In his convention address, the Rt. Rev. Edward Salmon, Jr., Bishop of
South Carolina, said the crisis the Episcopal Church has experienced
since last summer is the result of improperly seeking to settle a
profound theological issue through a popular vote and described the
purpose of the network as a means to uphold orthodoxy and provide mutual
support during a trying time.

“The network also provides a means for primates and others to support us
more effectively in this struggle,” Bishop Salmon said. “Its purpose is
to provide a place of strength and witness within the American Church.”

Bishop Salmon helped draft and signed the network charter and both the
standing committee and diocesan council had previously approved diocesan
affiliation. A few representatives spoke against approval.

“I believe this resolution would continue the divisiveness … because it
would institutionalize a movement that not all parties agree with,” said
Andy Brack, a delegate from St. Stephen’s Church, Charleston. Mr. Brack
suggested that individual parishes, rather than the diocese as a whole,
should be allowed to decide whether to affiliate.
The resolution passed on a show of hands with about two dozen of the 296
clergy and lay delegates voting against it.

In other business, convention approved a $2.3 million budget for the
current year, a $200,000 increase over last year, but payment to the
national church will decrease from $120,000 last year to a little more
than $32,000 this year.

END