Church of the Word
DALLAS APPEALS TO ABC FOR DIRECT OVERSIGHT

Diocese of Dallas Response to General Convention 2006
Dated July 3, 2006

A Response to General Convention 2006
From the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Dallas

To the faithful people of the Church in the Diocese of Dallas:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

We, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Dallas, have met and reviewed the actions of the 75th General Convention just concluded.

This General Convention of the Episcopal Church has not, in our view, answered the Windsor Report recommendations with sufficient clarity or resolve to maintain the bonds of affection that hold the Anglican Communion together.

In addition, the General Convention elected to the office of Presiding Bishop one who gave consent to the consecration of the Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, and who has actually authorized the blessing of sexual relationships outside the bonds of marriage within her diocese. These are the very sorts of actions that provoked the present crisis in the Communion. She has also called resolution B033, which calls for restraint in consenting to the consecration of bishops whose manner of life may be problematic for the rest of the Communion, a matter of policy that can be reversed or revised very soon.

Further, the clear teaching of Scripture regarding marriage, human sexuality, God's redemptive work in Christ, and the ministry of this Church, among others, has been further eroded by the actions and resolutions of this General Convention. We hold, and the canons, constitution and customary of our diocese manifest, our commitment to the received historic and biblical faith and teaching of Christ's Church.

The Diocese of Dallas has historically made clear where it stands in relation to the pressing issues before the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion:

• We are committed to the apostles' teaching and fellowship and the power of Jesus Christ to transform lives;
• We are committed to Lambeth Resolution I.10 of 1998 as the agreed teaching of the Anglican Communion on sexuality;
• We are committed to the Anglican Communion Network; and
• We are committed and submitted to the Windsor Report.

We, the Standing Committee, declare our support of and commitment to the vision and way toward an Anglican Covenant set forth by the Archbishop of Canterbury. We call upon the bishop to provide the next Diocesan Convention with a thorough explanation of the archbishop's plan. However, we believe that the lengthy timetable for the realization of such a covenant might well make it ineffectual. v We believe the mission of this diocese, as well as the spiritual health and growth of its congregations, are both compromised and jeopardized by association with leaders and institutions that, by their words and actions, have confused, changed or contradicted the Apostles' teaching. Therefore we call upon the bishop to disassociate the work of this diocese from these actions and leadership.

The consequence of the actions of this General Convention are to lead the Episcopal Church to walk apart from the rest of the Anglican Communion and to make necessary a disengagement of those dioceses and congregations which affirm its actions from those who cannot and will not.

To this end, we call upon the bishop to appeal to the Archbishop of Canterbury for a direct primatial relationship with him for the purpose of mission, pastoral support, and accountability.

Further, we ask the bishop, in concert with all who support the Windsor process, to lead the diocese in vigilantly pursuing:

• protection of congregations, clergy and assets of the faithful who are resident in those dioceses of the Episcopal Church which oppose, in action or precept, Lambeth Resolution I.10 of 1998;
• effective and adequate episcopal oversight to those same congregations and clergy, and as defined by them, on a long-term basis;
• an appropriate realignment or, if it becomes necessary, an "ordered and mutually respectful separation" of congregations and dioceses who desire to "opt-in" to the Anglican Covenant, proposed by the Windsor Report and the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, as distinct from those portions of the Episcopal Church which do not desire to do so.

Moreover, we call upon our brothers and sisters with whom we are partners in ministry to

• be diligent in daily prayer and study of Scripture;
• teach and preach the Word of God with increased diligence and discipline;
• be diligent in teaching the Christian virtues of chastity and sexual purity; and
• instruct youth and adults, committed to your charge, in the faith once delivered to the saints, and in our Anglican polity, doctrine, discipline, and worship.

We ask for your continued prayer for our common mission in the diocese, trusting in our Father's provision, our Savior's love, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Faithfully yours in Christ,

The Rev. Henry L. Pendergrass Rector, St Nicholas' Church, Flower Mound	The Rev. Canon David H. Roseberry Rector, Christ Church, Plano
The Rev. Dwight D. Duncan, SSC Rector, St Matthias' Church, Dallas	Charles A. Hinton, Jr. Trinity NE Texas, Mount Pleasant
Robert R. Gerber Holy Nativity Church, Plano	Cheryl M. Wetzel Good Shepherd, Cedar Hill

This article comes from The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas
http://www.episcopal-dallas.org/