Sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit, let us move forward together and do all such good
works as God has prepared for us to walk in, seeking always to build up the Body of Christ where
we live, where we work and where we worship.
North Texans Remain Episcopal Cherishes and Remains Committed to the Episcopal Church as the
American Expression of the Anglican Tradition.
We intend to gather and support faithful Episcopalians throughout the Diocese of Fort Worth;
assure the continuation of Episcopal worship services throughout the diocese; seek opportunities
for reconciliation with all persons; and work to renew the relationship of our diocese with the
Episcopal Church.
We stand together, and intend to:
be a gathering place for those who wish to want
to remain Episcopal, as well as those who are still trying to decide;
support the efforts of laity and clergy who wish
to remain Episcopal by providing them assistance as well as information about the ongoing work
of the Episcopal Church and of the continuing Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth;
provide care for those who wish to remain Episcopal,
but are members of a parish likely to leave the Episcopal Church. We are especially concerned
about ensuring there will be a place of worship and Episcopal clergy available for those who do not
live near a parish that will remain Episcopal;
seek reconciliation whenever possible with those
who seek to leave the Episcopal Church, by inviting them into dialogue; by listening to them with
open hearts and minds; and, by working to hold open a place for them within the Episcopal Church;
pray daily for the unity of our beloved Anglican
Communion; for Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury; for Katharine Jefferts Schori, our
Presiding Bishop; for Jack Iker, our bishop; and for all the clergy and parishioners of the Diocese
of Fort Worth.
disband as soon as possible after new diocesan leadership is in place.
We believe:
the proposed realignment is another sad division
in the Body of Christ and that only prayerful solidarity will preserve a space where healing can
take place;
the splendid diversity of the Episcopal Church
is one of its greatest treasures, and we will faithfully hold open a place in it for those with
differing points of view;
we could work together for a lifetime on those
things about which we all agree, yet still leave so much undone.
What Binds Us As Faithful Episcopalians?
The Episcopal Church has never equated faithfulness with perfect unanimity of belief. The historic
Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral (BCP pp. 876-77) serves as the basis for restoring unity to the various
divisions of the catholic church:
1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed
Word of God.
2. The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian Faith.
3. The two Sacraments,--Baptism and the Supper of the Lord,--ministered
with unfailing use of Christ's words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him.
4. The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of
its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the unity
of His Church.
If this statement of orthodoxy is a sufficient basis to attempt reconciliation within the entire
church catholic, how can more be required of us as faithful Episcopalians? Within the Quadrilateral's
broad framework, much is purposefully left to individual discernment and conscience. This gives
each of us the continuous privilege-and duty-to weave our own tapestry of beliefs, and to manifest
them in our lives.
We Are Not Alone!
The Episcopal Church has stood firmly behind the continuing Diocese of San Joaquin as it rebuilds
following the departure of its bishop, numerous clergy and parishes for the Southern Cone in South
America. According to the Episcopal News Service, the Executive Council recently authorized "spending
up to $500,000 in 2008 to support the work of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of San Joaquin and
similarly situated dioceses. Both Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies
President Bonnie Anderson said the money would cover such costs as helping mission congregations,
helping to compensate the clergy who are remain, covering the costs of reconstituting the diocesan
leadership, and in San Joaquin's case, regaining control of the diocesan website's url." The continuing
Diocese of San Joaquin is thriving, and we believe our experience will be similar!
Bonnie Anderson (president of the House of Deputies) said that at least five different groups
of Episcopalians who would be building the reconstituted diocese of San Joaquin:
1. Some who are willing to litigate to keep church properties
2. Some who are not willing to litigate to keep
church properties.
3. Some who voted to leave TEC but who have reconsidered and are willing to stay.
4. Some who are still on the fence.
5. Some who simply want things to get back to normal "so they can worship without all this disagreement."
Who will rebuild the Diocese of Fort Worth?
A diverse group of Episcopalians, bound together by their love of our great church and by their
commitment that it will be a place in which all are genuinely welcome.
Let Us Always be Prayerful.
Give us grace to deal mercifully with each other,
Always reflecting your many and tender mercies.
Grant us courage to faithfully hold open a place for
the rejected,
the suffering, and
those who question, search and disagree.
Help us to keep our own faults ever before us,
that we may judge ourselves rather than others.
Steer us from the easy path of abandoning difficult relationships.
May we have the strength and courage to remain alongside each other
with open hearts and generous spirits.
Teach us to listen truly and to gaze deeply,
that we may see your image revealed in those with whom we disagree.
Show us how to be still,
so that your presence in each one of us can reconcile us all.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
Let Us Give Thanks for Outstanding Leadership in the Presiding Bishop and the Archbishop of
Canterbury...They are a Gift from God…Know Them Better by Listening to Their Webcasts and Reading
Their Books and Sermons.
Not only does she have much to say, she is also intelligent, well spoken, gracious, poised-and
the embodiment of calm and strong leadership. Listen to her!
"None of us is called to 'feel at home' except in the full and immediate presence of God. It is
our searching, especially with those we find most 'other,' that is likely to lead us into the
fuller experience of the body of Christ. Fear of the other is an invitation to seek the face of
God, not a threat to be avoided."
Episcopal News Service, February 15, 2008
"[T]here has to be room for those who disagree. . .For it is in learning to live in that
difference and disagreement that we begin to find God. There is no merit or growth or wholeness
in loving people who agree with us. When we can look at the person next to us who has a radically
different opinion, and see the image of God, then we begin to discover that God is more than we
can imagine."
A Wing and a Prayer: A Message of Faith and Hope, pp. 69-70.
A scholar, theologian and poet, the likes of which will not soon come our way again!
"The neighbor is our life; to bring connectedness with God to the neighbor is bound up with our
own connection to God…We love with God when and only when we are the conduit for God's reconciling
presence with the person next to us. It is as we connect the other with the source of life that
we come to stand in the place of life, the place cleared and occupied for us by Christ."
Where God Happens, pp. 34-35
"The church is meant to be supremely a community of persons…it is a place for distinctive vocations
to be discovered in such a way that they are a source of mutual enrichment and delight, not threat.
It is a place where real human difference is nourished."
Where God Happens, pp. 65-66
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