Church of the Resurrection Leaves TEC and Diocese of Chicago

From here:

Nearly 100 people turned out for the final service at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection. Afterward, they processed with crosses, candles and an altar down the street to their new worship space.

A sign greeted them: “Resurrection Anglican Church. Welcome home.” The congregation is now under the auspices of the Anglican Church of Uganda.

The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago retains ownership of the church building the congregation had been using.

Addi Moore, 52, of Naperville said the decision to leave the Episcopal Church was decades in the making. The denomination had drifted from the historic Christian faith, she said. Treasured stories from Scripture had been called into question, from the virgin birth to the resurrection.

Then, four years ago, a gay bishop was ordained in New Hampshire.

Now, a lesbian priest is on the slate of bishop candidates in the Chicago Diocese.

“It’s sad to leave, but God is going to do amazing things with us,” Moore said. “He’s just going to blow our socks off.”

The 90-minute worship was a joyous, upbeat celebration with guitars, tambourines and drums. Children waved colorful flags, while worshippers sang with their hands outstretched toward the heavens.

In his sermon, the Rev. George Koch called the split “a gentle leaving.” He said the congregation modeled their faith by handling the situation with prayer instead of strife.

“We have persisted in being love to the Diocese of Chicago and the bishop of Chicago, and they responded in kind,” he said.

The Rev. Scott Hayashi, a diocesan representative, read a letter from Bishop William Persell, who thanked the congregation for carrying out its decision “with grace and integrity.”

“We will continue to hold you in our prayers,” the letter said.

Afterward, Hayashi and Koch hugged.

Resurrection is a young, multi-racial congregation where hugs flow as easily as peals of laughter. Dress is casual, worship is informal. Often, members rest a hand on a neighbor’s shoulder when in prayer.

“We’re a close family,” said Catherine Clark, 66, of Batavia. “Anyone can come here — black, white, gay, straight — and be loved.”

Lynne Bowman, 59, a lifelong Episcopalian from Barrington, called the move bittersweet.

“We have tried to allow the love of God to be part of everything,” she said. “But it’s still painful.”

The new worship space was a quarter mile walk from the church. As the worshippers processed, a guitarist strummed, while others yelled Nigerian warrior cries.

Longtime members said leaving the Episcopal Church was tough but that the walk of faith is never easy.

Younger members such as 24-year-old Chris Lyon of Carol Stream said it wasn’t a big deal.

“The church isn’t four walls, but the people,” Lyon said. “Next week, it’ll be the same people, just different walls.”

Province of Central Africa Splits Over Homosexuality

Interesting precedent. Read it all.

THE Anglican Province of Central Africa broke up yesterday following the withdrawal of Harare Diocese and expressions of intent to pull out by other dioceses that accused the province of failing to censure some bishops dabbling in homosexuality.

The Diocese of Manicaland also expressed its intention to quit the province along with one other Zimbabwean diocese.

Its bishop said he needed to report to his diocese first before going public, making it three out of Zimbabwe’s five dioceses.

According to the Standing Orders of the Province of Central Africa, once one diocese withdraws, the province becomes null and void and will have to be reconstituted under a new name and structure.

In highly charged presentations to the Provincial Synod that opened and ended here on Saturday, Bishop Elson Jakazi of Manicaland – who moved the motion for the dissolution of the province – and Vicar General of Harare Diocese Venerable Harry Mambo Rinashe – who seconded – took the outgoing Archbishop, the Right Reverend Dr Bernard Amos Malango, and the homosexual lobby within the province to task over the issue.

Both men described homosexuality as an unnatural abomination that had no place in the house of God.

Archbishop Malango, however, failed to save the situation after he botched condemning the homosexual lobby, led by the Bishop of Botswana, Trevor Musonda Mwamba, the Right Reverend Dr James Tengatenga of Southern Malawi and two Zimbabwean bishops, one of whom argued “sex was good”, to the amusement of the packed synod.

Though in the end the synod drafted a resolution reaffirming its aversion to homosexuality, the anti-gay lobby, led by Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of Harare, was not convinced, particularly as the synod had been conveniently silent over the protracted issue of the Diocese of Lake Malawi which has been without a bishop for the past three years due to the impasse created by a London-based gay cleric, Nickie Henderson, who wants to buy a bishopric in the province.

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