GAFCON in Three Weeks (Global Anglican Future Conference)

from RUSSEL POWEL at SYDNEYANGLICANS.NET

The Global Anglican Future Conference is just three weeks away and there are growing indications that participants will push for concrete action to be taken at the gathering.

More than 1,000 senior leaders from seventeen provinces in the Anglican Communion, representing 35 million church-going Anglicans, have registered for the meeting in Jerusalem from June 22nd to 29th.

They include 280 bishops, almost all accompanied by their wives.

More than 60 will travel from Australia including Archbishop Jensen and the five Sydney bishops, as well as Bishop David Mulready from the Diocese of the Northwest and Bishop Peter Brain of Armidale.

One of the leaders, Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda, says there’ll be an urgency about the talks.

In an interview with Anne Coletta, on the US Anglican TV, he said “ For a long time we have been spending needless money and time on issues which are going in circles. We want to get out of the circle.”

Unlike the Lambeth conference, GAFCON includes clergy and lay leaders and in the case of Australian contingent, they will travel from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

This is good, says Orombi “..we want clergy, we want lay people, we want younger generation leaders, potential leaders so we’ve seen beyond just bishops, we want to go beyond that ..”

In an indication of the mood he thought should pervade GAFCON, Orombi said delegates will “..think of mission. What is it that the Lord demands of our church?what is the need of the world? Let’s go for it.”

He said the current crisis involving the Episcopal church in America had been going on since 2003.

“I think it is a question of stewardship of time and resources. GAFCON will help us to begin to see how can we now move on. Okay, the Anglican communion is there. The agendas within the Anglican communion should shift and some of us should start it.”

Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker Responds to PB Katherine Jefferts-Schori

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See Original at FW Diocese Site

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This post comes in connection to a threatening letter from Presiding Bishop Jefferts-Schori to Jack Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth. To get reacquainted with her end of the letter writing, see my previous post here.

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The Letter

 

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November 12, 2007 The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori 815 Second Avenue New York, NY 10017 Dear Katharine, I have received your letter of November 8th and am rather surprised by your suggestion that I have somehow abandoned the communion of the church and may be subject to ecclesiastical discipline. Such a charge is baseless. I have abandoned nothing, and I have violated no canons. Every year at our Chrism Mass, I very happily reaffirm my ordination vows, along with all our clergy, that I will be “loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them.” (BCP, pages 526 and 538) It is highly inappropriate for you to attempt to interfere in the internal life of this diocese as we prayerfully prepare to gather in Convention. The threatening tone of your open letter makes no attempt to promote reconciliation, mediation, or even dialogue about our profound theological differences. Instead, it appears designed to intimidate our delegates and me, in an attempt to deter us from taking any action that opposes the direction in which you are leading our Church. It is deeply troubling that you would have me prevent the clergy and laity of this diocese from openly discussing our future place in the life of the wider Anglican Communion, as we debate a variety of proposals. As you well know, the polity of this Church requires the full participation of the clergy and lay orders, not just bishops, in the decision making process. It grieves me that as the Presiding Bishop you would misuse your office in an attempt to intimidate and manipulate this diocese. While I do not wish to meet antagonism with antagonism, I must remind you that 25 years ago this month, the newly formed Diocese of Fort Worth voluntarily voted to enter into union with the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. If circumstances warrant it, we can likewise, by voluntary vote, terminate that relationship. Your aggressive, dictatorial posturing has no place in that decision. Sadly, however, your missive will now be one of the factors that our Convention will consider as we determine the future course of this diocese for the next 25 years and beyond, under God’s grace and guidance. In closing, let me be very clear. While your threats deeply sadden us, they do not frighten us. We will continue to stand firm for the unchanging truth of the Holy Scriptures and the redeeming Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whatever the costs. I shall continue to pray for you, as I trust you will pray for me, in the difficult days ahead. Faithfully in Christ, The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker Bishop of Fort Worth

Archdiocese of the Southern Cone Invites Disaffected Anglicans to Alternate Primatial Oversight

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 taken from Anglican Mainstream

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Resolution of the Provincial Synod of the Southern Cone of America

We, recognizing with great thankfulness the dioceses and parishes, clergy and laity of the Episcopal Church in the USA who have continually made clear their desire to remain faithful to the historic faith and order of the Anglican Communion [1],

Given that Resolution 1.10 of the Lambeth Conference of 1998 articulated the clear teaching of the Anglican Communion with regard to human sexuality, and that this teaching has been widely ignored by many dioceses, parishes, and clergy of the Episcopal Church in their life and teaching,

Given that the Episcopal Church, against the clearly expressed voice of the Primates at their meeting of October 2003 [2], notoriously consecrated as bishop a priest who was in a known homosexual relationship, an act which has torn the fabric and trust within the Communion,

Given the failure of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church to give a clear and unequivocal response to the Windsor Report [3],

Given that the House of Bishops and the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church have rejected the pastoral scheme proposed by the Primates in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in February 2007,

Given that no adequate response has been made by the Episcopal Church to the questions set by the Primates in Dar es Salaam[4] and that a significant number of bishops have publicly expressed their intention to permit the blessing of same-sex unions,

Given the widespread use of lawsuits and threats against dioceses and parishes, as well as bishops, clergy and laity who seek to remain faithful to the historic faith and order of the Anglican Communion, And until the Episcopal Church

• Repent and comply with the requests of the Windsor Report

• Respect the conscience of the parishes and dioceses which wish to adhere to the theological moral and pastoral norms of the Anglican Communion once held by the Episcopal Church

• And its Presiding Bishop and officers cease to pursue and intimidate these dioceses and parishes by means of lawsuits, confiscations, and depositions or

• Until adequate effective and acceptable alternative Primatial and Episcopal oversight be offered as recommended by the Primates in Dar es Salaam

Or

• Until the Archbishop of Canterbury take clear action and respond effectively to the legitimate and urgent concern of the alienated parishes and dioceses of the Episcopal Church, offering pastoral leadership to protect them

WE the Provincial Synod of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America meeting in Valpariso, Chile, in November 2007 welcome into the membership of our province on an emergency and pastoral basis those dioceses of the Episcopal Church taking appropriate action to separate from that Church. We do this in order that such dioceses may continue in the mainstream of the Anglican Communion and be faithful to its Biblical and historic teaching and witness; and we pray for God’s grace and help to resolve the painful, critical situation in our beloved Anglican Communion.

Received 11/09/07, emphasis added to final two paragraphs [by Anglican Mainstream]

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[1] These norms were held by the Episcopal Church until recent years.

[2] Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold signed the letter from the Primates requesting ECUSA not to

proceed with the consecration, and then within days presided at the consecration.

[3] Accepted by the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council.

[4] The Dar es Salaam Communiqué asked the Episcopal Church to make clear that they would not approve the blessing of same-sex unions, nor approve the consecration of bishops living in sexual relations outside holy matrimony, between a man and a woman in lifelong union. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church was at this meeting and publicly accepted the content of the Communiqué