Posted on 12/31/2005 9:12:16 AM PST by sionnsar
Church of the Resurrection, an Anglican start-up church in Baltimore, Md., has found that there may be “no room at the inn” for them this Christmas season. In November, the congregation entered a “gentleman’s agreement” with Brown Memorial Woodbrook Presbyterian Church to rent worship space for a two-month “trial period” beginning on Christmas Eve. On December 22, the Rev. Eliot Winks, rector of Resurrection, and Patrick Cunningham, a lay leader in the church, were informed that the congregation could only use the facility for three weeks. In addition, they learned that bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland had pressured their Presbyterian counterpart, Executive Presbyter the Rev. Peter Nord, to deny use of the church. Nord instructed the Brown leadership to cancel the agreement.
Church of the Resurrection leaders informed their members of the decision in a December 26 newsletter, which detailed the chain of events: “In further conversation, it was revealed that all of this runaround resulted from a conversation or conversations between their Executive Presbyter Peter Nord and the Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Maryland, John Rabb. We firmly believe that Brown Memorial Woodbrook acted in good faith and are saddened that they were pushed into this untenable position. We thank them for doing their best to take us in.”
Organized last spring, Church of the Resurrection is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Rt. Rev. Frank Lyons, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Bolivia, ordained Fr. Winks on behalf of the Bishop of Chile at a service in Pittsburgh, Pa., November 12, 2005. Fr. Winks is a priest in good standing in that Anglican diocese.
The Rt. Rev. Robert Ilhoff, Bishop of Maryland, has dismissed Fr. Winks and the new Anglican congregation in denigrating terms in a letter to diocesan clergy: “He [Fr. Winks] will serve a small group of former-Episcopalians who have left St. John's Church, Glyndon, now meeting in a private home and calling themselves The Church of the Resurrection, Baltimore County. Since this may be in newspapers, you should be aware that Church of the Resurrection is not an Episcopal congregation (nor even a proper Anglican one) and has no relationship with this Diocese.”
Church of the Resurrection’s newsletter expresses sadness and frustration at the loss of their worship space, but the leadership remains focused on future mission and ministry. “This new roadblock will only make Church of the Resurrection stronger. As long as we remain faithful to our Lord, he will never desert us and we will continue to grow through His grace,” the article states.
The newsletter also highlights the apparent intent of the Episcopal bishops of Maryland to undermine a Christian Church that is equally a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion through the diocese of Chile and the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone: “We ask that all of you pray for the misguided men in power who for some reason see us as a threat. Why would they attempt to bring the full weight of their temporal power, authority, and influence to hurt us? We left ECUSA in peace. We have never spoken ill of our former parishes, the Diocese of Maryland, or ECUSA. They are in our past and when we have looked back, it has only been to pray for those that we left behind. We have no interest in tearing anything down, but rather building something new,” the newsletter reads.
The Rev. Canon David C. Anderson, President and CEO of the American Anglican Council (AAC), noted that similar hostile actions by revisionist bishops are occurring across the nation.
“Does it not seem inconsistent and hypocritical that those in ECUSA who champion diversity and inclusivity are the very individuals who aggressively attack Biblically faithful congregations?” said Canon Anderson. “Apparently, Bishop Ilhoff has interfered with a verbal agreement between Brown Church and Church of the Resurrection – an Anglican congregation that simply sought to worship and proclaim Christ in Baltimore. He has not only deliberately harmed the people of Resurrection Church in a mean-spirited way, but he has also challenged the authority of the Bishop of Chile. Left unanswered in all of this is, what are the Episcopal bishops of Maryland afraid of?”
Church of the Resurrection is currently searching for another facility for their worship services. Church leadership remains confident that the church will continue to grow and thrive as the congregation seeks to serve Christ as Anglicans committed to the apostolic faith. For more information on Church of the Resurrection, see their website at http://www.resurrectionbaltimore.org.
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ATTACHMENTS:
Church of the Resurrection Newsletter
Letter from Bishop Ilhoff to Diocesan Clergy
Newsletter Intro #27
Saturday night was a truly historic event. The Church of the Resurrection celebrated its first Christmas Eve service in the chapel at Brown Memorial Woodbrook Presbyterian. Over 100 people came to celebrate Holy Communion at this beautiful service. Many thanks go out to the host of volunteers who helped make this service so special. Last night’s miracle was just the latest in a series that we have all witnessed since last spring. In spite of the many roadblocks put in our path, the Lord has done the seemingly impossible. He has transformed us from a very small, bewildered band of lost sheep into a vibrant congregation full of fire for the Lord and the mission that He has given us. On a daily basis we hear and see how the Lord has used Church of the Resurrection as a catalyst for transformation in peoples’ lives. And, this is just the beginning!
But the more successful we become in the eyes of the Lord, the bigger target we become for the misguided. On December 22, we were informed by a representative of Brown Memorial Woodbrook Presbyterian Church that we can only stay on their campus for three weeks. Our last service there will be on January 8, 2006. This turn of events has a rather interesting story behind it. As you know, we announced at our November 30 service that we had agreed to a two month trial period at Brown Memorial, starting on Christmas Eve. This deal was done with a handshake. It gave both Brown and the Church of the Resurrection the ability to walk away from the verbal agreement for any reason at the end of the term. While this was not an ideal arrangement (we pushed for a signed lease of six months to a year), we very much liked the facility and were impressed by members of their Church and staff. So we decided to take a leap of faith and accept their offer of sanctuary.
Things started to unravel on Friday, December 16 at a local Christmas party. Patrick Cunningham had a conversation with a member of Brown’s session (vestry) in which he was told that their Executive Presbyter (bishop) was being pressured by the bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland not to take us in. He told Patrick that the topic was to be discussed at their next session meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, December 20. Patrick received a phone call from this same representative of Brown on the evening of December 21, asking to meet for coffee the following morning. That meeting did take place, joined by our rector Eliot Winks.
The following transpired at this meeting… The origin of the two month “handshake deal” came about after their Executive Presbyter found out about Brown’s intention to sign a lease with us. Brown was apparently told by him that he did not want them to do it, but there was nothing that he could do to stop it. He then suggested doing a “handshake deal.” This was relayed to Brown’s session, which voted to proceed in that manner. This is the arrangement that the Servant Council agreed to, with some reluctance. Patrick and Eliot were then told that at a certain point after we shook hands, the Executive Presbyter came back to them and said that the Church of the Resurrection had to go. He invoked a rule of the Presbyterian Church’s Book of Order (canonical law) that states that any lease has to be submitted to the Executive Presbyter for approval, and that he would never approve this lease. This in spite of the fact that they have had two other Churches rent the same space over the last twenty years, never invoking this stipulation. In further conversation, it was revealed that all of this runaround resulted from a conversation or conversations between their Executive Presbyter Peter Nord and the Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Maryland, John Rabb. We firmly believe that Brown Memorial Woodbrook acted in good faith and are saddened that they were pushed into this untenable position. We thank them for doing their best to take us in.
But as Joseph says in Genesis 50: 20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” This new roadblock will only make Church of the Resurrection stronger. As long as we remain faithful to our Lord, he will never desert us and we will continue to grow through His grace. We ask that all of you pray for the misguided men in power who for some reason see us as a threat. In Bishop Ihloff’s letter which he wrote to his clergy after Eliot’s ordination, he described us as “…a small group of former-Episcopalians…now meeting in a private home….” What are they afraid of? Why would they attempt to bring the full weight of their temporal power, authority, and influence to hurt us? We left ECUSA in peace. We have never spoken ill of our former parishes, the Diocese of Maryland, or ECUSA. They are in our past and when we have looked back, it has only been to pray for those that we left behind. We have no interest in tearing anything down, but rather building something new. ECUSA has been wasting away for some time from its own self-inflicted wounds, and if these actions are any indication, that process is accelerating. We will continue to pray for John and Bob, the Diocese of Maryland, and ECUSA.
In the meantime, be assured that the Servant Council and the Property Team are working together to find another place to worship on Sundays starting January 15, 2006. We will hold a congregational meeting after our service on Sunday, January 1, 2006, to bring you up to date. We have entered the next stage of our development as we head into the New Year. Take heart, while we may have to wander for a little longer in the wilderness, we are not lost!
In Christ,
The Servant Council
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Letter from Bishop Ilhoff to Diocesan Clergy
November 12, 2005
Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,
It has come to my attention that at the Diocesan Convention in Pittsburg this morning Eliot Winks was ordained priest by a Bolivian bishop for deployment in Baltimore County. He will serve a small group of former-Episcopalians who have left St. John's Church, Glyndon, now meeting in a private home and calling themselves The Church of the Resurrection, Baltimore County.
Since this may be in newspapers, you should be aware that Church of the Resurrection is not an Episcopal congregation (nor even a proper Anglican one) and has no relationship with this Diocese. +John Rabb and I refused to license Eliot Winks (then a deacon resident in Pittsburg) early this year; he wanted to do self-directed campus ministry. Our action was based on his unwillingness to work under the direction of our Campus Ministry Board, and we were not impressed with his credentials; obviously our judgment has proven sound.
Of course, this irregular ordination is in direct violation of the Windsor Report as well as the Communiqué from the Primates, both of which uphold Catholic tradition insisting that all bishops respect the integrity of Diocesan boundaries. Sadly, it is obvious that a small minority of bishops in our Communion continue to take unilateral action despite the weight of the vast majority of Anglicans who oppose such measures, the plea of the Archbishop of Canterbury to not violate diocesan boundaries, and the specific prohibitions sited above. I will be reporting this action to the appropriate Anglican and Episcopal Church authorities.
It should be obvious, but just in case there is any question Eliot Winks has no ordination status in the Episcopal Church (and like others ordained for the A.M.i.A. is not recognized by the vast majority of Anglicans around the globe). He may not function in any capacity in any Church in this Diocese.
+John and I felt you should know the facts.
Faithfully yours,
+Bob Ihloff
Date: 12/30/2005
Hat tip to titusonenine.
From the comments section at titusonenine:
Two quotes come to mind, both from Tertullian–
The first for Fr. Winks and his congregation
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
the second for +Imhoff:
“You can judge the quality of their faith from the way they behave.”
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. 
Dear sionnsar,
The words that come to my mind aren't from Tertullian.
Rather, they are, "tortious interference."
And "punitive damages."
The PCUSA presbytery in Baltimore is extremely liberal and it is run by some very vindictive folks. So it is no surprise that they would be happy to join in the persecution of a Christian group.
To follow up on my earlier post, they might have better luck with the PCA. There are several estabilished churches with adequate facilities there. I'm not aware of any EPC churches in Baltimore.
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