HOW ROBINSON'S CONSECRATION IS SLOWLY DESTROYING THE ECUSA

Virtuosity Online ^ | 7 January 2004 | David Virtue

[ahadams2]

"My consecration will never affect the average Episcopalian." V. Gene Robinson, Bishop-elect of New Hampshire at GC2003

HOW ROBINSON'S CONSECRATION IS SLOWLY DESTROYING THE ECUSA

Special Report

By David W. Virtue

The Bishop of New Hampshire is in for a rude awakening. His consecration is affecting not only the entire Anglican Communion causing whole provinces to disassociate themselves from the ECUSA, it is drying up funds to The Episcopal Church from orthodox dioceses, and now it is beginning to affect local parishes as well.

Here are the consequences to one parish in America's Heartland. A lay leader in a conservative congregation in a liberal diocese sent the following report.

The question was raised at a recent parish meeting, "where is the Episcopal Church going?"

"We are really going through a difficult time as a result of the Gene Robinson consecration," he wrote to Virtuosity.

"Since September, both our attendance and our giving has declined by at least 20 percent. We are more than $8,400 in arrears to the diocese--not because we want to withhold it--but simply because we can't pay it. In pledges for 2004, we only have about $75,000 which is about half of what we had in 2003 from half as many households and not enough to keep a full-time priest, and part-time secretary, organist-choirmaster, and sexton."

And that's not all.

He writes: "I think everybody on the vestry and about 95 percent of the congregation opposes what the Episcopal Church has done. The rector tells me there are three or four individuals in the parish who think it was a "good thing." He wants to find a way to hold the parish together and remain in the Episcopal Church, but what are we to do?"

Last Sunday the rector told him that four families had recently left the church. They told him basically, "We stayed until the end of the year--liked you asked--but nothing has happened and so we're leaving."

"I wish Gene Robinson could come and look this congregation in the face on Sunday morning to see what he hath wrought. Even for those members who supported his consecration, it still affects them because of what is happening to their parish."

"If nothing happens--if the powers that be do not provide an alternative for congregations like ours--I fear that we will dissolve and most members will leave before the end of the 2004. At best, I think most people will still leave and we will become a mission congregation with aid from the diocese. But I have also heard that this same thing is happening in several other parishes in our diocese."

"Gene Robinson's consecration affects little congregations like ours in America's Heartland because we have been told all of our lives that we are a [capital] Church and we do things together and what one diocese or person does affects the whole Church."

"Bishops and theologians have told us all our lives that we are not like those 'congregational churches' where congregations and pastors 'do their own thing.'"

"Now we are learning the truth, our Anglican theology is coming home to roost."

END

[ahadams2]

Note to the casual reader: The term 'sexton' (despite some of the ongoing theological folderol with vicki gene) has nothing to do with sex. It's actually the *janitor*. Back in the 15th century there were specially trained janitors set apart who were the only ones allowed to clean up in the sacristy - the place where the clergy robes and various other sorts of stuff (the stuff for Communion, etc) were kept. They were known as 'sacristans'. Over time, that became the slang term 'sexton'. All maintenance staff are now called sextons.

[ahadams2]

Ping.

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[HarleyD]

"I wish Gene Robinson could come and look this congregation in the face on Sunday morning to see what he hath wrought."

He wouldn't care. He has said as much in interviews.

[tessalu]

Would Satan care if he wrecked a church? I think not!
It was his greatest joy and pleasure.

[VRWC_minion]

From a business point of view, what is being missed on the silent war over the assets of the church is the real asset is the pledging units. The Church buildings, pensions etc are just a cost of business. however, when the buildings are sold the church could proably find a sustainable level that will allow it to survive in perpetuity.

[ken5050]

Parish finances are always stretched to the limit, and as giving reduces, the inability to cut expenses accelerates the financial pressure....also, when a few key financial supporters bail..in out parish, some 10% of the members account for about 75% of the pledges.....it has a far bigger impact.....

[FormerLib]

Would Satan care if he wrecked a church? I think not! It was his greatest joy and pleasure.

That's it in a nutshell, I believe. Robinson has served his master well.

[GrandMoM]

....God works in mysterious ways!!!!!!

[gobucks]

I still can't get over how long it was before I learned his first name is VICKY!!!

The leftist media are MASTERS of lies of omission....

[CCWoody]

To be quite honest, the ECUSA as a near entire denomination fell into complete apostasy a very long time ago. I grew up in her and left as soon as I was old enough.

In my time there, I was taught that:

1. The Bible is just a bunch of stories invented by men.
2. The Bible full of errors.
3. God really isn't Omniscient (what I would later learn is the blasphemy of Open Theism).
4. etc.

The belief by a huge chunk of Episcopalians that homosexuality is perfectly OK, is nothing more than the natural by-product of the churches descent into hell. After all, if the Bible is just a bunch of stories, then, perhaps that part about homosexuality is just something some intolerant bigot added.

Believe it or not, there really is life after the Episcopal church.

Woody.

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[Gamecock]

Ping to show my ex-Episcoplain wife tonight///

[VRWC_minion]

some 10% of the members account for about 75% of the pledges.....it has a far bigger impact.....

And they are the same folks who contribute most of their time.

[ken5050]

Yup..also, many of the parishes are small..150 or so, give or take, and of those, maybe 1/3 are activr..giving of their time..so when you lose a few of those..it really hurts...

[bonny011765]

Thanks, CCWoody for your story. Prods me to share my thoughts--

It is that EFM training; EFM is like club-footedness among the Amish; the trainers train the others in bad theology, and it all spills back into the congregation.

In my short visit with the Episcopalians--
How about a Goddess Seminar. And the clergy's teenager told my teenager that she prefers Maher Babu to Jesus Christ, as her mother does. And the youth group studies Ghandi and most of them do not believe the Bible, and proudly say so. One priest questioned everything--Moses is a fictional character, Jesus married MaryM, says "your God created EVIL; how do you like that?" Many women would never say Father God in prayer. Lots of Buddha info. But this is funny. After 9/11--the Episcopalians invited the Muslims to a PORK BBQ WITH BEER! How perfectly inclusive they are.
Post VGR, the Lord said to me: "If you want to see me, get up out of your chair." And I did. I looked back once, to go see the altar flowers, and lost my gold watch somewhere in the sanctuary. I am glad, because I deserve the reminder.
Peacefully Anglican-Catholic and Pentecostal worshiping now.

[ahadams2]

Hi Woody,

Yeah there've been wackos wandering around ecusa for the last 30 years or so, no question about it. The problem was that up until their open break with the rest of the Anglican Communion last fall, ecusa wasn't just another denomination all by itself. Rather, it was part of the larger world wide Anglican Communion; the vast majority of which is made up of Bible believing Christians.

Of course there's life after ecusa - that's what the Anglican Communion is all about! On the other hand many parishes are taking typically Anglican ways of getting there, so I expect it's going to take a while to see this thing through to completion.

[CCWoody]

Several years ago, I purchased a replica of the 1662 Anglican prayerbook. I was truly shocked to learn just how far the American Episcopalians had slipped into apostasy from their Calvinistic roots.

If there was a Reformed Episcopal church in my area, I might be tempted to pay her a visit or two.

Woody.

[ahadams2]

There are more than one or two REC parishes in TX, (there are more than one or two of ANYTHING in TX, no?) so freepmail me with your location and I'll see if I can find one for you.

[dangus]

Two points:

ONE:
SACRISTANS are NOT janitors! (We still call them that in the RCC. Didn't realize that sextants were exactly sacristans. The etymolgy is very ineteresting, though.)
BUT!
Sacristans handle the remains of the Eucharist. I know you are trying to keep things simple, but you went a little too far. I would no sooner call a sacristan a janitor then I would call an undertaker a trashman.

TWO:
"Bishop" Robinson's consecration is NOT slowly destroying the ECUSA. It's doing it very quickly. (Resurrection time!)