Bishop Howe responds to charges: Anglican Ink, July 7, 2012 July 7, 2012
Posted by geoconger in 77th General Convention, Anglican Ink, Central Florida, Property Litigation.Tags: John W. Howe, Title IV
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The Rt Rev John W. Howe
The retired Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, reports that his name was omitted from the list of signatories to the 6 July 2012 in error. He tells Anglican Ink that he has endorsed the statement given to the Presiding Bishop and stands with his colleagues in their defense — though physically absent from the convention hall in Indianapolis.
Anglican Ink has updated its detailed report on the letter to correct this mistake.
Read it all in Anglican Ink.
Central Florida elects Greg Brewer: Anglican Ink, November 19, 2011 November 24, 2011
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Ink, Central Florida.Tags: Gregory Brewer
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Bishop-elect Gregory O. Brewer
First published in Anglican Ink.
The Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida has elected a New York rector as its fourth bishop. The Rev. Canon Gregory O. Brewer was elected on the fourth ballot from among seven candidates to succeed the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe at a special convention held at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park on 19 Nov 2011.
The only clergyman from outside the diocese on the ballot, Canon Brewer led the voting from the first ballot and received a majority of lay votes by the third ballot, and won the election in the fourth round.
Speaking from New York via cell phone to the Central Florida special convention Bishop-elect Brewer thanked the convention for its support. “I’m just very excited to return to Central Florida and will pray for God’s blessings on our work together there,” he said.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Canon Brewer was educated at Lynchburg College and the Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained a deacon at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lynchburg VA, by the Bishop of Southwestern Virginia, the Rt. Rev. Henry Marmion in 1976 and priest at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Winter Park, FL by the Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. William Folwell.
He has served his curacy in the Diocese of Central Florida and later taught at the Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. He was rector of the 1800-member Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, PA in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, before moving to Calvary-St. George’s Church in downtown Manhattan. Canon Brewer is married to the former Laura Lee Williams of Orlando and they have five sons: Charles, James, Todd, Lee and Mark.
Bishop Howe presided at the opening Eucharist and Dr. Woody Anderson, Professor of New Testament at Nashotah House, gave the sermon. In his address, Dr. Anderson spoke to the charism of leadership necessary to fulfill the office of bishop and asked God’s protection for the new bishop.
In a break from past voting practices, delegates to the convention were given 20 numbered ballots. The ballots were machine readable, Canon to the Ordinary, the Rev. Ernest Bennett told the convention, and instructions were provided on how to mark the ballot so that it could be scanned.
The convention chaplain, the Rt. Rev. James Adams, resigned Bishop of Western Kansas and rector of Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church in Lecanto, FL, led the convention in prayers and hymn singing between ballots and regaled the diocese with jokes, anecdotes and puns as the ballots were counted.
There was a noticeable lack of tension in the air, clergy and lay delegates told AI. Mrs. Anneke Bertsch – a member of St John’s Episcopal Church in Melbourne – appeared to speak for many present when she said that she had been praying for some time about the election and was at peace, confident the Holy Spirit would guide the delegates.
Of the seven candidates, only Canon Brewer came from outside the diocese. The sole woman priest on the ballot – the Rev. Mary A. Rosendahl, rector of the Church of the Nativity in Port St Lucie – drew her support the liberal wing of the diocese.
The five other candidates: the Very Rev. Anthony P. Clark, dean of the Cathedral Churc of St Luke in Orlando, the Rev. R. Jonathan Davis, vicar of the Church of the Incarnation in Oviedo, the Rev. Charles L. Holt, rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lake Mary, the Rev. Timothy C. Nunez, rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Mary in Belleview, and the Rev. James A. Sorvillo, Sr., rector of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Orlando were affiliated with the “Faith Received” group – a coalition of conservative clergy and lay members of the diocese.
On the first ballot, with 249 lay and 188 clergy delegates voting, Canon Brewer polled first among both orders. The five Faith Received affiliated candidates divided the conservative vote amongst themselves. Though their combined total was enough to elect a bishop, individually their vote counts fell short with only Mr. Nunez within striking distance of the leader.
| Ballot 1 | Lay | Clergy |
| Gregory Brewer | 99 | 54 |
| Anthony Clark | 18 | 10 |
| Jonathan Davis | 12 | 9 |
| Charles Holt | 26 | 24 |
| Timothy Nunez | 45 | 33 |
| Mary Rosendahl | 25 | 35 |
| James Sorvillo | 24 | 23 |
| Total Voting | 249 | 188 |
| Needed to Win | 125 | 95 |
The second round saw a weakening of the individual totals for the Faith Received candidates, with only Mr. Nunez showing an increased vote count. After the totals were announced Mr. Davis and Dean Clark withdrew.
| Ballot 2 | Lay | Clergy |
| Gregory Brewer | 111 | 73 |
| Anthony Clark | 10 | 2 |
| Jonathan Davis | 4 | 7 |
| Charles Holt | 25 | 19 |
| Timothy Nunez | 59 | 42 |
| Mary Rosendahl | 15 | 25 |
| James Sorvillo | 21 | 22 |
| Total Voting | 245 | 190 |
| Needed to Win | 123 | 96 |
The third ballot saw Canon Brewer pass the 50 per cent mark among the lay delegates as support for the local liberal and conservative candidates moved to his corner. Following the third ballot Mrs. Rosendahl withdrew.
| Ballot 3 | Lay | Clergy |
| Gregory Brewer | 132 | 91 |
| Anthony Clark | – | – |
| Jonathan Davis | – | – |
| Charles Holt | 20 | 11 |
| Timothy Nunez | 76 | 55 |
| Mary Rosendahl | 6 | 13 |
| James Sorvillo | 15 | 15 |
| Total Voting | 249 | 185 |
| Needed to Win | 125 | 93 |
The fourth ballot saw Mrs. Rosendahl’s support move to Canon Brewer, with Mr. Nunez strengthening his totals at the expense of the remaining Faith Received candidates. However, the swing to Canon Brewer of the Rosendahl voters was enough to put him over the top.
| Ballot 4 | Lay | Clergy |
| Gregory Brewer | 141 | 110 |
| Anthony Clark | – | – |
| Jonathan Davis | – | – |
| Charles Holt | 12 | 9 |
| Timothy Nunez | 80 | 62 |
| Mary Rosendahl | – | 1 |
| James Sorvillo | 8 | 10 |
| Total Voting | 241 | 192 |
| Needed to Win | 121 | 97 |
Pending reception of the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of the Episcopal Church, Canon Brewer will be consecrated on 24 March 2012.
Backing starts to grow for the Anglican Covenant: CEN 11.06.09 p 5. November 12, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand & Polynesia, Anglican Church of Australia, Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper, Church of Ireland, South Carolina, Western Louisiana.comments closed
The Church of Ireland, the American dioceses of Western Louisiana and South Carolina and the New Zealand dioceses of Christchurch and Nelson have endorsed the Ridley-Cambridge draft of the Anglican Covenant, joining Central Florida in backing the Archbishop of Canterbury’s plan for creating a structure to manage the divisions over doctrine and discipline dividing the Anglican Communion.
On Oct 24, a special convention of the Diocese of South Carolina approved a resolution by a margin of 88 to 12 per cent that “endorses” the Anglican Covenant “as it presently stands, in all four sections, as an expression of our full commitment to mutual submission and accountability in communion, grounded in a common faith.”
Delegates to the Oct 9-10 annual convention of the Diocese of Western Louisiana also affirmed their support for the Covenant and backed Bishop Bruce MacPherson’s endorsement of the Anaheim Statement, which reaffirmed his commitment to remain part of the Anglican Communion and the Anglican Covenant process.
By a show of hands the convention adopted a resolution which “fully affirms” Western Louisiana’s “commitment to the Windsor principles, including the formation of, and future adoption of an Anglican Covenant as a means of supporting the ongoing work of our bishop and the efforts of the broader Communion to preserve our unity.”
The convention further stated that it “supports the ongoing work on the Ridley Cambridge draft including section 4.”
In his presidential address to his diocesan synod on Sept 24, the Bishop of Nelson, the Rt. Rev. Richard Ellena said the Anglican Covenant was “the Archbishop of Canterbury’s only strategy for holding the communion together.”
In September, Christchurch and Nelson took note of the actions of ACC-14 in Jamaica and stated they supported “in principle” the Covenant process and commended the Ridley-Cambridge draft “as it currently stands as the practicable means available to make the Anglican Communion Covenant process become effective in the life of the Anglican Communion.”
On Sept 15, the standing committee of the Church of Ireland’s General Synod endorsed a report created by the church’s Anglican Covenant Working Group. “Having considered Section 4 of the [Ridley-Cambridge] Draft Anglican Covenant very carefully, and bearing in mind a full range of points of view, we believe that the text of Section 4 as it stands commends itself in the current circumstances,” the working group said.
Delegates to the annual synod of the Diocese of Sydney last week also voiced their approval of the Anglican Covenant, voting on Oct 28 to ask the Anglican Church of Australia’s General Synod Standing Committee to bring the Anglican Covenant to the September 2010 General Synod “in such a manner as to enable each diocesan synod to consider the document.”
Dioceses can adopt the Covenant: CEN 10.09.09 p 5. October 23, 2009
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Dioceses and other ecclesial bodies may endorse the Anglican Covenant, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams said this week, but noted the current process is geared toward adoption of an inter-Anglican agreement by the provinces of the Anglican Communion.
In a Sept 28 letter to the Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Dr. Williams welcomed Central Florida’s endorsement of the first three sections of the Anglican Covenant.
On Sept 17 the Diocesan Board and Standing Committee affirmed the first three sections of the Ridley Cambridge Draft of the Covenant and asked Dr. Williams to “outline and implement a process by which individual Dioceses, and even parishes, could become members of the Anglican Covenant, even in cases where their Provincial or Diocesan authorities decline to do so.”
Dr. Williams responded that “as a matter of constitutional fact, the ACC can only offer the Covenant for ‘adoption’ to its own constituent bodies, (the provinces).”
“But I see no objection to a diocese resolving less formally on an ‘endorsement’ of the Covenant,” he said. Such an action would not have an “institutional effect” but “would be a clear declaration of intent to live within the agreed terms of the Communion’s life and so would undoubtedly positively affect a diocese’s pastoral and sacramental relations” with the wider communion, he wrote.
A spokesman for the Archbishop of Canterbury declined to comment, saying it was their policy not to discuss private correspondence. However, the Anglican Communion Institute—whose members include Bishop Howe and Dr. Ephraim Radner—a member of the Covenant Design Grooup—noted that Dr. Williams was not articulating any new policies in the letter.
The ACI stated it was “in complete agreement with the Archbishop of Canterbury that endorsement of the Covenant by dioceses is a way to begin to preserve and restore “pastoral and sacramental relations with the rest of the Communion.”
They noted formal endorsement and adoption of the Covenant was a matter “committed to the ‘constitutional procedures’ of the member churches” of the Anglican Communion. Given the Episcopal Church’s “unique polity, those procedures will inevitably require consideration and agreement or rejection by [its] dioceses.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury was aware that the “adoption of the Covenant works best at the provincial level,” the ACI said. However, Dr. Williams “does not prejudge whether dioceses can adopt if a province does not because that would be to prejudge the decision of provinces to commit to the accountability demanded by the Covenant as well as the character of the Covenant in its completed form,” they said.
Archbishop Says Central Florida Act a Positive Step: TLC 10.01.09 October 2, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Covenant, Archbishop of Canterbury, Central Florida, Living Church.comments closed
First published in the Living Church.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has welcomed an endorsement of the first three sections of the Anglican Covenant by the Diocese of Central Florida’s board and standing committee.
On Sept. 17, the diocesan board and standing committee adopted a resolution stating that they “affirm sections one, two and three of the Ridley Cambridge Draft of the Anglican Covenant, as we await the final draft of section four.”
Central Florida also asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to “outline and implement a process by which individual dioceses, and even parishes, could become members of the Anglican Covenant, even in cases where their provincial or diocesan authorities decline to do so.”
In a Sept. 28 letter to the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida, Archbishop Williams called endorsement from the diocesan bodies a step in the right direction. “As a matter of constitutional fact, the [Anglican Consultative Council] can only offer the covenant for ‘adoption’ to its own constituent bodies (the provinces),” the archbishop noted. But “I see no objection to a diocese resolving less formally on an ‘endorsement’ of the covenant.” Such an action may not have an immediate “institutional effect” but “would be a clear declaration of intent to live within the agreed terms of the Communion’s life and so would undoubtedly positively affect a diocese’s pastoral and sacramental relations” with the wider Communion, he said.
The resolution was offered to the board by the dean of Southeast Central Florida, the Very Rev. Eric Turner, rector of St. John’s Church, Melbourne, Fla.
Originally titled a “Resolution in Response to General Convention,” the first two clauses backed Bishop Howe’s endorsement of the Anaheim Statement issued at the close of General Convention, and reaffirmed the “teaching of the Anglican Communion” on “matters of human sexuality” [TLC, Aug. 9].
The second half of the resolution drew upon the Sept. 7 call by the bishops of Albany, Dallas, North Dakota, Northern Indiana, South Carolina, West Texas and Western Louisiana for “dioceses, congregations and individuals” to “pray and work for the adoption” of the covenant, and asked that they “endorse [its] first three sections” [TLC, Sept. 27].
Bishop Howe stated that he was aware that some believed that “only the General Convention can decide whether or not to ‘opt into’ the Covenant, but there is nothing in the Covenant itself, and nothing in our Constitution or Canons, that stipulate this. If a given person, parish or diocese agrees with the Covenant, what is there to prevent saying so?”
Bishop Howe added that “should it be that the General Convention were to ‘opt out’ of the Covenant while some of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church have endorsed or adopted it we will have a number of interesting questions to address.”
Dioceses ‘can adopt Covenant,’ says Archbishop of Canterbury: CEN 10.01.09 October 1, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Covenant, Archbishop of Canterbury, Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Dioceses and other ecclesial bodies may endorse the Anglican Covenant, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams said this week, but noted the current process is geared toward adoption of an inter-Anglican agreement by the provinces of the Anglican Communion. In a Sept 28 letter to the Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt Rev John W Howe, Dr Williams welcomed Central Florida’s endorsement of the first three sections of the Anglican Covenant. |
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| On Sept 17 the Diocesan Board and Standing Committee adopted a resolution stating, “We affirm Sections One, Two and Three of the Ridley Cambridge Draft of the Anglican Covenant, as we await the final draft of Section Four.”
The diocese also asked Dr Williams to “outline and implement a process by which individual Dioceses, and even parishes, could become members of the Anglican Covenant, even in cases where their Provincial or Diocesan authorities decline to do so.” Dr Williams responded that “as a matter of constitutional fact, the ACC can only offer the Covenant for ‘adoption’ to its own constituent bodies, (the provinces).” “But I see no objection to a diocese resolving less formally on an ‘endorsement’ of the Covenant,” he said. Such an action would not have an “institutional effect” but “would be a clear declaration of intent to live within the agreed terms of the Communion’s life and so would undoubtedly positively affect a diocese’s pastoral and sacramental relations” with the wider communion, he wrote. The resolution was offered to the diocesan board by the Dean of Southeast Central Florida, the Rev. Eric Turner, rector of St John’s Episcopal Church in Melbourne, FL. Originally entitled a ‘Resolution in Response to General Convention’, the first two clauses backed Bishop Howe’s endorsement of the Anaheim Statement issued at the close of General Convention, and reaffirmed the “teaching of the Anglican Communion” on “matters of human sexuality.” Dean Turner’s resolution was divided into two motions, and the second half drew upon the Sept 7 call by the Bishops of Albany, Dallas, North Dakota, Northern Indiana, South Carolina, West Texas and Western Louisiana for “dioceses, congregations and individuals” to “pray and work for the adoption” of the covenant, and asked they “endorse [its] first three sections.” Objections to adopting the second resolution came over the question whether it was wise to endorse the Covenant absent completion of its final section. However, when put to a vote, there were only two objections among the diocesan board, while it was passed unanimously by the Standing Committee. Bishop Howe told The Church of England Newspaper that as “Chair of the meeting I did not vote, but I fully support those who did.” He stated that he was aware that some believed that “only the General Convention can decide whether or not to ‘opt into’ the Covenant, but there is nothing in the Covenant itself, and nothing in our Constitution or Canons that stipulate this. If a given person, parish or diocese agrees with the Covenant, what is there to prevent saying so?” Bishop Howe added that “should it be that the General Convention were to ‘opt out’ of the Covenant while some of the dioceses of The Episcopal Church have endorsed or adopted it we will have a number of interesting questions to address.” “Will it be possible for individual dioceses and perhaps even parishes, to remain full ‘constituent” members of the Communion, in communion with the See of Canterbury, while other dioceses move into some kind of ‘associate’ membership, no longer in full communion with Canterbury? The Archbishop’s comments have seemed to suggest this,” he said. The Central Florida committee resolutions will now go to its January convention for further action. |
Archbishop—Covenant Adoption Limited to Provinces: TLC 9.30.09 September 30, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Covenant, Archbishop of Canterbury, Central Florida, Living Church.comments closed
The Archbishop of Canterbury has welcomed an endorsement of the first three sections of the Anglican Covenant by the Diocese of Central Florida’s board and standing committee, but said only provinces can officially adopt the covenant.
On Sept. 17, the diocesan board and standing committee adopted a resolution stating that they “affirm sections one, two and three of the Ridley Cambridge Draft of the Anglican Covenant, as we await the final draft of section four.”
Central Florida also asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to “outline and implement a process by which individual dioceses, and even parishes, could become members of the Anglican Covenant, even in cases where their provincial or diocesan authorities decline to do so.”
In a Sept. 28 letter to the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida, Archbishop Williams called the diocesan bodies’ endorsement a step in the right direction. However, he stated, “as a matter of constitutional fact, the [Anglican Consultative Council] can only offer the covenant for ‘adoption’ to its own constituent bodies (the provinces).”
The archbishop added that “I see no objection to a diocese resolving less formally on an ‘endorsement’ of the covenant.” Such an action would not have an “institutional effect” but “would be a clear declaration of intent to live within the agreed terms of the Communion’s life and so would undoubtedly positively affect a diocese’s pastoral and sacramental relations” with the wider communion, he said.
The resolution was offered to the board by the dean of Southeast Central Florida, the Very Rev. Eric Turner, rector of St. John’s Church, Melbourne, Fla. Originally titled a “Resolution in Response to General Convention,” the first two clauses backed Bishop Howe’s endorsement of the Anaheim Statement issued at the close of General Convention, and reaffirmed the “teaching of the Anglican Communion” on “matters of human sexuality.”
The second half of the resolution drew upon the Sept. 7 call by the bishops of Albany, Dallas, North Dakota, Northern Indiana, South Carolina, West Texas and Western Louisiana for “dioceses, congregations and individuals” to “pray and work for the adoption” of the covenant, and asked that they “endorse [its] first three sections.”
Objections to adopting Dean Turner’s resolution came over the question whether it was wise to endorse the covenant absent completion of its final section. However, when put to a vote, there were only two objections among the diocesan board; the standing committee passed it unanimously.
Bishop Howe said that as “chair of the meeting I did not vote, but I fully support those who did.” The committee resolutions will now go to the diocese’s January convention for further action.
The Bishop of Central Florida July 27, 2008
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The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe at the 2008 Lambeth Conference.
The Bishop of Central Florida July 19, 2008
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The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe behind the security perimeter at the start of the fifth retreat lecture given by the Archbishop of Canterbury on July 19 at the Lambeth Conference.
Presiding Bishop–no compromise: CEN 7.18.08 p 6. July 18, 2008
Posted by geoconger in Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper, House of Bishops, San Joaquin.comments closed
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has rebuffed pleas for compromise from conservatives and rejected calls for the American Church’s House of Bishops to revisit the cases of deposed Bishops John-David Schofield and William Cox, saying the matter is closed.
“I have no ability to reverse or set aside any decision of the House of Bishops, nor does the House once the meeting [of bishops] is adjourned,” Bishop Schori wrote to the Diocese of Central Florida on June 2. However, should the two bishops “wish to re-enter” the Episcopal Church and “seek reinstatement, that is eminently possible,” she said.
Central Florida and four other American dioceses have objected to the procedural irregularities used to remove the two bishops saying it violated canon law. Questions over the legality of the proceedings have dogged the Presiding Bishop after it was revealed she neglected to follow the canons governing proceedings.
A legal justification of the House of Bishops’ actions by the Bishop of Lexington, the Rt.Rev. Stacy Sauls, released last month failed to quell the objections, and failed to ease concerns the Presiding Bishop would continue to use laws created to govern the secession of clergy to the Roman Catholic church to enact her political agenda for the church.
Central Florida, South Carolina, Springfield, Western Louisiana, and Northern Indiana has asked the bishops to conform to canon law in any further proceedings. Bishop Schori has stated she will bring Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh to trial in September for violating church canons.
Requests by conservative bishops that the Presiding Bishop bring the Bishop of California, Marc Andrus, and the retired Bishop of Northern California, Jerry Lamb—who presently serves as the acting bishop of the new diocese of San Joaquin organized by National Church—have been ignored, The Church of England Newspaper was told last month.
In her letter to Central Florida, Bishop Schori stated the deposition of the two bishops did not affect their ontological status as priests, but was merely a housekeeping task to straighten out the church’s books.
The two bishops had made it “abundantly clear” they no longer regarded themselves as members of the Episcopal Church, Bishop Schori explained. “It is a necessary duty of the leadership of this Church to clarify the status of clergy who no longer regard themselves as members. That is what deposition means in cases like these.”
“It is not, and is not meant to be, punitive, but rather clarifying in regard to the person’s ability to function as a member of the clergy in this Church. We hold a theology of ordination that says it is indelible. Deposition does not affect that theological understanding,” Bishop Schori explained.
She noted that objections to the deposition proceedings could not now be raised. Central Florida and the other dioceses lacked “standing” to object as protests could only be brought by bishops “who must object, during the meeting, if they wish clarification. No one did so.”
Presiding Bishop backs US deal: CEN 2.23.08 February 23, 2008
Posted by geoconger in Archbishop of Canterbury, Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper, Dallas, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Property Litigation.comments closed
| US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has endorsed a programme of alternative Episcopal oversight brought to her by a group of conservative American bishops.
The “Anglican Bishops in Communion” seeks to meld the Primates’ Dar es Salaam pastoral council scheme with the “Episcopal Visitor” programme created by Bishop Schori in a bid to hold the fissiparous elements of American Anglicanism together until an Anglican Covenant is agreed. “This is a step forward, albeit a small one,” the Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt Rev John W Howe noted, that permits freedom of conscience for traditionalist while preserving good order in conformance to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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The Assistant Bishop of Central Florida February 10, 2008
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The Rt. Rev. Hugo Pina Lopez
Central Florida Deputy to General Convention February 9, 2008
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The Rev. Charles Holt, Rector of St Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lake Mary and deputy to General Convention.
Chancellor of Central Florida February 9, 2008
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The Hon. Council “Butch” Wooton, Jr., Chancellor of the Diocese of Central Florida
Canon to the Ordinary of Central Florida February 9, 2008
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The Rev. Canon Ernest Bennett, Canon to the Ordinary and chairman of the diocesan deputation to General Convention
President of the Union of Black Episcopalians February 9, 2008
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The Rev. Canon Nelson Pinder, DD. National President of the Union of Black Episcopalians, emeritus priest of the diocese, and deputy to General Convention
The Dean of Southeast Central Florida February 9, 2008
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The Very Rev. Eric Turner, Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Melbourne and Dean of the Southeast Deanery.
The Dean of Southwest Central Florida February 9, 2008
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The Very Rev. Scott Holcomb, Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Deland and Dean of the Southwest Deanery.
The Dean of Northeast Central Florida February 9, 2008
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The Very Rev. W. Donald Lyon, Rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Deland and Dean of the Northeast Deanery.
The Dean of Northwest Central Florida February 9, 2008
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The Very Rev. Timothy Nunez, Rector of the Church of St Mary, Belleview and Dean of the Northwest Deanery.
The Dean of Central Florida February 9, 2008
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The Very Rev. Anthony Clark, Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando. Deputy to General Convention and Secretary of the Standing Committee.
The Bishop of Central Florida February 9, 2008
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The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe
New wave of US defections: CEN 2.01.08 p 5. February 1, 2008
Posted by geoconger in Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper, Tennessee.comments closed
A new wave of parish defections has washed across the Episcopal Church with congregations in Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Central Florida quitting the national church in protest to its leftward drift.
The response to American church secessions however, has differed from past battles with a premium being placed on an amicable parting of the ways.
The new wave of defections has also come from “Windsor Dioceses”—dioceses whose leaders have been opposed to the innovation in doctrine and discipline made in recent years by the national church’s leadership.
While united in their opposition to the actions of the last two General Conventions, conservatives have been divided on what tactical programme to purse. With the breakaway groups now soliciting defections from conservative dioceses, traditionalist leaders within the Episcopal Church are concerned that turf battles over the remaining conservatives may weaken the remaining Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic witness within the Episcopal Church.
In the Diocese of Tennessee the bulk of Trinity Church in Winchester on Jan 6 quit the diocese for CANA, while the rector and members of Holy Cross in Murfreesboro announced that day they had joined the Church of Uganda.
Bishop John Bauerschmidt lamented the secessions, saying they were unnecessary as “Tennessee has on several occasions committed itself to the recommendations of the Windsor Report.” He noted that he was “committed to the Camp Allen principles of compliance with the recommendations of the Windsor Report” articulated by Archbishop Rowan Williams in his Advent letter.
The Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe told his diocesan convention on Jan 25 that eight congregations, including the diocese’s second and fourth largest parishes, were withdrawing from the Episcopal Church.
Bishop Howe told The Church of England Newspaper the last three months had been the most difficult of his life, and the negotiations had left him exhausted. However “we have done something that has not been accomplished anywhere else. We are on the best of terms with all those leaving. And we are committed to rebuilding where there have been losses.”
In his Convention address Bishop Howe stated he understood there were some who for reasons of conscience had to withdraw. “I understand that. I don’t agree, but I don’t believe we should punish them. We shouldn’t sue them. We shouldn’t depose the clergy. Our brokenness is a tragedy. The litigation that is going on in so many places is a travesty,” he said.
“And although some seem to be trying to do so, I don’t think you can hold a Church together by taking everybody you disagree with to court,” he said.
Bishop Howe: Church Litigation a Travesty: TLC 1.29.08 January 29, 2008
Posted by geoconger in Central Florida, Living Church, Property Litigation.comments closed
The Diocese of Central Florida is “poised for a new round of significant growth,” after three months of tense negotiations with clergy and lay leadership from nine congregations seeking to leave The Episcopal Church, according to Bishop John W. Howe.
At the conclusion of the diocesan convention Jan. 25-26 at St. James’ Church, Ormond Beach, Bishop Howe told a reporter for The Living Church that though exhausted, he was pleased with the negotiations.
“We are on the best of terms with all those leaving,” he said. “And we are committed to rebuilding where there have been losses.”
In his address to convention, Bishop Howe said the last three months had been the worst period of his life. However, amicable solutions had been reached with the members of the eight congregations who sought to withdraw from the diocese.
“There are those who simply have to leave The Episcopal Church for conscience sake,” he said. “I understand that. I don’t agree, but I don’t believe we should punish them. We shouldn’t sue them. We shouldn’t depose the clergy. Our brokenness is a tragedy. The litigation that is going on in so many places is a travesty. And although some seem to be trying to do so, I don’t think you can hold a church together by taking everybody you disagree with to court.”
During the business portion of the meeting, delegates passed the first reading of an amendment to Article III of the diocese’s constitution, designed to strengthen the diocese’s ties to the wider Anglican Communion.
The resolution “does not change the constitution,” the Very Rev. Eric Turner told the convention, but “clarifies what once did not need clarifying.”
Proposed by the diocesan board, the resolution appended a sentence to the constitutional article defining the diocese’s “purpose,” stating the diocese was a “constituent member” of the Anglican Communion.
The amendment defines the Anglican Communion as a “fellowship of those duly constitution Dioceses, Provinces and regional Churches in Communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding and propagating the historic Faith and Order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer.”
The Rev. Thomas C. Seitz, Jr., rector of Good Shepherd, Lake Wales, endorsed the resolution, saying it “more accurately reflects who we are and have been.”
The Very Rev. Donald Lyon objected to the amendment. He said he was a “constitutional minimalist.” As there “was not an explicit need to state this,” he counseled against adopting “unnecessary” language.
After a half hour’s debate, a roll call vote by orders was called, and the resolution passed among the clergy 89-66 and in the laity 139-91.
No agreement yet on Central Florida departure protocol: TLC 11.20.07 November 21, 2007
Posted by geoconger in Central Florida, Living Church, Property Litigation.comments closed
Following a joint meeting of the standing committee and diocesan council, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida, announced Nov. 15 that they were unable to agree upon a protocol for congregations desiring to secede from The Episcopal Church.
The rejected proposal would have permitted a departing congregation to purchase church property from the diocese provided that they made adequate provision for those members who desired to remain Episcopalians and participated in a parish discernment process devised and supervised by the diocese.
The diocese’s special task force on property would seek to revise the document, Bishop Howe said, for reconsideration at a joint meeting on Dec. 13.
Participants to the joint meeting were able to agree on the language of a proposed amendment to the diocesan constitution for consideration at the annual convention to be held Jan. 25-26, 2008, at St. James’, Ormond Beach. The proposed revision to Article 3 of the diocesan constitution would delete a statement that the diocese gives an unqualified “adhesion” to the constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church.
The proposed revision states that Central Florida is a “constituent member of the Anglican Communion, a fellowship of those duly constituted dioceses, provinces, and regional churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding the propagating the historic faith and order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer. So long as The Episcopal Church is the constituent member province of the Anglican Communion with rightful jurisdiction in this country, the Diocese of Central Florida declares its adhesion to the same and accedes to its constitution and canons.”
The proposed revision to the constitution passed the joint meeting on a unanimous voice vote.
Published in The Living Church
Archbishop’s letter to Florida prompts mixed reactions: CEN 11.02.07 p 7. November 1, 2007
Posted by geoconger in Archbishop of Canterbury, Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper, Ecclesiology.comments closed
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s letter to the Bishop of Central Florida on the ecclesiology of the Church has sparked mixed reactions in the United States. Liberals have roundly condemned the letter, while conservatives have offered mixed responses, breaking along church party lines.
The Episcopal Church’s national hierarchy has remained silent in the wake of the Oct 14 letter, and at this week’s meeting of the Church’s Executive Council, no public discussion on the implications of the letter took place.
Immediate reactions from the left to the letter were sharp. The Rev. Nigel Taber-Hamilton, a deputy to the Episcopal Church’s General Convention and a frequent contributor to the discussion list for the church’s bishops and deputies called the letter a “great betrayal.”
“Any respect I have been able to maintain for Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and any hope for the survival of the Anglican Communion as we currently know it, died,” he stated.
Canon Mark Harris of Delaware, a member of the Church’s executive council and respected liberal commentator noted that Dr. Williams’ “comments to Bishop Howe, however pastoral they might have been, increase the thin and wispy, and perhaps irrelevant, character of the Communion.”
From the right the Anglo-Catholic diocese of Fort Worth welcomed Dr. Williams’ letter finding in it a support in its battle with the national church. Citing Lambeth Palace’s clarifying statement that “the diocese is more than a ‘local branch’ of a national organization,” Fort Worth commented: “Clearly, provincial alignments are intended for the benefit of the dioceses, and not the reverse.”
“As the realignment of the Anglican Communion continues to unfold and take shape in the months ahead, we pray for the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit for all those who seek truth and unity in Jesus Christ, and we urge that such separations as must take place may be accomplished without rancor and litigation,” the diocesan leadership stated.
Evangelical leader, Prof. Stephen Noll, however warned the letter “asserts the primacy” of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the primates. It advances a theory that “being Anglican in the fullest sense means being in communion with Canterbury, which is no doubt what he considers an essential of ‘Catholic’ ecclesiology.”
By giving primacy to “Catholic ecclesiology”, Prof. Noll argued, Dr. Williams was privileging process over substance, and “ignoring the actual culture and polity of The Episcopal Church” in its relations with traditionalists.
A spokesman for the Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh told The Church of England Newspaper the Anglican Communion Network viewed Dr. Williams’ comments with interest, but noted at this late stage of the Anglican crisis it would not sway many minds.
Archbishop’s Letter Angers Liberals: CEN 10.26.07 p 1. October 24, 2007
Posted by geoconger in Archbishop of Canterbury, Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper, Ecclesiology.comments closed
The Diocese, not the national church or province, is the primary ecclesial entity within the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury has stated in a letter written to an American bishop.
Dr. Williams’ elucidation of his views on the ecclesiology of the Communion has sparked outrage from liberals in the US, who have condemned the letter as undermining the special “polity” of the Episcopal Church. The letter has also prompted conservatives to rethink plans for secession, as the letter shifts the political dynamic within the American church by undermining the importance of left’s long march through the Church’s central administrative apparatus.
However a spokesman for Dr. Williams told The Church of England Newspaper the letter was not an ex cathedra statement but a pastoral response to a particular local situation that broke no new ground.
On Oct 14 Dr. Williams sent an email to the Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, in response to a note outlining the strife within his conservative evangelical diocese.
Dr. Williams told Bishop Howe traditionalist secessions from traditionalist dioceses were misguided. Central Florida’s place within the Communion was not at risk, he said.
“Any Diocese compliant with Windsor remains clearly in communion with Canterbury and the mainstream of the Communion, whatever may be the longer-term result for others in The Episcopal Church,” he said.
“The organ of union with the wider Church is the Bishop and the Diocese rather than the Provincial structure as such,” Dr. Williams said.
“Separatist solutions” would weaken “that basic conviction of Catholic theology and in a sense treating the provincial structure of The Episcopal Church as if it were the most important thing.”
“The Bishop and the Diocese” were the “primary locus of ecclesial identity rather than the abstract reality of the ‘national church’,” he said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury urged traditionalists to hold fast.
“Action that fragments their Dioceses will not help the consolidation of that all-important critical mass of ordinary faithful Anglicans in The Episcopal Church for whose nurture I am so much concerned. Breaking this up in favour of taking refuge in foreign jurisdictions complicates and embitters the future for this vision.”
While noting the stresses the current environment had placed on faithful priests, Dr. Williams called upon the Central Florida clergy to exercise discipline and obey their bishop.
“Priests in a diocese such as yours ought to maintain their loyalty to their sacramental communion with you as Bishop,” he said.
A statement issued by Lambeth Palace clarified Dr. Williams’ email, explaining it was “neither a new policy statement nor a roadmap for the future but a plain response to a very urgent and particular question about clergy in traditionalist dioceses in TEC who want to leave TEC for other jurisdictions.”
“A priest is related in the first place to his/her bishop directly, not through the structure of the national church; that structure serves the dioceses,” the statement said.
Archbishop Williams’ Letter ‘Not a Roadmap for the Future’: TLC 10.23.07 October 23, 2007
Posted by geoconger in Archbishop of Canterbury, Central Florida, Ecclesiology, Living Church.comments closed
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Oct. 14 letter to Bishop John W. Howe of Central Florida was not a statement of Anglican Communion policy but a particular response to a local situation.
In a formal statement released on Oct. 23, Archbishop Rowan Williams said the letter “was neither a new policy statement nor a roadmap for the future but a plain response to a very urgent and particular question about clergy in traditionalist dioceses in TEC who want to leave TEC for other jurisdictions, a response reiterating a basic presupposition of what the Archbishop believes to be the theology of the Church.
“The primary point was that – theologically and sacramentally speaking – a priest is related in the first place to his/her bishop directly, not through the structure of the national church; that structure serves the dioceses. The diocese is more than a ‘local branch’ of a national organisation,” the statement noted.
Archbishop Williams responded to a note from Bishop Howe concerning strife within the diocese. Nine congregations have entered into formal secession talks with Bishop Howe, in response to what they see as The Episcopal Church’s rejection of traditional Anglican doctrine and discipline.
Archbishop Williams told Bishop Howe traditionalist secessions from traditionalist dioceses were misguided. Central Florida’s place within the Communion was not at risk, he said.
“Any diocese compliant with Windsor remains clearly in communion with Canterbury and the mainstream of the Communion, whatever may be the longer term result for others in The Episcopal Church,” Archbishop Williams wrote. “Those who are rushing into separatist solutions” were “weakening that basic conviction of Catholic theology and in a sense treating the provincial structure of The Episcopal Church as if it were the most important thing.”
The Archbishop’s letter offered a theological rationale for conservatives to hold fast and not quit the church. “The organ of union with the wider church is the bishop and the diocese rather than the provincial structure as such,” according to Archbishop Williams.
“Dr. Williams is clear that, whatever the frustration with the national church, priests should think very carefully about leaving the fellowship of a diocese,” according to the statement. “The provincial structure is significant, not least for the administration of a uniform canon law and a range of practical functions. Dr. Williams is not encouraging anyone to ignore this, simply to understand the theological priorities which have been articulated in a number of ecumenical agreements, and in the light of this not to increase the level of confusion and fragmentation in the church.”
Published in The Living Church.
Bishop John W. Howe: CFE Jan 2006 June 30, 2007
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Album (Photos), Central Florida, Central Florida Episcopalian.comments closed
The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida preaching at the consecration of the new sanctuary of Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach on Dec 15, 2005. This photo was first published in the Central Florida Episcopalian in the Jan 2006 issue.
Archbishop Gomez and Bishop Howe: CEN 5.25.07 p. 7. May 25, 2007
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Album (Photos), Anglican Communion, Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper, Church of the Province of the West Indies, Human Sexuality --- The gay issue.comments closed
Bishop John W. Howe of Central Florida and Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the West Indies, Canterbury Conference Center, Oviedo FL May 15, 2007. This photo first appeared in The Church of England Newspaper on May 25, 2007 with the story:
Episcopal Church Mishandled the Debate on Human Sexuality: CEN 5.25.07 p. 7.
Episcopal Church Mishandled the Debate on Human Sexuality: CEN 5.25.07 p. 7. May 25, 2007
Posted by geoconger in Central Florida, Church of England Newspaper, Human Sexuality --- The gay issue, The Episcopal Church.comments closed
The Episcopal Church has mishandled the debate on human sexuality by misleading the Anglican Communion about its intentions to regularize gay bishops and blessings, the Primate of the West Indies said on May 15. By placing autonomy above unity it has brought the Anglican Communion to the brink of collapse Archbishop Drexel Gomez told the clergy of Central Florida.
Archbishop Gomez criticized the leadership of the Episcopal Church for not being entirely straight forward with the Communion. “You just cannot have collegiality” he explained, “if when you meet with your colleagues you don’t share.”
He also chided the African-led missionary jurisdictions, the AMiA and CANA, operating in the United States, saying they were an unfortunate “anomaly.”
It was “most unfortunate” that the Episcopal Church had hid its intentions to regularize gay bishops and blessings, Archbishop Gomes said, as it had not seen “fit to share with the rest of the Anglican Communion what it intended on doing.”
During the 2003 Primates Meeting in Gramado, Brazil “we had a long discussion on this business of [gay] blessings and same-sex unions,” he said. But at “no time during the meeting, did [US Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold] even indicate that a situation was developing in the Episcopal Church that would lead to the consecration of Gene Robinson.”
“It is not good enough as Frank [Griswold] had said that The Episcopal Church has been wrestling with this issue for 30 years and the spirit has led them to this decision. We were unaware of the problem. It must be a shared discernment if we belong to the body,” Archbishop Gomez said.
ACC-13 in Nottingham was the “first time any presentation had been made by The Episcopal Church” on these issues, he argued.
At the 2003 emergency Primates Meeting at Lambeth Palace, “We said unanimously, including Frank Griswold, if The Episcopal Church were to proceed with the consecration of Gene Robinson that it would tear the fabric of the Communion. And yet it proceeded and the fabric has been torn,” he said.
The consecration of Gene Robinson was “the first time in the history of Christendom that someone has been made a bishop who could not function as a bishop,” Archbishop Gomez argued. “Theologically I do not consider him to be a bishop,” he said.
Bishop Robinson’s episcopal ordination was an example of Augustine’s argument Archbishop Gomez stated that “a sacrament could be valid but non efficacious.” He “has been sacramentally ordained, validly ordained as a bishop, but he cannot function as a bishop in most of the Anglican Communion.”
Archbishop Gomez stated he was also “very concerned” about the formation of rival Anglican jurisdictions in the United States under the sponsorship of overseas primates. These “new groupings are anomalous in Anglicanism” he told Central Florida, adding “I tried hard at the last Primates Meeting to find an answer to that” difficulty, which “complicates the situation.”
One of the triumphs of the Tanzania Primates Meeting, he said, had been the agreement made by the interventionist primates to turn over their US jurisdictions to an international pastoral council. “We got them to the point where they would stop. This was not easy to achieve,” he said.
“I thought the House of Bishops would jump at the opportunity” to end foreign interventions, but they “wouldn’t look at it.” The rejection of the pastoral council by the House of Bishops now makes it “twice as difficult to get this back on the table,” Archbishop Gomez said.
He also stated the Dar es Salaam Communiqué was the first statement by the Primates where each was asked to give their personal assent. At prior meetings “we worked by consensus in our decisions,” but Archbishop Williams “felt that the decision was so important, so critical” that all should be polled for their views.
“Individually [Archbishop Williams] went around and individually every person said yes [to the Communiqué]. [Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori] said yes, but said it would be a difficult sell, but she would try.” The question put to the Presiding Bishop was whether she accepted the communiqué, “and Katharine agreed to the proposal.”
Archbishop Gomez did not expect a decisive response from the House of Bishops to the September 30 deadline for compliance to the Primates’ Communiqué. “On the basis of past actions, certainly over the past ten years, I would presume that the Episcopal Church would seek someway of fudging it. And that would be a consistent pattern,” he stated.
He told the gathering that he had suggested a September 30 deadline for a response from the House of Bishops. “The intention was to give them two full meetings” before an answer was due, although Archbishop Williams had pressed for more time.
The Episcopal Church “will have to make a decision” whether it will remain part of the Anglican Communion. “The official Episcopal Church speaking through its General Convention places autonomy over its mission. That is the reality we have to face in the Communion,” Archbishop Gomez said.
Florida Bishops Speak out Concerning Terry Schiavo: TLC 3.29.05 March 29, 2005
Posted by geoconger in Abortion/Euthanasia/Biotechnology, Central Florida, Living Church, Southeast Florida.comments closed
As Terry Schiavo was clinging to life in a Pinellas Park hospice, two Florida bishops have written to their dioceses offering moral guidance and presenting questions about ethics and the law at the end of life.
In an Easter pastoral to the Diocese of Southeast Florida, the Rt. Rev. Leo Frade wrote Floridians were “challenged by the reality of death in the suffering of a family facing the death of their spouse, daughter and sister. Terri Schiavo is our neighbor, a fellow-Floridian, and our sister in Christ.”
Recounting the medical and legal rationale that led to the court-ordered withdrawal of food and water from Mrs. Schiavo, Bishop Frade expressed his sympathies, writing he had “encountered such a tragic and painful moment myself, at the deathbed of my comatose mother, when my sister and I were forced to decide whether to continue care or to accept our mother’s condition as irreparable.”
Christians, he wrote, must hold firm to the “belief in the sanctity of each human life as a cherished creation of God, but we must reject an attitude that disregards the inevitability of physical death. Our Easter faith assures us that the death of the body is not the end of life.”
Endorsing the decisions of the 1991 General Convention on euthanasia (AO93), he rejected the practice as being contrary to Christian teaching, but noted “there is a difference between allowing a terminally ill person to die of natural causes, even by withholding or withdrawing of heroic and extraordinary life-sustaining treatments, and the initiating of actions that will cause someone’s death. I believe that allowing death to take its course is morally appropriate when death is inevitable and will obviously be the natural outcome.”
Bishop Frade criticized the intervention of the United States Congress in the Schiavo case, saying, “the family should be the proper context for decision-making in this type of determination, and that the government should not intrude in even a surrogate role.”
The courts and not the legislature, he argued was the “proper vehicle” to safeguard individual rights as “the intrusion by politicians is extremely inappropriate.”
Bishop Frade urged the clergy to encourage their parishioners “to provide for advance written directives concerning medical treatment and durable powers of attorney, setting forth medical declarations that make known a person’s wishes concerning the continuation or withholding or removing of life sustaining systems.”
In a letter to his clergy written on Good Friday, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe wrote that he had been criticized for not having commented previously on this current American tragedy. “I have been damned and threatened with hell-fire,” he wrote, “because I have not spoken out on behalf of ‘saving Terri’s life.’”
Noting “the vast majority of Americans say they would not want their lives prolonged if they faced the circumstances Terri faces,” Bishop Howe, a past president and chairman of the board of NOEL, the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life, stated “my sympathies are overwhelmingly on the side of life — for the very young, the very old, and those who at every stage of life cannot defend themselves.”
The courts, he wrote, “have declined to intervene or command the reinsertion of her feeding tube. This is not because of an ethical consideration on their parts but because of legal considerations.”
“Terri’s gift to this nation could be,” Bishop Howe wrote, “that we explore in the fullest detail the numerous ethical and legal questions that her case, and thousands of cases like it, raise.”
Noting his unease with the roll of Mrs. Schiavo’s husband and the conflict within her family, Bishop Howe asked, “how do we decide who makes life-and- death decisions for a deeply disabled person? If there is the kind of ambiguity we see in Terri’s case, shouldn’t we always come down on the side of life?”
Absent a living will, how do we determine a person’s wishes regarding end-of-life issues?” Bishop Howe asked. And “if the decision becomes not to sustain (artificially) life, how do we best ensure that death will be as painless as possible?”
The 1998 Lambeth Conference addressed several of the issues raised by the Schiavo affair. Conference Resolution 1.14 defined “euthanasia” as “the act by which one person intentionally causes or assists in causing the death of another who is terminally or seriously ill in order to end the other’s pain and suffering.”
“Euthanasia”, the bishops noted, “is neither compatible with the Christian faith nor should be permitted in civil litigation.”
In subsection D of the resolution they wrote the conference “distinguishes between euthanasia and withholding, withdrawing, declining, terminating excessive medical treatment and intervention, all of which may be consistent with Christian faith in enabling a person to die with dignity. When a person is in a permanent vegetative state, to sustain him or her with artificial nutrition and hydration may be seen as constituting medical intervention.”
In a bow to the rapid increases in medical knowledge the bishops chose not to define what a “permanent vegetative state” was.
Read it all in The Living Church.
Four U.S. Bishops Endorse Call for Repentance: TLC 9.21.04 September 2, 2004
Posted by geoconger in 74th General Convention, Central Florida, Dallas, Living Church, South Carolina, Southwest Florida.Tags: church discipline, homosexuality
comments closed
First printed in The Living Church magazine.
The bishops of Dallas, South Carolina, Central Florida and Southwest Florida have endorsed an international proposal calling for the expulsion of the Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion unless it repents within two years of the decisions taken by the 74th General Convention.
The Rt. Rev James M. Stanton, Bishop of Dallas; the Rt. Rev. Edward Salmon, Bishop of South Carolina; the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida; and the Rt. Rev. John Lipscomb, Bishop of Southwest Florida, were joined by overseas and U.S. bishops and other church leaders in endorsing a submission prepared by the Anglican Communion Institute (ACI) to the Lambeth Commission on Communion (LCC) titled “Drawing the Line.”
“Drawing the Line” calls for a “clear and publicly recognized distinction between the continuing Anglican Communion and those provinces whose witness diverges from the Communion.”
The Episcopal Church “must therefore be seen and known to be a quite separate church or denomination” from Anglicanism. The consequences of the August votes by the 74th General Convention affirming the election of a partnered homosexual priest as Bishop of New Hampshire and recognizing rites for the blessing of same-sex unions have become “too literally, a ‘life and death’ issue” for Churches in the developing world and in Muslim majority countries, the paper averred.
The document states that neither the Episcopal Church nor the Anglican Church of Canada should be permitted to “use the label ‘Anglican’ in a way that identifies them as part of the Anglican Communion.” The paper argues that should the two churches desire a continuing relationship with Canterbury, it “must be of a qualitatively different kind from that which Canterbury will maintain with (what will become) the continuing Communion.”
The signatories ask that a démarche be given by the primates to General Convention that declares the Episcopal Church has “entered a period of restorative discipline, the purpose of which is to provide time for your reconciliation to the larger Communion and its teaching.” This discipline “will come into force with immediate effect” for “up to 2 years” and failure to recant would be “taken as a clear and conscious signal that you yourselves are unwilling to continue as constituent members of the Anglican Communion.”
Conger 
