Friday, December 9, 2011

LETTER TO THE CLERGY AND LAITY IN AMIA

The Director of Communications of AMiA, Cynthia P. Brust, posted a letter at the AMiA website to the clergy and laity of the group with information on the latest events. Along with Primatial Vicar Chuck Murphy, Bishops Sandy Greene, Todd Hunter, TJ Johnston, Philip Jones, Doc Loomis, John Miller, Silas Ng, and John Rodgers, resigned from the Rwanda House of Bishops.
During this interim period, the Anglican Mission is under the oversight of our founding Archbishops Emmanuel Kolini, Moses Tay and Yong Ping Chung until we have a new provincial home within the Anglican Communion.
I've been concerned about the priests and laity in AMiA, some of whom must have had a sense of being adrift since the announcement of the resignation of the bishops by which act the parishes are apparently no longer under the oversight of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. I wonder if the bishops by their resignations actually take all the parishes out of the Church of Rwanda. Do the parishes have a say in whether they leave the oversight of the Church of Rwanda?

I don't know the answer to the questions, but I pray that the clergy, laity, and bishops of AMiA find their places to settle.

9 comments:

  1. This posted Wednesday evening on the facebook page of Chip Edgar, rector of the Church of the Apostles, Columbia, SC - the church recently consecrated by Terrell Glenn subsequent to his resignation from AMiA:

    "More later, a lot more, but here's the long and short of it right now: The resignations of the majority of the AMiA Council of Bishops does not affect us as a church of the Province of Rwanda. That is where our canonical residence has been and it continues to be. They--the former AMiA bishops, not includng +Thad and +Terrell--are now simply bishops with no jurisdiction. Their resignations have no effect on our canonical status (if they intended it to, they are oddly misinformed about Anglican polity). The question, which will still require prayerful deliberation, is what will the future hold."

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  2. Lapin, that is interesting. Perhaps the parishes may be able to choose whether they remain in the Province of Rwanda or go with the AMiA bishops.

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  3. Wonder if C Murphy sees it that way.

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  4. Chuck Murphy has not confided in me. I don't know why.

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  6. According to the AMiA's website, neither the AMiA nor the Province of Rwanda have any claim to an individual parish's assets.

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  7. Well, we shall see.

    And there's St Timothy's in Fort Worth with the Southern Cone, which now wants to join the RC ordinariate. Their priest has already renounced his orders in preparation for moving over to Rome, and the property is still under litigation between the Episcopal Church and Bp. Iker.

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  8. Fortunately for the members of St. Timothy's who wish to join the ordinariate, a local parish has offered them worship and office space until they find a more permanent place. Its pastor is also a former Episcopal priest, which will no doubt help him in meeting their pastoral needs while Fr. Stainbrook (I don't think he has renounced his orders just yet) goes through the ordination process.

    That leaves the question of what happens to the building if St. Timothy's goes elsewhere. I personally have doubts about whether the TEC and ACNA adherents _combined_ would be enough to make the mission viable, but I guess we'll see.

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  9. Well, another time to wait and see how the complicated situation is resolved.

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