A decision to leave the Province 3 regional ministry jurisdiction of The Episcopal Church cannot be made unilaterally, according to the Rt. Rev. Robert Ihloff, retired Bishop of Maryland and president of Province 3. Bishop Ihloff wrote all ordained clergy canonically resident in the Diocese of Pittsburgh on June 22.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need you,\u201d\u009d he wrote. \u201cWe need your voices, insights, your convictions, and your Christian fellowship. If the officers or ministry coordinators of Province 3 can assist you, answer questions, or simply be in dialogue with you, we welcome that opportunity. Meanwhile we remain in contact with a number of leaders in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and remember you all daily in prayer.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Last November delegates to Pittsburgh\u2019s diocesan convention voted to withdraw from active life in Province 3 ministry. Article VII of the constitution states that \u201cno diocese shall be included in a province without its own consent.\u201d\u009d But the Rev. Barbara J. Seras, province coordinator, said the provincial leadership has received a definitive ruling from David Booth Beers, the Presiding Bishop\u2019s chancellor, that General Convention must approve any changes in provincial membership.<\/p>\n
In one of the few business items during the annual provincial synod in Martinsburg, W.Va., on May 22, delegates debated, without coming to any conclusions, how to respond to the withdrawal from the province by Pittsburgh\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n