Turning now to a concern that is weighing heavily upon many of us, bringing with it great anxiety and confusion. As we all know, the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion is going through a very difficult time right now. It is easy to get caught up in the belief that this is unique to our generation. Unfortunately, as you study Church history, you will discover that the Church in every generation has had it trials and struggles. The issues might change, but the attack doesn’t.
My brothers and sisters, we are in the midst of a major spiritual war, one that has been raging ever since the fall. Knowing our vulnerability to SEX and MONEY, Satan is using these two areas of our lives to bring division and chaos into the Church, causing us to take our attention off the mission of the Church, and redirect it to attacking one another, dividing and weakening the Church. As Jesus himself said, a house divided against itself cannot stand.
If the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion are to survive, it is essential that we recognize what Satan is up to, and stop cooperating with his battle plan. I am all too aware of the great diversity in theological views concerning the appropriateness or inappropriateness of homosexual behavior in the Church today. Emotions are raging on both sides of the issue, and as a result, Satan is succeeding in turning what once were friends into enemies of one another. As a lifelong Episcopalian and Anglican, my heart is grieving over what I see happening to the Church.
Ultimately, each one of us will have to decide how we are to respond to Satan’s attack, and that is exactly what it is ”“ Satan’s Attack. We can cooperate with his battle plan and continue to rip ourselves apart, OR we can focus our attention on Christ, joining in His prayer, that We may be ONE, as He and the Father are ONE. In so doing, I am not suggesting that we compromise our faith, but rather that we keep Christ and the mission of the Church as our central focus, as we work through our differences, seeking God’s will in all that we do.
It is only in and through Christ that we can be one with one another and one with the Father. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father, but though me. It is for that reason, that we must keep our focus on Christ, and not be distracted by the storm that brews around us. When Peter stepped out of the boat, in response to our Lord’s call, he did the impossible ”“ he walked on water. It wasn’t until he took his eyes off of Christ and focused on the wind and the waves around him, that he began to sink. Focused on Christ, we can walk through the current storms threatening the Church, apart from Christ, we will sink.
As your Bishop and brother in Christ, I am asking each of you to join me as we move forward, and ask, “What would Jesus do?” in determining how best to address and deal with the issues before us and those who disagree with us. He will guide and direct us, if we humble ourselves and trust him and are obedient to his command ”“ “Love one another, as I have loved you.” I caution us not to become pharisaical in our dealings with one another. As we heard in this evenings passage from Luke, it is easy to fall into the trap of pointing out the sins of our neighbor, while conveniently ignoring our own sins. While we are busy condemning others, the Lord is reaching out in love to those very same people, inviting them into relationship with Him, ministering to them, healing them and giving them His peace.
We are Episcopalians and we are Anglicans, but first and foremost we are Christians. It is my hope and prayer, that by the grace of God, everyone of us will be able to continue to serve our Lord and His Church as Episcopalians and Anglicans. I pray that the Lord will cleanse and purify His Church of anything that is not of Him, and strengthen and bless that which is of Him.
As many of you know the House of Bishops will be meeting in September. High on the agenda will be the Bishops’ response to the Tanzania communiqué from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates concerning the Episcopal Church and the Windsor Report. The Archbishop has accepted the House Of Bishop’s invitation to join them in September. I will be at that meeting and will participate in all the discussions. The Diocese of Albany has been a strong conservative voice in the larger Church, upholding the traditional and orthodox teachings of the Church. We will continue to do so. At the same time, by God’s grace, I will work to ensure that every parish in our Diocese is welcoming and loving to ALL people, reaching out and ministering to everyone who seeks God’s love and a closer relationship with Christ.
I ask your prayers that the Holy Spirit will be present at the HOB meeting in a mighty and powerful way, and that He will guide and direct all conversation and all actions taken by the House of Bishops. I pray the Holy Spirit will guide and direct the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates as well, in their response to the Episcopal Church.
If the Episcopal Church or the Wider Anglican Communion takes any action that would threaten our continued relationship with either, then I will call for a Special Convention of the Diocese to come together as a Diocese to deal with whatever confronts us. It is my hope and prayer that there will never be a need to do so. This Diocese since its founding in 1868 has always been part of the Episcopal Church and as such has always been part of the Anglican Communion. We need one another and by the grace of God will always be part of one another. I hereby call upon the House of Bishops and the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the Primates of the Anglican Communion to heed the Lord’s call as revealed in II Chronicles 7:14 ”“ “”¦if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” God have mercy on us, if we choose any other path.
(The full text is below).
The 139th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Albany
Bishop’s Address By
The Rt. Rev. William H. Love, D.D.
My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ ”“ Welcome! The 139th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Albany is now in session. Let us pray. (BCP pg 818).
By the end of this weekend, we will have approx. 900 faithful men, women and children join us for the Convention, workshops and Youth Rally, in addition to several hundred more for tomorrow’s ordination service, representing each of the 122 parishes and summer chapels, located throughout the 19 counties or 20,000 square miles that make up the Episcopal Diocese of Albany.
In addition, we are blessed to have several special guests with us from outside the Diocese. Please join me as we welcome:
n The Rt. Rev. Bruce MacPherson, Bishop of Western Louisiana, President of Province VII and President of the Counsel of Advice to the Presiding Bishop. Bishop MacPherson will be the guest Preacher at Saturday’s Ordination Service.
n Ms. Christy Speer, Vice President North America Equipping for Crown Financial Ministries. Ms. Speer is one of our keynote speakers and will be addressing the Convention a little later this evening following my address.
n Also with us from Crown Financial Ministries, is Mr. John Harper, District Director of the Northeast Seaboard. Mr. Harper will be leading several workshops, sharing Crown Financial Ministries with us.
n A dear friend of mine, Mrs. Edwina Thomas, National Director of SOMA (Sharing of Ministry Abroad) will address the Convention tomorrow morning on the ministry of Mission. In addition, she will also be speaking to the kids.
n The Rev. Dr. Grant LeMarquand and his wife, Dr. Wendy LeMarquand, will be joining us. Fr. LeMarquand is the New Testament Professor and Acting Academic Dean of Trinity Episcopal School For Ministry. He will be leading two Bible Meditations this weekend during morning prayer, as well as teaching a Bible workshop with his wife.
n The guest speaker at this year’s Youth Rally is Pastor Adam McLane, Associate Pastor of Romeo Church, Romeo, Michigan, and President of Youth Ministry Exchange. He will be teaching and ministering to our middle and senior high kids this weekend and will be the guest preacher at Sunday’s Youth Rally.
n As most of you know, for the last several years we have been greatly blessed to have Bishop Harold and Liz Miller with us from our sister diocese, the Diocese of Down and Dromore, in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, Bishop Harold had another engagement that he was not able to change and is therefore not able to be here for the Convention, but will be visiting the Diocese later this summer. In the meantime however, we are most blessed to have a few of our friends here visiting from Down and Dromore: The Rev. Rodric West and his wife, Joan, The Rev. Simon Richardson, and Philip Holland, a lay person from Port ”“ A – Down.
n Last, but not least, it my honor to welcome back, the Rev. Cecil Wilson, the head of the Church Mission Society “CMS” Ireland, and his assistant, David Gough. This will be Cecil’s last time with us in his current capacity as head of CMSI due to retirement. Cecil on behalf of the Diocese of Albany, we want to thank you for your years of faithful ministry throughout the world and especially your helping us to reach out to our Christian brothers and sisters in the Sudan.
I would also like to extend a special welcome to Bishop Ball, retired Bishop of Albany, and to Mother Miriam and the Sisters of St. Mary. As always, we are blessed by your presence and your prayers. We also welcome our two Assistant Chancellors, Tom Bell and Raymond Dague. Thank you for your wise counsel.
In addition, I feel very blessed to have my wife Karen, and our daughter Catie with us this weekend. Unfortunately, our son Chris, is away on an Air Force ROTC commitment and can’t be here. As many of you know, Karen has served our nation proudly for 27 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard. As a result of all the changes in our life this past year, she has decided that it is now time to retire from the military and return to teaching. While not officially retiring until November, she will step down at the end of the summer as Mission Support Commander at the 109th ANG Base, in order to begin teaching high school math at Hadley Luzerne in September. Please join me in thanking Karen and all the brave men and women who have and continue to serve our Nation in the military, fighting to protect our freedom.
Canon Bob Haskell and Margaret, would you please stand. As most of you know, I have asked Fr. Haskell to serve as my Canon to the Ordinary. He has taken on most of the ministries previously carried out by Bishop Bena, minus those duties unique to the episcopate, and is doing a superb job. In addition to Fr. Haskell, Margaret is a also a real blessing to me and the Diocese. She is one of our chief volunteers, helping out a couple of days each week in the Diocesan office and with a variety of other things. Fr. Bob, and Margaret, we thank and appreciate you!
At the recent Sunday School and Religious Ed. Conference, Mother Laurie Garramone-Rohr, who did an excellent job by the way along with her dedicated team, stressed the importance of saying “Thank You,” something we often fail to do enough of. Inspired by her example, I would like to take a few moments this evening to say thank you to some extraordinary folks throughout the Diocese.
First, I would like to say a very special thank you to three highly gifted ladies, without whom this Convention Weekend would never have been possible. Carol Drumond, Convention Coordinator, and her assistants Micki Thomas and Sue Ellen Ruetsch Workshop Coordinator, have been instrumental in planning, organizing and carrying out hundreds of details involved in putting on this weekend. Fr. Shaw Mudge, Secretary of the Diocese, also played a key role in organizing the business aspects of the Convention. Stephen Hasslacher designed the Convention Logo. You did a great job. As hard as they all worked, they didn’t do it alone. Would everyone who has any part in organizing, planning or carrying out the various aspects and ministries of the Convention please stand. Thank You for all that you have done.
If I could ask all the Diocesan Staff, both South Swan Street and the Spiritual Life Center, (paid and volunteers), to please stand. We are blessed to have a very dedicated, hard working, committed and professional staff, working day in and day out, often behind the scenes carrying out and supporting the administration, business and ministry of the Diocese. Canon Jerry Carroll and all the folks at South Swan Street and Canon Matt Baker and his staff at The Spiritual Life Center are all doing an outstanding job. It is with great joy, that I report to you, that the Audit for 2006 is complete and without exception ”“ meaning everything was found to be in order with no mistakes. Loren, Kriss, Carol, and Joan, you are to be commended for an outstanding job. Thank you and all the staff for all your hard work, tireless dedication, and sacrificial giving of yourselves in so many ways. You are a blessing to all of us in the Diocese.
I would like to say a special thank you to Canon George Marshall for his valuable work as editor of The Albany Episcopalian and as Administrator of Episcopal Charities. Special thanks also goes to Maggie Hasslacher and Chris Copeland for their excellent work in the various other diocesan publications and communications, not to mention the multitude of other duties and responsibilities. Chris’ ministry and that of his staff, to the young people in our Diocese is such a blessing. Thank you.
Just a note concerning one of our modes of communication, the PDU or Priest and Deacon Update, while it started out as just that, it now reaches beyond the priests and deacons. As such, the PDU is going to be renamed the Diocesan Update. If you are not already receiving the PDU and would like to start getting the Diocesan Update, please contact Maggie at the Diocesan Office.
Would the ordinands please join me on the stage. It is my honor to introduce the soon to be newest transitional deacons in the Diocese of Albany: Jacqueline Jones, Teri Monica, Bruce Mason, Tom Ortung, and Beau Wagner. They will be ordained tomorrow afternoon, as transitional deacons. Thank you for all your hard work and obedience in answering God’s call to the ordained ministry. May God use you mightily in His service and always to His glory.
Please bear with me, for there are several other folks who need to be recognized and honored this evening.
Would all the priests of the Diocese and those licensed to serve in the Diocese, please stand. Thank you for joining me in serving as pastors, priests and teachers, loving and caring for the people of this Diocese, preaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments.
Would all the deacons of the Diocese please stand. Thank you for joining me as fellow servants of the Lord, sharing the Gospel and ministering to the needs of God’s people. I give thanks for your strong witness and example.
Would all the clergy spouses and children of the clergy please stand. I know all too well the demands placed upon you and your families. Thank you for your patience when family events get changed because of pastoral emergencies, and for all the sacrifices you make on behalf of the Church and for your strong witness in the community.
Would all the members of the Standing Committee, Trustees, Diocesan Council, Commission on Ministry, CTK Oversight Committee, DDF Committee, Great Chapter, and any other Diocesan Committees that I failed to mention, please stand. Thank you for giving of your time and talent, not only in your parishes, but at the diocesan level.
Would all the church wardens, vestry members, treasurers, clerks of the vestry, parish secretaries and parish administrators, please stand. Thank you for your faithful leadership.
Would all the Religious Education and Sunday School teachers, Bible Study leaders; Youth Group leaders, nursery and child care leaders, please stand. Thank you for your willingness to teach and care for God’s children, young and old alike.
Would all the kids and youth group members please stand up. Thank you for your faith and love for the Lord. May God give you the courage to share your faith with all your friends.
Would all the Altar Guild Members, Acolytes, Lay Readers, and Eucharistic Ministers please stand up. Thank you for your service to our Lord and His Church.
Would all the ushers, welcome team members, parish home visitors, hospitality and sunshine committee members, and parish sextons please stand. Thank you for your kindness and gift of hospitality.
Would all the Convention Music Team Leaders, parish organists, parish musicians, choir members, music and praise team members from all around the Diocese please stand. Thank you for sharing your incredible gift of music, adding to the beauty and majesty of the liturgy and our worship time.
Fr. Nigel, would you and Lynn and all your volunteer prayer team members and everyone else involved in the Christian healing ministry throughout the rest of the Diocese, as well as our parish nurses and all medical personnel, please stand. The healing power of Jesus Christ is real. Thank you for your faithfulness and offering of yourselves as instruments through which our Lord Jesus can and will work.
Peter Minucci and his dedicated staff at the Episcopal Counseling Service are also to be thanked for their dedicated and professional service, ministering to the emotional and psychological needs of those they are called to serve. Just a quick plug, Counseling Service Sunday is coming up on Father’s Day. That would be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate your thanks by a financial gift in support of the Counseling Service.
Torre and Jean Bissell, would you and all your diocesan intercessors, and would all the Daughters of the King and parish intercessory prayer teams from around the Diocese please stand up. I can never thank you enough for all your many prayers for me and my family, for this Diocese, for the Church at large, and for all those countless individuals who request and are in need of our prayers. God bless you in this extremely important and invaluable ministry of prayer.
Would all the ECW members from around the Diocese please stand. You are the backbone of the Church. Thank you for all that you do in support of the life and ministry of the Church.
Would all the Brotherhood of St. Andrew members and other men’s ministries please stand. Thank you for your faithful witness and ministry to the men in the Church. May God bless your efforts mightily. It is my hope and prayer that every parish in this Diocese will soon have an active Men’s Ministry. We need to bring men back into the Church in greater numbers.
Would all the members of Cursillo and Happening, associate members of the Order of St. Francis, the Sisters of St. Mary, or any other religious order, please stand up. Thank you for your faith and for being a channel through which the Holy Spirit has come into the Church in an exciting and powerful way, touching and transforming lives.
Mother Eileen, would you and all the members of the Diocesan Mission Committee, and all those from around the Diocese who have gone on or supported mission trips domestically and overseas, please stand. Thank you for your faithful witness in answering the Great Commission, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all who will receive it.
Would all the Deputies to Diocesan and General Convention please stand. Thank you for faithfully representing our parishes and the Diocese of Albany.
Will all who faithfully say your prayers, attend Church regularly and give generously of your time, talent and treasure to God and His Church, please stand. Thank you for your faithfulness and your generosity. Without you, the Church would close its doors.
Will all sinners in need of God’s love and redeeming grace, please stand up. May the Lord give us the grace we need to humble ourselves and come before Him, confessing our sins and seeking His forgiveness.
Last, but most important of all, would all who love God and accept and proclaim His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, please stand up. I thank you my brothers and sisters, for you are the Church, the Body of Christ. May God Bless You this night and always, using you mightily in His service and always to His glory and the benefit of His Church.
Is there anyone here who has not stood up or raised your hand at least once or twice this evening? If so, you are probably wondering what the heck you have gotten yourself into, but stick around, by the grace of God, you’ll be converted by the end of the weekend.
Do you know what we just witnessed? Besides for offering a well deserved thanks to some wonderful folks ”“ we just witnessed a sampling of the wide variety of ministries being carried out by fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (clergy and laity, from all different theological and churchmanship perspectives) here in the Diocese of Albany. When we are obedient to God’s call, and keep our focus on Christ, there is no limit to what the Lord can and will do in and though us.
We are the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion in the 19 counties and 20,000 square miles that make up the Episcopal Diocese of Albany. The Holy Spirit is alive and present and doing wonderful and mighty things in and through us. Every individual, every parish family, every group just mentioned is vitally important to the life and ministry of our Diocese and to the wider Church. I give thanks to God for you, and I am humbled and honored to be your brother in Christ and your Bishop.
The other thing we just experienced — is tonight’s exercise class. Hopefully all that standing up and sitting down, and clapping and waving of hands helped work off dinner and get your circulation flowing, so you can stay awake for the rest of my address.
In all seriousness, I thank you for taking time out of your busy and demanding schedules to come and be a part of this diocesan family reunion and to carry out the business required of us at Convention. As you look at your schedules, you’ll see there is a lot planned. By the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, everything that is suppose to happen, will happen.
The most important thing we will do this weekend, is spend time together as the Body of Christ, worshipping and serving our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and being fed, nurtured and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to carry out the life and ministry our Lord calls us to.
The theme of this year’s Convention, is “Transformation” and is centered on Jesus’ promise found in Revelation 21:5 “Behold, I am making all things new.” Everything planned for this Convention is intended to help pave the way for the Lord to make us into that “new creation” that He is calling us to.
As I was preparing the sermon for my Installation Service as IX Bishop of Albany, back in February, I was particularly struck by a passage from the 47th Chapter of Ezekiel. In that passage, Ezekiel was given a vision of water flowing out from under the threshold of the Temple ”“ living waters, cleansing and blessing and bringing new life to everything it touched. As I read that passage, the Lord gave me a vision of His “Living Water” flowing forth from the doors of every parish in the Diocese of Albany, His Holy Spirit cleansing and purifying, comforting and strengthening, quenching the spiritual thirst of all those longing for His love and presence, bringing healing and peace into our communities and the broken and hurting world in which we live.
This is the vision the Lord has given me for the Diocese of Albany, a vision that I believe God wants to lay the ground work for this weekend. For it to happen, we must keep our eyes and focus on Christ. Everything we do, must be Christ-centered. The writer to the Hebrews states, “”¦Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2).
To help us “run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” keeping our eyes on Christ, I believe the Lord is calling us to concentrate on four key areas this weekend. I have shared these with many of you, leading up to the convention.
First, recognizing that the Lord has already been working in and through us to varying degrees, there is much more that can and needs to be done, if only the obstacles that tend to limit us, are removed. It is important that we acknowledge and invite Christ into the wounded and brokenness that exists within our individual lives, our parishes and the Diocese, in order that we might be healed and set free of that which is not of God and that which gets in the way of our ability to serve God and carry out the ministry of His Church. Each parish has its own history, much of which glorifies and honors God, but some of which doesn’t. We are being called by our Lord to take an honest look and identify as best we can those things that are a detriment and hindrance to the life and ministry of our parishes and the Diocese and then offer them up to our Lord, asking Him to cleanse us and set us free. I want to thank those of you who have already begun this process in your parishes. If you haven’t, please give it serious thought and prayer tonight. During the offertory at tomorrows Ordination Service, a representative from each parish will be invited to come forward and nail the sins of the Church on a large cross that will be placed on the stage. Later tomorrow evening, during the Healing Service, we are going to pray for the healing and empowerment of each of our parishes throughout the Diocese. If your parish delegation has not yet had a chance to compile your list of the sins and impediments of the Parish, there is paper and envelopes available up front. Feel free to take what you need before leaving this evening.
Second, and related to the above, there seems to be a spirit of poverty and fear that has come over much of the Diocese, negatively impacting our ability to serve God and His people. Far too many parishes are in a survival or maintenance mode, due to limited finances and fear. That is not what God wants for us. Satan knows all too well our human vulnerability when it comes to money and material possessions, and he is using it against us, to limit our effectiveness in serving God and growing the Kingdom. What many regard as a financial issue is really a spiritual issue. With rare exception, most of the financial struggles in our individual lives and our parishes are self imposed, not because the expenses aren’t real, but because we have failed to trust God with our money, which in fact, is really His money on loan to us. Later this evening, Ms. Christy Speer, from Crown Financial Ministries, will help us to take a new and more Godly view of our finances. Crown Ministry workshops will also be offered tomorrow. Martin Luther once said, the last part of a person to be converted is their wallet. That is very true. For those who have come to trust God with their money and material possessions, they have been set free of the huge financial albatross that drags so many people down, wreaking havoc and misery in their lives. True financial freedom can only occur when God is in control of our finances. It is time to get out of the drivers seat and turn it over to the Lord. If you are not yet tithing, there is still work to be done. Even with the tithe, we still sometimes have trouble letting go. May the Lord give us the grace and faith to do so.
Third, as baptized Christians, we are all called by our Lord, through the Great Commission, to be missionaries, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all who will receive it. We have a growing and dedicated group of missionaries in the Diocese, but far too many in our parishes are fearful of venturing forth and sharing their faith. While overseas mission trips are extremely import, we must never forget that we live in one of the largest mission fields in the world. Everyone of us knows someone in our own backyard, who is un-churched and has not yet come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. There are more un-churched people in our communities, than there are churches enough to hold them all. Tomorrow, Edwina Thomas, national director of SOMA, a wonderful mission organization, will share her faith story and speak to us about the mission ministry. Countless unsaved souls are dying everyday. You may very well be the one chosen by God to introduce His Son, Jesus Christ, to someone who has not yet come to know Christ. We have no greater gift to share, than the love and Good News of Jesus..
The fourth area we will be focusing on is Holy Scripture. Unfortunately, this is one area the Church has far too often dropped the ball. If we are to grow in our relationship with God and knowledge and understanding of His Word, it is imperative that we get more serious about reading and studying the Bible. Fr. Grant LeMarquand, from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, is here to help us do just that. In addition, you should find in each of your bags a wonderful daily Bible meditation resource called “Discovery.” I encourage you to use it as part of your daily Bible study and prayer time. Taking time to pray and study God’s Word is absolutely essential for our spiritual health and well being. It is important that every parish have an active ongoing Bible Study. If your parish doesn’t have a Bible Study, I ask the clergy and lay leaders to start one. There are a variety of ways to go about this, and it will the subject of our upcoming Religious Ed. Conference later in August. It is in saying our prayers and studying God’s Word, that we are best able to come to know the Lord and discern His will for us and how we are to live our lives.
Moving forward in these four areas, I believe is vital to the life and ministry of each of our parishes and the Diocese, and in so doing will help to lay the foundation for the “Living Water” of Christ to flow forth, transforming our hearts and minds and those we are called to minister to.
Turning now to a concern that is weighing heavily upon many of us, bringing with it great anxiety and confusion. As we all know, the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion is going through a very difficult time right now. It is easy to get caught up in the belief that this is unique to our generation. Unfortunately, as you study Church history, you will discover that the Church in every generation has had it trials and struggles. The issues might change, but the attack doesn’t.
My brothers and sisters, we are in the midst of a major spiritual war, one that has been raging ever since the fall. Knowing our vulnerability to SEX and MONEY, Satan is using these two areas of our lives to bring division and chaos into the Church, causing us to take our attention off the mission of the Church, and redirect it to attacking one another, dividing and weakening the Church. As Jesus himself said, a house divided against itself cannot stand.
If the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion are to survive, it is essential that we recognize what Satan is up to, and stop cooperating with his battle plan. I am all too aware of the great diversity in theological views concerning the appropriateness or inappropriateness of homosexual behavior in the Church today. Emotions are raging on both sides of the issue, and as a result, Satan is succeeding in turning what once were friends into enemies of one another. As a lifelong Episcopalian and Anglican, my heart is grieving over what I see happening to the Church.
Ultimately, each one of us will have to decide how we are to respond to Satan’s attack, and that is exactly what it is ”“ Satan’s Attack. We can cooperate with his battle plan and continue to rip ourselves apart, OR we can focus our attention on Christ, joining in His prayer, that We may be ONE, as He and the Father are ONE. In so doing, I am not suggesting that we compromise our faith, but rather that we keep Christ and the mission of the Church as our central focus, as we work through our differences, seeking God’s will in all that we do.
It is only in and through Christ that we can be one with one another and one with the Father. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father, but though me. It is for that reason, that we must keep our focus on Christ, and not be distracted by the storm that brews around us. When Peter stepped out of the boat, in response to our Lord’s call, he did the impossible ”“ he walked on water. It wasn’t until he took his eyes off of Christ and focused on the wind and the waves around him, that he began to sink. Focused on Christ, we can walk through the current storms threatening the Church, apart from Christ, we will sink.
As your Bishop and brother in Christ, I am asking each of you to join me as we move forward, and ask, “What would Jesus do?” in determining how best to address and deal with the issues before us and those who disagree with us. He will guide and direct us, if we humble ourselves and trust him and are obedient to his command ”“ “Love one another, as I have loved you.” I caution us not to become pharisaical in our dealings with one another. As we heard in this evenings passage from Luke, it is easy to fall into the trap of pointing out the sins of our neighbor, while conveniently ignoring our own sins. While we are busy condemning others, the Lord is reaching out in love to those very same people, inviting them into relationship with Him, ministering to them, healing them and giving them His peace.
We are Episcopalians and we are Anglicans, but first and foremost we are Christians. It is my hope and prayer, that by the grace of God, everyone of us will be able to continue to serve our Lord and His Church as Episcopalians and Anglicans. I pray that the Lord will cleanse and purify His Church of anything that is not of Him, and strengthen and bless that which is of Him.
As many of you know the House of Bishops will be meeting in September. High on the agenda will be the Bishops’ response to the Tanzania communiqué from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates concerning the Episcopal Church and the Windsor Report. The Archbishop has accepted the House Of Bishop’s invitation to join them in September. I will be at that meeting and will participate in all the discussions. The Diocese of Albany has been a strong conservative voice in the larger Church, upholding the traditional and orthodox teachings of the Church. We will continue to do so. At the same time, by God’s grace, I will work to ensure that every parish in our Diocese is welcoming and loving to ALL people, reaching out and ministering to everyone who seeks God’s love and a closer relationship with Christ.
I ask your prayers that the Holy Spirit will be present at the HOB meeting in a mighty and powerful way, and that He will guide and direct all conversation and all actions taken by the House of Bishops. I pray the Holy Spirit will guide and direct the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates as well, in their response to the Episcopal Church.
If the Episcopal Church or the Wider Anglican Communion takes any action that would threaten our continued relationship with either, then I will call for a Special Convention of the Diocese to come together as a Diocese to deal with whatever confronts us. It is my hope and prayer that there will never be a need to do so. This Diocese since its founding in 1868 has always been part of the Episcopal Church and as such has always been part of the Anglican Communion. We need one another and by the grace of God will always be part of one another. I hereby call upon the House of Bishops and the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the Primates of the Anglican Communion to heed the Lord’s call as revealed in II Chronicles 7:14 ”“ “”¦if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” God have mercy on us, if we choose any other path.
I have gone on much too long, but there is one final thing I must touch upon. God has blessed our Diocese richly with and through Christ the King Spiritual Life Center. What has been accomplished there in the past couple of years is nothing short of miraculous. Canon Matt Baker and his highly dedicated staff and all of you who have given so generously and often times sacrificially of your time, energy and money are to be commended for helping to make the Spiritual Life Center the blessing that it is, not only to our Diocese, but to the larger Church. I have lost track of the number of brothers and sisters from other denominations who have come up to me and said thank you for the gift of the SLC.
In less than a month, the new retreat lodge, know as The King’s Inn will be open and ready for business. It will enable us to greatly expand our ministry at Christ the King, by providing added overnight accommodations, something we have desperately needed. Again, I thank everyone who has given so generously toward the building of The King’s Inn.
I realize that not everyone in our Diocese was thrilled with the creation of the Spiritual Life Center. For some it was seen as competition to the local parishes or other ministries in the Diocese; for others it was seen as too costly and a financial risk or drain; some were angered and upset by the selling of the original Beaver Cross and Barry House whose ministry by the way has not stopped, but was simply relocated to the SLC where it is growing and better able to meet the needs of the Diocese. I hope and pray that those who were not originally happy about the Spiritual Life Center, will now be able to see and appreciate it, for what it truly is ”“ a blessing and gift from God, entrusted to us for the building up of the Kingdom. If you have not yet been there, I encourage you to go at your earliest convenience. I realize it is a long and expensive trip for some of you, but I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
I will spare you the statistics of all the thousands of people (men, women and children) who have come to Christ the King. The bottom line is that the Lord is doing a mighty work at the Spiritual Life Center, not in competition with the local parishes, but in cooperation with them ”“ touching, healing, refreshing, educating, empowering, transforming thousands and thousands of lives, young and old, from all different parts of the Body of Christ, from all over the world, sending them back out into their parishes and communities, better able to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission ”“ Disciples making Disciples sharing the love and Good News of Jesus Christ with all who will receive it.
God Bless You! May this weekend be just the beginning of our transformation as the Lord makes all things new in our Diocese and throughout the Church. Amen.
“..wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord..I will be their God and they shall be my people..” The word of God is filled with separation from wide avenues of destruction to the narrow way of life. My prayer for the Pb and my own Db is to open their eyes and ears and really become aware of what they are doing and turn back.
“As your Bishop and brother in Christ, I am asking each of you to join me as we move forward, and ask, “What would Jesus do?†in determining how best to address and deal with the issues before us and those who disagree with us”
Maybe take up a whip and drive the den of thieves out of His father’s House?
A very wise and Christ-centered address from the bishop of Albany.
#3 This was more than just a Christ-centered message, the whole convention weekend was Christ-centered.
This was my first Diocesan convention and it felt more like a family reunion and Spiritual retreat than the usual business meeting marathon. The whole thing was done at a Christian retreat center next to a lake. They had meaningful workshops, inspirational worship, and even opportunities for healing and reconciliation. They also had VBS for the children and an amazing Youth Rally for the older kids. It was a blessing for my wife and I to be a part of this.
Other dioceses need to look at how Albany is doing conventions because they are on to something . . . and it is definitely Jesus!
The Bishop is quite correct….”It is only in and through Christ that we can be one with one another and with the Father. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father, but though me’.”
So what are you going to do, dear Bishop (and all who believe this to be foundational), with those in TEC who believe Jesus is optional…that there are other ways to salvation. It seems that if we are to take this Bishop at his word, there is no unity for there is no common faith. This isn’t a matter of Biblical interpretation or exegesis, it is the difference between following Christ or being instruments of Satan. There is indeed spiritual warfare taking place, and it is not from those unknown to us….it is from those we once called our friends…our brothers and sisters. They have forsaken the Gospel.
How about the afore-mentioned Scripture in context:
2Cr 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Cr 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Cr 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Cr 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,
2Cr 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
^^^^^^^^^^^
The debate is whether TEC/or a part is Christian. The bishop needs to address the question. He must not obfuscate. Saint Paul requires an answer from him.
DonGander
Anyone present at the Convention or who knows this godly Bishop would not presume to question his prayerful and honest response to the matters at hand. There is a gross immaturity to the “away with the heretics and let’s get on with being the pure Church” approach. First, contrary to assertions here and elsewhere, it’s not really the New Testament pattern of doing Church. Paul was incredibly long-suffering with those in error. What we find too often on this and other pages are many who don’t want to deal honestly with complex problems or see their part in them. “Oh, to hell with the inner-city public schools, we’ll just home school.” Real problems in the Church take effort — whether the clergy sexual abuse in the RC Church or the ethnic blocks within the Orthodox or the crash-and-burn spirituality among charismatic churches or the historic and sacramental unrootedness of Big Box or Free churches. Grown-ups see these problems and deal with them as best they can in the complex ways and complex relationships required. Yes, there is Gospel clarity. But no, it is found in NO church on earth. Over many years, TEC has gotten as it has. It has always flirted with money, “fancy” education, and class in dangerous ways. I’m not at all sure that the 1928 Prayer Book Country Club parishes of the 1950’s were any holier than the present sex-crazed, New-York-Times adoring Episcopal clergy and their followers. Our is a Church worth saving with countless members counting on grown-ups. We all need to get to work and make our witness with real, messy, complex, annoying, people and not walk away. The truth is, we ALL made this mess either by commission or omission. Honesty requires more than blaming, feeling superior, and walking away.
#7 Albany*: You go girl (or guy)! This is one of the best summations of the realities facing Christianity in general, and the Episcopal Church in particular, I have read in a long time. We are definitely undergoing a time of trial, but is it not greater than those the Church has undergone any number of times previously. It is a kind of narcissism to believe that the difficulties we go though are so much worse than those suffered by previous generations — and that we can somehow create the perfect, pure church by turning our backs on “those infidels and heretics.”
Hursley’s wife
I find it very reassuring that the Bishop will admit that there is a Satan who works against us. I wonder how many other TEC bishops would make such an admission? “Wait, wait, it’s just the Holy Spirit doing a new thing.”
Albany –
You make some excellent points, especially regarding the reality of the “good old days”. I wonder, however, if you are giving full weight to the current challenge. The people in charge of TEC are not just country-club blue-bloods. These are committed and aggressive people promoting for another gospel and they are not tolerant of the faith as practiced up your way. It’s true your bishop did get consents, but will he be the last one? There will be no more bishops who oppose women’s ordination; how long until there is no bishops opposed to same-sex marraige? The evangelical parishes of Virginia found that association with the heresies of TEC was killing them. God bless you in this time of favor for yourselves. But don’t underestimate the pack of wolves; they are prowling the world seeking souls they can destroy. If memory serves, they already have a beachhead in Albany.
Words Matter —
You make some excellent points. Let’s hang in there. Your point about hemorrhage in VA is the only one I would caution about. Folks who leave or threaten to leave parishes generally have been encouraged in this thinking by their leadership through a kind of faulty theology that I tried to describe above. It is the backfiring of a polemic used too often to build up congregations around a dynamic of opposition. I’m not at all saying it is done deliberately as a strategy, only how it does tend to backfire in hair-trigger, “voting with your feet” type congregants. It is often not conceded by our side that an enormous amount of healthy church life can and does occur at the local level quite unmolested by the wayward bishops and their aggressive compatriots. We need more to promote a “hang in there and make our witness” approach because we’re the grownups. Ours is a wonderful Church overall in its full history and its promise for the future if we have faith and persistence. We need to cultivate this theology of perseverance more than the culture of superior victims who can no longer take it.
Bishop Love spoke of being an Episcopalian and being an Anglican.
Ideally, nothing about being an Episcopalian would be in conflict with being an Anglican who also adheres to and practices what is taught in Scripture and summarized in the creeds of the Church catholic.
In addition, there would be no conflict between those governing ECUSA and the primates governing the other churches of the Anglican Communion,
if those governing ECUSA were to seek synodic, that is, communion-wide approval, for significant departures from Scripture, tradition and the creeds on the part of ECUSA or its leadership that challenge traditional beliefs and interpretations.
But, as both an Episcopalian and first-most an Anglican, I find that the innovations of GC03/GC06 and the utterances of the majority of the House of Bishops and our presiding bishop to be in extremely serious conflict with what it means for me to be ‘an Anglican who adheres to and practices what is taught in Scripture and summarized in the creeds of the Church catholic.’
In fact, under close examination, those ‘innovations’ and ‘utterances’ are in such ‘conflict’ with what has traditionally meant to be an Anglican and a member of the Church catholic, that I and many, many other Anglicans find them to be heretical and verging on apostasy.
This problem presented to the Anglican Communion by ECUSA is of ECUSA’s own making and was not caused by other primates or those within their national churches.
When ECUSA’s leadership meets in New Orleans this September, it will have the opportunity to respond to the pleas and admonitions of the rest of the Anglican Communion regarding ECUSA’s innovations.
If ECUSA’s leaders remain unbending in their desire to push forward their innovations and unresponsive to the synodic appeals of the Anglican Communion, then those of us who claim to be both Episcopalian and Anglican will have to make a decision.
For it would then not be logically supportable to say that one is both an Episcopalian and an Anglican.
CStan re: #12,
“Thank You!” . . .for your example and witness to the truth embodied in what Albany* wrote in the last third of post #7. You have succeeded in showing us all that Albany* is absolutely “dead on.”
Perseverence should not be confused with being a strategy option for apologetics (the painting of St. Sebastian comes to mind as a consequence). It is, instead, a faith choice (a matter of the believer’s will, as the imperatives in James 1:2-12 teach) while engaging in whatever strategy has been chosen (as taught in Titus 1:9, referring to “the trustworthy message”; as well as in James, again).
If you are at the end of your rope hanging over a precipice and no apparent ledge below, then it IS all about “hangin’ on.” In the Church, however, there is no virtue in perseverence without having a message to proclaim, teach, exhort, practice (there is one caveat but let me finish this thought first). Bp Love in his address has clearly identified the central strategy (with specific objectives), as noted by others above already, and starts with the work of “keep your eyes upon Jesus.” And no one outside the Church will be inclined to take such initiative – so it must be us. Bravo.
The caveat is: when the Lord tells you to wait until He directs you otherwise, in that case perseverence is actually in the waiting, sometimes while all else is crumbling around you.
RGEaton
In reply to Albany*
I must respectfully disagree. Those who as a matter of conscience have left ECUSA have been labeled by the revisionists as “bigots” and “homophobes.” You’re now decribing them as “grossly immature.” I have to ask if that applies to your former bishops, Daniel Herzog and David Bena, who upon their retirement not only left your diocese but the Episcopal Church as well?
As an outsider I have some questions about Bishop Love’s address.
When he tells his flock to keep focused on Jesus, which Jesus is he talking about, the Jesus of the Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, or the Jesus of his primate, Katherine Shori and her House of Bishops?
Bishop Love blames Satan for the divisiveness that is tearing the church apart these days, particularly in the area of sexual morals, but he remained curiously silent as to where he stood on these issues. Is his flock left to guess?
Does the Bishop believe that it is better to tolerate heresy than to sacrifice unity?
The Bishop says he will call a special convention if the Episcopal Church or the wider Anglican Communion takes any action that “threatens our continued relationship with either to deal with whatever confronts us.” What does that mean? If the House of Bishops clearly reject the moratoria requested by the Primates, will he call a special convention? Or would that have to be coupled with a declaration from the Archbishop of Canterbury that the Episcopal Church is no longer a constituent member of the Anglican Communion? How likely is that to happen? Would it be necessary for the House of Bishops to say “We’re not only rejecting the moratoria but we’re leaving the Anglican Communion as well.” How likely is that to happen? It appears Bishop Love has made a very safe bet because it is not reasonably foreseeable that either event will occur. An even safer bet is that same sex blessings will take place at the Spiritual Life Center before there is a special convention in Albany calling for its removal from either ECUSA or the Anglican Communion.
All in all, this was a very discouraging address. When you try to please everyone and offend no one, you begin to sound like the Bishop of Laodicia.
For those who say, “hang in there because the church has always had its battles”, I would have more respect if your reason is because you helped build your church building or your parents are buried in the churchyard. This is not a struggle within the church. There are those preaching a false gospel and have chosen to walk apart. Christ said to those who deny Him, that He will deny them….for those who are lukewarm, he will projectile vomit them out….and Paul shook the dust from his feet at those who rejected the Gospel.
Thank you all. I do not mean to be offensive to those who have left over issues of conscience. It does, however, amaze me that anyone fully nurtured in this tradition would not fight harder for it. Frankly, it also amazes me for all the reasons mentioned in post 7 and more that others feel they’ve found a pure Church to go to from here. Especially if you’re a priest, what about those souls who want you to fight and not abandon them? Again, I find it curious that those who have ever loved this Church and its martyrs could move on and not fight harder. Indeed, the battle has hardly begun. Once more, anyone who knows Bp. Love would not attribute to him anything less than a steel backbone. It is exactly his spirit in this address that the Church needs at this time. Blog-speech will not heal this Church. We need to move on.
Albany:
You had my sympathies and a catagorical agreement right up until your very last sentence. There is absolutely no way to just “move on”. The engine that moves us has a large burr in one of its cylinders and we have but to choices: one, run it until it dies. Or, two, grind the burr – make the sparks fly, and persist until the cylinder is smooth and fuctional again.
The grinding continues and we see the sparks flying. This is not bad.
DonGander
DonGander,
I thought I was being clear. Please know I want to grind away.
“I thought I was being clear. Please know I want to grind away.”
Perhaps I am to defensive about the “move on” phrase. It is so often used as doublespeak for “let’s ignore the problem and distract the opposition arguement with false guilt”.
DonGander
Albany,
While I tend to agree more with Bill McGovern, in my heart of hearts, I hope you are right. You will be in my prayers. Of course, if my information is correct, your bishop is a Texas boy, so that should give you all hope! :coolsmile:
“…your bishop is a Texas boy, so that should give you all hope!”
Bishop Love is devout Christian leader and a defender of “the Faith once given.”
That should give all ‘sniping’ progressives and revisionists a pause for thought about their own devotion to “the Faith once given.”
By the way, what are your thoughts regarding “the Faith once given?”
Albany*,
I certainly agree with you when you wonder at the readiness of those who purport to love what the Episcopal Church stood for to bolt. It is essentially a turning the back on the whole idea of church as understood by the church catholic and smacks of congregationalism. I know. I am one who left and morns what was lost.
evan miller,
Thank you. I too know what it is to be weary and understand fully how it all happens to our very best. Peace of Christ.
#18 re: “a pure church”……no, especially not with me as a member….just a holy catholic and apostolic church…one that proclaims Christ as head and chief cornerstone.
RevOrganist,
Of course. But where does one find such a Church whose witness on the ground reflects what is on its paper? And there lies the problem of “purity” when one goes shopping. I mean in real life. So, of course. But, respectfully, the problem isn’t that simple.
When you say, “a church whose witness on the ground” do you mean that it acts and lives out what it says in its creeds, statements of faith, and if that is accord with Holy Scripture? If so, then I would submit that we can only look at TEC and what it says and what it does corporately at General Convention….and likewise, what Diocesan Conventions say to the greater body. So in real life, we have a denomination that has authorized liturgies for “unions” between heterosexual persons who are shacking up and those of the same-sex. They have denied Christ as “The Way” to salvation, and relegated Him optional, thereby, making God’s plan of redemption revealed since the Fall obsolete and irrelevant.
It would seem that while those in TEC can see these changes or revisions as “enlightened” or “prophetic”, even the unbeliever can see it as a denial of what Christianity has taught. They are laughing at the hypocrisy, and Christian missionaries in Islamic and Muslim countries are placed at grave risk to their lives….because it is now seen as an immoral religion.
RevOrganist,
Again, respectfully, compared to what? Let’s take another Church or Denomination on. Name one, I’ll do my best to unpack a similarly distressing list about it. It won’t be the same, but it will be distressing indeed. Where is one to go where that isn’t so — in real life? (And I must say, while much of what you detail about our Church is true, some is also an exaggeration.) Want to talk about the RC, the Orthodox, the Mainline, the Big Box Churches, the Charismatic? By all means, when we to cases it won’t be pretty. What needs to happen among us is greater perseverance, patient endurance, costly witness, long-suffering willingness to take abuse, mature interaction with one another even when antagonized, and considerable faithfulness at the local level. Frankly, our Forefathers worked a god bit harder than we seem willing to exert to defend their work.
I would agree that in many cases the average person in the pew has exerted little effort to be informed about the issues at hand, much less take an active role to defend the faith. But many of us have been working for several decades battling the Revisionists, liberal Bishops, and a very organized Gay community via dialoge, “listening” to each other, and other opportunities. We have been patient, long-suffering, endured labels of being “judgemental” and “homophobic”….and frankly, that’s not why I go to church. You may have just begun, but many of us have been at war for over a decade; and through a series of actions at GC2003 & GC2006….we lost. I don’t want to fight anymore. Our mission is to be witnesses to the world…not argue about who Jesus is. And we have lost that focus.
I cannot convey the sense of relief and freedom it was to disassociate from TEC and from a heritical bishop! There is a sickness and gangrene that is spreading….death and decay of bodily tissue caused by failure of blood supply all around. The good Bishop Love identified it as the work of Satan, and I don’t need to try and make nice with him. If I am to save my life, I need to “cut off” the sick and damaged tissue lest the disease kill my entire body. Stick around if you will, but understand that you do so at the risk and peril of your very soul. I cannot.
RevOrganist,
I understand the weariness and have been fully present to these struggles over the last decade and before. I’ve been called every name in the book and endured many of the Church’s recent “re-education” and thought-control programs. The disease you speak of is real, but it resides in your brothers and sisters. We are our borther and sister’s keeper. There’s something about the Great Physician coming not for the well, I believe. The energy drain is considerable, we spend an inordinate amount of time on arguing things that ought to be givens. I concur. But the weight of our tradition makes that a blip on the screen. It’s cause is an inherent weakness to Anglicanism which is also its inhernet strength. We can recover. Moreover, there are so many in the pews counting on us to save their Church from the lunatic fringe and the last gasp of these ecclesial children of the sixties. Respectfully, again, where have you gone? You do not say. Is it really better on the ground? My sense is that many move on to disengage from the struggles here and to rest elsewhere. When the honeymoon wears off with all the false attributions of purity, you see that others are struggling there too and the issues are just those of post-Modernity everywhere — or maybe entrenched traditional dysfunctions like abusive hierarchy, sex scandals and cover-ups, or ethnic subgrouping and on the one hand and on the other hand the historic and theological rootlessness of free churches, the cult of personality among fundamentalists or charismatics, and the Mainline politically-correct hodgepodge with plenty of revisionist clergy living with their same-sex partners in the rectory. We could go on and on. Where on earth did you go, friend, to flee this mess? I’m sorry to grind away on this point, but where is this pure Church?
PS Forgive the numerous typos and lack of proof reading in my recent posts. I’ll try to do better.