The Diocese of Albany’s annual convention endorsed the Anglican Communion Covenant in a 314-76 vote June 12.
Albany joins the dioceses of Central Florida, Dallas, South Carolina and Western Louisiana in endorsing the Covenant.
Albany Via Media opposed the endorsement, and posted a statement from the vestry of Christ Church, Hudson, N.Y., that said the Covenant is “about the exercise of group power through bargaining and voting.”
The Rt. Rev. William H. Love, Bishop of Albany, welcomed the vote.
“As I have stated on earlier occasions, by endorsing the Anglican Communion Covenant, the Diocese of Albany is sending a strong message and signal to the rest of the Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican Communion that we greatly value our Anglican heritage and relationships throughout the world, and that we intend by the grace of God to honor that which is asked of us in the Anglican Communion Covenant, worshipping and serving our Lord Jesus Christ, sharing the Gospel in cooperation and close relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the Anglican Communion,” he wrote to clergy and laity of the diocese.
The bishop added that the Covenant does not ask the diocese “to do anything that we are not already doing” or “to be anything other than who we are.”
3 Comments
Re: The bishop added that the Covenant does not ask the diocese "to do anything that we are not already doing" or "to be anything other than who we are." ---
How naive! Would these dioceses and parishes endorse the Covenant if it DID ask them to be or do "a new thing"? It's easy to support a principle when it doesn't ask you to do anything different, but what would they say if, in future years, the wind shifted and the majority moved to the other side? Will they then so smugly endorse the Covenant?
I believe that Bishop Love was stating that the Diocese of Albany already believes and practices the Covenant. So there are really no changes to be made in the Diocese. I believe the Diocese had already made some hard decisions in the past to walk in the way of the Covenant. So we had already moved to a time of doing things differently. The Convention did not "smugly" endorse the Covenant. It was done with much prayer and education.
I was there. There was nothing smug about the decision. Bishop Love is the opposite of smugness. I was delighted at that such a Godly man might be a bishop as so many lately that I have encountered are mostly into control, often harshly and unfeelingly so. The attendees were an amazing fellowship of committed and eager Christians. The convention was held - as it always is - in the context of a camp and renewal weekend for the whole diocese. We gathered in the Adirondack mountains, adults, youth for a rally and kids for a weekend of VBS. There were nearly seventy workshops held from Friday onwards on a variety if discipleship and devotional, church growth and evangelism subjects.
Bishop Love had prepared the diocese with information and mailings. Our preacher and keynote speaker was Archbishop Drexel Gomez, retired of the West Indies. The archbishop was key in the writing of the Covenant as he was in the development of the Windsor Report. His presentation was scholarly, erudite and easily understood by all. The discussion was temperate and all delegates were given opportunity to participate. All in all many might learn from this process as they themselves consider the Covenant for adoption in their dioceses.