Church Remains Open After Vestry Leaves
Episcopal News Service. June 25, 2004 [062504-1]
Matthew Davies
Parishioners and vestry members from the Church of the Redeemer, Rochester, New Hampshire, decided June 23 to leave the Episcopal Church rather than acknowledge the authority of the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson as their bishop. The parishioners' decision to break away from the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire followed more than two hours of conversation with Robinson at the church.
Robinson, who became the first openly-gay priest to be elected bishop in the Episcopal Church last November, said he was "heartbroken" with their decision despite his ongoing attempts to reach reconciliation.
Supporters of the action described current provisions for delegated Episcopal pastoral oversight (DEPO) as inadequate, citing concerns about the "hurt, frustration and distress" that some parishes are encountering.
Requesting oversight
According to Robinson, the congregation has a decades-long history of conflict with his three predecessor bishops. Most of the congregation have been overtly opposed to Robinson's consecration and consistently refused to accept his jurisdictional authority, requesting that a bishop from another diocese be invited to provide oversight.
"I went to the congregation April 5 to hear from them what it was they wanted in terms of delegated Episcopal pastoral oversight," Robinson said. "I waited until after the House of Bishops meeting [in March] so that we would have a process."
Robinson sent 22 names of bishops whom he knew to be conservative on the issue of sexuality or had voted "no" at General Convention on consent to his consecration. "The only thing I was asking was the smallest thread of a relationship because DEPO is founded on the notion that this is a temporary measure in order to restore reconciliation between the bishop and the congregation; and that kind of reconciliation can't happen if we never meet," he said.
At the June 23 meeting the vestry requested that Robinson either give them and a conservative Anglican network complete control of the church or force them to resign. Robinson refused to force their resignations while, he said, also "upholding my vows as a bishop and my responsibilities under the canons of the church" by not delegating all authority to a visiting bishop from the conservative network.
Robinson offered to invite Bishop Daniel Herzog of Albany, New York, a member of the recently formed conservative network, to assume pastoral leadership of the parish with the provision that Herzog "not do anything to undermine my authority as the bishop diocesan of New Hampshire and do nothing that would assist Redeemer in leaving the Episcopal Church." In conversations prior to the meeting, Robinson said that Herzog had expressed "his willingness to work with me on meeting the needs and desires of Redeemer."
Robinson also offered to reinstate their former priest-in-charge, the Rev. Don Wilson of Maine, whose license to officiate was revoked by Robinson's predecessor, retired Bishop Douglas Theuner. Wilson had expressed a willingness to agree to the terms of the proposal. "It is clear to me that Don loves and cares for the people of Redeemer," said Robinson, adding that Wilson had also agreed "to take my calls and speak with me."
Highest level of communion
In his proposal, Robinson requested the "highest level of communion possible," adding that he was hopeful that an arrangement could be reached "so that you and I may stop spending time on our divisions and get on with bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to a world that needs and longs to hear it."
In exchange for inviting Herzog and reinstating Wilson, Robinson asked that the parish allow him to fulfill his canonically required responsibility to visit the parish at least once every three years and to consider meeting informally with him once a year for a "pot-luck supper" or other non-liturgical event to provide opportunities for establishing a relationship.
The DEPO document states that "We expect that the first priority in a relationship between a diocesan bishop and a congregation is striving for unity. As such, it is incumbent upon both the bishop and the rector of the congregation to meet, to find ways to work together."
Robinson described how it had become very clear over the course of the evening "that they were not even willing to settle for the tiniest thread of a relationship and so I pointed out to them that what they were saying to me is that they didn't want to be Episcopalian." He noted that "we are called the Episcopal Church because we have bishops and we are an association of congregations through the bishop. Without a relationship with the diocesan bishop, it's not the Episcopal Church."
Referring to support he had received from the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop Robin Eames, Primate of All Ireland and Chair of the Lambeth Commission, in response to his offer of 22 names, Robinson said that he had wanted them to know that what they had been told--that liberal dioceses were persecuting conservatives within their diocese--is simply not true.
Cynthia Brust, director of communications for the American Anglican Council (AAC) said that the actions taken by the Church of the Redeemer are "a local response to their hurt, frustration and distress in inadequate episcopal oversight." She added that the AAC is "very sympathetic to the difficult experience of Church of the Redeemer and has maintained--since General Convention--that episcopal oversight must be adequate in the eyes of those who are to receive it."
"We have consistently said that if local bishops have veto power, the concept of Adequate Episcopal Oversight is pointless," Brust said. "We are distressed that the crisis in ECUSA is resulting in congregations leaving and pray the Primates will address the dire situation in which we find ourselves."
Brust said that the AAC will not be issuing any statement as this was a meeting between the Church of the Redeemer and Robinson.
Dean William Murdoch of the Northeast Convocation of the Network of Anglican Communion Parishes and Dioceses (NACPD) also offered support to what he called a "beleaguered" parish.
Exciting possibilities
As for the future of the parish, Robinson said, "I don't worry for the future of Redeemer; this is God's church and God will take care of the future. All we have to do is follow him as closely as we can."
Robinson announced that Sunday services will be held this week at Redeemer and invited former members and persons seeking an open and affirming church to "come back" to the parish.
Mike Barwell, media consultant to the diocese of New Hampshire, contributed to this article.