By David Virtue
A document leaked to Virtueonline says that a group calling themselves the American Anglican Fellowship, (AAF), has filed a complaint with Bishop Clay Matthews, Intake Officer of the Episcopal Church, saying that Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori has violated the Episcopal Church’s Constitution and Canons.
The group of current and former members of The Episcopal Church, say that the AAF took this action only after prayerful consideration and the exhausting of all reasonable means of communication and not receiving a single response to their many concerns.
“In recent years more than 700 Clergy and 5,000 Christians have petitioned The Episcopal Church and five Episcopal Bishops also requested information and transparency in The Episcopal Church with spending more than $22 million dollars of church funds in 80 or more secular lawsuits against departing churches and dioceses. These lawsuits are ongoing with no solution in sight,” noted the document.
The group filed the information on December 19, 2013 with Bishop Clay Matthews who later recused himself and replaced by Canon John N. Osgood of New York as did Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori. Former New York Bishop Mark Sisk has been appointed Canonical Authority. George E. Wade, Esq., also of New York, has been appointed to provide counsel.
The group still awaits a formal response from the Church.
“We framed this document in a caring and loving way that would be acceptable to all, not to discipline, but to achieve an Accord of conciliation as Christ would have us do, to bring an end to this madness of Christians suing Christians,” said the document.
Read more at http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=18688#.UycGz84qDRZ
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Good for the AAF.
I have wondered how much Grace Presbytery is spending on legal fees in its attempt to extract money from the departed Highland Park Presbyterian Church. I’m guessing that if those people who are putting money in the collection plates in Grace’s remaining congregations knew the answer to that question, they might suspend those offerings in protest. Which is why I seriously doubt Grace officials would voluntarily divulge the information. It is an ugly situation, one which will only end when the trust clause is destroyed, or when all the conservative congregations have finally paid their exit ransoms and left the PCUSA.