14th May 2008
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
The Episcopal Church USA
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY
Dear Bishop Katharine,
I received word of your letter through a colleague who had seen it on the internet. Without the internet, I may never have known that you had written such a personal, yet sadly ironic, letter to me.
Unfortunately, you appear to have been misinformed about key matters, which I hope to clear up in this letter.

1.    I am not visiting a church in the Diocese of Georgia. I am visiting a congregation that is part of the Church of Uganda. Were I to visit a congregation within TEC, I would certainly observe the courtesy of contacting the local bishop. Since, however, I am visiting a congregation that is part of the Church of Uganda, I feel very free to visit them and encourage them through the Word of God.

2.    The reason this congregation separated from TEC and is now part of the Church of Uganda is that the actions of TEC’s General Convention and statements of duly elected TEC leaders and representatives indicate that TEC has abandoned the historic Christian faith. Furthermore, as predicted by the Primates of the Anglican Communion in October 2003, TEC’s actions have, in fact, torn the fabric of the Communion at its deepest level.

3.    May I remind you that the initial reason the Lambeth Commission on Communion was appointed was because of unbiblical decisions taken by TEC in defiance of repeated warnings by all of the Anglican Instruments of Communion. The Windsor Report was produced and accepted in amended form by the Primates at our meeting in Dromantine, Northern Ireland, in February 2005. It is, therefore, quite ironic for you to be quoting the Windsor Report to me. Nowhere in the Windsor Report or in subsequent statements of the Instruments of Communion is there a moral equivalence between the unbiblical actions and decisions of TEC that have torn the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level and the pastoral response on our part to provide ecclesiastical oversight to American congregations who wish to continue to uphold the faith once delivered to the saints and remain a part of the Anglican Communion. Your selective quoting of the Windsor Report is stunning in its arrogance and condescension.

4.    You and your House of Bishops rejected outright the Pastoral Scheme painstakingly devised in Dar es Salaam, and to which you agreed. You have, therefore, left us no choice but to continue to respond to the cries of God’s faithful people in America for episcopal oversight that upholds and promotes historic, biblical Anglicanism.

5.    An important element of the Dar es Salaam agreement was the plea by the Primates that “the representatives of The Episcopal Church and of those congregations in property disputes with it to suspend all actions in law arising in this situation.” This was something to which you gave verbal assent and yet you have initiated more legal actions against congregations and clergy in your short tenure as Presiding Bishop than all of your predecessors combined. I urge you to rethink, suspend litigation and follow a more Christ-like approach to settling your differences.

Finally, I appeal to you to heed the advice of Gamaliel in Acts 5.38ff, “Leave these [churches] alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop [them]; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Yours, in Christ,
The Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi
ARCHBISHOP OF CHURCH OF UGANDA.

I am not visiting a church in the Diocese of Georgia. I am visiting a congregation that is part of the Church of Uganda

Goodbye geography, hello affinities and relationships!

Also:

That will leave a mark. The whole thing. The whole superb thing.

Wow - just wow!  Praise God for Archbishop Orombi!

The Church of England brought the Christian faith to Uganda—but it did not bring the habit of British indirection in communication.  Well said, Bp. Orombi!

This is well-crafted on so many levels, down to the final turning of the “Gamaliel principle,” which is such a recurring, lame rhetorical trope of the deconstructionists, against Schori.

Once again, we see that Godly bishops in the Global South have a far better handle on leadership, principle and the English language than the bumbling managers in the GCC.

I concur with the other posters…Wow….speechless.

Reading this, it is even more evident to me that leadership in Christianity itself has shifted to the Global South.  These are the words of a true Christian leader.

Can anyone report on the meeting at Christ Church? I love his pointing out that her Internet “letter” was obviously not intended for his consumption.

Wow!  An excellent letter!

One wonders what he REALLY thinks!

Here’s a bishop who would seem perfectly capable of standing with his fellow bishops to make Lambeth be exactly what it needs to be. The alternative is the disintegration of the Anglican Communion.

Orthodox bishops: Take note! Working together, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can stop this.

Amen!

And—wow!  This is the most concise and to-the-point summary I’ve ever read of what these “foreign incursions” are all about—and why they are just what the Primates understood would happen.

The two most Godly and articulate defenders of the faith in the Anglican Communion are Archbishops Orombi and Venables.  Both this letter and the earlier one from ++Venables to the PB reflect that what they are doing is all about the Gospel imperatives.  The orthodox in the US need to be exceptionally grateful that these men (and others in the Global South) are providing the pastoral response for which we have asked.  There is nothing in this for them, except the confidence that they are being faithful shepherds of the flock.

Thank you, thank you to a fine Christian man and friend of the faithful in every part of the globe.

She gave him an opening and he put a heat seeking missle thru it!

Marie

Huzzah!  Made this elf’s day.  Praise God for a faithful and articulate Archbishop!

This could serve as an answer to Fr. David Handy’s suggestion on the “Ruckus” thread.  New wineskins.

It could be that the established CofE and the structures which developed in the twentieth century (Lambeth, ACC) are old wineskins.

The clarity is awesome.  It breaks my heart that the ABC, of all people, his closed his eyes and stopped his ears to it, and inhaled the stench of TEC’s lying manipulations as his reality.

Dear Saints:
It is my pleasure to report to you the visit of His Grace, Henry Luke Orombi, to Christ Church, Savannah.  The Archbishop enjoyed our hospitality, dined with lay leadership and our staff, toured our city, and enjoyed breakfast with our Vestry.  Wednesday evening, we enjoyed a wonderful reception in Johnson Square, blessed by beautiful weather and a good turnout. The Archbishop addressed our congregation for approximately one hour, and encouraged us from Luke 8:22-39.  Approximately 320 were in attendance (the meeting was open to the public).  The exercise of his pastoral leadership, encouragement, love, and biblical guidance were an enormous encouragement to us and to many others.  After his address, the congregation was dismissed, but an invitation was made for those who wished to receive prayer and ministry at the Lord’s altar to come forward after the closing hymn.  Over twenty people responded, and this ministry continued for almost another hour.  Our hearts are full and our souls are refreshed.  We give thanks to God for His grace poured out upon us through the godly leader.—Marc Robertson, Rector

Absolutely brilliant!

Marc+, thank you for the report!

Bloody Brilliant

The SS TEC-815 has taken 5 broadsides amidships from Admiral, er… Archbishop Orombi.  Well done, Archbishop!  Grace & peace in overflowing abundance to you and yours, good Sir!

Is there a boarding party at the ready as the SS TEC-815 is taking on a great deal of water?  Bosun, sound general quarters…

Christianity is a conceptual organization of the faithful and not geographic in nature. This is why Orombi is so well spoken and to the point and Schori so disingenuous and embarrassing, but this is why we chose her.

There, see, I told you all. Now they have exchanged communications of good will. I feel much better…

What is behind this way of communicating that KJS is using? She posts the letter on the internet and then Orombi hears about it elsewhere? How low can you go? Is it true, as someone posted elsewhere, that it’s being done for purely legal reasons, and not out of any real desire to connect and communicate? It’s truly sad.
  On the other hand, what a great letter, written in a true spirit of charity, especially the quote from Acts—perfect!

LOVE IT!!!!!!  right to the point.

I LOVE the reference to Gamaliel’s advice. Anybody willing to bet which “if” will prove true? 

I completely disagree on the geographical matter.  In fact I insist that we can only have Eucharist in Jerusalem.  The Americas are just <i>Shule<i>!
(yes, I’m kidding)

I was present at the reception and the Archbishop’s amazing teaching.  I was also among those privileged to receive prayer after the service.  The Holy Spirit is doing tremendous work through the Archbishop and those that serve with him.  I cannot speak for anyone else, but I will say that my life was changed as of last night.  The teaching and the prayer and my brief but powerful talk with the Archbishop on the porch afterwards were so full of the Light and Love of God that I am still overwhelmed.  I praise God that He has anointed such dedicated servants to minister to His church at this difficult crossroads in both my life and the life of the Church of Christ.

This is a wonderful letter.  It absolutely leaves no doubt as to what the Communion can expect from GS Leadership.  The South will celebrate, the North will shake its head and the undecided, ... cringe?

Emily - why can’t the North speak with this candor and clarity?

Eclipse—Your bishop does ROCK!!

+Orombi wrote: “I received word of your letter through a colleague who had seen it on the internet. Without the internet, I may never have known that you had written such a personal, yet sadly ironic, letter to me.”  Apparently, +Orombi approved of +KJS’s e-mail practice as he “published” it to whom Matt+ directly or Stephen Nolls+ who did?

There are many Spirit-filled and faithful leaders within TEC.  Why do you suppose we only have Orombie and Venerables that seem to be effective?  Is this more of the usual admiration for those far away rather than close at hand or is the witness of those within TEC inherently compromised?  Or something else?

Bravo…

EmilyH, do you actually have anything constructive to say about his central arguments?

I wouldn’t say approve, probably return in kind. We have very little published correspondence between ++William and ++Orombi and most we have from ++Orombi is in reply not initiated, so I’d delineate between approve as a standard procedure and responding in kind.

Monologistos, I don’t understand your comment #32.  I see plenty of cheering here and on T19 when one of the TEC orthodox leaders takes a stand.  +Iker, +Duncan, +Schofield,  +McPherson, +Howe, +Lawrence, +Minns and others have all been praised at times (some more than others, of course) on various blogs and comment threads.  Please elaborate.

#32 I think that there are, within TEC, ministries which are faithful and effective.  The Diocese of South Carolina is an example.
But it is difficult to sustain such a witness in an isolated parish or as an isolated priest.  The ministry is “compromised” - no matter how faithful the message, there is a great deal of cognitive dissonance the minute a lay person reads Diocesan news, goes to a diocesan meeting/event beyond the parish, or hears reports of what TEC is doing.
If nothing else, new people are reticent to jump into the middle of a conflicted denomination.  Other, more informed folks begin to question how their donations are being used.  Many just wonder, “Why is my priest/parish so out of step?” There are simply more reasons to stay away/walk away than to remain in most TEC settings.

Does anyone know if he plans to attend Lambeth? I hope so…

As they said on South Park last nite, she just got “served.”  Why can’t ++RW speak like that?

DavidSh, it should be obvious that +Orombi was not the target audience of KJS’s letter…

Your selective quoting of the Windsor Report is stunning in its arrogance and condescension.

+Henry Luke, why don’t you tell us how you really feel?

Seriously, I’m looking forward to hearing from +Orombi in person on the day after tomorrow at the Anglican Men’s Weekend.

The Rabbit.

re #22 FrVan:

There, see, I told you all. Now they have exchanged communications of good will. I feel much better…

You made me laugh out loud!!!!!

Very good sir, very good.
-RedHatRob

Praise God for Abp. Orombi’s witness to the Faith!

God Bless Bishop Orombi! What a brilliant “Cream Pie in the Face” this response is! KJS opened the door and well what can one say except be careful what you fling out there as it may come back to bite you!

Emily #28, I don’t imagine anybody that’s truly undecided is going to “cringe.”  More likely, they read Schori’s stuff and scratch their heads in puzzlement, “What does Easter have to do with a spork?”  Then they read this kind of thing and say, “I get it!  English!”

Excellent letter… however I feel that such verbiage and clarity is wasted effort as I don’t for one minute think 815, et al, will comprehend anything other than what they want to hear, which is ‘boundary crossing’.

Superb letter, one that is substantively rock solid and also eloquent.

Timothy Fountain and others have lamented above that the ABC seems unable to speak like Abp. Orombi. I used to think that Rowan’s heart was in the right place, but that his life-long entombment in academia had made him unable to articulate his thoughts in a way that is not obscure. Unfortunately, Rowan’s actions and communicative obscurity make much more sense if one infers that he has decided to back TEC, but does not wish to do so openly. With such a leader at this time, the historic Anglican Communion is finished. Lambeth will be, in effect, its funeral office.

Mrs. Shori writes rather arrogant letters to the Primates and, in a very Christian manner, she keeps getting a bloody nose each time.  One would think that she just might, at some point, get the message but she never does.  Satan’s allies never quit.

” Apparently, +Orombi approved of +KJS’s e-mail practice

This is how the presiding bishop “mails” her letters, rather routinely now. It’s a common thing to reply publicly to messages that are “sent” publicly. I suppose if +Orombi had not done so we would be hearing complaints of how he had ignored the presiding bishop.

Bishop Katharine - Go to your room! It was so easy for Archbishop Orombi to lash her.  I believe the venom she spews is not from God; just me, my belief.
I was at Hope and a Future, I heard “Choose Now” and “The Tomb of ECUSA Is Empty”.  Nothing has changed since then…..I believe we must tear the fabric fully apart, and if it is from God we will all not just survive, but we will thrive. Fear Not - How many times do we have to be told!
Thank God for Orombi, Malango, Venebles, Duncan, Anderson, Orombi, Gomez, Chew, Cavalcanti, Iker, Kennedy, Griffith, Hey, Akinola, Minns, Schofield, Lawrence,  etc…We are so incredibly blessed to align with these tremendous people of God. Let’s just move away from this misery and move JOYFULLY forward on a straight road toward our future - Now!
Phew!...I’m so tired of waiting….but I sure feel better having said that.  God bless you all that are already “out”; misery remains with us who are still “in” or in the in-between.
A chorus of cheers for Archbishop Orombi for not ever splitting hairs or falling for the devils lies and bargains.

Rick Carlin

If we only had 20 bishops in TEC who could be as clear and concise and forthright as Archbishop Orombi, we would not be in the mess we are in.  The least we should do in thanks for this good Bishop is spend some time today in prayer for the congregations in Uganda.

#36, Dear Elves, if you have not tried it, I highly recommend Hobgoblin Dark English Ale.  Apropos of the topic, I was responding to comments such as #5,6,10 praising leaders of the global south and lamenting the relative silence of the global north.  I’m not sure if Africa is actually part of the global south but that didn’t seem important to commentupon.We all know the tendency when looking at calling a rector or bishop to believe that a priest from some distant place would be much more interesting, mysterious and holy than the fellows in our own convocation. Who wouldn’t jump at the hypothetical chance to call Venerables as your diocesan bishop as opposed to some child of our parish whom we know all too well to be able to see Christ working in him in the mysterious way we attribute to priests and bishops?  That’s a human characteristic and there are a variety of reasons for it, some good, some less so.Additionally, I have to wonder if the requirements of basically getting along in the current HoB don’t inherently compromise a bishop’s ability to call a spade a spade.  I’m not assuming that we ought to apply some other measure such as Rome’s understanding of validity of Anglican orders here.  That doesn’t really make sense as an Anglican question.  For instance, if we bought into the older RC notion that God’s Spirit does not act outside of the Magesterium and RC sacraments, there would really be nothing to discuss here.  Fortunately, I think even our visitors from the RCC communion would not claim such a thing.  The Holy Spirit may act and does act apart from visible Church.  I’m not advocating worship of other gods of course but simply stating that godly men and women have been known to exist elsewhere ... I’m thinking first of the Patriarchs and Prophets known through our Old Testament.  Their journeys and experiences of God are a “type” for Christian experience.  For instance, Elijah’s departure via flaming chariot is a “type” for the Resurrection although we know that it is Jesus that is the first to be resurrected…and not Elijah.  Perhaps what Elisha witnesses is an eschatological vision of the end of times.  Similarly, the prophet Isaiah means Israel when he talks of the “suffering servant”.  This is a “type” for the Messiah but not yet revealed as our Lord.  It isn’t exactly that Isaiah was wrong or that Christians should not examine history in the light of the Resurrection, with the Holy Spirit burning in our hearts.  However, this is a sidetrack and I don’t want to get into a debate over whether Christianity replaced the faith of the Hebrews as if rabinnical Judaism that follows is a blind alley or whether we are a continuation and compliment of God’s people because these may very well be false juxtapositions ... or at least unlikely to shed light.  God can and does act through sinners ... you and I, Jews and Christians, and probably even KJS, have that to be thankful for.  And our work of discerning between spirits is still left undone…

I have had the pleasure of meeting and hearing this man of God in person. His words are not a form of political posturing. He simply calls a spade a shovel. After all, the truth doesn’t need explanations or apologies. It simply IS.

What a leader! What an Archbishop! What a communicator!

#16 Marc and #27 Flute Girl,
If you want more of Archbishop Henry’s teachings, stay close to your computers this weekend as AnglicanTV will be taping all 5 talks and getting them uploaded asap (sorry, no streaming capability at the wirelessly remote Forest Home Christian Coference Center, but a few beds still available)

Br’er Rabbit - I’ll be at the Anglican Men’s Weekend also.  Look me up - James W. from Sacramento, CA.  I was there last year and Abp. Orombi was incredible.

#54 Keith,
Thank you.  I will be sure to keep watch for the talks.

#49 “The tomb of ECUSA is empty.”

Yes, but doesn’t that new coat of whitewash look wonderful!

So I guess DDBeers and company are now intently pouring over the letter trying to translate it and find points for their court briefs.

Chris Johnson has the letter fisked.

It is very disturbing to me that so many letters of this type are released publically over the internet.  These are the kinds of issues that should be dealt with privately and with discretion—why does the dirty laundry need to be aired for all to see?  I suppose Schori published the letter publicly so that her supporters would know that she is doing something about the situation and rally around her.  But at the end of the day, that just enforces the battle lines.  Nothing good comes of it, except perhaps that we are made all the more aware of her lack of wisdom and courtesy.

Thanks be to Jesus for speaking through Archbishop Orombi.  He is such an incredibly transparent avenue through which the Holy Spirit speaks, it’s breathtaking.

In the vernacular, if you’re reading this Archbishop….you ROCK!

BTW, it moved me when you came to Pittsburgh for “A Hope and a Future” conference, and asked about your witness, began to sing a hymn that was your expression of trust in Jesus.  Would that the rest of us become so naked in our souls before God as to express our love for him as openly as you can.  May we learn more from you!

Sorry, the first line should read “publicly” not “publically”!

As +Bob Duncan the Lion-Hearted likes to say, “Courage breeds courage.”  Look at how we all have responded to this marvelous letter.

This superb reply by ++Orombi is one of many reasons why I’m so proud to be affiliated with a Ugandan parish, Eternity Anglican in Richmond.  There may only be 44 or so congregations currently under Uganda oversight, but I fully expect that number to grow significantly in the future, especially if the Diocese of Pittsburgh ends up affiliating with Uganda (as I suspect they will).  And look at some of the major parishes that have aligned with Uganda already:  St. James, Newport Beach, CA; All Saints’, Long Beach, CA; Christ Church, Overland Park, KS’ Christ Church, Savanna, GA here; and such prominent churches as Fr. Alan Hansen’s old parish in Versailles, KY, or a big continegent from St. John’s, Tallahasee, FL etc., not to meantion +John Guernsey’s parish, All Saints, Dale City, VA, and so on.  What a tremendous group of churches and people to be associated with!

David Handy+

I, too, am going to the Anglican Men’s Weekend tomorrow. Whoop!

Backtracking for a moment to tie up a few loose ends.

Thank you, Katherine (#14),  for making the connection.  Yes, the Ugandan network, along with those of Nigeria (CANA), Kenya, Rwanda (AMiA), and the Southern Cone, does indeed represent the sort of new wineskins I was talking about over on the Ruckus thread.  Indeed, it represents the beachhead of the New Reformation that I keep calling for and celebrating at every opportunity.

But as for Fr. Van’s question back in #38, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but ++Orombi has been very clear and firm that he will NOT be going to Lambeth in July.  I fully respect his decision. 

And he won’t be alone.  The whole Uganda delegation (some 34 bishops) won’t be attending Lambeth 2008 either.  They are going to GAFCon instead.  Of course, the same is true for the delegations from Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda.

Sadly, the deep tear in the fabric of the AC continues to widen, as is inevitable without genuine repentance from the sadly unrepentant leaders of TEC (and their liberal ilk in other countries).

But God is working all things for good, for those who truly love God and are submitting to him.  Death has to come to the old Anglicanism represented by the old wineskins of the AC as we have known it, before a new and greater Anglicanism can be resurrected and take its place.

David Handy+

As they said on South Park last nite, she just got “served.”

So, if she tried to serve him, and got served in return, does that mean that “It is on”?  The thought of break dancing bishops just sends chills through the spines.

Such an incredible witness in his letter. I belong to one of the so called “Windsor / Camp Allen” dioceses. I only wish those who are Windsor/Camp Allen compliant would have the courage to come forth with their testimony of this magnitude. Sadly most of them seem to be sitting on their hands waiting on someone to settle this argument in our church. Also more so I am bothered that some of the Windsor/Camp Allen bishops are persecuting priests that follow Christ in the AC. I know mine is.

MtnG

Hosea6:6:

Woo Hoo!  Yes my bishop DOES ROCK!   

Thank you Jesus for A.B. Orombi!

Robroy:

Be on the lookout for the men from Montana… they will be coming from my parish.  I am so excited for them.

Keith:

I’ll watch every one - you know I will!

( 65 )I am not in agreement with GS bishops not going to lambeth. While I respect their decision I firmly believe in solving problems head on, up close & personally. While their absence will be a statement in itself I would much rather they be there at front & center to address the ABC, KJS & her cronies. Skip the tea parties & withold sharing communion with some if need be but there is nothing like being in person.

The GS contingency seems to be the only group pushing forcefully for TEC to repent. Other provinces seem to stand back & listen….again with no backbone.

SMACKDOWN!!! 

So much, too, for Spong and all the nasty, uncalled-for cracks about animism and English not being the first language of gentlemen of this ilk.  Reads just fine to me, with absolutely no doubt about its clarity. 

Thank you, Archbishop Orombi, and God bless—

GiD

Maybe we should post a lesson on Mail Merge to the rest of the waffling leaders of the TEC.  They could use this letter’s body and insert their particulars.  Plagiarism or “knowledge reuse” you make the call!

God’s peace to all * these are exciting times…

Hallelujah