AAC NEWS ALERT: August 8, 2003. . . sounds like a good plan to me!The AAC has just published an important document answering the question "What do I do now?" after the grevious decision of the Episcopal Church to depart from the historic Christian faith.
To read the document, please visit: http://www.aplacetostand.org/dspnews.cfm?id=70
URGENT: PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO AS MANY OF YOUR EPISCOPALIAN FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS AS YOU CAN!
-- Statement from Archbishop Bernard Malango, Central Africa (Primate) http://www.aplacetostand.org/dspnews.cfm?id=71
-- Statement from Archbishop Greg Venables, Southern Cone (Primate) http://www.aplacetostand.org/dspnews.cfm?id=73
American Anglican Council's A Place to Stand General Convention 2003
8/08/03
AAC Answers the Question: What do I do now?"
What just happened?
1. The Episcopal Church has departed from Biblical truth, from the historic teaching of the Christian faith and from the near universal consensus of the Christian Church around the world.
2. In the words of the Primate of Kenya, the Episcopal Church has "kicked itself out of the [Anglican] Communion."
3. In the words of the Primate of Nigeria, the 43 bishops who voted no on Gene Robinson "have refused to bow their knees to baal."
4. The Archbishop of Canterbury has called an emergency meeting of the Primates for October 15-16, 2003, the first such meeting in the history of the Anglican Communion.
What do we do next?
1. Rejoice... in all circumstances. God is still on the throne.
2. Repent... for our participation in our Church's sins. Continue in a spirit of repentance, not arrogance, in the days ahead.
3. Forgive... as Jesus did, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
4. Pray... for God's grace to guide and sustain us.
5. Love... those who consider themselves to be homosexual, sharing the transforming power of God.
6. Reject... the unbiblical, unconstitutional actions of General Convention. Repudiate them, disassociate yourself from them. Do this personally, as a parish, as a diocese. Communicate with your rector, your bishop (even those bishops who share your views; they need to be supported!), the Presiding Bishop (815 Second Ave., New York, NY 10017), and the Archbishop of Canterbury (Lambeth Palace, London SE1 7JU, England). Copy the American Anglican Council (1110 Vermont Ave., NW Suite 1180 Washington, DC 20005. lhuntington@americananglican.org).
7. Reach out... to those who are lonely and isolated in unsupportive parishes or dioceses, and those who share our concerns but are not at General Convention; they are likely confused about what happened, unaware of the strength of our coalition, and uninformed about the Primates, the Plano meeting, etc.
8. Redirect... money from structures which support these actions (parish, diocese, national church), and give to parishes, dioceses, organizations and mission agencies which are upholding mainstream Anglicanism, such as the AAC, FiFNA, and Ekklesia.
Do's and Don'ts
1. Do NOT say you are leaving the Episcopal Church.
2. Do NOT say you are breaking Communion with your bishop.
3. DO say you are NOT leaving the Anglican Communion.
4. Do NOT sue for your property or take unilateral action.
5. DO hold on until Plano.
6. DO give the orthodox bishops and archbishops six months to achieve a framework for dramatic realignment.
What is Plano and what will happen there?
1. It is a gathering of bishops, clergy and lay leaders who embrace biblical faith and teaching and who reject the actions of General Convention, to be held October 7-9, 2003 at Christ Church, Plano, Texas.
2. We will pray, worship, study the Word and preach the Gospel.
3. We will hear reports on actions of specially-convened diocesan conventions.
4. We will prepare a detailed petition and proposal for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates, who will meet October 15-16, 2003
5. We will offer training and specific help with canonical, legal and financial issues.
6. We will build relationships and organize our network.