Good Stewardship or Money Laundering?

If a "Diocese" has a $420,000 grant from The Episcopal Church (DFMS - The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, line 64 in the budget), is it just a coincidence that the "Diocese's" legal fees are nearly the same amount as the grant?  (lines 72 & 73)  Is this not just a way for TEC to sue parishes and individuals in the actual, legitimate Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin while pretending this is an internal argument in the Diocese of San Joaquin?  The Episcopal "Diocese" looks very much like a puppet regime.  

As usual, the Anglican Curmudgeon has an excellent analysis of the whole sorry mess.

The Presiding Bishop regrets......

From the Dallas Morning News:

The Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, released the following statement Saturday:

“The Episcopal Church Kingdom of Egypt grieves the departures of a number of persons indentured servants from the Diocese of Fort Worth Province of Goshen. We remind those former Episcopalians involuntary workers that the door is open if they wish to return. We will work with Episcopalians indentured servants in the Diocese of Fort Worth Province of Goshen to elect new leadership appoint new over-seers and continue the work of the gospel Millennium Development Goals in that part of Texas Egypt.

“The gospel Millennium Development Goals work to which Jesus our vehicle to the divine calls us demands the best efforts of faithful egocentric, hedonistic, sin-enslaved people from many theological poly sexual and social transgendered perspectives, and the Episcopal Church Kingdom of Egypt will continue to welcome that diversity lock-step conformity.”

--Pharaoh

Dear Bob????!!!!!

For something as momentous and painful as deposing a Bishop from his ministry and, in effect, excommunicating an entire diocese, don't you think something a bit more formal than "Dear Bob" is called for? This woman is so lacking in class. And doesn't she have a secretary, for crying out loud? When I worked at 815, if I had allowed something like this to get past me and embarrass my boss, I would have had to answer for it.

The Episcopal Church
The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate

September 22, 2008

Robert W. Duncan
125 N. Linden Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208

Dear Bob,

I wanted to write you personally to inform you that following the House of Bishop’s decision to consent to your deposition, of which you are already aware, I have signed the Sentence of Deposition, a copy of which is enclosed.

I think the press statement following the vote accurately sets forth the prayerful and thoughtful atmosphere of the discussions.

Please know that I urged the bishops gathered to hold you in prayer, and to do what they can to maintain a pastoral relationship with you. I pray that you may know the peace of Jesus Christ, and I remain

Your servant in Christ,


Katharine Jefferts Schori

From t19

The Pointy Hat Club

This piece from Dean Munday is excellent. Read it all here.....

Once upon a time in a far away place called Dar Es Salaam there was a party attended by boys and girls who liked to wear pointy hats, including one girl who liked to wear a pointy hat, but who sometimes wore a rainbow-colored oven mitt on her head instead. The other boys and girls were very polite and never used the words "oven mitt" in front of the one girl because they knew it would make her very cross.

Some of the folks at the party weren't having a very good time. It seems that in some places there were boys who wanted to live with other boys (the way Mommy and Daddy live together) who had been allowed to join the Pointy Hat Club. The people at the party murmured as how this wasn't a good thing, and agreed that boys who wanted to live with other boys and girls who wanted to live with other girls (the way Mommy and Daddy live together) shouldn't be allowed to join the Pointy Hat Club. The girl who sometimes liked to wear an oven mitt nodded her head and said that was all right with her too.

When all the boys and girls got home from the party, the girl who sometimes wore an oven mitt said that she had not nodded her head along with the others who wore pointy hats and that, furthermore, she thought there ought to be more boys who lived with other boys and girls who lived with other girls (the way Mommy and Daddy live together) in the Pointy Hat Club.......

You go passin' wrong for right and right for wrong...

People only stand for that for just so long.



The theme song for the Anglican Communion.

This is truly cruel and unneccesary

From David Virtue

Mrs. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, has formally inhibited The Rt. Rev. Edward H. MacBurney, retired Bishop of Quincy. Two days after the letter of inhibition was signed by the Presiding Bishop, MacBurney's son Page died.

Bishop Keith L. Ackerman SSC, Bishop of Quincy, said MacBurney was not aware of the inhibition. Ackerman had to read the inhibition to him over the phone.

"I am beside myself with grief over this unnecessary action taken against my predecessor especially at a time when he is mourning the death of his son this past Friday. I am particularly saddened that, with the exception of the Bishop who initiated this action, those involved in determining this course have never spoken with Bishop MacBurney directly. In the midst of this difficult time for Bishop MacBurney and his family, I am really much more concerned about the implications of St. Matthew 18:15-17 as it relates to how reconciliation is pursued than I am with Title IV, Canon 1, Section 6 as it relates to discipling my dear brother. In the meantime, we are ministering to the needs of the MacBurney family."

Mrs. Jefferts Schori said the presentment issued by the Title IV Review Committee was based on Title IV, canon 3, Section 43Copyright, 44, and 45 of The Episcopal Church. Bishop MacBurney is inhibited from exercising his gifts of ministry and will face a court trial.

http://www.forwardinfaith.com/news/pages/InhibitionBpMac.pdf

(h/t to MCJ)

Plundering the Church

Dr. Mabuse says:

In all this, I find a disquieting lack of any sense of seriousness. There was a time when Anglicans really thought that being an Anglican was important. That the salvation of one's soul could depend on it, and making a wrong choice could have eternal consequences. Now, there's no sense that a person runs any risk at all by leaving the Anglican Church. There's no concern that the people being swept away by the new broom could wind up going to hell. Even to write out the phrase seems faintly ridiculous. No one in TEC or ACC takes their actions seriously in a spiritual manner at all. They remind me of Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwood in "Sense and Sensibility", busily calculating how long it will be before their widowed mother and half-sisters will get out and leave the estate for them to enjoy. There are a few half-hearted expressions of regret, and even faint wishes that they could help, but the bereaved and disinherited are not fooled, and know that the minute their carriage drives out of sight they will be forgotten.

No wonder these people cannot evangelize - they have no reason for being Anglicans themselves, other than it's where they've found rich pickings. The Catholics know that salvation is found in the Church; likewise the Orthodox. What do the Anglicans know? Except, "Oh, well, it's nice and comfortable here, and it'll be even better when there are fewer of us to share."

Not being quite so literary as the good doctor, I'd say they also remind me of these characters.

Look who failed Sacramental Theology....

This is from the Liturgical Officer of the Episcopal Church????? Where did this guy learn sacramental theology - from the back of a cereal box? This guy has been the liturgical officer for TEC since 1994. I think this explains a lot about the present state of liturgy in the church.

Since You Asked: Why do we celebrate the Eucharist on Sunday?
March 31, 2008
[Episcopal Life]
The Rev. Clayton Morris, liturgical officer for the Episcopal Church, responds:
The worship life of the Episcopal Church is ordered in a series of rhythms. The liturgical year is punctuated by seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary Time.
From Advent to Pentecost, the life and ministry of Jesus is the thematic focus, Sunday by Sunday. From Trinity Sunday until the last Sunday after Pentecost, the weekly gathering of the community reflects on how it can "seek and serve Christ in all persons and strive for justice and peace among all people," in the words of the Baptismal Covenant. The week has its own rhythm.
The Book of Common Prayer calls the church to daily prayer, providing offices for morning, noon, evening and night. The prayer book also calls the church to gather as a congregation once a week to celebrate Eucharist.
Why does the church gather around a table with food and drink in its primary act of worship? Because God calls the church to a ministry of reconciliation. The church is called to restore the dignity of creation. It is all about feeding and being fed. It is all about making certain that all God's children are safe, whole and nourished. The ritual breaking of bread in the midst of the assembly reminds us of our task while it embodies its reality.
In its early history, the church always celebrated the Eucharist on Sunday. For a host of historical and circumstantial reasons, weekly Communion fell out of fashion over time so that, by the time Anglicanism was transplanted to the North American continent, Sunday morning worship without Communion was common. The drafters of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer were very clear about restoring the Eucharist to Sunday morning as a way of underscoring the church's ministry in the world.
So, as faithful Christians, we use the Daily Office in some form, alone or in community, to say our daily prayers. On Sunday, we gather as the body of Christ in the eucharistic assembly. We take bread, bless it, break and share it. Then we take our nourished bodies and souls into the world to do the work God has given us to do.

Okay, there is so much wrong with this, I barely know where to begin. But first, I'd like to know when we started using "Ordinary Time". Is this something from the dreaded Revised Common Lectionary? I object to the whole concept of "ordinary" time; there is no "ordinary" time, it's all redeemed time. "Ordinary" takes it out of the cycle of the life of Jesus and his work in the Church.

Then there is this: " From Trinity Sunday until the last Sunday after Pentecost, the weekly gathering of the community reflects on how it can "seek and serve Christ in all persons and strive for justice and peace among all people," in the words of the Baptismal Covenant

Oh, good, I get to go to Church to be lectured on social work. I have really had it with this whole "Baptismal Covenant". Why do these people take the last question from the Baptismal vows as the entire meaning of the whole thing? Where do they ever refer to this part of the "Baptismal Covenant" - "Do you believe in God the Father?" Or how about "Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?" How about "Will you proclaim the Good News of God in Christ?"

How about this?
Why do we celebrate the Eucharist on Sunday?
Because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, the first day of a new creation, that's why.
Because the Eucharist has been the central act of worship since the very beginning of the Church. Gathering for the Daily Office is a good and holy thing, but the Eucharist is the supreme sacrament. In case the Rev. Clayton Morris missed that class, a sacrament takes you into the very presence of God, out of, dare I say it, "ordinary time", chronos, into the karios of God.


The church does not gather around a table with food and drink in its primary act of worship "because God calls the church to a ministry of reconciliation." Yes we are called to reconciliation, but not before we confess our sins and are reconciled with God! We gather because Jesus told us to, because in this sacrament we are united with Christ, because we are fed with the very Body and Blood of our Lord. The Eucharist is not about making certain that "all God's children are safe, whole and nourished." It's about bringing our sinful, broken, un-whole selves to the foot of the cross, to the altar of the Lord and receiving forgiveness and healing.

Millions for litigation, but not a penny for missions

Okay, so we can afford $600 per hour but we can't come up with $500 per month? Just where are the priorities of 815 here? Property & power or mission & ministry? You decide.

Then the NATIONAL CHURCH announced this week that its missionary operating budget is being dramatically cut. Compensation to its missionaries being cut, prompted concerns over equity, and budget constraints. According to a letter from the Rev. David Copley, Anglican and Global Relations mission personnel officer, sent to all overseas missionaries, the church will no longer pay them a monthly stipend (about $500, in most cases) or cover their airfare, relocation expenses, language study, vaccinations, and any health expenses not covered by insurance. You can read the full story in today's digest. Do note however that there is plenty of money in the budget for lawsuits and David Booth Beers who demands $600 an hour (with a discount of course) for his legal services. How long do you think the missionary enterprise will last with these cuts? It was woeful to begin with. It will only get worse.

From David Virtue

The Episcopal Church - Taking the Gospel to all the World

Missionaries who work outside of the United States under the auspices of the Episcopal Church will soon see major changes to their compensation.

According to a letter from the Rev. David Copley, Anglican and Global Relations mission personnel officer, sent to all overseas missionaries, the church will no longer pay them a monthly stipend (about $500, in most cases) or cover their airfare, relocation expenses, language study, vaccinations, and any health expenses not covered by insurance.

Read the rest...

Holy Cow! The Presiding Bishop's Easter Message

So, the Presiding Bishop has issued her Easter Message. Is it about Christ rising from the tomb? Is it about the new life we receive, the forgiveness of our sins, the glorious hope of resurrection for all who believe in the Lord? No. It's about cows and their digestion.

What the heck? Has this woman ever opened a Bible or stepped into an actual, real, Bible-preaching church? Or is her only experience of "church" of the Unitarian variety?

(Answers: No & yes.)

War maps being readied

What is that sound in the distance? It seems that ++Stacy Sauls is getting ready for the war.

Subject: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FROM HOB TASK FORCE ON PROPERTY DISPUTES REGARDING OVERSEAS INTERVENTIONS
Re: Overseas Anglican Interventions in TEC

Dear colleagues,

The HOB Task Force on Property Disputes is attempting to catalogue all cases of congregations in all Episcopal dioceses claiming to be overseen by bishops of the Anglican Communion other than bishops of The Episcopal Church. This would include AMiA, CANA, Uganda, Kenya, Bolivia, the Southern Cone, etc. but not so-called Continuing Churches. We would like to have this information as complete as possible before our September meeting.

Therefore, I would greatly appreciate it if you would provide the following information with respect to each such congregation:


* Name and location (city and state) of each such congregation

* Jurisdiction claimed

* Overseas or other non-Episcopal bishop involved.

* Has a non-Episcopal bishop visited this congregation?

* Status of property

* Whether the congregation was originally an Episcopal congregation


Thank you very much for your help.


Stacy


The Rt. Rev. Stacy F. Sauls
Bishop of Lexington
P. O. Box 610
Lexington, Kentucky 40588-0610

I especially like this request: * Whether the congregation was originally an Episcopal congregation. Does it matter how many of the congregation were orignally Episcopalian? Does it take 50 to make it a former TEC congregation? What if there were only 40. (For lack of 10, may they go in peace?) 30? 20? Or are 10 righteous enough to persecute?



Thanks to Stand Firm