• Diocesan Hispanic Commission President Fr. Dwight Morgan And

By The Rev. William “Chip” Stokes and Thomas G. O’Brien III • At the Nehemiah On May 31 the diocesan Clergy Retreat, Executive Board and our Clergy members of the and Lay Deputations to Nehemiah team General Convention 2006 from Holy filed responses strongly Family, Miami critical of the proposed Draft Gardens, outline Anglican Covenant. plans for their The Draft Covenant was parish’s future. prepared in January of this year Left to right are by a Covenant Design Group Deacon Ken appointed by the Archbishop of Sims, his wife Canterbury as a follow-up to the Gwen Sims, Windsor Report’s call for longtime lay discussion of an Anglican leader Clinton Covenant. The full report of the Brown and Holy Family’s rector, Fr. Horace Ward. (See story, Page 6). Bishop Leo Frade has announced that Canon J. Fritz Bazin will join the diocesan staff part-time in July, working with immigration concerns and other social justice issues. Frade explains that he receives requests on a regular basis from clergy, parishioners and By Mary W. Cox, editor others in the community to assist Thirty-one of our congregations are better families and prepared for hurricane season this year, thanks to a new online emergency preparedness program that was tested in our diocese this spring. The • Diocesan Hispanic Commission President Fr. Dwight “Riskeeper” pilot Morgan and Vice-president Mother Cruz Cardona present program, under Assistant Bishop James Ottley with a bouquet of roses at a development by May 15 reception in his honor. Church Restoration Group for Church Insur- ance, was • A NOAA satellite image offered shows Hurricane Frances in two covering the state of Florida By Mary W. Cox, editor locations on Sept. 4, 2004. — March Almost as soon as Assistant Bishop James Ottley 30 at St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton, and March 31 announced that he would leave our diocese June 1 to accept at St. Thomas, Coral Gables. Each session was a position in the Diocese of Long Island, many of the limited to a maximum of 20 participants, and ministries, congregations and organizations that have 31 congregations of varying sizes, as well as the worked closely with him began planning occasions to Diocesan Office, were represented. say thank you and goodbye. Regardless of size of membership, facilities Food was a common theme. “Just about every night or programs, all the congregations were able to throughout the months of April and May was taken up with access such tools as a comprehensive building either a dinner or reception given in the bishop’s honor in and grounds inspection checklist and instructions thanksgiving for his life and ministry here in the diocese. It for placing an insurance claim. is a wonder he hasn’t gained 25 lbs!” says Jackie Fernandez, Prior to the workshops, each participating who was Ottley’s assistant and is now assistant to Bishop church was asked to begin entering its data into Leo Frade. the system — everything from insurance policy There were brunches, receptions and dinners hosted by many numbers, to contact information for parishioners, Communion.” The response noted that “it does not disagreements among the churches evoked this seem likely that a majority in the Communion is response: “It is not fair and just for the Covenant willing to honor the dissent of the sizable minority to provide that the only appeal in times of that favors acceptance of gay and lesbian persons disagreement is to particular parts of the into the full life of the Church. Therefore, for this Instruments of Communion (i.e. the Primates’ minority, an Anglican Covenant would seem to be Meeting) whose majority position on these matters primarily a means of manipulation and control.” is already known and with which The Episcopal The response also expressed concerns that an Church is already at odds.” Anglican Covenant might “alter the Communion to a narrow confessional family, establish a Comments on “The Instruments of Unity” bureaucratic and legalistic foundation at the heart and Dispute Resolution of the Communion, and put at risk inspired and The response agreed that this portion of the Draft prophetic initiatives in God’s mission or threaten Covenant “adequately expressed” the history and Anglican comprehensiveness.” respective roles of the Archbishop of Canterbury, The response continued: “The Episcopal Church, the Lambeth Conference, the Primates’ Meeting because of our own particular historical and cultural and the Anglican Consultative Council. contexts, has come to its particular understanding With regard to the proposed future role of the of the Biblical imperative of justice for all persons. Primates’ Meeting, however, the response was blunt This understanding is different from the in its criticism: “We have concerns, however, about The persistent use of vague and understandings of some of the other churches of the implications of the phrase that the Primates’ undefined phrases throughout the Draft the Communion. Mutual respect by all churches Meeting ‘works in full collaboration in doctrinal, Anglican Covenant is a significant flaw of the Communion for these contexts and moral and pastoral matters that have Communion- that erodes its credibility and undermines understandings is critical to developing a workable wide implications.’ If this is understood that the Covenant. The current Draft is not grounded on Primates will discuss these issues in a collaborative its potential usefulness........... and does not reflect this essential mutual manner, this is consistent with the historic role of respect.” the Primates’ Meeting. We fear, however, that the — Response to Draft Anglican Covenant phrase amounts to an attempt to codify, Comments on the Introduction institutionalize and give approval to the recent and Prologue of the Draft Covenant attempts of the Primates’ Meeting to arrogate power The response stated: “Among the to itself and to exercise a conciliar authority that is special gifts and charisms that have unprecedented in the Communion’s history. This historically marked Anglicanism are its seizure of power and unprecedented use of authority broadness and longstanding ability to accept represent a danger to the historic freedom of the Covenant Design Group and the Draft Anglican and manage differences and diversity while member churches of the Anglican Communion and Covenant can be found at maintaining unity of mission and ministry.” In their heretofore accepted autonomy. The language http://www.aco.org/commission/ light of this, the response said: “We regard the of ‘collaboration’ in doctrinal, moral and pastoral d_covenant/docs/covenant.pdf. recognition and respect for different contexts matters is belied by the evidence of recent Calling the Draft Covenant a potential to be one of the central charisms of the Anglican experience. Some of the Primates are clearly “mechanism of coercion and oppression,” the Communion. To the extent the Draft Anglican attempting to exercise power and control over other responses noted three major weaknesses of Covenant gives only lip service to the reality and Primates and their churches. This hardly represents the Draft: impact of these different contexts for living out ‘full collaboration’.” (1) failure to acknowledge that the treatment the Gospel in the 21st century, the Draft The response continued: “Unless the Communion of gay and lesbian persons in the church is a Covenant will remain fatally flawed.” were to adopt a constitution and canons acceptable justice concern for a significant number of The Draft Covenant also speaks of “discipline” and agreed to by all parts of the Communion, it Episcopalians and Anglicans; in the Communion, and the response expressed makes little sense to establish an ‘executive body’ (2) failure to recognize and respect that all of the concern about “how the implementation of or a ‘juridical body’ to resolve disagreements or churches of the Anglican Communion exist in (and ‘discipline’ in an Anglican Covenant will promote disputes. The proposal can only have the effect of arose from) different historical and cultural Biblical justice so that gay and lesbian persons will exacerbating already existing problems. Allowing contexts; and no longer be degraded and treated with contempt the Primates’ Meeting to serve in the capacity of (3) centralization of authority in the person of — as they are in so many parts of the Communion.” arbiter of ‘matters in serious dispute among the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates’ The Response added: “The consistent failure to churches’ contradicts and undermines the historic Meeting in a manner that is “unprecedented in the include the pursuit of justice as a significant democratic polity and structures of The Episcopal history of the Communion.” theological and missiological concern of the Church Church.” seriously impairs the Preamble and the Draft The Draft Covenant also spoke of “essential Background of the Draft Anglican Anglican Covenant.” matters of common concern” and the response Covenant pointed out that the Communion is not of one mind The Windsor Report proposed that the Anglican Comments on the Covenant’s “Common on many issues. The response went on: “We should Communion consider development of an Anglican Affirmations” and “Commitments” reject the portions of the Draft Covenant that Covenant, and The Episcopal Church’s 2006 The Draft Covenant proposed common establish a false or superficial unity at the expense General Convention adopted Resolution A166 affirmations and commitments to which all of the demands of Biblical justice as faithfully

Load more