The annual Synod of the Diocese of Quincy meeting in Moline on Friday and Saturday remained focused on moving forward with mission and ministry inside the diocese, around the county and around the world, even as it seeks to secure its relationship to the wider Anglican Communion.
Presentations were made about continuing relief efforts coordinated with the Free Church of the Annunciation in New Orleans, earthquake relief for Peru, an upcoming medical mission to the Dominican Republic, and new outreach work in Haiti and Quincy’s companion Diocese of the Upper Shire in Malawi.
During the synod banquet Friday evening, Deacon Phil Fleming, the diocese’s disaster and relief coordinator, received a national recognition award for his Katrina relief work in New Orleans, and also received the St. Paul’s award for meritorious service to the diocese.
The synod took steps to consider possible relationships with other branches of the Anglican Communion. Quincy is presently affiliated with the Episcopal Church in the US. A number of decisions were made that open the door for possible alignment with a different branch of the world-wide Communion.
“As a Diocese our goal is to remain in fellowship with the wider Anglican Communion,” said the Rt. Rev. Keith L. Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy. “Over a year ago we asked for alternative oversight from an archbishop outside the US. We re-affirmed that request at this synod.”
“No final decisions were made about our affiliation at this synod,” according to Fr. John Spencer, press officer for the Diocese. Spencer said a number of decisions are currently being made in various parts of the Anglican Communion that will affect not only the US church, but all 38 provinces of the Communion. “Decisions will be made in the next few weeks about who will or will not attend next year’s Lambeth Conference,” a meeting of all Anglican bishops held every 10 years. Many bishops, including a significant number of bishops in the Church of England, have indicated they may not attend if American bishops are present who have continued to reject the scriptural and moral teaching standards of the Communion.
“Also, several of our sister dioceses in the Anglican Communion Network will be considering canonical changes in the coming weeks, ” Spencer said. “We want to discern a way forward together in a reasoned and prayerful manner over the coming months.”
It is not quite clear to me from this release that Quincy voted to amend its diocesan constitution in the manner San Joaquin already has (on its first reading) and Fort Worth will consider doing in just under four weeks. Does anyone know if they actually passed a first reading on such a constitutional change to their accession clause? “Reaffirming a request for APO” and “opening the door for possible realignment” hardly amount to the same thing as concrete action. Was something substantial actually done? Did they try to do it and fail? Any hard info out there?
To the tune of “alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well.”
When San Joaquin completes the process of secession in December, and Fort Worth initiates it in November, Quincy will be a year behind, and as the smallest and weakest of the three FIF dioceses, they have left themselves wide open to bear the full brunt of 815’s legal efforts to smash them—which it will.
Which gives rise to another question—why did the “Biretta Belt†Anglo-Catholic dioceses abandon their witness so supinely and spontaneously—Springfield by choosing +Beckwith in 1991 (who brought in WO—even if he has, perhaps, begun to see that it was a mistake); Fond du Lac by choosing +Jacobus in 1994 (ditto, except that he gives no sign of returning to the Anglo-Catholic orthodoxy of his youth); and Eau Claire by choosing the “Affirming Catholic†+Whitmore in 1997 as successor to +Wantland? And now (effectively) Quincy.
Poor Charles Grafton and Stanley Atkins, betrayed by their successors.
Ok, #2, since you keep asking, “…why did the “Biretta Belt†Anglo-Catholic dioceses abandon their witness so supinely and spontaneously” each time Quincy is mentioned, you must know the answer. Tell us. Please.
Father Dean A. Einerson
Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Re: #3,
I don’t “know the answer;” that’s why I asked — but it is clear that Eau Claire, Fond du Lac and Springfield (and Chicago and Milwaukee for good measure) did abandon it, or else that would be standing firm right up there beside Fort Worth and San Joaquin to this day, as stalwart in their opposition to WO as to SS. And Quincy? Well, I admire and respect Bishop Ackerman — but as a FIF/NA diocese they should be aware if anyone should that the “great fall” took place in 1976, not 2003 — and after 31 years ECUSA is farther than ever from reversing it. IMHO (and I stress O) it is high time that they got out while the going is good, or at least possible (cf. Bishop Iker’s address two days ago to the Forward-in-Faith annualassembly in London), rather than to delay, and so render their pkight remediless.
Texanglican #1,
We did vote on amendments to our Constitution. They passed on first reading and will be taken up again. As soon as I can find electronic copies of them, I will forward them on.