the woman had decided to tell officials now. But for whatever reason, she said, an accusation of clergy infidelity is a “very serious situation and demands a clear and concise response.”

Much more here-

http://www.projo.com/news/content/wayward_priest_05-04-09_G5E7DAS_v15.341ccac.html

Plenary ACC meeting opens

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has expressed the hope that the 14th Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting will move through “some of the difficult business” involving the Anglican Communion’s structures and issues “towards a proper focus on theology and on mission.”

Speaking at the opening plenary session late Saturday afternoon, May 2, Archbishop Williams said that “a proper focus on mission is one of the elements that most securely and profoundly binds us together as a Communion.” The Anglican Communion, composed of 80 million Anglicans in 44 regional and national churches in more than 160 countries, has been deeply divided in recent years over the issue of sexuality.

A major part of what Archbishop Williams described as “quite a full agenda” is the proposed Anglican Covenant. The ACC has to decide at this meeting whether the third and final draft of the proposed common covenant should be sent to member churches of the Anglican Communion for consideration.

More here-

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/plenary-acc-meeting-opens/?cHash=fe54820999

Archbishop of Canterbury: Opening remarks to the ACC

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams delivers his opening remarks to the Anglican Consultative Council, which is meeting May 2-12 in Kingston, Jamaica.

Video here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81231_ENG_HTM.htm

ACC-14 Press Briefing 2nd May 2009

Today’s podcast the first from the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Kingston, Jamaica featured Canon Kenneth Kearon, the Secretary General of The Anglican Communion and Bishop John Paterson of Auckland, New Zealand the chair of ACC-14. They discussed the agenda of the meeting including the mission of the Anglican Communion, the Covenant for the Provinces of the Anglican Communion, the reception of the final report of the Windsor Continuation Process and how the council members will engage in the life and vitality of the local Church.

http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/3/ACNS4600

Diocese seeks legal fees

In a move an attorney for St. James Anglican Church called “threatening and bullying behavior,” the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles will try to recover attorneys fees and court costs from the church and some of its members who voted to break away from the Episcopal Church in 2004, resulting in a bitter legal battle over St. James’ Via Lido campus.

“They are doing this so no one ever dares leave the Episcopal hierarchy ever again,” said attorney Daniel Lula, who represents St. James.

Attorney John Shiner, who represents the diocese, said Friday that he didn’t know how much money his client would try to recover from St. James and individual members of its vestry, which functions like a board of directors.

“We’re doing nothing more than what we’re entitled to do legally,” Shiner said.

An Orange County Superior Court judge is slated to hear the matter May 15.

The fact that the diocese has not disclosed yet how much money it will seek from St. James and its members led Lula to speculate on Friday it will be “an obscene amount.”

“These are volunteers — it’s not like they’re the board of directors at General Electric. These are retired people, school teachers and stay-at home-moms,” Lula said.

Legal fees are bound to be high in the case, which involved a small army of attorneys.

More here-

http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2009/05/02/topstory/dpt-stjames050309.txt

Episcopal bishop asks for another trial

A defrocked Episcopal bishop is asking a church court for another trial based on newly discovered love letters related to his case.

Charles E. Bennison Jr. was ousted, or deposed, last year, after a church trial in Philadelphia found he covered up his brother's sexual assaults of a teenage girl in the 1970s.

Bennison's lawyers now say a cache of more than 200 letters between the victim and Bennison's brother contradicts witness testimony at the trial.

The attorneys also argue the letters show the victim tried to hide the relationship, making it hard for the bishop to intervene.

The motion, made public Monday, asks for the charges to be dropped or for a new trial. Church attorney Lawrence White declined comment.

http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-gl_relbriefs_05033may03,0,1746564.story