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EPISCOPAL BISHOPS, LAWYERS AND NATIONAL LEADERS TO STRESS EDUCATION FOR STRONG U.S. ANGLICAN SURVIVAL
ORLANDO, FLA (11/11/06) - Four Episcopal bishops, a battery of church-property attorneys and heads of several related national organizations will lead an open two-day educational "restoration and renewal" conference for clergy and lay persons in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 20 and 21. It is open to members of all Christian denominations.
The Pan-Anglican Renewal and Restoration Conference is part of an attempt to assure a strong Anglican presence in the United States after the expected division of the national Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion in the next two years. Many of the faculty have left the church for alternate Anglican Communion connections.
The meeting, moderated by David Virtue, leading Anglican journalist who is editor of VirtueOnline, is underwritten by Lay Episcopalians for the Anglican Communion, formed at the behest of Episcopal leaders urging a lay force to oppose liberalization of Anglican doctrine. Clergy and clergy-led organizations opposing the revisionist hierarchy have been punished and intimidated by bishops across the country. That poses no risks to lay persons, so LEAC can oppose revisionism more boldly than clergy.
"We are about mobilization and survival of Christ's true church. Without an effective educational campaign the American Anglican base will likely shrink from about 2 million to less than 500, 000," James Ince, conference coordinator, said. "We strive for a strong church, not a remnant."
Other denominations are invited "because they also are being invaded by radicalized leaders who wish to water down their faith," Ince said. "The Episcopal church was just the first mainline denomination to succumb. Others may be able to prevent revisionist takeovers. We will teach responses to 'The Six Veils,' which are generic social and political reasons many Christians give for not standing up against assaults on their religious doctrine.
"Clergy and lay people will be trained to help their parishioners in 'The Middle 80%' (neither revisionist nor traditional) to decide correctly on the conference theme: 'One Christian Question for Episcopalians.' The question is whether to stay in the Scripture-centered worldwide Anglican Communion," the spokesman for Lay Episcopalians for the Anglican Communion (LEAC), conference underwriter, said. "Tens of thousands of communicants and hundreds of churches have already elected to stay with the Communion in life-changing decisions that soon must be made by all Episcopalians."
The U.S. branch has been suspended by the worldwide organization's management arm for revisionist departures from Scriptural doctrine adopted at recent general conventions. Additionally, the majority of Anglican primates, whose provinces comprise the majority of communicants, are now at various levels of disengagement with the American church.
Satisfactory explanation or repentance, the basic terms for reinstatement, have not occurred, and the U.S. church further distanced itself by electing a staunchly revisionist woman as its presiding bishop last June. The conference will include a founders' meeting of Team 2 Million," which will undertake a five-year expansion drive to restore the number of U.S. Anglican communicants to 2,000,000. LEAC will seek co-sponsors for that campaign.
The conference, open to all but particularly targeting congregation leaders and lay traditionalists, will be at the Marriott Orlando World Center. Registration fee is $125, including two banquet luncheons, one an awards occasion citing extraordinary service to the Anglican traditionalist movement. (See sidebar) Marriott is offering a discounted nightly room rate of $99 for registrants and their families.
The conference is co-sponsored by Anglicans United, Anglican Province of America and VIRTUEONLINE.
Advance registration may be made at the LEAC website (http://www.layepiscopal.org) or by phone: (240) 485-7357.
LEAC: (240) 485-7357 Website: www.layepiscopalians.org
Email: info@layepiscopalians.org
U.S. PAN-ANGLICAN RENEWAL AND RESTORATION CONFERENCE "One Christian Question for Episcopalians"
DETAILED PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE (some titles TBA)
Monday Morning, November 20
8:00 - 9:00 Registration
9:00 Prayers. The Rt. Rev. Peter H. Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield 9:04 Welcome. Frank Gallo, Chairman of the Steering Committee of LEAC
9:06 Thanksgiving for Lee A. Buck, Honorary Chair (posthumous). Jim Ince
9:08 David Virtue, DD
9:30 The Rt. Rev. Keith L. Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy (video).
9:50 Anglican Alliance of North Florida. The Rev. Neil Lebhar Panel and Q & A: Harris Willman (moderator), William Harkey, the Rev. Robert H. Coon, the Rev. Lebhar (10-minute break during panel setup)
10:50 The Most Rev. H. Grundorf, Presiding Bishop, The Anglican Province of America
11:15 The Rev. Bill Atwood, General Secretary, Ekklesia
11:45 Break for Luncheon
Monday Afternoon, November 20
12:00 Luncheon. Principal Speaker: The Rt. Rev. John W. Rodgers, Jr., former dean of Trinity School for Ministry, a founder of Anglican Mission in America and SPREAD. Introducing "Team 2 Million," by Jim Ince
1:45 The Rev. Todd H. Wetzel, President of Anglicans United and a pioneer in the anti-revisionism movement
2:10 "Ohio Transferees to Bolivia - Why and How." The Rev. Roger Ames, Akron, Ohio, with panel
2:45 "The Connecticut Six Story." The Rev. Ronald Gauss and two attorneys
3:20 Break
3:30 "The Delaware Valley Story." The Rev. Edward Rix, with Hudson Barton
4:00 "Changing the California Landscape." Eric Sohlgren, Esq. with Richard Toikka, Esq.
4:30 David R. Bickel, Esq. of the governing boards of American Anglican Council, Anglicans United and NOEL 4:50 First-day recap
5:00 Adjourn
5:10 Evening Prayer
Tuesday Morning, November 21
9:00 Opening Prayers. The Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf
9:05 The Rt. Rev. Peter H. Beckwith 9:35 "The Middle 80% -- Keeping Them Anglican." Jim Ince, Roundtable Moderator, with Hudson Barton, Harris Willman, Adol Owen-Williams and Rebecca Morrison of the Order of St. Luke 9:55 Roundtable: "Eight Sedative Veils of Denial"
10:15 Roundtable: "Awakening the Innocent to Christian Priorities"
10:35 Break
10:55 Roundtable "Crossing Parish Lines -- Assisting the Weak to Safe Havens"
11:15 Georgette Forney
11:45 Break for Luncheon
Tuesday Afternoon, November 21
12:00 LEAC Awards Luncheon. Chairman: Frank Gallo, Chairman of the LEAC Steering Committee. "Tomorrow's LEAC" - Lay Leadership, Chapters, Initiatives, Funding. Remarks of Tom Cameron of LEAC's Steering Committee. Presentations of LEAC's "TRUTH + CLARITY + COURAGE Award" and 2006 designees in the American Anglican "Order of Valor."
1:45 Workshops and anecdotal contributions LAW Richard Toikka, Esq., LEAC Steering Committee, Moderator Presenters/Panelists: David Dearing (Fla.), Barbara and Ralph Dupont (Conn.), Mary McReynolds (D.C.), Eric Sohlgren (Calif.) MOBILIZATION Hudson Barton, LEAC Steering Committee, Moderator Presenters/Panelists: The Rt. Rev. John W. Rodgers, Jr., The Rev. Edward Rix, The Rev. Todd Wetzel, Harris Willman
4:00 Break
4:10 Summary and Wrap-Up. David Virtue and Jim Ince
4:50 Encouragement and Benediction. Bishops Grundorf and Rodgers
LEAC: Website: http://www.layepiscopal.org Email: info@layepiscopal.org Phone (240) 485-7357
CONTACT: James Ince (240) 485-7357 Lay Episcopalians
LEAC is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation.
P.O. Box 42604, Washington, DC 20015
LEAC is a national advocacy organization faithful to the authority of Christian Scripture and the Anglican Communion.
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