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US funds rejected by Kenyan Church
Church of England Newspaper
November 27, 2004
The fallout over the consecration of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New
Hampshire continues to rain upon the Anglican Communion as Kenya has refused funds from a New York parish to fund the church’s theological education by extension (TEE) programme.
The UK-based mission society “Crosslinks” in conjunction with the
evangelical pressure group “Reform” has pledged to replace the funds lost to Kenya following its decision not to accept money from supporters of Bishop Robinson in the US.
For the past six years Trinity Wall Street in New York has funded the
Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK)’s TEE programme.
Administered by ACK’s Provincial office and validated by Church Army’s
Carlile College in Nairobi, TEE in Kenya has over 4000 students enrolled in its basic course and over 450 students in its Certificate programme.
While students pay for the cost of their books, since 1997 Trinity Wall
Street has funded the administrative costs. In July Archbishop Benjamin
Nzimbi of Kenya asked Dr. David Williams, a Crosslinks Missionary and
Principal of Carlile College, to take the TEE programme on board.
At is National Conference in Swanwick held Oct 11-13, Reform pledged to assist Crosslinks and Carlile College fund TEE. “This Conference commits itself, in partnership with Crosslinks” Reform decided, to replace the funds “that ACK has forfeited by virtue of their principled stand in declining funds from ECUSA”.
Reform hopes to raise £23,000 over the coming two years.
Alan Purser, Crosslinks London Regional Team Leader, told The Church of England Newspaper Crosslinks was “fully supportive of” the actions taken by Kenya and other churches in refusing funds from the US.
At this point the “initiative now rests with individual churches to
participate if they so wish, and I expect there may be others outside of
the Reform constituency who might also wish to do so” he stated. “Churches with whom Reform is in contact are being invited to join in this exercise in koinonia in support A spokesman for Trinity Wall Street confirmed that the ACK had rejected its assistance. Nathan Brockman told us, however, “Trinity Grants remains open to working with the ACK in the future. Our policy is that partners do not have to agree with us
theologically to receive a Trinity grant.”
Kenya follows Uganda as the only two African provinces to have hit the
headlines by publicly refusing funds. Uganda did so when challenged by
Louie Crew, a leading gay activist who is also a member of the American Church’s Executive Council. At their recent meeting of the Council of African Provinces in Africa African Bishops declared their intention to become self-sufficient.
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