Kenyan and Ugandan Consecrations

As sad as the decline of much of the national Episcopal church into grave error during recent years has been, one positive side effect of "the recent unpleasantness" has been increased unity among orthodox Anglicans worldwide. My bishop, the Right Rev. Jack Leo Iker of Fort Worth, and my pastor, Dean Ryan Reed of St. Vincent's Cathedral, have been in Kenya and Uganda for the last week attending the consecrations of three American priests as bishops of those provinces. The new bishops are being consecrated specifically to serve Anglicans in North America who could no longer remain within PB Schori's TEC.

The fact that traditional Anglicans from across the "churchmanship" spectrum are co-operating so well today in the service of the Gospel warms my heart. Should TEC refuse to repent and amend its way later this month in New Orleans, one can certainly hope that the bonds formed during events like those in Africa this week will help insure the continuation of orthodox Anglicanism in the United States in the coming years. May God bless the new bishops and their ministries. These are the American bishops at the Ugandan consecration, including the two new bishops consecrated in Nairobi (The new Kenyan bishops are shown in their mitres with croziers at top). The Anglican jurisdictions represented include the still TEC-affiliated Network (by Bishops Iker and Duncan), as well as AMiA, CANA, Kenya, and Uganda. More photos can been seen on the Anglican TV blog. There was apparently a packed, seven hour bus ride involved in arriving at the Ugandan consecration. But these worthy folks do look in good spirits. That is Bishop Iker and Dean Reed seated on the third row back on the left, behind Bishop Duncan of Pittsburgh, the Network's moderator.Dean Reed seems to have recovered nicely from the long journey (he's on the second row, fourth from the left). And Bishop Iker is practically beaming in the picture of the American bishops at Uganda further above. I am sure it was a joyous occassion. May God grant them all a safe trip home.