Pastoral Letter from +Duncan: “Diocese will carry forward”

+Bob and Nara, we are with you all the way.  Battle Brown, Pittsburgh

I am proud he is my bishop; I am privileged to serve this diocese and count him as my leader.

I live in another geographic dicoese and commute to Pittsburgh to worship.  It’s worth every mile!

With love and prayers for my bishop.
I am reminded of the words from the end of Genesis 50 that speak of how though Joseph’s brothers had tried to do him in, that which they intended for harm - God intended for good. May it be so once again in Pittsburgh.

I’ll join the Pittsburghers above in a virtual toast to my bishop!  God’s will be done in the ‘Burgh and God’s peace be on the Bishop.

Ms Schori’s bumbling, heavy handed ways will make the vote more lopsided.

The powers that be in TEC are dwarfed into insignificance by this shining example of Godly leadership and service to our Lord Jesus, and +Bob’s care for us sheep.  One could only wish that they are shamed by his example.  We in Pittsburgh are so blessed to be led by a man who is led by God.

Sadly, Gillian, I think they are so far from shame, it brings to mind Philippians 3:19:
“Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.”

Truly, their glory is in their shame.

Can anyone tell me who the five priests are?  I’d love to punch their lights out…but then that would be acting in the flesh now, wouldn’t it??  OK, ok, I’ll obey the Word of God we just read last Sunday, and “bless” my enemies and pray for those who persecute us and try to “overcome evil with good.”  Much more satisfying in the long run, I dare say.  Meanwhile, I will continue to raise my cheers on behalf of my earthly heroes:  my bishop John David, and Bshp Duncan and all the others following in their footsteps.  May the Lord continue to bless them and guide them and give them grace to be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
—Violamom (Fr. Wes’ wife)

Greg, any possibility you could also post Bp. Duncan’s 8/24 letter to the HOB? My system is having trouble opening that PDF off the pitanglican.org site. 

That letter, too, is probably something we should all read anyway. 

Thanks and God bless—

GiD

And after the HOB vote, just think of those bishops who have loved to be thought of as orthodox, but will have their cover blown.  Like the Children of Israel on the plain of Dura after the trumpet blew and they bowed down to the idol, they can never wear the label as Servants of the Most High God.  IMHO

Geek in Dallas, here is the letter:
24th August, A.D. 2008
St. Bartholomew
TO THE BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH:
My dear Brothers and Sisters,
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father in the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Very shortly you will gather as bishops of the Episcopal Church for a special meeting of the House of Bishops. One of the previously announced reasons for your gathering is to consider a charge brought against me by five priests and sixteen lay people. The charge is a charge of “abandonment of the Communion of the Church.” While it appears likely that the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will end its constitutional union with the Episcopal Church by action of its Annual Convention this fall, that action has not yet occurred. My support for that action is well known, as are the repeatedly argued theological and ecclesiological reasons. Nevertheless, to
speak and write in support of an action not yet taken, is not the same as taking the action.
Moreover, the action, when taken, will be Convention’s action, not mine. Only after clergy and people act, will I act. My letter to the Presiding Bishop, dated 14th March, 2008,1 remains an accurate and true statement of my continuing submission to the ordination vows I took within the
Episcopal Church.
The proper forum to determine whether I have violated constitution or canons would be a church trial, as I am a Bishop of this Church. But such a trial would have required due process and all the protections of the trial canons. The course chosen by my local opponents, accepted by the Title IV committee and embraced by the Presiding Bishop was an expedient course, requiring
none of the justice, none of the expense, none of the rights of the accused, none of the lengthy timetable. Need I add that in pursuing the abandonment shortcut, even the specific protections of that course of action have been ruled not to apply?  So ignoring all the protections of the trial
canon and violating the few protections of the abandonment canon, a timetable is set whereby the head can be removed from the body before the body acts. For a Church so committed to justice, what kind of justice is this?
The moral abyss into which our beloved Church has descended could scarcely be plainer than in this matter. Never mind what is right or noble or holy. Never mind what the apostles and saints who went before us intended as they laid the foundations upon which we have been called to build. It is all about what is expedient. It is all about what can be achieved by short-cuts and misapplied power, about winning by whatever means are available.
Given that I have been judged guilty by the Title IV disciplinary committee (without even any knowledge, prior to their findings, that there had been charges brought against me), and given the 1) Letter to the Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori, 14th March 2008 2) No inhibition prior to presentation to the House. No majority of all those entitled to vote.
The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan
Bishop

Sorry, Geek - I could not copy and transfer the letter completely in its proper form.  I hope you can get it somehow. 
Apologies to you and SFIF.

The impersonator in the Office of the PB is bringing heaping coals down upon her with this and many of her actions.

Any such action by Schori and Company can only be called a “Kangaroo Court,” with its so-called “verdict” laughable at best.  The Anglican Church in the Diocese of Pittsburgh will thrive, while the remnant will shrivel and dry up like a leaf in the desert.

Advice to bishops who will be voting on the matter of removing Bishop Duncan as a Bishop of the Episcopal Church (I’m sure his order of ministry will still be recognized by other jurisdictions in the Anglican Communion).

The punitive style of the BP/Beers (especially in bypassing due process that would protect the rights of the accused) brought this familiar quote to mind:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent; I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I did not speak out;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out

Friedrich Gustav Martin Niemöller’s (anti-Nazi Lutheran Pastor)

When those in power use their personal authority instead of due process it is a warning to everyone in the system that opposition will not be tolerated and in fact punished.

I too want to add my expressions of love and respect for +Bob and Nara and may they know they are in our prayers, and have been throughout this season.
Whatever the outcome of the vote in Oct I pray that +Bob will continue to be our Bishop in Pittsburgh…even if we have to meet on the three river banks!

Waiting for the “H’s” David and Emily to rise to the defense of these cowards,their “leaders”.
I thank the Lord for allowing me to take communion from Bp Duncan at St James Cathedral in Fresno. You sir are in our prayers.
Intercessor

Well where the hell are you??
Intercessor

Echoing Jonathan and others—love and best wishes.  Frankly, there aren’t words except that I am proud to call him my bishop.

Regarding #9: I hope that our voting on October 4th will strike a more effective blow than anything else we may wish to do.

Eddie+

#8, no punching anyone’s lights out, but the five priests are just the usual suspects:

Harold Lewis, Calvary East Liberty
Leslie Reimer, Calvary East Liberty
Catherine Munz, formerly of St Brendan’s Franklin Park
Cynthia Bronson Sweigert, Redeemer Squirrel Hill
Diane Shepherd, formerly of St Stephen’s Wilkinsburg

for anyone interested, the whole docket of the Title IV Review committee’s findings is here:

http://www.pitanglican.org/news/local/filesforposting/TitleIVreport.pdf

I’m cross posting a comment I just posted over at T19:

What a fantastic letter by Bp. Duncan.  I hope many bishops seriously and prayerfully consider his words and will find strength from the Lord to take a bold stand against the travesty of justice that the PB and others are trying to ramrod through.

I certainly hope and pray that any vote will be a roll call vote.  Let this see the light of day and be shown for what it is.

Finally, I was wonderfully stunned to read the news in Bp. Duncan’s letter about the clergy conference in Pittsburgh next week:

The Clergy Conference of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will be meeting from the 17th to the 19th of September. Our focus will be on addressing the apologetic and missionary challenge posed by Islam to the Christian Church here in America.

How awesome to read that in spite of everything, Bp. Duncan and the clergy of Pittsburgh are continuing to so clearly focus on the mission and ministry of the Gospel and to look to moving ahead to find new ways to reach out to Muslims, instead of being consumed with the TEC crisis.  If anything, that speaks volumes about why Pittsburgh is on the brink of disassociating from TEC.  There are two different Gospels being proclaimed.  It is time to choose and to take a stand as to which Gospel one follows.

May the Lord pour out His grace and wisdom upon all in Pittsburgh in these momentous days.

I would hope that if a roll call vote is taken, the results of that vote will be made public, with the names of all of the bishops voting, and how they voted.  People have the right to know how their bishops voted….and why they voted as they did!

Lord protect your servant.  Send your angels to defend him against all enemies, temporal and spiritual.  Be his shield and his sword.  Let those who defame him be put to flight.  May those who speak lies against him be brought to the light of Your justice.    May the love he has for You inspire all others who face similar trials for your name’s sake.  Amen.

My Bishop lies. He secretly protected lesbian deacons and priests . He has the gay-lesbian corner on our Diocese website. He is totally sold out to careerist actions and whatever TEC wants. Our parish has been thriving since the late 1600’s without his blessing or those like him. I refuse to take Communion from him, as others do. The day of reckoning will come. We have defenders of the faith among us and they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

So, Beerkat Et. Al have managed to exhibit yet another level of cowardice, one which fails to look their accused in the eye, fails to grant him a trial among his peers, fails to even publicly require those that would condemn him to vote.

Yet even the Sanhedrin managed to speak publicly, before Pilate, that they desired Jesus’ death.  Does this mean BeerKat et. al are lower than they?  You must judge for yourselves.

I’ve never met Bishop Duncan in person.  I’ve heard him speak on several occasions, and have always found his demeanor Godly, humble, and true.  If his diocese, among others, wish that he would shepherd them to safety and away from the heresy that 815 has embraced, who are BeerKat et. al. to deny them this right.

Then what happens if, at their convention coming up, Duncan is by then deposed, and they vote for succession anyway?  Can’t they just turn around and re-vote Bp Duncan back to his office?  That’s surely what I would do.

God Bless the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and my you all KTF!...mrb