Dearly Beloved in Christ Jesus,
I will have a shorter comment on the Anglican news this week, as I am away from the Atlanta office - on the opposite coast, as a matter of fact. I am at my former parish, St. James Anglican Church in Newport Beach, California, which is south of Los Angeles. The new rector, The Rev. Richard Crocker, is being installed, and as the rector emeritus I am, in a sense, handing over to him the shepherd's pastoral care of the flock, along with prayers for the very best for him and the congregation.
The congregation is at a very critical time, waiting for the decision of the California Supreme Court on the issue of ownership of the church property. Even though this decision will be from the highest court in California, litigation of various other issues is apt to continue for some time further, and the parish needs financial assistance with the legal defense. Since the court cases in Los Angeles and in Virginia are crucial to the other court cases across the United States, I would encourage those who understand both the blessing and the curse of legal precedent to write a check and send it to the legal defense fund at the church; it will be used only for that.
Now that the former Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the former Episcopal Diocese of Quincy have disaffiliated from TEC and transferred to the Province of the Southern Cone, both of these dioceses are positioned with San Joaquin and Pittsburgh to be fully a part of the emerging new ecclesial super-judicatory. The Common Cause Partners Federation is becoming a new North American Anglican church body, trans-national just as the Southern Cone is, and hopeful of recognition from the GAFCON Primates' Council as a Province.
If this occurs, then in time it could be hoped that other Anglican bodies such as CAPA and the Global South might also recognize it. Recognition is apt to come from one Anglican province at a time until such time as a sufficient number is reached for general acceptance. One of the first questions is, "What will the Archbishop of Canterbury do or say?" I think that he will not greet this with enthusiasm, but might in time come to see that it helps him solve more of his problems than not. Although a province of North America would overlap the existing provinces of Canada and the United States, there is already an overlapping in Europe, where the Church of England and TEC overlay one another. One might argue that it is not ideal, but as an interim stage, it works. Dr. Williams' recognizing the new Anglican entity in North America as a province would solve overnight the perplexing issue (for some) of border crossing. Despite the fact that the North American jurisdictions would have overlaying boundaries, there would be no unauthorized border crossings, and that issue would just go away as a point of argument.
I look with anticipation toward the upcoming Chicago meeting of the Common Cause Partners lead bishops, and then the Common Cause representative assembly. The draft Constitution will be presented, and God willing, the document will emerge as a Constitution for the new North American Anglican Church. The Constitution will go to the Provincial Assembly this summer for a vote of ratification, but since both the Constitution and any Canons are amendable later, and time is of the essence due to events happening globally, the anticipation is that this will be a very positive development. One might wonder what it would have been like to have been sitting in the room during the formative days of the Reformation (though obviously it took years, even as ours is taking), but the events unfolding recently and in the near future will, I believe, have a positive impact not only on Anglicanism but on the Christian faith itself. I believe that the effects will stretch for hundreds of years into the future, and beyond any of our lives or ability to fully witness. And for both now and then, to God be the glory. Amen.
Blessings and peace in Christ Jesus,
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council
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