Now since we have known his position through factual, fact finding correspondences, we are unable to continue with advancing the lined up activities with the Diocese of Chelmsford.

The Most Rev. Benjamin Nzimbi
ARCHBISHOP OF KENYA
BISHOP OF ALL SAINTS CATHEDRAL DIOCESE

Tension surrounds Gladwin visit to Kenya May 22nd 2006 by Munene Kamau and Moses Njagi A visiting British clergyman alleged to be a patron of a gay lobby group yesterday denied links with homosexuality.

Anglican bishop John Gladwin also denied that he was in the country to lobby for the sexual deviance. Speaking at St Thomas Cathedral in Kerugoya, Kirinyaga District, accompanied by his wife, Lydia, and three other clerics, Gladwin was categorical that the Anglican Church in England did not condone homosexuality.

"We did not come here to talk about homosexuality. Those issues will be dealt with elsewhere, but we are all united in the Lord," he said. Gladwin said just as Christians in any other parts of the world faced enormous challenges, Britain was no exception.

And Canon Roger Mathews, who was part of the group, seethed with anger at the pulpit as he waved a copy of a local daily containing a story on Gladwin.

The story claimed that the bishop was the patron of a gay and lesbian lobby group in the UK and was in the country to preach at the Mbeere ACK diocese.

"If the story were true, we would not have dared to step in any church in this country," Mathews told the congregation. Bishop John Gladwin refuses to say whether he supported gay and lesbian relationships May 21st 2006

by SILAS NTHIGA
Daily Nation Kenya
5/22/2006

An Anglican bishop said to be the patron of a gay and lesbian lobby group yesterday denied the claim. The Right Rev John Gladwin, the head of Chelmsford diocese in England, said he was a staunch Anglican but refused to say whether he supported gay and lesbian relationships.

The Bishop said he had come to Kenya for a noble mission. Speaking in Embu Town, the Bishop denied press reports that he was the leader of any gay and lesbian club. However, he said, he supported the controversial debate within the church. "My diocese is like any other Christian group and has a range of opinions on this question. We encourage that debate because it is important that we listen to each other so that we learn from the Bible together to understand what our faith in Jesus Christ means," he said.

The clergyman is heading a 21-man delegation from Chelmsford Diocese on a two weeks visit to the country. He has come to explore partnership with former Mount Kenya East diocese, which has been split into Embu, Mbeere and Kirinyaga dioceses.

Bishop Gladwin insisted that his mission in the country was purely spiritual and denied press reports that he was in the country for other reasons.

He said he had held discussions with the head of Anglican Church Arch-bishop Benjamin Nzimbi who he said was fully aware of his presence in the country.

"We had a very fruitful discussion and I am very optimistic we shall accomplish our mission in this country peacefully," he said.

Bishop Gladwin's visit is likely to renew the controversy that engulfed the local Anglican Church three years ago when it categorically rejected a move to ordain a gay as a bishop.

Bishop Gladwin said members of his delegation had visited various parts of Embu, Mbeere and Kirinyaga dioceses and were impressed by the progress of the church in the area.

Yesterday, nine members of the delegation attended a church service at Kianjokoma Primary School where Bishop Moses Njue of Embu and Bishop Joseph Kanuku of Machakos were the preachers.

Bishop Njue introduced the delegation to worshippers who included Cabinet ministers Martha Karua and Peter Ndwiga.

Talking to the Press later, Bishop Njue said he was not aware that his visitors supported gay relationships.

He said the church stand on gay relationships was clear and at no time will it support them.

END

STATEMENT BY CHELMSFORD ANGLICAN MAINSTREAM

May 23rd 2006

As leaders within Chelmsford Anglican Mainstream, from several different wings of the church, we are deeply saddened at the decision of our Diocesan Bishop, the Rt Revd John Gladwin, to become a patron of the campaign group 'Changing Attitude'.

It is clear that this is a matter of grave concern both here and abroad. We are particularly distressed at the controversy and embarrassment that has occurred during the visit to our link dioceses in Kenya of a group led by the Bishop.

Bishop John has given repeated assurances that he is committed to the orthodox teaching of the Anglican Church and that there is no plan to change the position of the Church of England on human sexuality. Several of us have met with him, listened to his views and expressed our own concerns. We have been grateful to him for his candour on these occasions and know that he has understood our anxieties. In the light of this, however, we find his decision incomprehensible.

Furthermore, we note that Bishop John is not alone in his patronage of 'Changing Attitude', and that the bishops of Wolverhampton, St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Ripon and Leeds, Lincoln and Worcester are also listed as patrons. All of them seem thereby committed to taking the Church of England in a direction that would estrange it from the majority of the Anglican Communion and the worldwide Church.

We therefore ask for an immediate moratorium on any similar actions by Bishop John, which are clearly likely to provoke further difficulty. We also call, once again, for our bishops not only to approve the recognised position of the Church of England but actively to teach it and protect it against alternative, erroneous, views.

Signed

Rt Revd John Ball,
Revd David Banting,
Revd Mark Burkill,
Fr Edmund Cargill-Thompson,
Revd Paul Harcourt (Chair, Chelmsford Anglican Mainstream Core Group),
Revd Mike Reith,
Revd John P Richardson,
Revd Anthony Rose,
Revd Ray Samme,
Revd Simon Smallwood,
Fr Bob White

END