ECUSA BISHOPS HEAP PRAISE ON MINISTRY OF ANGLICAN MISSION IN AMERICA

[David Virtue]

ECUSA BISHOPS HEAP PRAISE ON MINISTRY OF ANGLICAN MISSION IN AMERICA

By David W. Virtue

PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC--Two ECUSA bishops attending the Third Winter
Conference of the Anglican Mission in America had nothing but praise
for these Anglicans, even while they are being excoriated by Episcopal
Church leaders as schismatic.

The Rt. Rev. C. FitzSimons Allison, (SC ret.) told Virtuosity that the
Winter Conference of the AMIA "was as inspiring as any we have been
privileged to attend."

"As a cradle Episcopalian, diocesan bishop, teacher in four Episcopal
seminaries, and an historian of Anglican and Episcopal history I've
never before been so encouraged. The vision and commitment to mission
would have pleased Charles Simeon and Stephen Neill. The biblically
saturated worship and exegesis would have appealed to Thomas Cranmer,
John Donne and George Herbert. The theological substance was congruent
with Richard Hooker and William Temple. The courage, wisdom, presence
and preaching of Archbishops Yong (SE Asia) and Kolini (Rwanda) was
both humbling and inspiring. Their unflinching support for those
victims of ecclesiastical ostracism on account of their commitments to
Christian doctrines 'as this church has received them' has evoked upon
these archbishops the 'fiery darts' described in Scripture. Their
heroism is of truly biblical proportions. The irony of our being the
recipients of missionary confidence and graceful vitality from Africa
and Asia should not be lost on those whose preoccupation with
institutional survival is obscuring the opportunities of the Christian
mission  in an increasingly non-Christian culture."

Echoing these sentiments, the Bishop of Central Florida, John W. Howe,
said, "I am here because I see the hand of God blessing the Anglican
Mission in America, and because I think their commitment to the gospel
and evangelism makes them allies rather than enemies. I am saddened
that they have been maligned as "sheep stealers" when in fact, I
believe, they have rescued many who otherwise would have left
Anglicanism altogether."

The Anglican Mission started three years ago as an Anglican mission
movement in the United States because of the increasing theological and
moral breakdown in the Episcopal Church. They are under the
ecclesiastical authority of the Anglican Provinces of Rwanda and South
East Asia. Today they have 12,000 communicants in 55 parishes.
According to their leader, Bishop Charles Murphy, the Anglican Mission
will double in the next two to three years.

END