Priest tells horror story of abandonment
When [the Rev. Harald Haugan] retired in 1999, he left behind a thriving congregation, one of the largest in the diocese. He was 67 then. Now he’s 76, a survivor of heart and other surgeries, but still, until the first of this year, vigorously involved with three unattached groups doing Bible studies and Communion. …
When he saw his name among those officially deposed by the liberal Bishop of Florida, the Rt. Rev John Howard, this week, the pain of it all came back to him with a rush. …
Story from VirtueOnline.
Former church buildings await new lives
Episcopal Church officials have decided not to start a new congregation in the buildings of a former Episcopalian parish in Vestal (New York state). Instead, the church building, community center, and house where the rector and family had lived – all in residential neighborhoods – are listed for sale.
The former St. Andrew’s – which vacated its buildings after leaving the Episcopal denomination last year and uniting with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America – is one of at least seven churches for sale in Broome and Tioga counties. …
Story from Press & Sun-Bulletin.
Archbishop Greg Venables visits Recife
Between March 27 and April 1, Archbishop of the Southern Cone, Greg Venables, visited the Diocese of Recife in Brazil.
You may recall that the Diocese sought episcopal oversight from Archbishop Venables after moves to depose the bishop by the TEC-friendly Primate of Brazil. (See, for example, this item from 2004.)
The Diocese of Recife has now posted some photos of the visit on its website.
Bishop of Florida deposes 22 ministers
The Bishop of Florida, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard formally fired 22 priests from the Diocese of Florida on March 25, the largest single group of priests to be deposed in the history of the Episcopal Church at one time. …”
Story from VirtueOnline. (Photo: Diocese of Florida.)
(Many of the clergy have already associated with other Anglican groups.)
Diocese of British Columbia changes locks
On Saturday, this news was posted on the Diocese of British Columbia website:
The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia… has asserted its ownership of buildings at 4125 Metchosin Road, in the District of Metchosin, by securing the property with a change of locks and the installation of a monitored alarm system. … (Full press release here – PDF.)
According to LC.net/Canada, a judge of the British Columbia Supreme Court, has now ordered the Diocese to allow the people back into their building in time for Sunday services.
For background, see our earlier stories. (Photo: Bishop Don Harvey of the Anglican Network in Canada with Sharon Hayton and Andrew Hewlett of St Mary of the Incarnation.)
Oprah and the New Age
Influential US celebrity Oprah Winfrey is currently hosting online classes in New Age spirituality with ‘spiritual teacher’ Eckhart Tolle as she promotes his book ‘A New Earth’.
Reportedly huge numbers of people are watching and hearing these New Age messages. Doubtless, many Australians will also be hearing this teaching.
A number of groups have posted online clips to give an idea of what is being taught. This video on YouTube is one – and Thabiti Anyabwile has these helpful comments.
Ohio litigation ends ‘peaceful coexistence’
The Diocese of Ohio recently filed a declaratory judgment with the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Cleveland, asking that it, the diocesan trustees, and a minority of members at five dissident congregations be declared the rightful owners of church properties where the congregations voted overwhelmingly to leave in 2005. The March 26 filing came just a month after an article in the Akron Beacon Journal described how the relationship between the five dissenting congregations and the diocese was an exception to the personal acrimony and litigation prevalent throughout many other dioceses of The Episcopal Church. …
from The Living Church. (Graphic: The Diocese of Ohio.)
Breakaway parishes awarded property
A Fairfax (Virginia) circuit judge has awarded a favorable judgment to a group of 11 Anglican churches that were taken to court last fall after breaking away from the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in late 2006. …
Story from Julia Duin in The Washington Times.
Update: Statement from the office of the Presiding Bishop.
(Truro Church – logo above – is the largest of the churches involved.)
Good news is no news in Nnewi!
A funny thing happened in Nnewi, Nigeria, last week. (Nnewi is a bustling city in southeast Nigeria.) Archbishop Peter Akinola presided over a remarkable meeting of the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), but nobody from the world media noticed.
It wasn’t that it was a closed or secret meeting – it’s hard to keep a gathering of a thousand church leaders quiet, and preparations had been public for months. So why didn’t any of them care?
For one thing, he didn’t talk about anything that would make a good headline; instead he focussed on a call to personal and corporate holiness. He told all those present that they were too attached to the ways of the world and they needed to change. …
Read the full article by CANA Bishop Martyn Minns. (Photo: Truro Church.)
See also the Church of Nigeria website.
Archbishop Peter Jensen on ABC Radio’s The Conversation Hour
On Tuesday April 1st 2008, Archbishop Peter Jensen was the guest on ABC Radio’s The Conversation Hour with Richard Fidler.
It’s a fascinating and wide ranging interview, turning to apologetics at the end. It is certainly worth listening to (and pointing your friends to).
While not yet on a page on the ABC’s website, the mp3 file (48MB / 52 minutes) is available for direct download via this link.
Canada upholding Windsor Process?
Just in case you still believe that the Anglican Church of Canada is upholding the Windsor Process that has been so fondly pointed to by some in the ACC, we have this bit from Ottawa.
Some of you will recall that a couple of years ago, Peter Coffin – then Bishop of Ottawa – granted his permission to a female priest (Linda Fisher-Privitera) to minister in the Diocese of Ottawa. Fisher-Privitera came to Ottawa with her partner, Melissa, whom she had married in a civil union in Massachusetts, prior to arriving. …
Bishop Chapman, now bishop of Ottawa, has granted a full appointment to Fisher-Privitera at St. Michael & All Angels in Ottawa. …
Story from LC.net/Canada. (Photo: St. Michael & All Angels in Ottawa.)
Bishop Cox demands a correction
An attorney representing Bishop William J. Cox has accused Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of defaming the bishop, and has demanded that she publish a correction of her announcement concerning his deposition. …
Story from The Living Church. (Photo credit: George Conger.)
New San Joaquin address – sjoaquin.net
Now that the Diocese of San Joaquin’s website address has been reassigned to point to that of the ‘reconstituted’ Episcopal Church diocese, the real (Southern Cone) diocese is back on the web.
Their new address: sjoaquin.net
As the old URL began to point to the Episcopal Church’s San Joaquin website, we discovered that the official Anglican Communion website was also listing the TEC website as the ‘official’ site for the diocese. Coincidence?
(After first being reported here, the story now has been picked up by VirtueOnline and Anglican Mainstream.)
All not well in the Diocese of Niagara
“We had hoped that with the coming of our new Bishop, the church would redirect its efforts and return to its historic roots. We had hoped for a Shepherd who would care for his flock. …”
– frustration echoed in this newsletter (PDF file) from All Saints’ Niagara Falls (via St. Hilda’s Oakville). See also these comments on the state of the diocese from LC.Net/Canada. (Image: McMaster University Library.)
Keep an eye on the date
New initiatives for evangelism in Sydney Diocese have been announced today via SydneyAnglicans.net.
They are so timely, it’s worth keeping an eye on the date.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…