Anglicans Meet With Patriarch of Moscow

Archbishop Foley Beach, leader of the traditionalist Anglican Church in North America, (ACNA) headed up an Anglican delegation to Moscow this week, where they met with Patriarch Kirill.

Big Membership Success

Kirill, who is the Patriarch of Moscow and Russia, greeted the delegation warmly, stating:

"Your church went through a very difficult period of its history, and the faithful took courage and had the ability to respond to a great temptation. There are two models of the behavior of the Church and of Christians. One involves obedience to the secular power and the powerful forces that have an impact on social development. The other model involves the ability to speak the truth and to remain faithful to the Christian message."

I'd say that was right on the money.

Epic Membership Fail

Approximately 1000 churches have been built in Russia every year for the past three decades. By contrast, the Episcopal Church, which is aggressively obedient to the secular power, has lost one third of its Sunday attendance in the last 12 years. 

Cheers,

LSP

TEC Loses. Quincy Wins.

Boy Bishop

The Episcopal Church (TEC) has been losing lately, and not just members! After defeats in Texas, South Carolina and Quincy, TEC's lost again in a rearguard spoiler action against the small Midwest Diocese of Quincy. 

After the Diocese of Quincy withdrew from the the Episcopal Church, TEC wasted no time in suing the recalcitrant trads in 2009 for all their money and assets. Part of that meant writing to the Diocese of Quincy's banks and getting $4 million of diocesan money frozen pending a legal outcome in the courts. The court decided against TEC this September, allowing the trad diocese to break free of TEC with its property and cash intact. But TEC isn't one to give up and filed a motion with the courts to keep diocesan money frozen. 

Nice

That was defeated earlier this month, when Judge Orbtal ruled that the Diocese of Quincy was the owner of its money. 

TEC has spent at least $22 million in litigation against traditionalists in the last 10 years. During that time the incredibly shrinking denomination has lost well over 1 million members and now has an average Sunday attendance of maybe 650,000 people. 

Down You Go

Some people would say that TEC's tanking. Others argue that it's going to make a come back, like Detroit, or a bad pop star.

Well done Quincy. 

God bless,

LSP