The Rev. Henderson got it all wrong. By being one of the major financial donors of the diocese, he thought he would easily have being confirmed by the Church Court. The decree made by the Episcopal Synod of the Central Africa Province of the Anglican Church is most welcome. The pro-Henderson camp has always stressed that this white man is very rich, he will provide food for hungry Christians in the diocese especially this year whereby the country is facing looming hunger, and he will implement his solar projects. Financial muscle was a focal point, not one's personality and this is why Henderson has been rejected. Should bishops be elected because they are rich or they are coming from rich parishes? Should poor priests not have a chance of being bishops? The major role of the Church is to lead its flock into salvation and into the right direction. As such the figure of the Church must always be exemplary and work, live by what the Bible teaches us, not otherwise. It is indisputable that Homosexuality and Lesbianism are evil and inhuman and why some Christians up to now don't realize this fact, I don't know. Perhaps all this nonsense talk is there because of human rights campaigners. This is where the church is needed most to guide people into the right direction. Homosexuality is against the laws of this country and I wonder how this rejected bishop would have lived comfortably in a society which bans an activity he supports. "Philosophy of Living Together" states that for man to live in a society he has to abide by the rules governing that particular society. It's really good that he has been rejected because even the Anglican Church's relationship in this country with the other faith community would have soured. A lesson has been learnt that impeachment can also take place in the Church!"

Defeat is always painful. But once you lose, you don't need to make unnecessary noise as if you are mad. What Henderson is doing at the moment ganging up support in this Diocese and in the UK is a worrisome development. According to e-mails which the clergy who have been supporting Henderson in the diocese are circulating are only trying to incite violence to the new bishop."

The following is an e-mail dated 3rd December, 2005 [Feast of St. Francis Xavier] from the Rev. Henderson addressed to all clergy of the Diocese of Lake Malawi. He writes:

"My dearest brothers in Christ,

Our Lord's words from the Gospel of John seem to be the best way to begin this letter. Chapter 14 verse 1 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.'

We have been brought to a time of great trial and my sincere prayers go out to you. It is my particular wish and desire that the people are well and that you remain strong in the Faith.

You will all know that the Court of Confirmation has failed to confirm my election as your Bishop. This is something that has brought me great sadness and my heart goes out to all of you. I am not customary the kind of priest who is easily offended but I felel that a great injustice has been done, both to me and to you as the people who elected and supported me.

By now you will realize that I am also a person who is deeply concerned for the truth and that all the clergy should be kept fully informed and consulted, hence I have posted various items of correspondence to you over the past few months in order that you know exactly what has been going on. In the same way I now give you my reply to the archbishop, as copied to all the Bishops of the Province and widely here in the U.K. and in the Church Press.

It is essential that you should be able to make your own minds about the case and in giving you the information you can see my view and judge it accordingly, as you wish. Whatever happens I will not forget you and the Diocese and even though I am handicapped by current events, I am very aware that the famine is severe, much work needs to be done, and that you need a Bishop! I will then do my very best to address these matters as quickly as possible.

In the meantime if you wish to contact me I will be pleased to hear from you. I understand that the first rains are starting, pray God that this time they will be good and plentiful.

May Christ pour down upon you many blessings from above in all his mercy.

I am your brother in his Name and in our shared service of the Gospel.

Nicholas.

Below is an e-mail dated 3rd December, 2005 from Rev. Nicholas Henderson addressed to the Archbishop of Central Africa, The Most Revd. Dr. B. Malango:

Your Grace

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

May I begin this letter by offering you my prayers and best wishes remembering the difficulties that you have recently had to bear with on my behalf? It is now five days since the meeting of the Court of Confirmation. I am very sorry that during that time it has not been possible for you and I to speak personally, although I have tried several times to reach you.

However, the Provincial Secretary relayed to me the news that the Provincial court of confirmation had decided not to confirm the outcome of the Episcopal election in the Diocese of Lake Malawi. He is very patiently and carefully read out to me the text of the resolution. I have subsequently shared the news with my own Bishop, diocesan officials here in the diocese of London and parishioners. Many have assured me of their continuing prayer for your Province and most especially for the clergy and people of the diocese of Lake Malawi, as they come to terms with their disappointment and shock. There is, however some bewilderment about the Court's conclusions, as they do not seem to make sense.

The court's resolution cites the fact that I once held an honorary position as General Secretary f the Modern Churcpeople's Union as the reason for non-confirmation. This is in fact a non sequitur, a logical fallacy rather than a canonical reason. Judging my worthiness according to membership of a theological society can be no more than a subjective opinion of the type that belongs at most to discuss during the period of election. Nevertheless, the fact that because of this association and on no other grounds whatsoever, I have been cited as 'being not of sound faith' is, despite its lack of coherence, a terrible allegation. I understand that a caution advising you not to proceed in the way and to this effect came up publicly during the Court session.

Also, it is not clear whether it is Modern Churchpeople's Union or I who being criticized? I am apparently being condemned for being an orthodox, traditional parish priest, who for a while undertook voluntary duties in the service of (admittedly rather dry and sometimes boring) academic theology. The Modern Churchpeople's Union which is one of the oldest theological societies in the Anglican Communion has a senior diocesan Bishop as its President, two diocesan Bishops on its Council, frequently has Bishops as lecturers or who Chair Conferences, a host of distinguished academics contributors and an editorial board that represents the entire international Church. Its membership is large and international, lay and clerical - it is not a confessional body.

Your resolution consequently implicates all these people as well as me, including also the last Archbishop of Canterbury who enthusiastically hosted our centenary in Lambeth Palace and the present one who has said only recently that the society has an important role to play theologically in the Church.

The problem is that by suggesting that I am of unsound faith simply because of my links with the Modern Churchpeople's Union, the Court has condemned - without any evidence - holy and good Christian people. The danger therefore, from the Court's point of view, is that the verdict looks contrived, which in turn undermines its credibility. The Court's lack of unanimity in producing only a majority verdict serves to reinforce this point. It appears that Court members themselves had misgivings about the legitimacy of the action.

Others with legal knowledge and I have examined very carefully a copy of the Provincial Constitution and Canons and we are unable to understand how the Court arrived at its decision. It would be most helpful if you could demonstrate for us all how the decision does in fact relate to the Canons, in order to help clear up any unnecessary misunderstandings here, in the Diocese of Lake Malawi and now alas in the Anglican Communion. Please could you advise us as soon as possible? This has become a dreadful serious matter which is being rapidly communicated everywhere through the Internet. It must be resolved quickly as the precedent of over-ruling the Elective assembly in a less than certain way is surely a dangerous one?

I understand that already you are being quoted by the Malawi Nation newspaper online and elsewhere as having spoken with me and have described my apparent response to the Court decision. I realize that you must have been misquoted because, as I have already indicated, I have heard nothing from you at all.

One thing however, which has not been misquoted is your e-mail of 3rd September to me, copied to all Bishops in the Province of Central Africa, following your extensive Letters of enquiry and my equally extensive replies which stated 'I have read with much interest your explanations to my enquiry and I am satisfied and I am very happy'.

Lastly, you have, your Grace, in e-mail correspondence, as well as verbally, indicated the burden you have carried over recent months, since during the period between my election and the Court of Confirmation, certain parties external to the diocese and Province have persistently and vigorously lobbied you, against me. It was in response to this, that I offered to make myself available to meet with the Court of Confirmation, an offer not taken up.

As I am not known personally to any of these lobbyists it is difficult to see what they have to do with me, you, or indeed the people of the diocese of Lake Malawi. Siren calls and pressure from outside groups must have been an additional burden for you.

In the meantime please be assured that we will continue with the various projects and schemes already initiated in the late Bishop's time and at his request. In addition I will try, as best I can, despite these circumstances, to help alleviate the terrible famine that is currently gripping Malawi.

Pray God that this is all resolved quickly.

Yours in Christ's service

Nicholas.

Many e-mails are flowing from UK and Germany in support of Rev. Henderson. One of them is this one from Derek Fenton of dfenton@waitrose.com. This is dated Wednesday, December 07, 2005 and it is addressed to Bernard Malango with copies to all Bishops of this Province of Central Africa.

Its subject reads: Court of Confirmation's Decision

Your Grace

I have just been made aware from television news and newspapers of the fact that the Court has decided that the Reverend Nicholas Henderson has been rejected as Bishop of Lake Malawi. Speaking to a number of our parishioners in the last couple of days we must record our deep and bitter disappointment with this news, which according to reports I have read and seen television is a gross distortion of the actual facts and could be regarded as slanderous.

I have known Nicholas Henderson for a number of years and can personally refute the many allegations which appear to be leveled against him. Can I be informed of where this "hear say" information emanated which has been the basis of the Court openly and publicly besmirching his character. Nobody could have worked harder than our Vicar during the past 15/20 years for the people and the Churches in the Diocese of Lake Malawi. He has initiated various schemes including substantial money towards the cost of a church; aid for food supplies and currently raising further substantial money for our Solar Panel project in Lake Malawi in the hope that ultimately a "cottage" industry could be set up by the Diocese to make these Panels. He has made at least three visits there, with engineers, to carry out a survey of the priority needs, often paying airfare costs himself. This personal effort has endeared him to the numerous Christians he has met. Surely an example of Christianity in action! There have been many visits, at our cost, of Priests from Lake Malawi, including 2.3 by Bishop Peter Nynja. All who came, visited us and spoke in high praise of Nicholas Henderson. He personally arranged for Bishop Peter to come to London, at our expense, for medical treatment, shortly before he died. I remember Bishop Peter speaking of his gratitude when he visited my wife Iris and myself of the enormous impact Father Henderson had had, and was continuing to have, on all people in his Diocese. he said to me "he is a priest who practices what he preaches".

I could give more examples of his special character.

May I therefore respectfully ask that the court re-convene immediately or that the Bishops in Malawi are given a democratic vote to decide themselves.

I sincerely hope that you can be seen as truly democratic and that the final decision is what the Anglican Community in Lake Malawi wants.

Yours in Christ

Derek Fenton MVO MBE KStJ DL Member of St Martin's PCC & Representative on Ealing Synod

Another e-mail. Diana Farminer of diana.farminer@btinternet.com wrote on Tuesday, December 06, 2005 to the archbishop. She wrote:

Dear Archbishop Bernard

My greetings to you in the shared Faith of our Lord!

I have been moved to write to you because I have discovered that the Court of confirmation of the Central Africa has failed to confirm the election of the reverend Nicholas Henderson as Bishop of Lake Malawi. You are quoted online (on a rather nasty American website) as saying 'Henderson's rejection was directly tied to his support for gay rights. The confirmation of Henderson as bishop would have violated the very foundation of the Anglican faith. we cannot support this because it is not compatible with our tradition and faith.'

How in the name of God did you come to such an extraordinary conclusions?

On further investigation I have discovered that the Court's stated reason for the rejection was that Fr Henderson was 'once General Secretary of the Modern Churchpeople's Union'. Surely this is not a legal reason and it looks suspiciously like the verdict of a kangaroo court? How can you possibly justify condemning someone on such a vague basis, someone who has never written a word or spoken in favor of the Gay issue at anytime? I note however that at least some of your Bishops had the courage to stand up against the judgment, which is one small redeeming feature.

It happens that, although I am simply a lay person in another parish, I have known Fr. Henderson for 22 years. During that time he has never expressed or shown the slightest interest in the 'Gay issue'. He has always preached and taught an absolutely orthodox faith and has tended towards academia.

I happen also to know of the MCU, which is a rather dull organization but whose task is to examine theologically all aspects of human existence that the Church has to address here in a complex and challenging society. As Cardinal Newman once said 'To live is to change - to be perfect is to change often.'

The issue of sexuality is only one small part of what the MCU covers and you will have to understand that its members are not committed to each and every area that is examined, Fr Henderson for example, has never been party to any debate on sexuality.

Here in the Church of England we have to address issues not run away from or simply shout at them. There seems to be in this context an artificial gulf being created between some parts of Africa with its naturally conservative theology and the rest of the Anglican Communion. That divide looks increasingly as though it is being driven by dissidents in the American Church who are prepared to use the African Church for their own schismatic ends. Why on earth, for example, (also featured on the same website, as I was shocked to find) were you in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and in a Province other than your own recently?

Lastly, it so happens that I had the privilege and honor of meeting the late Bishop Peter Nyanja on a number of occasions and got to know him quite well. Fr Henderson and he were good friends and I know that Bishop Peter would be appalled at what has happened in the name of his Church and to one of his long-standing associates. Jesus Christ of Nazareth (also a single man) who was used to unjust criticism would have wept too. Goodness and truth often invite suffering.

I am yours in His service

Diana Farminer.

An e-mail from Rosalind Lund [rosalind@lundbooks.co.uk], who wrote on December 06,2005 to the Archbishop of Central Africa:

Your Grace

I am writing to you as a friend of many years of Nicholas Henderson, and also as present Vice-Chair of the Council of the Modern Churchpeople's Union. I am a lay member of my local parish church of which I have at one time been Churchwarden and am currently licensed by the Bishop to be a Chalice-bearer.

First of all, let me express my personal disappointment that the court of confirmation has felt unable to confirm Nick's election as Bishop of Malawi. It seems to me that Nick is very thoughtful and pastoral priest with considerable organizational abilities. he has come to know the Diocese of Malawi well over the last few years and he would have given of himself and his gifts unstintingly in the service of the Diocese and its people. The Modern Churchpeople's Union would certainly have been proud to own the Bishop of Malawi as its former General Secretary.

As a long-standing member of the Modern Churchpeople's Union I am astonished to find Nick's association with the Union being cited as the reason for his being "unsuitable for confirmation because this actively demonstrated that he was not of sound faith." Nick is an orthodox priest of the church of England who has considerable experience of the society within the Communion. MCU is first and foremost a theological society within the Church of England. Members are people of faith, who sometimes experience investigation and debate can take place in an open and non-judge mental forum.

The essential tenets of Anglicanism are that truth is to be found through Scripture, Traditional and Reason, all three of which are vital if God's will for his people is to be discerned. we have an annual conference and a quarterly journal and contributors to these come from a wide range of academics, clergy and religious commentators. We are willing to learn from others and try to inform our caring for God's people and God's world through seeking put all that is best in modern scholarship relating to the study of the Bible and Theology.

I am sorry that the work of the Modern Churchpeople's Union seems to have been misunderstood by members of the Court of confirmation and hope that perhaps this email will help to explain what the Union stands for.

May I assure you that the diocese of Malawi is much in our prayers at this time of famine, as indeed are all the people of the Province of central Africa.

Yours in Christ

Rosalind Lund 1 Arbury Road Cambridge CB4 2JB, UK

Phone +44 (0) 1223 65303 Mobile 07903 168365

COMMENTARY from a source in Lake Malawi

"If you read carefully these emails you will realize that all these thought that because Mr. Henderson was supporting this diocese with money or food supplies, then that made him automatically suitable become a bishop of this diocese. What Rev. Henderson must understand is he is not a first victim of the Episcopal Synod in this Diocese of Lake Malawi and of course in this Province of Central Africa, no. There was also election of bishop in this diocese in the 70's and the one who was elected was Rev. Mikaya, a Malawian from my home district of Ntchisi. Before he was confirmed I gather he had already started working as bishop and in the process he had made some blunders which disqualified him to be bishop as a result he was rejected by the Episcopal Synod.

Mr. Virtue, you may wish to know that I have wide knowledge of this diocese, its politics, and problems, how people behave, act or react to situations than what the authors of the above e-mails could have. My late father was a prelate in this diocese for over 20 years and we lived in different parishes during that period and which is why I happen to be more knowledgeable of this diocese. It is my strong belief that whatever donations Rev. Henderson and his parishioners gave were not given in good faith because of their persistent mentioning that they gave this diocese monies and food stuffs during famine times.

The issue of donations should be put aside. nobody forced them to give us those donations. What these people should realize is that the beneficiaries of those donations were just a handful of people. The much talked about food supplies which were distributed in early 2000's were given to a very select and few people. In this archdeaconry where I am living, only about 20 people got the maize flour and there are thousands of people with more than 5 parishes. But the way the matter is being made, it is as if every Christian in this diocese received bags of maize flour and their monies. If Rev. Henderson was giving donations in the hope that he would be offered a Bishopric post in this diocese, then that was very wrong and if there is anybody who had told him something like this, then that kind of running things must be condemned in strongest terms.

Our poverty or the simultaneous hunger we are facing as a nation should not be someone's advantage to push us here and there that he gave us his money or his food supplies. Giving of that kind with that agenda behind cannot even be a blessing by God. I have traveled and I am very familiar with this diocese, the solar panels being talked about may be found in less than 3 or 4 Health Centers of the Diocese all of which are found here in Nkhotakota district.

But the way this thing is all being said is very sad and I am very sorry. My advice to whoever becomes Bishop of this Diocese is to tell the Rev. Henderson to discontinue with his solar projects and his money donations being as we have been taken as if we in this diocese are all fools. Better use your money in whatever way you want to spend it rather than the way things have turned because of your donations. Yes, of course the Bible says blessed is the hand that gives........., but should the giver boast that I gave that poor hungry man food yesterday? The Rev. Henderson and his friend in UK should separate these two issues of donations and the outcome of the Court of Confirmation. Let me take this opportune chance to let him know that the decision of the Episcopal synod is final and no one can challenge it anywhere.

In his opening remarks during the course of Confirmation the archbishop made this very clearly that the judgment of that court was final, because I was present in the court on 29th November, 2005.

I for one also feel that the Rev. Henderson was misinformed about his popularity in this diocese. He was given false information from some prelates that everybody wants him as our next bishop. One of the people who did not like him to be our bishop is myself for many plausible reasons I cannot give in this letter.

I reckon the time for white bishops is over because we have many able candidates who can run this diocese in the right direction by teaching what the Bible wholly says.

Very few people in this diocese know Rev. Henderson and I first heard his name during the funeral of the late bishop when his long condolence e-mail was read out which after scrutinizing the message was contrary to the funeral service. When his name was promoted by some prelates, I realized the reason why his long email was read at the funeral.

Many letters have in the past months been read promoting Henderson that he will bring food to every Christian because of the looming hunger this year and I hear primary school teachers were promised by one of his promoters that they would get salary increments if Henderson comes. I wonder how would he do that? The teachers are on a government pay roll although the said primary school is an Anglican one, I found it a total lie telling teachers what the real Henderson would have done to them. Even at this time the government has not supplied enough maize to give about 4 million Malawians who are facing hunger this year; then would a single man have managed to give food to all the Christians in this diocese? Those were blue lies aimed at gaining support for the position he has failed to get. God is great and He is the answer.

Finally Rev. Henderson must accept defeat and bury the past and forge forward in Christian faith and continue his work at the Modern Churchpeople's Union.

Once again bravo Forward in Faith members in Nkhotakota for a job well done. Keep going forward in the Christian faith.

Yours faithfully,

LAWRENCE KAYAMBA
P.O. BOX 376 NKHOTAKOTA
MALAWI
CENTRAL AFRICA