Glory to God in the Highest! Huge News from Pittsburgh
The Common Cause Partners have taken the first steps toward creating a new Anglican ecclesiastical structure in North America:
Common Cause College of Bishops Statement
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, to whom belong all might, majesty, dominion and glory.
We, the College of Bishops of the Common Cause Partnership, meeting together in Pittsburgh, September 25-28 in the Year of our Lord 2007, solemnly affirm this agreement.
In the grace, mercy and power of God, and in repentance for past disunity and disharmony, in thanksgiving for our full reconciliation in the Lord Jesus Christ, to give expression to our unity in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church as Anglicans in North America, and for the sake of our mission to extend the Kingdom of God, nurture faithful disciples through Word and Sacraments, seek the lost, and partner globally with other orthodox Anglicans, we hereby commit to do the following:
1. In order to achieve greater unity and strengthen our partnership in the Gospel, we the undersigned commit ourselves to the Common Cause Partnership as set forth in the Articles of the Partnership (see Appendix 1).
2. We declare clearly that we are taking this as a first step in the formation of the “separate ecclesiastical structure” in North America called for at Kigali in September, 2006.
3. In consultation with those Primates and Provinces of the Anglican Communion offering recognition under the timeline adopted, we intend a founding constitutional convention for an Anglican union (see Appendix 2).
4. Those presently-participating bodies which have not yet joined the Common Cause Partnership will decide at the next meeting of their legislative bodies, either to enter the Partnership or leave full membership in Common Cause, becoming observer bodies. It is expected that all presently-participating bodies will be able to enter the Partnership.
5. We will work together on the regional and local levels and avail ourselves of the various ministries of the Common Cause Partners. We will deploy clergy interchangeably as outlined in the Articles of the Partnership. We are free to invite our fellow bishops in this College to share episcopal acts and our sacramental life.
6. The College of Bishops will meet every six months in order to accomplish our stated objectives. The leading bishop of each Partner will serve on a Lead Bishops Roundtable, which may be expanded as they may determine. The Roundtable will advise us in matters referred to it (see Appendix 3).
7. We are committed to the Great Commission. We will make disciples who make disciples and plant churches that plant churches, not resting until the millions of unreached souls in North America are brought to Christ, until all groups on the earth have indigenous churches firmly begun within them and our Lord returns in glory.
8. We ask our Chairman to inform the Primates of the Anglican Communion of these commitments in the hope that our emerging common life will commend us to them as full partners.
Common Cause College of Bishops Statement
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, to whom belong all might, majesty, dominion and glory.
We, the College of Bishops of the Common Cause Partnership, meeting together in Pittsburgh, September 25-28 in the Year of our Lord 2007, solemnly affirm this agreement.
In the grace, mercy and power of God, and in repentance for past disunity and disharmony, in thanksgiving for our full reconciliation in the Lord Jesus Christ, to give expression to our unity in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church as Anglicans in North America, and for the sake of our mission to extend the Kingdom of God, nurture faithful disciples through Word and Sacraments, seek the lost, and partner globally with other orthodox Anglicans, we hereby commit to do the following:
1. In order to achieve greater unity and strengthen our partnership in the Gospel, we the undersigned commit ourselves to the Common Cause Partnership as set forth in the Articles of the Partnership (see Appendix 1).
2. We declare clearly that we are taking this as a first step in the formation of the “separate ecclesiastical structure” in North America called for at Kigali in September, 2006.
3. In consultation with those Primates and Provinces of the Anglican Communion offering recognition under the timeline adopted, we intend a founding constitutional convention for an Anglican union (see Appendix 2).
4. Those presently-participating bodies which have not yet joined the Common Cause Partnership will decide at the next meeting of their legislative bodies, either to enter the Partnership or leave full membership in Common Cause, becoming observer bodies. It is expected that all presently-participating bodies will be able to enter the Partnership.
5. We will work together on the regional and local levels and avail ourselves of the various ministries of the Common Cause Partners. We will deploy clergy interchangeably as outlined in the Articles of the Partnership. We are free to invite our fellow bishops in this College to share episcopal acts and our sacramental life.
6. The College of Bishops will meet every six months in order to accomplish our stated objectives. The leading bishop of each Partner will serve on a Lead Bishops Roundtable, which may be expanded as they may determine. The Roundtable will advise us in matters referred to it (see Appendix 3).
7. We are committed to the Great Commission. We will make disciples who make disciples and plant churches that plant churches, not resting until the millions of unreached souls in North America are brought to Christ, until all groups on the earth have indigenous churches firmly begun within them and our Lord returns in glory.
8. We ask our Chairman to inform the Primates of the Anglican Communion of these commitments in the hope that our emerging common life will commend us to them as full partners.
posted by Texanglican (R.W. Foster+) | 4:15 PM
9 Comments:
Who signed the statement? I haven't seen a list of signatories.
I am not certain if there was a piece of paper passed around for all present to sign or not. Hopefully we will know more soon.
Here is the present partial list of the bishop who participated in the college in Pittsburgh, from Stand Firm.
Bishops
The Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman (The Episcopal Church - Quincy)
The Rt. Rev James Adams (The Episcopal Church - Western Kansas)
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Bill Atwood (Kenya)
The Rt. Rev. Fitz Allison (The Episcopal Church - Retired)
The Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith (The Episcopal Church - Springfield)
The Rt. Rev. David Bena (Convocation of Anglicans in North America)
The Rt. Rev. Richard Boyce, OCD (Anglican Province of America)
The Rt. Rev. C. Peter Brewer, OSF (Anglican Province of America)
The Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavalcanti (Guest, Network International Convocation)
The Rt. Rev. Alex Dickson (The Episcopal Church - Retired)
The Rt. Rev. Charles Dorrington (Reformed Episcopal Church)
The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan (The Episcopal Church - Pittsburgh)
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Fairfield (Uganda)
The Rt. Rev. Michael Fedechko (Reformed Episcopal Church)
The Rt. Rev. George Finke (Reformed Episcopal Church)
The Rt. Rev. Sandy Green (Anglican Mission in the Americas)
The Rt. Rev. Royal Grote, JR. (Reformed Episcopal Church)
The Most Rev. Walter Grundorf, D.D. (Anglican Province of America)
The Rt. Rev. John Guernsey (Uganda)
The Rt. Rev Donald Harvey (Anglican Network in Canada)
The Rt. Rev. Paul Hewett (guest)
The Rt. Rev. David Hicks (Reformed Episcopal Church)
The Rt. Rev. Jack Iker (The Episcopal Church – Fort Worth)
The Rt. Rev. T.J. Johnston (Anglican Mission in the Americas)
The Rt. Rev. William Love (The Episcopal Church – Albany)
The Rt. Rev. Frank Lyons (International Convocation)
The Rt. Rev. William Millsaps (guest)
The Rt. Rev. Maryn Minns (Convocation of Anglicans in North America)
The Rt. Rev. Daniel Morse (Reformed Episcopal Church)
The Rt. Rev. Winfield Mott (Anglican Province in America)
The Rt. Rev. William Murdoch (Kenya)
The Rt. Rev. Chuck Murphy (Anglican Mission in the Americas)
The Rt. Rev. Donald Parsons (The Episcopal Church - Retired)
The Most Rev. Leonard Riches (Reformed Episcopal Church)
The Rt. Rev. John Rodgers (Anglican Mission in the Americas)
The Rt. Rev. Henry Scriven (The Episcopal Church – Pittsburgh)
The Most. Rev. Dr. Larry L. Shaver, Obl./OSF (Anglican Province of America)
The Rt. Rev. Ray Sutton (Reformed Episcopal Church)
The Rt. Rev. William Wantland (The Episcopal Church – Retired)
The Most Rev. Yong Ping Chung (guest – Anglican Mission in America)
Bishops-Elect
The Rev. Cn. Roger Ames (Convocation of Anglicans in North America)
The Rev. Cn. David Anderson (Convocation of Anglicans in North America)
The Ven. Amos A Fagbarniye (Convocation of Anglicans in North America)
The Rev. Nathan Kanu (Convocation of Anglicans in North America)
Two things:
1. I'm going to keep saying it until someone either punches me in the face (because it is undoubtedly annoying) or until the problem is solved, but a bunch of these dudes ordain women. This is not an optional part of orthodoxy. It is a mutilation of the apostolic ministry.
2. What is the Convocation of Anglicans in North American. Never heard of it.
Never mind # 2 above. I'm tired. It's CANA.
I'm with Adam and have to add, what's up with all the bishops from the Reformed Episcopal Church? The REC denies Priesthood, Eucharistic Sacrifice, the Real Presence, and Baptismal Regeneration. These are serious heresies, worse perhaps than the vague stupidities and lack of discipline shown in TEC.
I know that some of the foundational documents of the REC denied these things, but I don't know a single clergyman in that body that does today. They have moved on. They are with us.
This is for Anon.
As Texanglican said (and thank you for saying it) there are virtually no priests in the REC (I only know of one!) who deny priesthood, Real Presence and Baptismal Regeneration.
As Texanglican said, "We have moved on" (have the folks remaining in ECUSA who are Pro-WO "moved on?") and are "with you" (as long as we are not required to accept WO and that heretical book which masquerades as a prayer book (1979)). Our "Founding documents" were interepreted by SOME to mean what "Anon" stated but most folks no longer accept that. I would maintain that the average REC congregation is more "orthodox" on those issues than some of the "evangelical" parts of AMiA and CANA.
The REC at its beginning clearly and officially embraced heresy. Have those founding principals been clearly and officially renounced? To be sure, there's plenty of confusion in TEC, but the catholic faith as expressed in our title deeds, particularly the BCP, has not yet been definitely abandoned. And the crack about the "heretical" 1979 BCP suggests an unreformed Reformed attitude. I'm not sure its wise to make common cause with those who say of their own tradition, "We don't believe that stuff anymore." That's what TEC heretics say about the catholic faith in Anglicanism. Are we dealing with REC heretics? Enquiring minds want to know!
I've said it before and I'll say it again. It is absolutely ludicrous for anyone currently within PECUSA to talk of "remaining" faithful or "remaining" orthodox by leaving. PECUSA hasn't been orthodox in 30 years. If you're still there, you aren't orthodox. Period.
You could say you're leaving in order to "become" orthodox. Adam raises a valid point in mentioning the ordination of women. The very first time that happened, PECUSA put the validity of the whole church's orders in jeopardy. I daresay that after 30 years, there are very few (if any) recently ordained priests in the Episcopal Church with truly valid orders.
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