While Episcopal bishops and other clergy from across the country have been making national headlines in Anaheim, Calif., recently, their decisions are reverberating to parishes like St. Anne's in Warsaw.
Wednesday, bishops at the Episcopal General Convention voted 104-30 to "collect and develop theological resources and liturgies" for blessing same-sex relationships.The issue will be looked at again during their 2012 national convention.
Tuesday, the convention voted to allow non-celibate homosexuals to be ordained in the church as priests or bishops.
Both these decisions have caused a rift between the Episcopal Church in the US and the Anglican Communion in Europe and other parts of the world. Locally, these issues have been causing discussions at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Warsaw.
Craig Uffman, assistant to the rector at St. Anne's, said Wednesday that his parish is much like America as a whole.
"We're divided in a way that is similar to the American people," said Uffman. "In our parish we have people who have children who are gay."
Uffman was clear that St. Anne's remains a place that both heterosexuals and homosexuals can come to worship.
"We welcome all persons to walk with us in discipleship, and that means that gay persons within our community are treasured brothers and sisters whom we adore and support in Christian love," said Uffman.
Uffman also said that those decisions would affect parishes based on the local culture.
"You'll find it less likely to occur in places that are more conservative," said Uffman.
While Uffman reiterated the church's acceptance of gay parishioners, he acknowledged the decisions being made in Anaheim have put the church as a whole in a precarious position.
"We also have a duty to our brothers and sisters across the world," said Uffman. "Our actions here affect their ability to evangelize across the world."
Uffman said that if decisions cause a schism between the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, it drives them further away from their ultimate goal.
"It radically complicates our efforts to be reunited with Roman Catholic and Eastern churches," said Uffman.
Uffman spoke in place of St. Anne's rector, or senior priest, Father Dan Martins, who was in Anaheim for the convention.
Martins published an article on St. Anne's Web site addressing the conventions topics. The article can be found at http://stanneswarsaw.org/index.php/weblog/comments/july_rectors_letter1/
In Martins' missive, he states, "Our church is on somewhat 'thin ice' as far as continued full membership in the communion (defined by being in a full relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury) is concerned."
Martins wrote this before the convention.
"I regret the fact that there is no will to observe the moratorium in such a significant part of the Church in North America," said Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Ed Little, the bishop of the South Bend diocese of the church, was recently interviewed by National Public Radio.
"There's certainly the possibility that that fracture will deepen, and it could be that in some way, we'll find ourselves in a secondary place in the Anglican Communion," said Little to NPR.
While the politics of the church and the issues at hand are causing words like "divisive" and "schism" to be used, Uffman said he hopes that gays and lesbians that are a part of the church don't feel alienated.
"Christ calls on us to be one," said Uffman. "Our calling is to not allow our differences to cause a schism. Schisms go against the work of Christ in the world."
For more information, visit http://covenant-communion.net
