Letters
received during the week of 28 December 2003
Our church
needs a new roof
I WISH
YOU JOY AND PEACE at this Christmastide and every blessing in 2004.
Since your
website reaches Anglicans around the world, I hope I can use this space
to inform all former members of St. John's, and any who are interested,
about our Rufus Project. Rufus was the son of Simon of Cyrene and is
referred to quite casually in both the Gospel of Mark and in Paul's letter
to the Church in Rome. These casual references to Rufus imply that he
was well-known to members of the early church, and, indeed, has been
referred to as the disciple of the disciples. Now, say the name Rufus
slowly, one syllable at a time.....
St. John's
needs a new roof. When the snow melts in the spring, we are inundated
by various leaks, and it has gone beyond the stage of patch and repair.
It's going to cost $150,000 Cdn., and we're hoping to raise an additional
$50,000. for the Fabric Fund to allow for future repairs and upgrades.
The present
Cathedral is the fourth church on this site. It was built in 1926, and
was reshingled in the 1950s. The parish itself is the oldest Anglican
Parish west of the Great Lakes, and was founded by the Rev. John West
in 1820.
The cemetery
which surrounds the Cathedral is even older than the Parish, having been
established in 1812 by the first European settlers in this part of the
world.
Donations
to the Rufus Project can be made by Visa or Mastercard, or by cheque.
For more information, please contact the Cathedral at (204) 586-8385.
Rene Jamieson
St. John's Anglican Cathedral
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
29 December 2003
(Ed: Hm.
We may end up expanding our advert section beyond just vacancies if
there are a lot of needy churches out there.)
Start the
new year in hope, not gloom
YOU WROTE THIS WEEK:
"as we've
thought about what it means for the Anglican communion to splinter, we've
come to the conclusion that, as the shards get smaller and more dogmatic,
it makes sense to pay more attention to the wider catholic world and
less to the structure of whatever shard we find ourselves to be part
of."
Really, this
is too gloomy. It is quite clear that there will be no new province in
the States, at least not as part of the Anglican Communion. And as those
who unhappy about New Hampshire and other things seem resolutely determined
to stay in the Episcopal Church, I doubt there will be a schism of any
size of speak of.
But you are
right in saying that IF the shards get smaller, they will become more
dogmatic in the bad sense of narrow-minded, and less dogmatic in the
older sense of adhering to the Mysteries of the Faith, which surpass
all human understanding and therefore challenge all small-minded doctrines.
Let us end
the year in hope. That is our duty, is it not?
Bp Pierre
Whalon
American Churches in Europe
Paris France
bppwhalon@aol.com
29 December 2003
Thank you
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR GOOD AND HARD WORK this year. I turn to AO every Monday when
I arrive at my computer here in my study. You have consistently offered
a wise and sensible voice, grounded in Scripture, the sacraments and
charity at a time when it has been sorely needed. Keep up the good work!
There are those of us out here in the trenches who need what you have
to offer.
Many blessings
for the New Year 2004!
Victoria Geer
McGrath
All Saints', Millington
Millington, NJ USA
allstsmill@hotmail.com
29 December 2003
JUST A
FRIENDLY LETTER to congratulate you on your birthday. I have been a regular reader
for a couple of years, and have appreciated the even handed, fair and
tolerant way you have handled crises in the Anglican household. I have
watched in amazement as Anglicans have fought over women priests and
bishops, when if we were truly scriptural women should cover both their
heads and mouths while in Church . . . something no one would expect
nowadays (though something which many male priests might secretly wish
for); fight over same sex unions when if we were truly scriptural we
should be fighting over divorce, which is expressly condemned by Jesus
Though that does not seem to generate much heat, and now over an "openly
gay" bishop. Has anyone read the scriptural qualifications for the episcopate
in Paul's letter to Timothy? I wonder how many bishops, Roman or Anglican
would fit THOSE descriptions?
Maybe the
crises in the Anglican Church are not Crises any more than the third
century was a crisis in Christianity. ROme will now not even permit the
kind of conversation to begin that so revitalized the Catholic faith
back then . . . so many to paraphrase Richard John Neuhaus, it is now
the "Anglican Moment", in which it is the Anglican Communion that has
to lead this debate. A pity that the Roman heirarchy even refuses to
listen, let alone enter in. They would have much to offer . . . and much
to learn.
Thank you
for aiding me in learning these past couple of years.
D Baker
Roman Catholic
New York City, New York, USA
30 December 2003
THANKS
GUYS FOR ANGLICANS ONLINE. This I hope will bring us together.
Thobo Kgabo
St Pauls Anglican Church, Molepolole, Botswana
Gaborone, Botswana, Diocese of Central Africa
tmkgabo@gov.bw
30 December 2003
I HOPE
THERE IS NO CONSIDERATION of not continuing. I have just got into AO lately
and I really find it
great. I've been an Anglican for many years (72 to be exact) I just really
get a kick out of AO
David T. Brown
St. Peter's Anglican
Campbell River B.C. Canada
diggerb@telus.net
30 December 2003
I THOROUGHLY
ENJOY READING your weekly letters and investigating the numerous links
you provide. I agree wholeheartedly that, as a church, we need to continue
to appreciate and share our catholic heritage. I'm not referring so much
to rituals or structures,(though these can enable people to experience
God), but to an open-mindedness,and a not-so-politically-correct inclusiveness,
that opens us to Emmanuel, to God-in-us, those around us, the whole of
creation, and the power of the Incarnation. I am a former Roman Catholic
who was received into the Episcopal Church, U.S.A. almost a year ago.
Thank you for your voice, your opinions, and your insight. Happy New
Year!
Sherman Smith
St. Peter's in Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States
sherm57@msn.com
31 December 2003
There actually
was some news in British Columbia
YOU WROTE "Most
sensible Anglican newsmakers have stayed home with their families this
week, so
there's precious little Anglican news." Unfortunately for those of us
in the Diocese of New Westminster, Canada this is not true. On December
18 Bishop Michael Ingham closed the mission church of Holy Cross, Abbotsford
without prior warning. The congregation was informed on Sunday December
21st at their service four days before Christmas. That's news! But is
it sensible? This church had earlier in the year voted to seek alternative
oversight. Their funding was cut in October and their priest, James Wagner,
has not received a salary from the Diocese since then. They have, however
continued to meet in a local rec centre. The Diocese sighted funding
issues as the reason to close the church, but since they have not received
money all fall the move to actually close them (disestablish- essentially
wiping out any official connection they have with the wider Anglican
church in Canada or world-wide) looks very vindictive. To do it four
days before Christmas takes one's breath away!
This action
also came one week on the heels of the House of Bishops' Taskforce on
Alternative Oversight being in Vancouver to hear from all sides. We had
understood that when Bishop Buckle withdrew his offer of oversight and
Bishop Ingham dropped his charges against seven clergy in the Diocese
that this constituted a "cease-fire" while the Taskforce moved in to
do their work. Closing a church is a pretty hostile action in the midst
of a cease fire.
This action
causes us to wonder whose church is next? (St. Martin's has already had
Canon 15 invoked) If this happened at Christmas what greater horror will
Easter hold?
It is sad
that as Bishop Ingham tries to move the church in a new direction that
he believes will make the church more inclusive to all, he is actively
excluding (even forcing out) those of us who want to uphold the traditional
understandings of the Gospels and over 2000 years of church teaching.
It is also
a sad comment when, at the end of the day, the debate comes down to two
different interpretations of the Gospel it is those who hold the power
over the structure of the church who hold the trump card and the Gospel
can be ignored.
Lesley Bentley
St. John's (Shaughnessy)
Vancouver, Canada
30 December 2003
Nothing
is inescapable with the right help
I JUST
READ ALEX KIRBY'S SUGGESTION about "the inescapable end of the worldwide Anglican
Communion" under the heading 'Anglican church rues lost unity'.
I seriously
wonder what would the results would be if EVERY Anglican (regardless
of what their stand on the sexuality issue is and I come down heavily
on one side) said " I'm not leaving, lets work it out, with the love
of Jesus Christ", LOVE being the operative word here. The word "inescapable" scares
the hell out of me. I don't believe anything is inescapable with the
love of Jesus Christ.
David T. Brown
St. Peter's Anglican
Campbell River B.C. Canada
diggerb@telus.net
31 December 2003
All welcome
at a nearly-empty table?
IT WELL
MAY BE THAT THE ASPIRATIONS for Anglicanism have been narrowed, for a host
of reasons, few "sinister", in our constituant Provinces and National
Churches. But what seems to be happening now is a narrowing of expression
in ECUSA, for long a working expression of how comprehension can work.
My worry is
that gay and lesbian co-religionists will finally be welcomes at a rather
exclusive Table.
Perhaps both
sides are so sure they are right, that the side of Anglicanism that has
always lived on the edges will now emerge triumphant in its own smaller "kingdom" and
our total vision will be lost.
But if we
now surrender to the prevelent and I think wicked spirit of division
in the secular world, what will we have to say?
Tony Clavier
Trinity Episcopal Church
Watertown, SD, USA
frtony@dakota.net
1 January 2004
No one church
is alone
I AM WRITING
TO THANK YOU for your most excellent Christian message on the Internet.
I read it weekly, most-times more than weekly, to keep myself informed
and up-to-date about what is happening throughout the world - as well
as subscribing to Pipechat (a discussion forum for organists).
This helps
remind me that i) I am not alone, ii) no one church is alone.
It also reassures
me that the Internet can be a force for GOOD as well as a Pandora's box
of all the other forces of which this world is composed (good pun there
for musicians).
KEEP UP THE "GOOD" WORK.
Bless you.
Harry Grove
St. Leonard's, Clent
Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire, United Kingdom
musicman@cottagemusic.co.uk
1 January 2004
tired of
all the controversy?
I AM WRITING
TO SEE if others beside myself are really getting tired of all the controversy
concerning the roles of homosexuals in the church. there are so many
critical issues in the world today, and i think there are other issues
that need addressing, such as all the unemployed,one in four children
is affected by another's substance abuse addiction, the overcrowding
of prisons and jails, primarily because 80 per cent of people in these
institutions are there due to their dependence on chemicals and need
treatment, children going without enough food to eat, all the military
men and women being killed in iraq, the environment, the plight of the
elderly not being able to afford medical care,the cost of retirement
in the usa, the cost of a college education and how to afford it, the
cost of eldercare, and so many other issues.
also it seems
that there is a mood of "better than" if one doesn't agree with the conservative
position on issues. part of the charm of the anglican communion has been
the ability to use one's own brain to make decisions on issues. and also
the diviseness that seems to be churning in various parts of the world
on religious issues. the word orthodox anglican is being brandished about.
at this point in time all the medical research is pointing to homosexuality
as being a physical state, so no amount of shaming, guilting, and being
pressured into trying to be unhomosexual seems pointless. the highest
rate of suicide in highschools is among those high school students who
are gay. so this is a very important issue. but to put it in a religious
context is pointless from the biological facts on homosexuality. maybe
others could share on what's going on in their area.
Kili
anglican
california usa
2 January 2004
Earlier
letters
We launched our
'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All of our letters are
in our archives.
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