From the Bishop....

Dear Friends in Christ:

The 72nd General Convention of the Episcopal Church convenes next month in Philadelphia and will be in session July 16-25. It promises to be an even more turbulent one that usual this time around, and I ask for the special prayers of everyone of you here in our Diocese for all the Deputies and Bishops who will be in attendance.

What are the big agenda items? Well, the lesbian/gay rights lobby will be pushing for the approval of the ordination of practicing homosexuals and the blessing of same sex unions. Their aims will be supported by a vocal feminist lobby, which will also be insisting on the adoption of new canons which will require the acceptance of woman priests in every diocese. Another major topic will be the proposed Concordat of Agreement, which would establish full communion and an interchangeability of ordained ministers between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A new Presiding Bishop will be elected to succeed Edmund Browning, whose term of office expires at the end of this year. In addition to all of this, some 400 to 500 resolutions are expected to be brought before the Convention during our ten days together.

One may wonder why the lesbian/gay lobby is pushing so hard for its objectives in light of the fact that several Bishops are already ordaining active homosexual clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions is already taking place in a number of Dioceses. The reason is that they first want official endorsement to make it permissible everywhere, in order that at the next Convention they can pass canons to require its acceptance in every Diocese. If that sounds like a familiar approach on another issue, that's because it is. We've been this route before.

The feminists are likely to win their canonical battle in Philadelphia, only to find that you cannot impose theological beliefs by means of canons. This will simple lead to determined efforts to try to force individuals to act contrary to conscience and conviction. These efforts, in turn, will be met by active resistance and will soon result in church trails for the disobedient minority. In fact, at a meeting in New York last month with the Presiding Bishop, where representatives of both sides of this issue met to discuss possible ways to avoid a confrontation over it, the Episcopal Women's Caucus spokeswoman warned that they already have made plans as to how they will force Bishops to either comply or to be presented, tried and deposed. The proverbial "cat is now out of the bag!" The real aim here is to remove from position of leadership in the Church anyone who stands in the way of the feminine agenda. The divisiveness and pain caused by the ordination of woman as priests and bishops is at last coming to its unhappy conclusion.

The Concordat with the Lutherans is very likely to win approval, and for the first time in the history of the Episcopal Church, Protestant clergy will be functioning sacramentally in our congregations without having to have been ordained by Bishops in the historic episcopate. So much for the Apostolic Succession. And as to the election of a new PB, one doubts that whoever is elected will be able to make much of a difference in a trendy Church which is in rebellion against Scriptural revelation and the Apostolic Tradition. In short, my fear is that we will leave Philadelphia with things much worse than they already are. Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but I think I really am being realistic about all of this. So how do we respond?

My call to this Diocese is that we remain faithful and obedient to God, regardless of what comes out of General Convention. We must stand against heresy and apostasy, and what better place to do this than in the "new and improved" version of the Episcopal Church. It won't be easy, and we won't be popular, but I do indeed believe that this is our vocation and calling at this particular time. Though I do not know exactly what lies ahead, we must trust in God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to see us through this painful time of crisis. After all, our only hope is in God, not in Convention. We can only place our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, not in church politics.

With this in mind, I call for a Day of Fasting and Prayer for General Convention to be observed in every congregation in the Diocese on Friday, July 11th, just prior to the opening of the Convention. I will leave it to the clergy to plan how this will be observed in your local congregations, for several different approaches are possible. Some will want to have a votive mass at some point in the day, others may wish to have an all-day prayer vigil at the church. I ask that the Daughters of the King and parish prayer groups volunteer to help your priest with the arrangements for this day as may be most appropriate in your local situation. Above all, I ask each of you to fast and pray for God's help and deliverance.

I am very proud of the fine people we have chosen as our Convention Deputies. All of us should be graceful for the witness and service they are offering in this way. I can assure you that it won't be easy, and so I commend them to you for your daily prayers at this time.

The Rev. Canon Chalres A. Hough III|The Very Rev. Louis L. Tobola, Jr.|The Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Hightower|The Very Rev. John G. Twyan

Mrs. Judy Mayo|Mr. Walter Virden, III|Mr. Anthony Clark|Mrs. Sharon Jameson

Dr. Frank Salazar|Mr. Mack Wood|Mrs. Dorothy Eason|Mr. Eugene Dugan

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