The Episcopalians in the two dioceses who are rather more loyal to the Episcopal Church than their bishops, feel a lack of pastoral care from the heads of their dioceses and have banded together to support each other and the Episcopal Church.
From the website of Episcopal Forum of South Carolina:
The mission of the Episcopal Forum in the Diocese of South Carolina is to preserve unity with diversity in the Diocese and within The Episcopal Church through the inclusion of a broad range of Scriptural understandings and by upholding the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and the democratic actions of its Conventions and elected leaders.
Openly Episcopal in Albany states:
Our goal will be to raise the visibility of The Episcopal Church throughout the diocese, and encourage our parishes and leadership to remain Episcopal in Albany.
Fr. Frank Wade, who teaches in the doctoral program at Virginia Theological Seminary, recently spoke to the Episcopal Forum in South Carolina on why he is "enthusiastically Episcopalian". Here's a snippet from Fr. Wade's speech:
If I were to see our Church in a specific Gospel story, I would suggest the Road to Emmaus. In that account two people were walking from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus on Easter Day. They were fully aware of the crucifixion and had heard rumors of the resurrection. They were dong their best to figure it all out. During their conversation, Jesus, unrecognized, joined them and guided their discussion to a deeper understanding. At the conclusion of their journey they had a meal and it is said that they recognized the Lord in that great Eucharistic phrase "the breaking of the bread." I would suggest that our Church is still on the Emmaus road, confident that when we are in conversation our Lord joins us and deepens our understanding.
I know you want to read the entire speech.
I've read and quoted enough of the whining, self-pitying, and sanctimonious words of Bishop Mark Lawrence to recognize Fr. Wade's words as a breath of fresh air blowing across Charleston on the day he spoke.
Openly Episcopal in Albany, will have the privilege of a visit from Fr. Wade to St Paul's Church in Albany on April 10. If you're nearby, I'd recommend that you go. Details below.
What: Communion, Covenant, Conversation: Being Episcopalian and Anglican
Who: The Rev. Dr. Frank Wade, presenter
Where: St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 21 Hackett Blvd., Albany
When: Saturday, April 10, 2:00 PM
For further information, call 518-453-3657
NOTE: If you have difficulty accessing PDF files, the text of Fr. Wade's speech in Charleston is also available at Openly Episcopal.
