Bishop FitzSimons Allison is now in his 99th year. His mind, though not as quick as when I interviewed him in 2022, – “The Lion in Winter” (Allison was 95) – remains profoundly alert to the times in which we live. He is a living witness to nearly the entire arc of the modern Anglican crisis — from the pre-revisionist Episcopal Church through the Singapore consecrations to the founding of the ACNA. Very few people alive can speak to that history from personal experience.

Christopher FitzSimons Allison was born on March 5, 1927, in Columbia, South Carolina, the son of James Richard Allison and Susan Milliken FitzSimons. He attended the University of the South at Sewanee, though his studies were interrupted by service in the United States Army during World War II. He was discharged and returned to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949. He then earned a B.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1952 and a D.Phil. from Christ Church, Oxford, in 1956. He married Martha Allston Parker on June 10, 1950.

Early Life and Formation

Academic Career

Ordained deacon in June 1952 and priested in May 1953, Allison went on to become one of the Episcopal Church’s most respected patristic scholars and Anglican historians. Following his Oxford doctorate, he served as associate professor of church history at the University of the South, Sewanee, from 1956 to 1967, and then as professor of church history at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria from 1967 to 1975.

Parish Ministry and the Diocese of South Carolina

He then served for five years as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in New York City — one of the most prominent evangelical Anglican parishes in the country — before being called to lead the Diocese of South Carolina. He was elected at a special meeting of the Diocesan Convention on May 17, 1980, and consecrated Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina in a service attended by approximately 2,500 people at the Gaillard Auditorium in Charleston. The Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, served as chief consecrator. He became diocesan bishop in 1982 and served until his retirement in 1990.

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Giving thanks for the life and ministry of retired bishop of #southcarolina C. FitzSimons Allison who is (I can’t fully believe it) 99 years old pic.twitter.com/A6CYBFIEV3

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) June 22, 2026

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• The Provincial Council was prepared to consider two Resolutions submitted by the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina and the Anglican Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic calling for the release of the transcript of the proceedings of the Court for the Trial of a Bishop in the trial of Bp. Stuart Ruch as well as the report commissioned by the Executive Committee into the Province’s handling of the Ruch matter. However, the two dioceses withdrew these resolutions and instead agreed to participate in a dialogue with the Court, mediated by four diocesan chancellors, including the chancellors of the Anglican Dioceses of South Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic, intended to address questions raised by both the two dioceses and the court regarding the appropriateness of the actions of all parties involved. 

Canon Andrew Rowell, Chair of the Governance Task Force, will also participate in this dialogue. The participants agreed that a report on the proceedings will be made available to the Standing Committees of all the dioceses. The Province also acknowledged that the findings and recommendations of the Lathrop Review will be made available to any diocesan Standing Committee upon request. The dioceses and the Province also acknowledged that these resolutions may be reintroduced at a subsequent Provincial Council.  The original resolutions are included below for reference.

• Resolution #1 “calling upon the Court for the Trial of a Bishop to release a full transcript of all of its actions in the Ruch matter” and
• Resolution #2 calling upon the Executive Committee to release the final written report of the investigation of the Ruch matter.”

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• On Saturday, June 20, The Court for the Trial of a Bishop posted a notice dated June 19, 2026 that postpones the date of the trial to October 26, 2026 “to better fulfill its goal of providing a full and fair adjudication of the allegations in this matter.”

A ban on social media for under-16s, announced by the Government this week, will not guarantee child safety online, Bishops and safeguarding specialists have warned.

Two C of E Bishops — one in favour of the ban and the other opposed — nonetheless agreed this week that a ban in isolation was not enough, and that both scrutiny of big tech social media companies and investment in youth services was essential if children are to be protected from harm.

The Children’s Society warned against letting the tech companies off the hook, while Jim Gamble, the chief executive of INEQE, the safeguarding group currently auditing all Church of England dioceses and cathedrals, said that, while well intentioned, a ban was not practical.

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A ban on social media for under-16s, announced by the Government this week, will not guarantee child safety online, Bishops and safeguarding specialists have warned#socialmediaban #under16s #churchnews https://t.co/Os2gr5VbRw

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 16, 2026

Responding to the news that a Bill to permit assisted dying is to be reintroduced to Parliament, the Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, has told the Church Times that she remains committed to scrutinising the legislation in the House of Lords — although MPs may use the Parliament Act to bypass the Upper House.

“The issues around workability and safety remain, as do the issues around the funding of palliative and social care,” she said.

The Bishop was speaking after the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, Lauren Edwards, announced that she would use another Private Member’s Bill to reintroduce the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill into the House of Commons.

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Responding to the news that a Bill to permit assisted dying is to be reintroduced to Parliament, the Bishop of Newcastle has told the Church Times that she remains committed to scrutinising it in the Lords—although MPs may use the Parliament Act https://t.co/uHGU8uJZkN

— James Macintyre (@James_Macintyre) June 15, 2026

Monday, 15 June 2026
The Commemoration of Evelyn Underhill

To the Faithful of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina,

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Beth and I are in Tulsa as we begin meetings of the College of Bishops today and tomorrow and then Provincial Council meets Wednesday evening through Friday at noon. We have a strong delegation from the diocese—Canon Bob Lawrence, John Benson, and Justin Johnson—making the trip to Tulsa as well, and I write to ask your prayers for us as we head into these meetings. There is also an upcoming specially called Provincial Assembly which will be held as a Zoom gathering on Thursday, June 25. Again, we have a strong delegation for that meeting, including a strong Youth Delegation. The people representing our diocese at that gathering will be clergy delegates, Canon Laura Bowman, John Burwell, Claudia Carucci, Dean Shay Gaillard, Ryan Landes, Cindy Larsen, Canon Jim Lewis, Zach Miller, and Hamilton Smith; lay delegates, John Benson, Janis Breazeale, Anna Bruner, Katherine Cannon, Dr Ashley Bryant Harbin, Joy Hunter, Cathy Jacobs, Justin Johnson, Jessica Smith; and youth delegates, Elliott Arscott, Gabriel Collier, Edward Hart, Ben Shelton, Amelia Cannon, Cole O’Keefe, and Julia Dubay.

Title IV Revisions

There are three significant issues to be dealt with by the Provincial Council, which, if passed there, would go to the specially called Assembly for ratification in order to take effect. The first is the well-publicized and widely discussed Title IV revision, really a complete overhaul, of our disciplinary canons. The result of this process is a set of disciplinary canons addressing everything from making it easier to bring a charge against a bishop or a priest (the current ACNA canons make it unbearably complicated) all the way to clearly defined and canonically required procedures for how the courts must conduct their business. Such canonical requirements, absent until now, contributed to the level of distrust and frustration marking our Province today. I completely support these revisions, and have been impressed with the rigorous and transparent process undertaken by the Province to get us to this point—a year-long process with several cycles of revision and feedback that was open to the entire Province and resulted in thousands of suggestions that were considered and resulted in significant improvements from revision to revision.

Winston Churchill once said, about architecture: “First we shape our buildings. Afterwards our buildings shape us.” Similarly, I am hopeful to see how these new canons will shape us in the days to come into a stronger and more transparent Province.

Title I Changes

A second change, again necessitated by the weakness of our current canonical structure, concerns the succession of authority when an Archbishop is unable to carry out his duties for any reason, health, or, as we have been enduring, inhibition from ministry due to disciplinary proceedings. This change will clarify not only who is next in line to take on the responsibilities of that office, but who is next after that; this is precisely the situation we have recently had to deal with, and our Canons were not helpful. This change will clarify that process, as well as the scope of authority that accompanies the succession, and, again, I am fully supportive of it.

Ratification of the Provincial Constitution and Canons Committee

It’s the third proposal about which I have some concern, and I ask your prayers for God to be at work, guiding all of us who will be voting. This proposal involves changing—more precisely ratifying a first vote of a change approved by last year’s Provincial Council—to our current Governance Task Force (GTF), making it a Provincial Constitution and Canons Committee, ensconced in the Canons, and not simply a policy of the Province. My concern is that this is being done by this Provincial Council—well and good—to be ratified by the specially called Zoom Assembly (mentioned above).

When the College of Bishops voted to hold this specially called Assembly, the understanding was that the purpose of it was simply to ratify the Title IV revisions (again, see above) so they could take effect immediately and correct the many problematic aspects of the current canons. In the past few weeks, this Assembly has been laden with more than that. I worry that we, as a Province, have not had enough  time to reflect on, and perhaps, offer constructive feedback, to these proposed changes. What was the great strength of the process of Title IV revision, has not been as robust for this revision.

Resolutions Proposed By the ADOSC

In addition to these Canonical changes, our diocese has proposed two resolutions for Provincial Council’s consideration and vote. One is a call to have the transcript of the court proceedings in the recent trial of Bishop Ruch released publicly (with necessary redactions to protect witnesses as needed) and the other is to have the final report of the Lathrop investigation—looking into the whole investigative process leading up to that trial—released publicly as well, when it is complete. Our goal in proposing these resolutions is simple: we hope to see trust that has been deeply eroded over the past few years restored in the Province as it continues to navigate challenging waters. 

As we head into these meetings, I am aware that we, as a diocese, have not been afforded the luxury, as most other dioceses have, of thinking of these things in the abstract. People in our diocese have been directly affected by the insufficiencies in our current canons and have been negatively affected by them. 

So, I’m writing to ask you to pray, to give you some important insight into what you can be praying about, and to let you know how I, as your bishop, am processing all that we are facing in these upcoming two weeks. Pray that God’s will be done, and that, however the matters are resolved, the witness of the Province to the gospel of Jesus will increase and grow, and that the Church would be strengthened.

Blessings,

(The Rt. Rev) Chip Edgar

On May 7, 2026 and June 2, 2026, the Court held hearings to consider a number of pending
motions from both parties. On June 10, 2026, the Court issued the following rulings:
o Respondent’s Motion for In Camera Trial was GRANTED;
o The Province’s Motion for the College of Bishops to Observe the Trial was DENIED;
o Respondent’s Motion to Dismiss was DENIED;
o Respondent’s Supplementary Motion to Dismiss was DENIED; and
o The Province’s Motion for the Court to Re-establish Fairness, etc. was GRANTED IN
PART.

Read it all.

More ACNA news, on the coming trial of Abp Steve Wood: the Court for the Trial of a Bishop has granted Wood's motion for a non-public trial, denied his motion to dismiss, and denied a motion to allow the College of Bishops to observe the trial. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/QkpdxSnqpm

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) June 15, 2026

Almighty and everliving God, whose servant Thomas Cranmer, with others, did restore the language of the people in the prayers of thy Church: Make us always thankful for this heritage; and help us so to pray in the Spirit and with the understanding, that we may worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The Episcopal Church today commemorates The First Book of Common Prayer, which was used for the first time on Pentecost Sunday in 1549

Image: Title page from the BCP, 1549 (Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons) pic.twitter.com/5oErBmWc4i

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) May 23, 2024

Safeguarding in the Church of England could be broadened to include anyone harmed or at risk of harm in a church context, after the C of E’s National Safeguarding Team (NST) launched a consultation.

The fresh approach is a result of recommendations from the Charity Commission, which has pointed out that the “Church does not treat allegations of abuse from an adult not assessed to be ‘vulnerable’ as a safeguarding allegation”. Its own guidance says that trustees “must take reasonable steps to protect from harm all people who come into contact with their charity”.

The consultation, What is Safeguarding?, focuses on the code of practice Safeguarding in the Church, the subject of a consultation in April and May. Until now, it has been referred to as Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults. The change of title follows recommendations from the Commission that the NST review definitions of safeguarding and vulnerable adults.

“It is very important to note that this document is in the very early stages of thinking,” the NST says in a preface.

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Church of England’s definition of safeguarding could be broadened https://t.co/rheEMJAw4y

— Simon Sarmiento (@simonsarmiento) June 11, 2026

Thirdly, this raises the question about the three descriptors that have been chosen in the motion and what they mean, especially if they are to include within their scope sexual relationships. 

A classic statement advocating same-sex unions (and later marriage) is that by Jeffrey John which was entitled Permanent, Faithful, Stable. These three terms are also in need of more careful definition but how significant is it that both “permanent” and “stable” are lacking here? What conclusions are to be drawn from the fact they have been replaced simply by “committed” with no explanation as to the nature or level of that commitment?

There has been a long concern about occasional and non-exclusive male same-sex sexual relationships being acceptable, including among gay Christians (see for example the 1997 work of Andrew Yip whose research with gay male Christian couples found “the majority of couples were expectationally and behaviourally non-exclusive; the recently deceased leading campaigner Malcolm Johnson expressed surprise in his Diary of a Gay Priest that “a third are physically faithful—or say they are!”). Leaving that question open is one reason the LGCM statement quoted above offered no criteria as to when expressing love fully in a sexual relationship was entirely compatible with the Christian faith (see Sean Gill, The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (Cassell, 1998), pp. 12-13).

In a world of rapidly changing sexual norms there is now much wider discussion and acceptance of “ethical non-monogamy” (ENM). As briefly explained in this “ethics explainer” from The Ethics Centre this is distinguished from “infidelity” and “cheating”. Here it is not unreasonable to ask whether those in such an ENM form of relationship might nevertheless still be able to be classed as in a “committed, faithful, intimate” form of relationship.

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Helen King's motion for General Synod: a help or a hindrance? https://t.co/cIA8Evq875 via @psephizo

— Simon Sarmiento (@simonsarmiento) June 2, 2026

Things were different amongst Christians. The Early Church challenged the contemporary pagan culture by insisting on the same standard of sexual ethics for both men and woman. The first Christians believed, based on the teaching of Genesis 1 and 2, that marriage was to be between one man and one woman, that marriage was the only legitimate setting for sexual activity and that a single standard of sexual fidelity was required of both men and women.

That is why men are told to ‘abstain from unchastity’ (1 Thessalonians 4:4), why Paul forbids man having sex with prostitutes (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) why a bishop has to be a ‘one woman man’ (1 Timothy 5:9) just as good wives were expected to be ‘a one man woman’ (1 Timothy 5:9).To quote Larry Hurtado:

‘The decisive step taken early Christian sexual teaching was to bring males under the same sort of behavioural requirements that in the larger cultural setting were expected of ‘honourable’ women. In the matter of marital fidelity in chastity, it seems that for early Christians what was good for the goose was also thought good for the gander!’[8]

In addition, the early Christians universally rejected abortion and infant exposure.

In the words of the second century Epistle to Diognetus, ‘They [Christians] marry like everyone else and have children, but they do not expose their offspring. They share their food but not their wives.’[9]

Thus, far early Christianity was in line with Jewish tradition. However, it departed from the Jewish tradition by also holding that intentional singleness (known then as ‘virginity’), and the celibacy that went with it, was not only acceptable but, in fact, a more excellent form of Christian discipleship than being married….

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Martin Davie–Assessing two different visions for the future of the Anglican Communion https://t.co/F3so2u4TtA 'The difference between the two views of the future of global Anglicanism put forward by the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals and The Abuja Affirmation is that the former holds… pic.twitter.com/LXTgMmiuOZ

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) March 16, 2026

The Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, has welcomed a poll of more than 10,000 people which suggests that a majority in all 632 parliamentary constituencies oppose the proposed law on assisted dying being revisited without full scrutiny and approval by both chambers.

Dr Hartley was on the House of Lords select committee that examined the Private Member’s Bill brought by the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in October 2024 (News, 18 October 2024), and spoke against it before it was defeated earlier this year in the Upper House (News, 1 May). She told the Church Times that the poll “confirms that the public does not support the suggestion of bypassing the House of Lords in order to force through an unsafe Bill”.

She said: “This would mean using a procedure never used for a Bill of this kind and acting against the advice of medical professionals, disability groups, and the concerns of all those who want to see legislation that is safe and workable.

“For a Bill of this magnitude in terms of societal change, the highest level of scrutiny is imperative.”

Read it all.

The Bishop of Newcastle has welcomed a poll of more than 10,000 people which suggests that a majority in all 632 parliamentary constituencies oppose the proposed law on #assisteddying being revisited without full scrutiny and approval by both chambershttps://t.co/1fB16bi9sv

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 10, 2026

Brad Carr Named Licensed Lay Pastor for St. Paul’s, Bennettsville

On Sunday, June 7, St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Bennettsville began a new season when Bishop Edgar formally appointed Brad Carr to serve as their full-time Licensed Lay Pastor. Funding for the position came, in large part, through your gifts to the Thrive Together Initiative. 

Brad looks forward to attending Trinity Anglican Seminary where, beginning in August, he will be enrolled in the church-based MDiv track.  The hybrid program offers most of its course work online, but he will participate in winter and summer intensives on the Ambridge, PA campus. 

Given St. Paul’s great need for a pastor after years without one and given that Brad is uniquely suited to serve in this role, Bp Edgar has approved his doing distance theological education rather than residential education.  

Brad and his wife, Kim, South Carolina natives, grew up in the Pee Dee area and are looking forward to this new season of ministry. They have three children (ages 14, 8 and 6). Look for a story in the upcoming Jubilate Deo. 

Read it all.

The Latest Edition of the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/vOHzkFc7AU [Brad Carr, diocesan photo) #parishministry #faith #lowcountrylife pic.twitter.com/OOAhOwbyFR

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) June 9, 2026

The security situation in Mexico is “very difficult” as the World Cup approaches, the newly elected Anglican Archbishop of Mexico, the Most Revd Sally Sue Hernández, has warned, in a keynote speech at last week’s annual conference of the Anglican mission agency USPG. The theme was “For Christ is our peace”.

The tournament, hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States, begins on Thursday. “The situation is very difficult, with challenges including the presence of drug cartels, forced disappearances, violence against girls and women, the exclusion of indigenous communities, and armed attacks to seize territory from communities that have been displaced from their lands, among others,” said Archbishop Hernández.

“While the World Cup will generate passion, and some economic activity, there will be no profound changes or answers to the true needs of the Mexican people.”

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The security situation in Mexico is “very difficult” as the World Cup approaches, the newly elected Anglican Archbishop of Mexico, the Most Revd Sally Sue Hernández, has warned, in a keynote speech at last week’s annual conference of USPG.https://t.co/C5yF8j9mpv

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 8, 2026

Loving God, may thy Name be blest for the witness of Ini Kopuria, police officer and founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, whose members saved many American pilots in a time of war, and who continue to minister courageously to the islanders of Melanesia. Open our eyes that we, with these Anglican brothers, may establish peace and hope in service to others, for the sake of Jesus Christ; who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Christ’s lordship is good because of what Christ as Lord rescues us from; because of all that follows from being under Christ’s rule and care. It matters whose kingdom you belong to. The lordship of Christ delivers us from death’s rival claim (Romans 14.8-9; 1 Corinthians 15.15-26).

That  idea of a lord as protector may not speak so directly to us today, but it is central to the theology of the New Testament. As Karl Barth wrote, it belongs to “divine mercy” for us to have Christ as Lord, and in that way to be delivered “from all other lordships”. Not for nothing does a famous passage from Romans end its list of vanquished impediments to life in God with invocation of Christ as Lord: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8.38-39).

The cost of confessing allegiance to “one Lord” was not lost on early Christians. Martyrs, burned alive or sent to the lions, demonstrated the consequences of belonging to only one lord, when that lord was not Caesar. The benefits, however, were not lost on them: “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1.13-14).

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“Working through the Creed, clause by clause, we find that every line of it turns out to be good news.”

In the first part of a new occasional series, @@AP_Davison encourages believers to look for the good news in every clause of their profession of faith https://t.co/ySN2ZORMtg

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) April 26, 2026

The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) today unanimously approved a final version of a new Episcopal Election Customary, completing a significant effort to strengthen the discernment, vetting, and election of bishops across the Province.

The Episcopal Election Customary establishes a consistent framework for episcopal elections across the Province while preserving the historic authority of dioceses to elect their own bishops. The Customary outlines expectations and procedures for dioceses, standing committees, search committees, and provincial leaders, providing greater clarity throughout the discernment and election process.

The Customary was developed through an extensive process of consultation, discussion, and refinement among bishops and church leaders from across the Province. The resulting framework will ensure that candidates for episcopal office complete a robust review process and are subject to thorough vetting and background checks while maintaining the appropriate balance between provincial oversight and diocesan authority.

The Customary, which takes immediate effect, follows commitments made by the College of Bishops in January 2026 to strengthen the processes surrounding episcopal elections, to promote healthy leadership throughout the Church, and inspire greater confidence in the ACNA’s systems of accountability and oversight.

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ACNA College of Bishops Unanimously Approves Episcopal Election Customary https://t.co/36Krz7y1q3 'The Customary, which takes immediate effect, follows commitments made by the College of Bishops in January 2026 to strengthen the processes surrounding episcopal elections, to… pic.twitter.com/IrbhecPBuR

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) June 5, 2026

[Mr Funmi Ojetayo’s] professional experience includes senior legal positions with Florida A&M University, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida Department of Management Services. As Deputy General Counsel for the Department of Management Services, he led the agency’s litigation function and provided counsel on significant legal matters. He currently serves as a Partner at Allen, Norton & Blue, P.A., in Tallahassee, Florida, where his practice focuses on labor and employment litigation and appellate advocacy.

In addition to his legal training, Mr. Ojetayo holds a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He completed his pastoral residency at Incarnation Anglican Church in Tallahassee in 2022 and currently serves as Discipleship Pastor at Four Oaks Church East.

While under consideration for the appointment, Mr. Ojetayo disclosed that he has a brother who serves as a rector within Bishop Julian Dobbs’ diocese. As Mr. Ojetayo has no personal involvement in the matters under review, and his appointment is based on his professional qualifications and experience, the province deemed this not to be a conflict of interest.  

Read it all.

https://t.co/NzE22DL2Qe

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) June 3, 2026

Success had hinged on the churchwarden at the time — Nigel Boldero, an “absolute force of nature” with a background in project delivery, Mr Whitehead said. There was now a “greater expectation of professionalism” from the Lottery, he said, which could pose challenges — given skills shortages in some areas.

Mr Whitehead said that the Community Changemarkers conference had conveyed “a real sense of optimism, of hope”. He continued: “I feel really strongly that there is value in the small, value in these rural places, which might not be measurable in terms of numbers of people in church on a Sunday, but is measurable in the depth of commitment people have to tending their churchyards, to giving money to restoring the tower or the clock, or whatever it might be.”

There was, he said, a tendency to look down on, or make fun of, the rural. “We get Dibleyfied, basically,” he said. “I think there is life in the rural church, and I think, where you can find it and you can spread it, that that kind of thing is infectious.”

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The hundred visitors who descended on St Peter’s, Haveringland, in Norfolk, last month were far more than it usually has in a day. It is known locally as “the church in the fields” and stands in isolation on a former Second World War airfield #ruralchurchhttps://t.co/SL4mjEQ6xa

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 3, 2026

O God, by whose providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: Grant that we who remember before thee the blessed martyrs of Uganda, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom they gave obedience even unto death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

3 June 1886, 32 young men, pages in the court of Bugandan King, burned to death at #Namugongo. As Christians, they refused king’s homosexual advances & demand to renounce faith. Led to many coming to faith: the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. #Uganda #martyrsday pic.twitter.com/K8ljxhlATB

— Revd Nicholas Pye (@RevdPye) June 3, 2026

The dignity of retired clergy demands a “transformed mindset” among the Church’s leaders, the Retired Clergy Association has told the Clergy Retirement Dignity and Fairness Review (News, 1 May).

“An increase in pensions or the lump sum will not compensate for disparaging our members, nor is it likely to be achieved without a transformed mindset that accords them a dignified value,” the eight-page submission stated.

While drawing attention to the financial precariousness of some retired clergy — some of whom spend more than two-thirds or more of their income on church retirement housing — it raised concerns about wider attitudes to its members.

Read it all.

Retired Clergy Association tells fairness & dignity review that many dioceses depended on retired clergy to cover weekly services and calls for a "transformed mindset" in the Church in terms of how they are treated https://t.co/PvJgnEnmRO

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) May 31, 2026

The journey towards its designation as a minster is not the only significant change shaping the ecclesiastical landscape in St Helens. The St Helens deanery, in Liverpool diocese, along with West Derby, was the first to embark on the diocese’s six-year programme Fit for Mission, which seeks to tackle decades of church decline by restructuring parishes into larger single parishes (LSPs).

The new larger parish of Church St Helens came into being on 1 May 2024, bringing together 11 of the 19 churches in the deanery (News, 10 May 2024) after votes at every PCC in 2022, and the approval of a draft scheme by the Church Commissioners.

In 2025, ten out of 13 parishes in West Derby deanery formed Christ our Hope, Liverpool, and, in March this year, all 12 churches in Warrington deanery opted in to the model.

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“Crucially,churches have not lost their identity. Each congregation has retained its own DNA, traditions, and sense of call, while being better supported within a wider parish framework"#dioceseofliverpool

https://t.co/aN0xodAGyO

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 1, 2026

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.As part of our commitment to walk together in transparency, mutual support, and our common life in Christ, I want to share a brief update regarding the Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast.In recent months, the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast entered a season of episcopal discernment, including an election process that did not result in the election of a new Bishop Ordinary. Following conversations between diocesan and provincial leadership, the College of Bishops determined that the wisest course is to allow additional time for prayerful discernment.

No election will proceed at this time.Additionally, after an extended season of personal reflection and consultation, Bishop Clark Lowenfield has shared his intention to retire as Bishop Ordinary, effective August 15, 2026. Bishop Lowenfield’s decision comes after many years of faithful service to the Diocese and to the Province, including his role as founding bishop of the Western Gulf Coast.

To support the Diocese during this transition and to help provide continuity, wisdom, and pastoral care in the months ahead, with the consent and counsel of the Diocese, I have appointed Archbishop Robert Duncan to serve as Interim Bishop for a season.We recognize that leadership transitions can bring uncertainty, but we also recognize the faithfulness of God in every season of the Church’s life. The clergy and people of the Western Gulf Coast continue to bear witness to the Gospel through their mission and ministry, and we remain grateful for their partnership within this Province.

While this update may not directly affect every diocese, it is important that we remain connected to one another’s joys, burdens, and moments of transition as members of one Body in Christ. The College of Bishops remains united in its commitment to serve faithfully, prayerfully, and with confidence in the leading of the Holy Spirit.Please continue to pray for Bishop Lowenfield and his family, for Archbishop Duncan, and for the clergy and people of the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast in the months ahead.

Faithfully in Christ,

–The Rt. Rev. Julian M. Dobbs, Dean of the Province, ACNA

#ACNA update from Bp Julian Dobbs–'Secondly, I wanted to let you know that The Court for the Trial of a Bishop has notified us that it expects to render its verdict and issue a final order in the matter of The Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch III, Bishop of the Diocese of the Upper… pic.twitter.com/MlbaRed2zy

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) December 16, 2025

Dear Beloved in our Lord Jesus of the Diocese . . .

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,

and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

be with us all evermore! 2 Corinthians 13:14

A week ago, yesterday, I woke up extra early to pray, as I knew I would be spending time that morning with the Dean of the Province, Bishop Julian, to discuss the results of our Electing Synod. As I prayed, the most profound sense of peace came over me. I had known the peace that passes understanding during the two days following the lack of an election, but this was a different kind of peace. This was the peace that one feels when they are experiencing the “release” from an assignment they had been given by the Lord. I knew I had only experienced it a couple of times before in my 50 years of walking with Him. In this case, I was being released from my assignment as your Bishop. When I met with Bishop Julian, he began by saying he had a hard question to ask me. I told him not to worry, that the Holy Spirit had gone ahead of our conversation. When I shared what I had experienced early in the morning, he said he had indeed planned to ask me whether I was prepared to carry out my assignment if it were extended beyond my announced retirement date of August 15th. I shared the only fleece I had before the Lord was His appointment of a pastoral-gifted bishop to serve as Interim Bishop. His provision would ensure I would not abandon the sheep but instead entrust them to a faithful pastor. 

Here is a resolution passed by the College of Bishops at a meeting on Thursday, May 21st and accepted by our Diocesan Council earlier today. In the resolution, the College accepts my resignation as Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast, effective on the previously announced August 15th, 2026. It also states that the College chooses not to elect a Bishop Ordinary at this time, but names Archbishop Bob Duncan as Interim Bishop for not more than a year, and hopefully much less, permitting the Diocese the opportunity and space to “take a breath” and seek the Lord’s will for her future in healthy mission and vitality. Please read the resolution. 

In the coming weeks, I will serve Archbishop Bob in any way I can to help him prepare for his new assignment. 

With more love for each of you than you will ever know, and in His peace,

–(The Rt. Rev) Clark Lowenfield, bishop of the Western Gulf Coast

An Update on Sam Allberry AND Ray Ortlund
ACNA Bishop Clark Lowenfield acts and quickly. https://t.co/wbglX8qm0i pic.twitter.com/CBmgdzVIvy

— WannabeAnglican (@WannabeAnglican) May 7, 2026

O Lord, from whom all good things come:
grant to us your humble servants,
that by your holy inspiration
we may think those things that are good,
and by your merciful guiding may perform the same;
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

The visitation recorded concerns about the spiritual life of the cathedral, noting that “the spiritual dimension of Chapter’s work appears less visible than might be expected.” It continued: “Theological reflection in decision-making is limited and shared prayer outside formal worship is infrequent.”

While the daily offices and Sunday services are “offered with dignity and care”, the cathedral has “limited awareness of the needs and well-being of its congregation”, the report says. Home communion reaches “only a small number of people”, and visiting “relies almost entirely on a few individuals”.

The cathedral’s relationship with the community “feels distant and strained” the report says. “Many residents perceive it as focused on tourists rather than locals. This disconnect has led to frustration, missed opportunities, and weakened trust.”

Among senior clergy, working relationships have become “strained, creating an environment that makes collaboration and effective decision-making difficult”. Stipendiary clergy must commit themselves to gathering daily for shared prayer.

Read it all.

Interesting that one of the recommendations here was that the clergy commit themselves to gathering daily for shared prayer – something that was infrequent outside formal worship. The spiritual dimension explored.https://t.co/wI26w8NIUW

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) May 28, 2026

Bishop Edgar described the complainants as “credible and trustworthy” and joined those urging the senior bishops to impose an inhibition, noting that “an inhibition makes no judgment as to guilt or innocence … Rather, it is an acknowledgement that continued ministry in the face of serious charges further damages the reputation of the Church.” The diocesan Standing Committee followed on 14 November with a letter of its own standing with the bishop and the complainants and urging the College to inhibit Wood.

The South Carolina position hardened with experience. On 24 March 2026, Bishop Edgar and the ADOSC Standing Committee wrote formally to the ACNA Executive Committee demanding transparency. The letter, occasioned by concerns arising from the December 2025 acquittal of Bishop Stewart Ruch (a separate ACNA trial in which the court found that the prosecution had not met its evidentiary burden, set out specific demands:

• That “the standard of avoiding any appearance of impropriety” be upheld among all provincial staff in pending and future proceedings;
• That those involved in allowing a court member in the Ruch trial to access prosecution files without the prosecutors’ knowledge or consent be recused from all future disciplinary proceedings, “particularly those involving Archbishop Wood”;
• That a complete transcript of trial and pretrial proceedings, including unedited video or audio, be released;
• That all motions, court rulings, and the three pretrial investigations be made public;
• That the identity and engagement letter of any investigator be disclosed, with appropriate confidentiality protections for victims.

“Those who would deny a public response to valid questions,” the diocese warned, “insisting the province is best served by withholding answers — do so at the risk of destabilizing the very foundation on which their authority rests.” Edgar added: “Lack of trust and mutual suspicion erode our communion and weaken our witness to a watching world. But our communion and witness are strengthened by a commitment to transparency and truth that is above reproach.”

That earlier framing places the present moment in unusually sharp relief. South Carolina has consistently asked for procedural rigour, transparency, and a posture of belief toward the complainants. Bishop Ashey’s lectures — delivered to a general audience the week before a dispositive motion was heard in the trial of his client-of-conscience — were perceived by some bishops as cutting in the opposite direction: prejudging the verdict, attributing improper motives to colleagues, and casting complainants as merely terminated employees.

Read as a whole, the 8 May letter is more than a routine clarification. It is a public acknowledgement, on the record, that:

• No bishops have signed the presentment, contrary to impressions Bishop Ashey himself helped create;
• The five senior diocesan bishops who joined Dean Dobbs’s inhibition did so on the merits, not under social-media pressure;
• The Title IV revisions now before the College are being deliberated on their substance, not from institutional self-protection;
• Predictions of “exoneration” have no proper place in public commentary about a pending bishop’s trial;
• The complainants were not, as Ashey had suggested, simply “terminated employees”;
• His role with Archbishop Wood is volunteer and personal, not provincial, and any judgment on the Archbishop’s compliance with the inhibition belongs to the Dean and the College.

Ashey’s renewed offer to recuse himself from the College of Bishops “until after all procedures with regards to Archbishop Wood are concluded” is significant. He had made the same offer earlier and was declined; the public revival of the offer effectively returns the question to Dean Dobbs and to a College that, in the weeks since the lectures, has had to navigate its own discomfort with the optics of one of its members serving as personal counsel to an accused archbishop while continuing to sit and vote among those who will, in due course, receive the Court’s verdict.

What the letter does not address is the substantive accusation, attributed to Bishop Ashey in The Living Church‘s reporting, that “the province did not forward all of the evidence, including exculpatory evidence, to the court.” If that claim is maintained, it sits uneasily alongside the seven items Bishop Ashey did withdraw. If it is not, it deserves its own clarification.

Read it all.

Bishop Ashey withdraws lecture claims about Wood Trial in letter to ACNA Collegehttps://t.co/3l3JWv1o0q pic.twitter.com/NPamXRmZSZ

— George Conger (@GeorgeConger8) May 27, 2026

The diocese of Bristol announced on Wednesday that the person due to be announced as its next Bishop was no longer able to take up the position “due to family reasons”.

The Bishop of Swindon, the Rt Revd Neil Warwick, who has served as acting diocesan bishop since Bishop Vivienne Faull’s retirement last September (News, 14 February 2025), will continue to serve in this capacity.

The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) met in April and nominated a candidate, a statement from Church House said. “The individual has since decided, with regret, to withdraw from the nomination for family reasons. The existing CNC for Bristol will reconvene as soon as possible to decide how to proceed.”

Read it all.

Statement from diocese of Bristol this afternoon: "We had hoped to announce our new bishop at this time. However, due to family reasons, the person offered the role is no longer able to take it up. Let us hold them in our prayers at this time." 🙏https://t.co/hAnvTxhOpx

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) May 27, 2026

The Rev. Dr. JT Hewitt Called as Assistant Rector & Scholar in Residence at St. John’s Church in Florence

The Rev. Dr. JT Hewitt has accepted a call to serve as the Assistant Rector & Scholar in Residence at St. John’s Church in Florence. JT is a Florence native and Furman graduate who holds multiple postgraduate degrees, including a PhD in New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Since receiving his doctorate in 2018, he has served in higher education—first at the University of Aberdeen and most recently as Lecturer in New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh. Before moving to Scotland, JT was ordained in the Presbyterian Church and served as Assistant Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to that, he served at Grace Church Anglican in Seattle, Washington. He is married to Andrea, and together they have four children: Henrik, Avonlea, Madeleine, and Nikolai. Read the announcement.

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The latest edition of the #Anglican diocese of #Southcarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/dKIY12ZmpK #parishministry #media #religion #churchlife [on the bottom right the Rev. Dr. JT Hewitt new Assistant Rector & Scholar in Residence at St. John’s Church in Florence, SC] pic.twitter.com/EMztfKN3e4

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) May 27, 2026