Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Chicago Consultation: some good work

The Chicago Consultation has a new web site for a group working for full inclusion.
The Chicago Consultation, an international group of some 50 bishops, clergy and lay people, supports the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.


From the site, news of their work at Lambeth:
In advance of next month’s Lambeth Conference, the Chicago Consultation has arranged for every bishop in the Anglican Communion to receive a copy of Other Voices, Other Worlds by Terry Brown, (the other openly gay) Bishop of Malaita in the Church of the Province of Melanesia and Convenor of the Anglican Way group of the Anglican Primates' Theological Education for the Anglican Communion Task Force.

The book offers essays by faithful Anglicans from around the globe who reflect theologically on human sexuality, an issue causing conflict within the Communion.

In addition, two lay participants and one clergy participant in the Consultation will be attending the Conference to provide support for bishops who favor the full inclusion of gay, lesbian bisexual and transgendered Christians in the Communion.

Ruth Frey, the group’s administrator, will provide logistical support at the Inclusive Church Network’s Communications Center at St. Stephen’s Church near the campus of the University of Kent where the conference is being held.

Jim Naughton, canon for communications and advancement for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, will be assisting bishops who belong to the Consultation with media relations and covering the conference on the blog Episcopal Café.

The Rev. Carol Cole Flanagan, also from the Diocese of Washington, will be working to build networks and relationships with groups and individuals from across the globe who will be present at the conference. She also serves on the board of the Episcopal Women's Caucus.

The Consultation is a member of the Inclusive Church Network, a coalition of Anglican groups from the United Kingdom, Africa and the United States with a common interest in maintaining the traditional inclusiveness and diversity of the Anglican Communion.


A list of participating bishops is here

Check the site for plans for General Convention 2009.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi folks! I knew something like this was going to be set up somewhere but I hadn't discovered where until today. Glad you took it on. I join the comments of those below who comments on the irony of IT's taking on religious blogging ... !

IT said...

Religious, smeligious. I'm in it for the politics.

IT

June Butler said...

OT, just a word to the gang - and yes, you are a gang. I would not want to meet you on a dark street at night - that I like what you're doing. Keep up the good work.

Mike in Texas said...

Woo hoo! Mimi sent me.

Glad to see you've started this up.

And please add me to your blogroll.

(Is that word verification thing really necessary?)

Anonymous said...

XOT: I have searched for a couple of days for the last paragraph to an item Jake posted 2 or 3 days before the "Last Words" item. In all the distractions of losing communications I didn't copy it...I thought I'd have time! I believe it was written by Jim Naughton. OCICBW It was a great summary about the origin of the Anglican Church through colonialism and then to the current GAFCON power plays. Anybody have a link or some more key words I can search for?
Thanks everyone.
amyj

Ann said...

Jim's comment is at Episcopal Cafe in the comments here

Anonymous said...

Thank you Ann! I searched Epicopal Cafe/The Lead, but I never thought to read the comments. I knew a 'friend of Jake's' could help.

David said...

(Is that word verification thing really necessary?)

Afraid so. Otherwise the comment threads would fill up with the output from spam bots advertising Viagra, cheap mortgages, and b**bjob alternatives :P

Mike in Texas said...

I haven't had a spam problem with HaloScan. It's no big deal to switch over to it. Check it out.

David said...

Great Googly Moogly but I hate Haloscan. It was the thing I liked least about Jake's.

And I gather I wasn't the only one who had problems with it :)