tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post5710641257254414253..comments2024-02-15T03:32:25.686-05:00Comments on Preludium, Anglican and Episcopal futures: A Rant from Western Kansas takes a wrong turn but still has rant power.Mark Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871096746243771489noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-30187092902311425082009-03-08T17:55:00.000-04:002009-03-08T17:55:00.000-04:00If I, as a Diocesan Bishop, left TEC (which I am n...<I>If I, as a Diocesan Bishop, left TEC (which I am not saying I am) with 10 of my churches</I><BR/><BR/>What an underwhelming statement of fidelity to the Episcopal Church! [And FYI, Bishop Adams, you could only ATTEMPT to leave with <I>*cough STEAL cough*</I> any of TEC's churches]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-81183610306355612152009-03-06T22:56:00.000-05:002009-03-06T22:56:00.000-05:00Hello. I am a member of the Episcopal Diocese of F...Hello. I am a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, so can answer some of the allegations posted in the bishop's letter and in the comments of this blog pertaining to Fort Worth. First of all, the comment that was in regard to the speaker series was a good point, but ill-informed. All of the speakers are funded by the contributions of individuals within the diocese, NOT by the budget of the diocese itself. The bishop has it wrong when he says there are ..."a little over 19 priests and 62 delegates<BR/>who represent way less than a thousand people." This is wrong information. Yes, there are 19 priests, most of them retired. There are well over 5,000 known laity remaining in The Episcopal Church here in the diocese of Fort Worth. Of the 3 spanish speaking missions in the diocese, there are remaining parishoners but no remaining clergy. Of the 5,000-8,000 laity, there are only about 10-15 available clergy resident to serve 18 congregations (three of these congregaitions have over 1,000 members) weekly in a 23 county (about 450 square mile) area. If you have not been to Texas before, it's BIG. Travel expenses for non-resident clergy are starting to accumulate. My own church has a priest serving every week who is 88 years old! Yes we have our own money. No, we don't have enough permanent non-retired clergy to serve in our area (and some of the split congregations have financial problems due to being locked out of their buildings as well.) To date since the convention last November, I know of ZERO congregations asking for assistance from the diocese to help with operating expenses. As far as I know, all of the congregations (although some are struggling to afford rented space) are operating without assistance from the diocese. They have the will to survive.I don't know where the Episcopal Church's money will be spent. There is talk of hiring a hispanic missioner but I do not know what funds would be used for that purpose. Knowing several members of the current diocesan leadership, I would expect that if the funds given by the national church are not used they would be returned to The Episcopal Church. The bishop must have been talking to Jack Iker when he assumed there were less than 1,000 members in the Episcopal diocese of Fort Worth. 450 came to the diocesan convention alone. I suspect more would have come if it had not been standing room only pre-ticketed seating. I hope that clarifies things for you all.<BR/>-SarahAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-88799301486373659802009-03-06T10:13:00.000-05:002009-03-06T10:13:00.000-05:00When was Allen ever anything but wretched and unki...When was Allen ever anything but wretched and unkind?<BR/><BR/>Those qualities, after all, are the true signs and marks of the so-called "orthodox."<BR/><BR/>They have not charity.<BR/><BR/>Whenever I see the two loudest and most bitter of them here, I think to myself, "there's the sounding brass and the tinkling cymbal."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-34170660303855233312009-03-06T00:52:00.000-05:002009-03-06T00:52:00.000-05:00Allen,Your insensitivity is only surpassed by your...Allen,<BR/>Your insensitivity is only surpassed by your arrogance.<BR/><BR/>Robroy,<BR/>Did you think that we would simply allow your conealoneialists to steal our property? Oh, based on the Chapman memo I guess you did. Sorry to disappoint you all.<BR/><BR/>To TEC, we really do appreciate your faith in those of us stranded in the middle of the valley- real and metaphorical.Frank Remkiewicz aka “Tree”https://www.blogger.com/profile/00501821790434895826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-81959882451806664792009-03-05T23:39:00.000-05:002009-03-05T23:39:00.000-05:00Allen...what an amazingly unkind and wretched comm...Allen...what an amazingly unkind and wretched comment.Mark Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06871096746243771489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-61423101665563426682009-03-05T22:28:00.000-05:002009-03-05T22:28:00.000-05:00Mark,What a truly lonely job you must have. To hav...Mark,<BR/><BR/>What a truly lonely job you must have. To have to endure and then criticize the people who just keep pressing for truth-telling, consistency, sense, and transparency.<BR/>The more you comment on your blog the more apparent it becomes that you are neither tolerant nor capable of being in the same Church as the majority of its members. You are truly best suited to be on some golden fringe someplace far apace and downwind of the ever-growing ranks of disgusted TEC members.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-74993049298286972852009-03-05T18:04:00.000-05:002009-03-05T18:04:00.000-05:00The remnant dioceses could be folded into the neig...<I>The remnant dioceses could be folded into the neighboring dioceses who, I imagine, would love to have them.</I><BR/><BR/>And ultimately RobRoy, that may be what occurs. But these folks have a right to make that decision for themselves, not have it shoved down their throats. So until then, it will have a price for them to heal and come to their own decisions, something many of them feel they have not been allowed for some while.Brother Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06333089314994730330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-28890710507212624122009-03-05T16:31:00.000-05:002009-03-05T16:31:00.000-05:00$200,000 for Fort Worth. $500,000 for San Joaquin ...$200,000 for Fort Worth. $500,000 for San Joaquin (in accounting chicanery, San Joaquin sent all the collected money to the lawyers and the national church is picking up all the local expenses so the money could be designated as "domestic mission" instead of legal expenses). How much to Pittsburgh and Quincy because the alloted funds are already spent. I saw that there was a Lenten lecture series in Fort Worth with Father Jake and other visitors which must of cost a pretty penny. Who paid for these? <BR/><BR/>Is it worth it? The precious MDG's go unfunded. All so there is a local presence to carry out 815's lawsuits. Utterly shameful. The remnant dioceses could be folded into the neighboring dioceses who, I imagine, would love to have them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-90349519825663054402009-03-05T02:43:00.000-05:002009-03-05T02:43:00.000-05:00Well consider the source. Adams went to the GAFCON...Well consider the source. Adams went to the GAFCON pow-wow but skipped Lambeth. He's been playing footsie with the AAC, Duncan, Minns and the rest of them for the longest time.<BR/><BR/>How much do ya wanna bet that Jack Jack Iker is behind this letter? I wouldn't be surprised if the letter on composed on Iker's own computer. And 815 should send Adams money? Gimme a break!Robert Zacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13249208047645645825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-15339621331340218092009-03-05T02:13:00.000-05:002009-03-05T02:13:00.000-05:00To me, this rant points to something significant i...To me, this rant points to something significant in our church and in the Church, in general; we are meant to be a people in the World, not of it. Yet, far from being a refuge from the money-and-acquisition-driven society, we are simply pushed along by it, like everyone else. I know that the worker deserves a wage, but, let's face it, the ministry shouldn't be a profit-making enterprise. I'm not pointing at the parish priest - though I've known some who live better than 80% of their parishioners - or even bishops, though they are sometimes overcompensated as well.<BR/><BR/>The bishop's rant reads like a regional manager's complaint to home office, and the reason for that is, that's what it is. We worry about compensation packages, competitive pay, investment portfolios and make no effort to look at a money economy differently - as a real community or family.MarkBrunsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16971990948866488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-25607386873443951032009-03-05T02:01:00.000-05:002009-03-05T02:01:00.000-05:00Bishop Adams,I am from the continuing Episcopal Di...Bishop Adams,<BR/>I am from the continuing Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. We have been remiss in not recognizing that without the very significant help of the National Church we would have been lost! Not just down but out. Out of the Episcopal Church. It was only through the tremendous generosity and great sacrifice of the remaining members of our great church we here in San Joaquin would have been left to drift rudderlessly until we crashed. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that through your efforts we have saved the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. There is a large number of epsicopalians that will be forever in all ya'lls debt. While we cannot repay you now please do not think that we will not in he future. We await the time when we too can pitch in and help our fellow Episcopalians.<BR/>I close with thank you from the bottom of my heart and we give thanks for our good fortune and your generosity. For you saw the stranger and you feed us and you clothed us and you sheltered us.Frank Remkiewicz aka “Tree”https://www.blogger.com/profile/00501821790434895826noreply@blogger.com