Anglicans in Illinois Need Your Help! Canon Ashey Dear Friends in Christ, Yesterday I received a phone call from my friend Tad Brenner, the Chancellor of the Anglican Church in North American (ACNA) Diocese of Quincy, Illinois. He called about yet another new law suit filed by The Episcopal Church (TEC) against his diocese. The suit seeks to "undo" in a different county of Illinois the victory Quincy won against TEC. I asked Tad if he would write me to explain why this latest move of TEC is both so significant and so important to respond to: "We have just learned that TEC and the Diocese of Chicago have filed a new law suit in Peoria County, Illinois. Just about one month ago, Quincy received the decision from the Adams County, Illinois court which ruled against all of TEC's claims and theories. This ruling came as a result of a three week trial. During trial, the theories of TEC's million dollar expert Bruce Mullin were exposed for their utter unsoundness and invalidity. In spite of this huge victory, the funds of the diocese remain frozen while the appeal is pending. . ." I want to note here that through a motion to the appellate courts of which Tad and the other attorney for Quincy received no notice beforehand (ex parte), the funds which were to have been unfrozen and made available to Quincy were frozen again by this behind-the-scenes legal maneuver by TEC - and, as is their hallmark, without due process. We have seen this tactic of financial strangulation by TEC against local congregations attempting to leave, over and over again. Now they are seeking to do it to a diocese seeking to leave.

Tad goes on to observe: "This new law suit raises the same issue TEC lost a month ago in another Illinois county. The new law suit is not filed against the Diocese of Quincy, but against her bishop, standing committee and diocesan leaders as well as her rectors and priests in charge." Again, as the American Anglican Council has documented, and contrary to statements of TEC bishops at the 2008 Lambeth Conference that TEC has no policy of suing individuals, here is another example of the policy of TEC litigators to inflict personal injury upon departing Anglican leaders and not just their churches. You can see the names of the Bishop and other Quincy leaders personally named in this new lawsuit here. What is the reason for this invidious litigation specifically targeting the Bishop of Quincy and individual Anglican leaders? Why are they seeking to re-litigate the same issues in another venue they think will be more favorable to them? Why waste time and money litigating issues that have already been decided at that level? Why doesn't TEC simply cut their losses in Quincy and move on? Tad Brenner explains: "The tactic is clear - if TEC cannot win, it will spend its seemingly unlimited funds to drive the truth into submission. TEC knows that the stakes are far higher than the tiny Diocese of Quincy. TEC is about to go to trial in January against the Diocese of San Joaquin, it will be going to trial against the Diocese of Fort Worth and the Diocese of South Carolina. It cannot let a loss in Illinois affect or impede its cases against the bigger and more wealthy dioceses. . . "Even more importantly, if Quincy's victory is turned into a loss, TEC will use that result to its full advantage elsewhere." There you have it. Anglicans in Quincy need our help. They are quite literallly "The mouse that roared." They have won a tremendous legal victory rebutting TEC's million dollar experts who say that dioceses cannot leave TEC. They have set a precedent that will help the departing dioceses of San Joaquin, Ft. Worth and South Carolina. In the most cynical of ways, TEC is counting on its money and attorneys to simply outspend Quincy and by doing so to drive that legal precedent into the ground. Please don't let that happen. Please pray and give to the Quincy Legal Defense Fund so that this cynical attempt by TEC will not succeed against faithful Anglican Christians. Yours in Christ, The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey Chief Operating and Development Officer, American Anglican Council   DONATE TO THE QUINCY LEGAL DEFENSE FUND ON THE AAC'S WEBSITE HERE.