Fort Worth Episcopal Diocesan Convention
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The tables set up for exhibit at the Fort Worth Episcopal Diocesan Convention of November 2005 are listed as follows. Can you identify the table that was excluded? Hint: It was included last year. Camp Crucis The excluded table was: Fort Worth Via Media The organization had paid its $20.00 fee and was on the list but then it received this letter from the bishop:
Mr. George Komechak
Fort Worth Via Media Dear George,
I was deeply distressed to discover that your organization has secured parish directories from several churches in the diocese and added all those individuals to your mailing list. This is a serious breach of ethics, and I strongly object to this abuse and misuse of parish directories for your partisan purposes.
Please remove all of these people from your mailing list immediately and have no further communications sent to them. Only those who requested being on your mailing list should be on it.
In the light of this and the intention of your organization to attempt to remove the legitimate authorities in this diocese following General Convention, I will not allow Fort Worth Via Media to have a booth at our Diocesan Convention in November and am returning your $20.00 check for this purpose at this time.
Faithfully in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker Fort Worth Via Media has never had any intention to attempt to remove the legitimate authorities in this diocese following General Convention or at any other time. Such conjecture seems to have arisen from an innacurate spin from the American Anglican Council as they tried to make heyday from leaked notes from the steering committee of Via Media USA. As the bishop's letter is more closely analyzed, it seems that the real reason for denying Fort Worth Via Media a table at the Diocesan Convention was to prevent this group of Episcopalians, mostly from Fort Worth, from expressing information favorable to the Episcopal Church. In a diocese where information is completely controlled, where a link from Fort Worth Via Media cannot appear on the diocesan web page, or where an advertisement cannot be purchased in the diocesan newspaper, surely the use of a mailing list by Episcopalians in support of their national church is a worry. These are the concluding five paragraphs of Bishop Iker’s Address to the 23rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth Saturday, Nov. 19, 2005:
We have already begun to learn to walk apart. A realignment of the Anglican Communion is already under way. Our Communion is fragmented and broken, and the Anglican Communion as we have known it, no longer exists. There is no evidence that the Episcopal Church is willing to turn back from the innovations of the 2003 General Convention for the sake of preserving the Communion. Some deputies to General Convention are already saying, "Who needs the Anglican Communion?"
Many faithful Episcopalians around the country are asking, "Is there any future in the Episcopal Church for us – or must we find another way to remain Anglican?" Is there a future for us in ECUSA if we oppose the ordination of women as priests and bishops? Is there a future for us in ECUSA if we cannot accept same-sex blessings and the ordination of practicing homosexuals? Is there a future in ECUSA for those who uphold traditional language for God and in our liturgical worship, who believe that Holy Scripture is the ultimate authority for morality and theology, who maintain that to be a catholic Christian means believing only what has been believed always, everywhere and by all?
There are difficult days that are before us, and each of us must choose where we will stand. What will be the cost? Where will we be in all of this a year from now? I cannot answer that today, nor can you. Pray for me, as I will pray for you, in the troubled times that are before us, that we may go forward in mission together.
My hope for us as a Diocese is that we will not become discouraged or fearful or divided in our witness. It must be clear to all where we stand, to friend and foe alike. We stand for the apostolic faith and order of the historic Christian Church. We will continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers. We stand against any teaching or practice that undermines the divine authority of the Holy Scripture and divides the Church. We will be a missionary church, committed to teaching the truth and defending the faith, for we are a Great Commission Church, taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations and peoples, and we are a Great Commandment Church, loving God above all else and loving others as Jesus loves us. We will continue to walk with the Anglican Communion as part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. We will remain faithful, Biblical, evangelical and orthodox.
Let us go forth from this Convention refreshed and renewed in our commitment by the power of the Holy Spirit, zealous for the work the Lord has given us to do, as we build up the Body of Christ.
The information at the convention was controlled as is all information on the Diocesan Web Page and in the Diocesan Newspaper, Forward. No materials were permitted to be handed out in the meeting hall. The break scheduled to allow the delegates and others to visit the convention booths was aborted. This was likely because since officials observed that Via Media had displayed a large banner at the entrance(see picture above) that they might elect to distribute literature at the convention booths. Their fears were correct. Via Media passed out only one item to those who remained behind to view the exhibits - small cards with the prayer for unity from the Book of Common Prayer.
Ironically, the church pension fund was passing out free coffee mugs at their table. One of the popular ones contained a cartoon of four panels. In each panel a female bishop was prominently displayed. One wonders should the diocese determine at General Convention that the Episcopal Church has not "walked away" will the Episcopal Pension Fund be allowed a booth at the next diocesan convention.
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