St. Luke's is affiliated with The American Anglican Council and is a member of The Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes commonly known as The Anglican Communion Network (ACN), but remains a member parish of the Diocese of Olympia. Background to Recent Events between the Episcopal Church USA & the Anglican Communion

Comprehensive Coverage of Recent News by the American Anglican Council

The ECUSA House of Bishop's statement in response to the Windsor report

The Statement of Acceptance of and Submission to the Windsor Report by some ACN and other bishops.

The Windsor Report - ( Downloads ) 

Statement from the Primates gathered at the first African Anglican
Bishop's Conference held in Lagos, Nigeria, October 2004
We are gathered at an extraordinary and historic meeting of Anglican Bishops from all over Africa. We do so grateful for the Faith once delivered to the saints and the generosity of those who first brought the good news of Jesus Christ to the African continent. We have come to celebrate the coming of age of the Church in Africa and
we look forward to taking our rightful place in the various councils of the wider church. In that context we have received the Windsor Report prepared at the Primates' request and in preparation for our meeting in February we offer the following preliminary reflections:

• We are very grateful for the hard work of the Commission members and the dedicated servant leadership offered by the Most Reverend Robin Eames. We believe that the Windsor Report offers a way forward that has the potential of being marked with God's grace.

• We believe that the Windsor Report correctly points out that the Episcopal Church USA and the Diocese of New Westminster have pushed the Anglican Communion to the breaking point. The report rightly states that they did not listen to the clear voices of the Communion, rejected the Counsel of the four Instruments of Unity and ignored the plea of the Primates of the Global South in their statements issued on October 16th and November 2nd, 2003.
  
• We call on the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada
  to take seriously the need for "repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation enjoined on us by Christ" (Windsor Report [134]) and move beyond informal expressions of regret for the effect of their actions to a genuine change of heart and mind. Failure to do so would indicate that they have chosen to "walk alone" and follow another religion.
  
• We note with approval that the Windsor Report calls for a moratorium on the election and consecration of any candidate to the episcopate who is living in same gender union and the use of rites for the blessing of
  same-sex unions. We urge the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada to take this call to heart mindful of Lambeth Resolution 1.10 "We cannot advise the legitimizing or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions." Failure to do so would indicate that they have chosen to "walk alone."
  
• The Windsor Report acknowledges the great pain that has been inflicted upon faithful communities that have resisted doctrinal innovations within Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada. However, we reject the moral equivalence drawn between those who have initiated the crisis and those of us in the Global South who have responded to cries for help from beleaguered friends. To call on us to "express
  regret" and reassert our commitment to the Communion is offensive in light of our earlier statements. If the Episcopal Church USA had not willfully "torn the fabric of our communion at its deepest level" our actions would not have been necessary.
  
• We note with approval the recognition that extraordinary episcopal care is needed for congregations alienated from their diocesan bishops. We remain convinced that the adequacy of that care should be determined by those who receive it, and we are looking for clear evidence that the Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight proposal is effective by this measure.
  
• We are encouraged by the suggestions offered for restructuring the various instruments of unity to strengthen our common life. We look forward to the day when the voices of the majority of the Anglican
  Communion are adequately represented in those various instruments. We are committed to the future life of the Anglican Communion, one that is rooted in truth and charity, and faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ( Link }

St. Luke's Vestry Resolution    March 29th, 2004
Motion resolved that the Vestry of St. Luke's, Seattle hereby affirms the Theological Charter of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes (commonly known as the Anglican Communion Network or "ACN") and directs the Senior Warden to make application to associate with the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes.
( Carried unanimously )

"We are grateful to the Archbishop of the West Indies, Drexel Gomez, for taking forward our discussion on matters of sexuality by introducing the booklet "True Union in the Body?", which fruitfully illuminated our study. We are also grateful to Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold for drawing our attention to the Report of the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church (USA) on this issue. We commend the study of both documents.

"The question of public rites for the blessing of same sex unions is still a cause of potentially divisive controversy. The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke for us all when he said that it is through liturgy that we express what we believe, and that there is no theological consensus about same sex unions. Therefore, we as a body cannot support the authorization of such rites.

"This is distinct from the duty of pastoral care that is laid upon all Christians to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations. As recognized in the booklet "True Union", it is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care."

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To study the complete document, a PDF version of "True Union in the Body?"  is available.   If unable to handle PDF files, click on the web document.  If you are unable to print from your browser, copy and paste it into your word processor and print it from there. 

• Network Home Page      (Online December 17th, 2003)
  
• Theological Charter
  

The Lambeth Commission  28 October 2003

 Membership
• Archbishop Robin Eames, Primate of All Ireland, Chairman
• The Revd Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Director of Faith, Worship and Ministry, the Anglican Church of Canada
• Bishop David Beetge, Dean of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa
• Professor Norman Doe, Director of the Centre for Law and Religion, Cardiff University, Wales
• Bishop Mark Dyer, Director of Spiritual Formation, Virginia Theological Seminary, USA
• Archbishop Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies
• Archbishop Josiah Iduwo-Fearon, Archbishop of Kaduna, the Anglican Church of Nigeria
• The Revd Dorothy Lau, Director of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council
• Ms Anne McGavin, Advocate, formerly Legal Adviser to the College of Bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church
• Archbishop Bernard Malango, Primate of Central Africa
• Dr Esther Mombo, Academic Dean of St Paul's United Theological Seminary, Limuru, Kenya
• Archbishop Barry Morgan, Primate of Wales,
• Chancellor Rubie Nottage, Chancellor of the West Indies
• Bishop John Paterson, Primate of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, and Chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council
• Dr Jenny Te Paa, Principal of College of Saint John the Evangelist, Auckland, New Zealand
• Bishop James Terom, Moderator, the Church of North India
• Bishop N Thomas Wright, Bishop of Durham, the Church of England
•The Revd Canon John Rees, Legal Adviser to the Anglican Consultative Council, will act as Legal Consultant to the Commission.
•The Revd Canon Gregory Cameron, Director of Ecumenical Affairs and Studies, Anglican Communion Office, will act as Secretary to the Commission.Mandate

The Archbishop of Canterbury requests the Commission:

1. To examine and report to him by 30th September 2004, in preparation for the ensuing meetings of the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council, on the legal and theological implications flowing from the decisions of the Episcopal Church (USA) to elect a priest in a committed same sex relationship as one of its bishops, and of the Diocese of New Westminster to authorise services for use in connection with same sex unions, and specifically on the canonical understandings of communion, impaired and broken communion, and the ways in which provinces of the Anglican Communion may relate to one another in situations where the ecclesiastical authorities of one province feel unable to maintain the fullness of communion with another part of the Anglican Communion.
   
2. Within their report, to include practical recommendations (including reflection on emerging patterns of provision for episcopal oversight for those Anglicans within a particular jurisdiction, where full communion within a province is under threat) for maintaining the highest degree of communion that may be possible in the circumstances resulting from these decisions, both within and between the churches of the Anglican Communion.
   
3. Thereafter, as soon as practicable, and with particular reference to the issues raised in Section IV of the Report of the Lambeth Conference 1998, to make recommendations to the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council, as to the exceptional circumstances and conditions under which, and the means by which, it would be appropriate for the Archbishop of Canterbury to exercise an extraordinary ministry of episcope (pastoral oversight), support and reconciliation with regard to the internal affairs of a province other than his own for the sake of maintaining communion with the said province and between the said province and the rest of the Anglican Communion.
   
4. In its deliberations, to take due account of the work already undertaken on issues of communion by the Lambeth Conferences of 1988 and 1998, as well as the views expressed by the Primates of the Anglican Communion in the communiqués and pastoral letters arising from their meetings since 2000.