Hi James--That is a nifty Advent Calendar.
Looks like this Duncan has given himself the gate. Whooo woo!
I don't know where you live James, but I wish you would share this information with Sue Nowiki in response to the article that she wrote that appeared today, Dec. 5, in the Modesto Bee.
She discusses the anniversary of those in San Joaquin who left the church a year ago and says this. "Three other dioceses followed suit, and Wednesday, conservative bishops and lay leaders gathered in Wheaton, Ill., to announce the formation of the Anglican Church in North America. No one knows if the new province will fly or even who needs to approve it, but if it moves forward, it will become a province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. Branch of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Church in North America would be its parallel. Initially it would oversee 700 congregations across the U.S. and Canada, including the 40 parishes in the Fresno-based Anglican Diocese headed by Bishop John-David Schofield."
She also quoted McCalister who said, "I expect there will be an increase in defections from the Episcopal Church. I anticipate that by the end of 2009, the new province will have a membership of about 300,00, and the Episcopal Church will be down to 600,00 or less."
I wrote a letter to the editor, but find it impossible to address so many issues that are in the article when you are confined by 200 words or less!!
Obviously, my numbers are incorrect. It should be 300,000 and 600,000, and still pretty unbelievable. It is statements like this, said over and over again, that begin to seem like the truth.
Off-topic: a man w/ a lot to answer for (don't we all?) but I nevertheless feel obligated by Christian charity, to pray for the repose of the soul of Patriarch Alexy of the Russian Orthodox Church.
[May the next Patiarch be MORE ecumenical (esp. to us 'Piskies) and LESS homophobic!]
Hi James--Just some random thoughts about this. The GAFCON/Focas have done their share of denouncing and snubbing ++Rowan Williams and I now find it more than moderately interesting that 5 Primates are at Canterbury trying to talk (negotiate?) with ++Rowan Williams. Ruth Gledhill claims that nothing has happened but we have known Ruth to be wrong before. I really have no idea why they went there unless it was to try to get ++Rowan to resign. They can't possibly expect his loyalty since they want his job. He has to realize by now that they don't believe he is representative of their idea of the Anglican Communion and they want to be it.
There was a key phrase in the news release from Lambeth Palace;
the steps necessary for the amendments of existing provincial constitutions and the creation of new provinces
These are the directions for the friendly establishment of a new province, usually carved from, and with the permission and recommendation of the existing province. It also requires the amendment of the constitution and canons of the existing province to recognize that part of its geographical territory is ceded to the newly created province.
That is not what this entails, and could well be part of the meaning of the phrase;
In relation to the recent announcement from the meeting of the Common Cause Partnership in Chicago, the process has not yet begun.
We all believe that the AC in general, and the ABC and ACC in particular, have a duty to respect the integrity of both the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. Perhaps they do.
Folks, ultimately the 5 Primates could care less what ++Rowan says. The Jerusalem Declaration says as much. They wish to punch the ticket in order to say they did so. Then, they move forward encouraging others to defect along the way. They believe that no one will ever take real action against them and so they can continue to make believe and steal souls and property.
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