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United in spiritual solidarity, leading Episcopal priests across America will travel to Connecticut to preach Sunday, April 17, 2005 at services of six congregations whose rectors are threatened with imminent inhibition (forbidding them to exercise their pastoral ministries) and ultimate defrocking by Bishop Andrew Smith.
The Rev. Allyn Benedict, Christ Church, Watertown; the Rev. Ronald S. Gauss, Bishop Seabury, Groton; the Rev. Mark Hansen, St. John's, Bristol; the Rev. Donald Helmandollar, Trinity, Bristol; the Rev. Christopher Leighton, St. Paul's, Darien; and the Rev. Gil Wilkes, Christ and the Epiphany, East Haven were notified of the bishop's intentions by letters dated March 29 and 31, 2005.
Bishop Smith accuses the six of "abandonment of communion," even though he has failed to provide evidence to support his charge and ignored the plea by Anglican Church leaders for restraint and latitude on the part of American bishops in conflict with their priests on fundamental issues of Anglican theology.
Bishop Smith supports theological innovations regarding human sexuality embraced by the 2003 General Convention of the Episcopal Church that are contrary to Scripture, to the traditional teaching of Anglicanism, and to positions firmly supported by the leadership of the Anglican Church comprising over 70 million members worldwide. The six Connecticut clergy and congregations targeted by Bishop Smith are biblically orthodox and remain faithful to apostolic faith and order upheld by the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The guest clergy and the churches in which they will preach are listed below:
* The Rev. Greg Brewer, rector of Church of the Good Samaritan, Paoli, PA will visit Christ and the Epiphany.
* The Rev. John Guernsey, rector of All Saints, Dale City, VA will visit Christ Church.
* The Rev. Canon Dr. Kendall Harmon, Canon Theologian, Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, will visit Trinity.
* The Rev. Canon Mary Hays, Canon Missioner, Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, will visit St. Paul's.
* The Rev. William Murdoch, rector of All Saints', West Newbury, MA and Dean of the Anglican Communion Network's New England Convocation will visit St. John's.
* The Rev. Canon David Roseberry, rector of Christ Church, Plano, TX, will visit Bishop Seabury.
For background documents and news articles, please refer to the following websites: http://www.stpaulsdarien.org/ http://www.ChristChurchParish.net/letters/
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