Category: News

FIFNA Bishops Write Primate of Kenya

Posted on by Michael Heidt

The Most Reverend Jackson Ole Sapit
Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya


Your Grace,
We, the bishops and members of Forward in Faith North America, write to express our
profound sadness at the decision of the Anglican Church of Kenya to break two
thousand years of episcopal principle and practice, the great tradition in Anglicanism
since the English Reformation, as well as GAFCON protocol, and consecrate a female
bishop.
Your decision to act unilaterally in opposition to the expressed concerns and
agreements of the GAFCON Primates Council is a break in the fraternal love and
respect that has been a hallmark of GAFCON and witness to orthodox Anglicans
worldwide.
Sadly, the actions of your province directly harm Christ’s Church by failing to uphold the
“doctrine, sacraments and discipline of Christ, as the Lord has commanded and as this
Church has received them.” Specifically, this innovation directly harms the maintenance
of the historic episcopate, challenges our missional and ecumenical relationships
throughout the world, and opens the door for Satan to divide Christ’s One Holy Catholic
and Apostolic Church.

The Historic Episcopate

In a 2017 communique from the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), the
Primates noted: “It is our prime recommendation that the provinces of GAFCON should
retain the historic practice of the consecration only of men as bishops until and unless a
strong consensus to change emerges after prayer, consultation and continued study of
Scripture among the GAFCON fellowship.” The historic male episcopate provides the
Church a common assurance of sacramental validity. *

Ecumenical Relationships and Christian Mission

Recently the GAFCON Primates Council has reached out to the Roman Catholic and
Orthodox Churches, as well as Protestant denominations such as the Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod, in order to further our relationships and further our common mission in
fulfillment of our Lord’s prayer in John 17, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those
who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father,
are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that
you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21). Our ability to fulfill this prayer, heal division, and
carry out Gospel mission together will only be further impaired by breaking with the holy
Biblical tradition given by all male apostles to all male successors.

Doctrine, Discipline and Division

While the Anglican Church in Kenya currently maintains an orthodox understanding of
the Gospel, it should be noted that every province that has adopted women into the
episcopate has, in time, yielded to the pressures of the culture and left Biblical morality.
Listen to the words of Saint Paul to Timothy, “For the time is coming when people will
not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves
teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and
wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Lastly, your Grace, for the sake of the Gospel and our unity in Christ we call upon the
Anglican Church in Kenya to refrain from further actions of division and to repent of your
actions which have directly harmed your brother and sister Anglican Christians around
the world.
Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Eric Vawter Menees,
Ordinary of San Joaquin and President of Forward in Faith North America
The Rt. Rev. Richard Lipka
Ordinary of the Missionary Diocese of All Saints and Vice President of Forward in Faith
The Rt. Rev. Ray Sutton
Ordinary of the Diocese of Mid-America
The Rt. Rev. Walter Banek
Assisting Bishop of the Diocese of Mid-America
The Rt. Rev. Clark Lowenfield
Ordinary of the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast
The Rt. Rev. Ryan Reed
Ordinary of the Diocese of Fort Worth
The Rt. Rev. Jack Iker
Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Fort Worth
The Rt. Rev. Bill Wantland
Assisting Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth
The Rt. Rev. Alberto Morales, OSB
Ordinary of the Diocese of Quincy
The Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, SSC
Assisting Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth


*DECLARATION OF COMMON FAITH AND PURPOSE

In the name of the Holy and Undivided Trinity:
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We, the Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Religious, and Lay Members of the one, holy,
catholic and apostolic Church, and members of Forward in Faith North America,
affirm the following so that the faithful witness to apostolic Faith and catholic Order
may be continued within the Churches of Anglican heritage.

  1. We believe our Lord Jesus Christ has given His Church an Order which
    claims the loyalty of faithful Christians above and beyond any deviation
    sanctioned by any humanly-invented institution, whether secular or
    ecclesiastical.
  2. We accept the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as
    “containing all things necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and
    ultimate standard of faith and morals.
  3. We accept the Apostles’ Creed as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed
    as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.
  4. We accept the historic episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its
    administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God
    into the Unity of His Church. We affirm the Christian ministerial priesthood as
    male, and that the churches of the Anglican Communion have no authority to
    change the historic tradition of the male priesthood. We pray that God grants
    us the strength and ability to uphold the Church’s Order, both materially and
    spiritually as concerns the ministerial priesthood of His holy Church.
    Accordingly, we will reject any and all actions that might signify acceptance of
    a deviation from the Church’s Order regarding the Christian ministerial
    priesthood.
  5. We recognize the seven Sacraments of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
    Church – Baptism and the Supper of the Lord –ministered with unfailing use of
    Christ’s words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him, Confirmation,
    Matrimony, Ordination, Reconciliation of a Penitent, and Unction of the Sick.
  6. We believe that, in the Sacrament and mystery of the Holy Eucharist, Jesus
    Christ is truly, really and substantially present in the Body and Blood in the
    outward and visible sign of Bread and Wine. (cf. 1 Cor. 10:16-17, 11:23-29,
    John 6:32-71)
  7. We affirm our Lord’s teaching that the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is in its
    nature the exclusive, permanent and lifelong union of one man and one
    woman. We affirm that God created only two complementary sexes of human
    beings – male and female. We also affirm that a person’s God-given sex is
    immutable and therefore, cannot be changed.
  8. We believe all Seven Councils are ecumenical and catholic on the basis of
    the received Tradition of the ancient Undivided Church of East and West.
  9. We affirm that God, and not man, is the creator of human life. Believing that the
    unjustified taking of life is sinful, we will promote and uphold the sanctity of life
    from conception to natural death.
    In making this Declaration, we accept all the responsibilities which pertain to the
    common witness of all who participate in this endeavor and we ask God’s blessing
    upon our labors.

Invitation to the 2021 FIFNA Assembly and AWI Conference July 7-10

Posted on by Michael Heidt

 

It is great relief and pleasure to be able to invite you to attend the 2021 FIFNA Assembly, being held in conjunction with the Anglican Way Institute Conference in Dallas, Texas July 7-10. This event had to be cancelled in 2020, and our abbreviated Assembly was held by phone-in only.

We will begin a new era in our ministry at our Assembly as we elect a new President and vote on significant changes to our Constitution and Ordinances to equip us for the ministry opportunities and challenges we face in a realigned Anglicanism in North America. The list of positions open and current slate of nominees, as well as the proposed changes to our organizational documents, will be posted online here. Our Assembly will open on Wednesday, July 7, at 1:00 pm. All our activities, as well as the Conference, will take place at the Church of the Holy Communion in Dallas.

The important Teaching we have always offered at our Assemblies will happen at the AWI Conference. Keynote Speaker Dr. Peter Kreeft will be giving 4 addresses on The Apologetics of CS Lewis. In my ministry, I have used more books by Dr. Kreeft in adult education than anyone except CS Lewis, so this will be a special blessing to me as well as all who will attend. In addition, Bishop Sutton will give an Opening Address on Lewis, and I will offer one on the Theology of Charles Williams, a friend of Lewis who was also influential in his life and thought. Bishop Sutton will also be the Speaker after our FIFNA Dinner the evening of the 7th.

To facilitate our attendance, we are offering scholarships to attendees of up to $500. These funds will be available upon request to reimburse travel expenses. Registration costs will be $35 for the Assembly and Dinner on Wednesday, plus the special rate of $75 for FIFNA members for the Conference. Further information is found on the AWI flyer.

To register for the Assembly and Conference, please contact Cathy Heissenhuber at holycommuniondallas.org or at (972) 896-6458.

Thank you for your support of FIFNA, and I hope that you will be able to attend this important event. If not, please keep it and those who will be attending in your prayers.

Faithfully, Fr. Lawrence Bausch
President, FIFNA

Ash Wednesday

Posted on by Michael Heidt

An Ash Wednesday homily by the Bishop of Fort Worth, Ryan Reed.

Every Ash Wednesday, we are confronted with the fact that we are all broken people, living in broken world. The silent procession, the somber liturgy, the stark plain sanctuary, the ashes, the litany of penance: all of these remind us of the truth of our sinfulness, our brokenness, and our rebellion against God and his will for us.


In the early 20th century, an English newspaper editorial asked the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” G. K. Chesterton mailed in a two word reply: “I am.”


We begin the journey of Lent with the difficult task of looking at our own guilt and sin. The journey begins with ashes and the terrible reminder that we are fallen.


The ashes serve as a sign of remorse and repentance and take us face to face with our own brokenness. We are confronted by our own individual rebellion against God which our first parents have imparted to us. With these same ashes we are also confronted with our mortality. We are but dust and to dust we shall return. To quote the rockband Kansas, “All we are is dust in the wind”.


The journey of Lent begins with the harsh reminder that we are held captive to sin and that not one of us can escape the consequence of sin. Unless the Lord returns first, we will all die.


But the journey of Lent doesn’t end there. We will gladly cheer the arrival of our king into his city, and then, just days later, at the drop of a hat, we will shout for his death. We will stand by as he is beaten and whipped, mocked and spit upon.


We will watch as he struggles to make it to his place of execution: as he walks the way of the cross, and we will hear the distinct sound of iron striking iron as the spikes pierce his hands and his feet. We will stand in the crowd as many mock him and laugh at him. We will watch as his mother cries in pain and the most perfect thing in all creation, the man named Jesus writhes in agony. And as he breathes his last, the world will grow dark.


On the surface, this is not a journey that any of us really want to take. When we look at the cross of Christ, we see the wrath of God in all its holiness, and we see the horror and the consequences of our sin. We see the perfect justice of God meted out for our rebellion, as the blood of Jesus drips into the ground.


When we look at the cross, we see the wrath of God. But there are two sides to the cross. When we look again, we also see the love of God in all its holiness. So on the surface, we may not want to take this journey, but deep down inside, we would not miss it for anything in the world.


We start this journey on Ash Wednesday in humility and repentance, recognizing that God loves us so much that he would send his son to die for us, so that if we are willing to believe in him, we might not only be forgiven, but discover eternal life.


We put on ashes knowing that only by the grace of God have we become his children. During Lent, we journey with Jesus towards Jerusalem, as he reveals to us God’s will for his people. We rejoice at his triumphal entry and crown him with many crowns. We sit quietly in the upper room as Jesus demonstrates for us what is at the very heart of the Trinity: a perfect self-giving love which he shows us as he washes our feet. He calls us to share that same sacrificial love for each other. He then institutes a new Passover meal which will allow us to share fully in him even as he comes fully into us.


We walk with Jesus along the way of the cross, adoring him for the love he shows us and thanking him for the suffering that has removed the stain of our shame. Thanking him for taking the place that was rightfully ours.
We stand with Saint Mary and Saint John at the foot of the cross in awe that God loves us this much. And we look through the cross to a tomb where the most surprising, most amazing thing in all of creation will happen.


We stand with the women before the tomb and hear the most incredible words ever uttered by man or angel. And we come to know more fully that sin and death have been crushed and destroyed. We discover that light has overcome the darkness and that victory belongs to God. And for all of that, we will rejoice.


As the prophet Joel says, now is the time to blow the trumpet and declare a fast. Now is the time to fall on our knees in repentance because God is coming with blessings in his hand.


As we begin this journey of Lent, we look upon the cross and realize with St. Paul that now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation. We have an opportunity, if we use this gift of Lent, to ensure that our hearts are in the right place. To ensure, as Jesus tells us, that we are storing up treasures not here on earth, but in heaven.


We begin this journey kneeling before the altar and receiving ashes in the sign of the cross. Ashes that remind us we must repent and that apart from God we are nothing.


Ashes in the sign of the cross remind us also that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever. The sign of the cross which tells us that Jesus has conquered sin on our behalf. A cross that points beyond itself to an empty tomb in which Jesus now offers us divine life.

 

 

Fort Worth Wins

Posted on by Michael Heidt

Diocese of Fort Worth Press Release:

For immediate release:

U.S. Supreme Court upholds Texas ruling on Diocese, Corporation

It is with great joy and thanksgiving to God that we receive news today that the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has let stand the unanimous May 2020 ruling of the Texas Supreme Court (TXSC), which found in favor of the Diocese and diocesan Corporation.

Responding to two Petitions and replies, SCOTUS denied the requests of The Episcopal Church and All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Worth for a review of the May 2020 opinion. That opinion upheld state trust law and statutes governing unincorporated associations, affirming ownership of properties throughout the Diocese is governed by our Constitution and Canons and administered by the diocesan Corporation.

For all practical purposes this ends the appeals process that began in 2015 following the Second Summary Judgement of the trial court in Fort Worth. Shortly the trial court will move forward to enforce the ruling and consider related matters severed from the original suit filed against the Diocese in April 2009.

“Today’s decision marks a turning point for us as a Diocese,” said Bishop Ryan Reed. “After directing so many resources to this dispute, we can now put our entire focus on Gospel ministry and Kingdom work. We are nearing completion on a strategic plan that will keep us focused on sharing the transforming love of Jesus Christ and our mission to equip the saints for the work of ministry.”

We are grateful for the thousands of prayers said over these 12 years, for the faithful leadership of Bishop Jack Iker, the excellent work of our legal team, the solid foundation laid for our Diocese nearly 40 years ago, and most of all for God’s gracious provision with the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is a constituent member of the Anglican Communion with 55 congregations located in
Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, Midland, Wichita Falls and other locations in Texas and Louisiana. It was founded in 1982.