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REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN FORMAL
TALKS WITH NIGERIAN ANGLICAN PROVINCE
REC Convention elects new Bishop Coadjutor
By David W. Virtue
PIPERSVILLE, Pa. (11/4/2004)--The Reformed Episcopal Church has entered into a process to establish a formal relationship with the Anglican Province of Nigeria at the request of African Primate Peter Akinola, the head of the 18-million strong province of the Anglican Communion.
Presiding Bishop the Rt. Rev. Leonard W. Riches announced word of the talks between the two leaders at the 124th Council of the REC's Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic yesterday, saying that he had been personally invited to meet with the Nigerian Primate in Houston last month and at his recommendation established a commission which will meet twice during the next four months with the objective of establishing a "formal relationship" between the two orthodox Anglican groups.
The Anglican Church of Nigeria is the largest Province in the Anglican Communion.
Riches said continuing ferment throughout the Anglican Communion was resulting in a renewed need for Anglican convergence and realignment, "occasioned by a radical departure from historic faith and order by many in some of her jurisdictions."
"Faithful Anglicans worldwide need to continue to build networks of relationship and common mission in order to bear effective witness to the Gospel and to build the Kingdom of Christ," he told more than 150 delegates, which included three bishops, numerous clergy and laity.
Riches said he had been elected chairman of the Board of Directors of Anglicans United, an organization within the Episcopal Church drawing together faithful Episcopalians and Anglicans, regardless of jurisdictional affiliation and said he had participated in the U.S. Anglican Congress in Orlando late last year which was the precursor of the formation of a Federation of Anglican Churches in America. Earlier this year he participated in the Anglican Communion Institute in Charleston, SC and later participated with other church leaders of a number of jurisdictions and Anglican agencies in Nassau under the auspices of the EKKLESIA Society hosted by the Archbishop of the West Indies Drexel Gomez. Riches later signed an "historic document" with leaders of six jurisdictions and convocations affirming the unity of orthodox Anglicans in North America invoking "common cause" following which a letter was delivered to Rowan Williams the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Diocese of the Northeast also elected a new coadjutor the Rev. David L. Hicks, rector of St. Paul's REC in Oreland, PA. Hicks has been Canon to the Ordinary for a year. He will continue in that position until he is consecrated. The consecration will take place after REC General Convention next June.
"This will free me up to do more in the area of international travel to meet our growing commitment to realignment in the Anglican Communion," Presiding Bishop Riches told the delegates.
Riches announced that Archbishop Greg Venables of the Southern Cone would be the guest speaker in Orlando Florida at the next national gathering of Reformed Episcopalians.
The Presiding Bishop said the future looked very good, announcing that two men had been ordained to the Diaconate in the past year. Riches said that despite "short term" financial problems there were now 18 full time students in their seminary, "the biggest number in the REC seminary ever." He said they were expecting that Blue Bell based seminary would shortly be credentialed by the Assoication of Theological Schools. "We have 26 students coming through the seminary through our innovative educational program," he said.
One seminarian, a former graduate of a dispensational Bible Institute condemned what he called "cookie cutter Christians and "entertainment driven churches" and "thanked God for the depth he found in the reformed Protestant tradition."
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