You are here
Raleigh Church Now Under Ugandan Bishop
by John W. Gibson
RALEIGH, NC (4/4/2005)--I Just wanted to bring you up to date on a momentous development for us at Church of the Holy Cross in Raleigh.
On the 8th of March, we completed our separation from the Diocese of North Carolina (and ECUSA) and have now come under the ecclesiastical care and protection of Bishop Edward Muhima of the Diocese of North Kigezi in the Anglican Provinde of Uganda.
Our application for alternative oversight had been in process for some months prior to the recent Primates' Meeting. Archbishop Orombi asked us not to make our separation a "media event", so we have refrained from issuing a press release. But the saints of Holy Cross are quietly rejoicing with a very great sense of liberation. It is as if a horrible and burdensome yoke has been lifted.
Though Bishop Curry has been reasonably gracious in his dealings with us, he has wasted no time whatever in advising me that I would be inhibited and deposed. Appropriately enough, the formal notice of my inhibition landed on my desk on Good Friday. Oh well. Ironically, it leaves me feeling very free indeed.
One other blessing here, and it's a big one. We actually have been able to retain our property. We had some excellent assistance from our lawyer locally, a very fine strategy team made of key parish leaders, and invaluable advice from Ellis Brust and David Anderson of the AAC. We had truly come to the place where we were prepared to walk away from the property if necessary.
The key, as it turned out, was that we had significant indebtedness on the property, having purchased it just over two years ago. Last October, we met with the Bishop to let him know that our finances had been drastically down as a result of the theoligical positions taken by the diocese. At the time, we felt we were 30 to 60 days from defaulting on our mortgage. He advised that we sell the building. The Standing Committee concurred.
We were actually able to sell the property back to the party from whom we had bought it. To make a long story short, this created an opening for the building and property to be purchased by a new 501c3 created by some parties interested in our future and called Church of the Holy Cross, Anglican. Voila! Our view, of course, is that only the Lord could have worked all that out. We credit this happy outcome to Him alone.
More importantly though, we have the very wonderful sense that our energies have been released from contending with issues not of our making.
We are now free once again to focus on the vision the Almighty has given us for mission and ministry in Raliegh. This is a very great relief.
In this Easter Season, we are feeling very resurrected!
Blessings,
John W. Gibson Jr.+
Church of the Holy Cross, Anglican
Raleigh, North Carolina
