At a clergy gathering on Sept. 30, 2006, Bishop Smith accused our six churches of adopting a "win/lose mentality." Quite to the contrary, we have repeatedly offered the possibility of settlement, including an application to the Archbishop of Canterbury's Panel of Reference, a stay of pending litigation, and an independent arbitration panel. Also, in December 2005 we met with David Beers, the chancellor to the current Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, to discuss a path toward resolution of the canonical charges pending against Bishop Smith, but with no success.

We are saddened by Bishop Smith's intransigence regarding the matter of a negotiated settlement given the emerging openness to such possibilities. Churches in Kansas , Texas and Rhode Island have successfully negotiated terms representing a win/win scenario for both dioceses and congregations. We do not desire to follow the examples of California and New York where state civil action has been all consuming. We had hoped Bishop Smith would join us in finding a solution.

It appears we are left with no choice but to continue to seek a resolution through civil and canonical responses to Bishop Smith's unwarranted seizures of church assets and properties. We cannot be reconciled to leadership that has abandoned the apostolic faith and is no longer in full relationship with the worldwide Anglican Communion.

However, we will continue to pray that Bishop Smith will choose to enter into sincere discussions with us, and we leave our offer to negotiate in good faith open to him.

Contact: Jenny Abel
(770) 414-1515

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