Anglican News

Cartoon by Dave Walker at Cartoon Church.Com



Friends,

Many will have seen news reports over the past few days about developments affecting those from our diocese who departed from the Episcopal Church and "realigned" their sense of affiliation with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone--and I've received a few phone calls and e-mails asking about what is going on. The story was in the New York Times: Times Story December 4

And for those who would like to see a more extensive compilation of press coverage, I'd refer you to a piece on the "blog" site of my friend Jim Simons: Three Rivers Episcopal Blog.

In a sense, simply, this news doesn't have anything directly to do with us at St. Andrew's, or with those others of the 25 or so parishes of our diocese who have determined to remain within the Episcopal Church. We will be participating in a Convention on December 13 to complete some of the needed reorganization of our diocese after the division that took place on October 4, and in so very many ways indeed that process of reorganization continues with a sense of health and good spirits and a faithfulness in Christian life and mission. While there is much to be sorted out in the practicalities of institutional life, two roads have diverged.

Nonetheless, we have all been one community and one diocese with one another since 1867 at least, and thus our sense of relationship and interest doesn't necessarily disappear overnight. For many of us this is a story that concerns old friends, colleagues, family members.

While I and we here at St. Andrew's have been clear in our discernment that God has called us to continue in faithful ministry within the Episcopal Church, we can offer our prayers as well for these friends, asking God to bless their ministry during the months and years ahead in a way that will honor Christ and bear the good fruit of the Spirit in their lives as well, as Paul in Galatians 5: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

All best,

Bruce Robison