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“A Biblical Admonishment” One of the statements I made when elected as Bishop of the DEUS in 1995 was, “I am not a one man show and will be relying upon the gifts and talents of others to assist me in the proper administering of the Diocese.” Since that time, we added other dioceses and eventually formed ourselves into a Province in 1998. With the duties of the Cathedral added in, and being without a full time priest on staff at the present time, life has become far too busy to do justice to any one position. I reminded myself of my own advice to the clergy how it is so important to find good and capable people in the parish to assume certain responsibilities in order that you not burn yourself out. The example I have used was the incident when Moses father- in- law Jethro came to him having watched Moses trying to do everything himself. As Jethro continued he told Moses what the results would be: “You will surely wear away.” Jethro’s instruction was that Moses select capable, godly people who can share the load of leadership. (Ex. 18:21) I will attempt to follow Jethro’s advice to Moses. Ecumenical Activities One of the very time consuming areas of responsibilities that are part of the Presiding Bishop’s duties has to do with ecumenical activities. This is an area of keen interest to so many of the APA these days particularly in light of the much discussed Common Cause Partnership (CCP). There are other important relationships that need nurturing such as the Church of Nigeria, the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas (FACA) the other communions of the Global South and the continuing churches in North America. I will be talking with the Bishops and other leaders of the APA about those who have the interest and time to be involved in these activities and will ask and assign clergy from all dioceses to serve. I greatly appreciate the concern and wise council of a number of our clergy who know and understand the demands of my office and constructively try to make suggestions on how I, along with all of us, can work more effectively. At our Provincial Council (PC) Meeting in January, 2008, I recommended that we not become a partner in the CCP at this time and with the support of the PC that we “wait, watch and pray…for a clearer direction…” It is important for all of us to remember that the APA and its processor Body the American Episcopal Church has always taken an active role in building relationships with other Anglicans. One of my first initiatives as Presiding Bishop was to work with the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) to establish a formal intercommunion agreement and work toward merger. All of these relationships take time and cultivation of trust and friendships and clear theological commonality. We set a goal of 10 years for this process to take place with the REC. (Incidentally, we are being asked to make a quick decision to become part of the CCP with which we have important areas of disagreement when we planned 10 years with a jurisdiction that we share most things in common.) Out of the relationship with the REC has come the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas which now has 6 partners, who for the most part share a common ecclesiology, faith and practice. FACA has been invited to have a seat at the table of CCP and unless something changes, this will put all FACA member churches in a position to participate in the direction of the CCP. I have learned over the years that patience in the face of pressure is often the best course of action. If threats and pressure are the way one must make a decision, often times my experience has been, one may make a wrong decision. “Support for the Bishop and Provincial Council’s decision” In case you have not read the January 15, 2008 issue of www.standfirminfaith.com, I suggest you find it and give it a read. I was pleased and gratified to find so many supported my position both from the inside and outside the APA. Is being part of a developing new “Ecclesiastical Structure” in North America (CCP) that no one can predict where it will go and how it will unfold worth dividing the APA? Are we so insignificant as a Church and what we are as Classical Anglicans so passé that some in the CCP would say, if you don’t like what the APA is doing we will take you in? These are important questions to ask. I strongly believe that our Classical Anglican position and witness must remain alive and well. I believe in time as we see what develops with the Anglican Communion and if a counter- Communion is what is required and it remains Anglican in more than name, we will know the way forward. The decision making process… There has been a lot of talk over the past months about a vote of the Provincial Synod in July 2008, to join or not join the CCP. There is no canonical process given to affect such a relationship because it would imply a sacramental relationship and that falls under the authority of the Bishop. For example, there was no vote of the Provincial Synod to establish an intercommunion agreement with the REC or to have the Anglican Rite Synod of America (ARSA) or the Anglican Independent Communion (AIC) became part of the APA. These were matters left to the Presiding Bishop and the House of Bishops. Historically, bishops have sought the advice of their clergy and lay leaders realizing how important it is to know the sensum fidelium (sense of the faithful) in shepherding the family of God. This should not be confused with Western Democratic rule where decisions are made by taking a vote. The Bishop knows that the sensum fidelium takes time unlike our present election process in the U.S. where we go through a campaign season and then have an election. The American model most certainly brings conflict to the church because campaigning distracts clergy and laity from their duties of ministry in their parishes and campaigns always separate people. How many grew up in a functional family where your father asked for a vote of the family members before making a major decision? Most of us remember our father making decisions forthe good of the family in his own mind even if the rest of us did not agree. Had your father in the family relied upon others to make a major decision it would have most certainly undermined his authority. The same is true as the Bishop and the House of Bishops are the fathers in our church family. To change this would weaken the Episcopal Office and the duties of the Presiding Bishop and thus alter Catholic theology and practice. There will be a sensum fidelium at our Provincial Synod in July, but it will be the Presiding Bishop and the House of Bishops who will make the decision in this regard and any matter dealing with Inter -church relationships. “Bringing together the faithful…” At the end of January, I was invited to attend a meeting of clergy and laity of the Communion of Christ the Redeemer (CCR) in Ocean City, Maryland. The CCR were formerly part of the Charismatic Episcopal Church from which they have departed. This Meeting was hosted by their Diocese of Delmarva and Bishop Richard Lipka. One of the member bishops of CCR, the Rt. Rev. Fred Fick had previously requested reception of his churches and himself in our Diocese of St. Augustine under Bishop Larry Shaver. I invited Bishop Shaver and Archdeacon, Erich Zwingert as our Canonist to attend along with me. We were treated graciously by this wonderful body of Christians, who wish to be Classical Anglicans. We spent the better part of three days with them getting to know the people and during the plenary sessions, answering a series of printed questions. After we left the Meeting, the people had a positive discussion and wish to continue the process hopefully establishing an official intercommunion statement. We praise and thank God for bringing us together with these faithful people who want to be a part of a church that has a strong catholic faith and order in the Anglican Tradition.
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