COMMUNION PARTNERS STATEMENT ON MARRIAGE

Written July 4, 2015

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Below you will find a copy of the Communion Partners’ Salt Lake City Statement in response to the passage of Resolutions A036 and A054 at the recent 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City. In passing the two resolutions, one of which changes the marriage canon (Canon 1.18) making the language gender neutral, and the other authorizing special liturgies for the blessing of same gender unions/marriages, the majority voice in The Episcopal Church has opened the door for same gender marriages to occur in those dioceses where the bishop allows them.

I plan to release a pastoral letter to the Diocese soon explaining in greater depth my understanding of the sacrament of marriage and my position on same gender marriages. In the meantime however, because it has already been released, I would like to share with you the above-mentioned statement by the Communion Partner Bishops in The Episcopal Church, of which I am one. The Communion Partners’ Salt Lake City Statement has thus far been signed by 16 Communion Partner Bishops as well as eight other bishops in The Episcopal Church.

While we are a minority voice amongst the leaders in The Episcopal Church at this time in its history, our understanding of marriage, as outlined in the Statement, has been the Church’s traditional understanding of marriage for over 2,000 years, and it still reflects the opinion and belief of the vast majority of Christians throughout the world today.

My signing of the Communion Partners’ Salt Lake City Statement does not mean that I do not love and care for those who find themselves to be homosexual, nor does it imply that those who find themselves to be homosexual are not loved by God or welcome in the Church. Our Lord Jesus Christ died for every one of us and calls us to love our neighbor, regardless of who they are. I pray that every Church in the Diocese of Albany will be open and welcoming to whomever walks through its doors seeking to worship God and grow ever closer to His Son, Jesus Christ.

As mentioned above, I will be sending out a Pastoral Letter to the Diocese soon. May our Lord Jesus Christ be with each of us, helping us to discern His will in all the issues before us.

Faithfully Yours in Christ,

+Bill

Communion Partners Salt Lake City Statement
The 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, in passing Resolutions A036 and A054, has made a significant change in the Church’s understanding of Christian marriage. As bishops of the Church, we must dissent from these actions.

We affirm Minority Report #1, which was appended to the text of Resolution A036:

The nature, purpose, and meaning of marriage, as traditionally understood by Christians, are summed up in the words of the Book of Common Prayer:

“The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored by all people.

The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord” (BCP, p. 423).

The nature, purpose, and meaning of marriage are linked to the relationship of man and woman. The promises and vows of marriage presuppose husband and wife as the partners who are made one flesh in marriage. This understanding is a reasonable one, as well as in accord with Holy Scripture and Christian tradition in their teaching about marriage.

When we were ordained as bishops in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, we vowed to “guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church of God” (BCP, p. 518). We renew that promise; and in light of the actions of General Convention, and of our own deep pastoral and theological convictions, we pledge ourselves to

• “Maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). The bonds created in baptism are indissoluble, and we share one bread and one cup in the Eucharist. We are committed to the Church and its people, even in the midst of painful disagreement.
• “Speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). When we disagree with the Church’s actions, we will do so openly and transparently and – with the Spirit’s help – charitably. We are grateful that Resolution A054 includes provision for bishops and priests to exercise their conscience; but we realize at the same time that we have entered a season in which the tensions over these difficult matters may grow. We pray for the grace to be clear about our convictions and, at the same time, to love brothers and sisters with whom we disagree.
• “Welcome one another…just as Christ has welcomed [us]” (Rom. 15:7). Our commitment to the Church includes a commitment to our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. We will walk with them, pray with and for them, and seek ways to engage in pastoral conversation. We rejoice that Jesus’ embrace includes all of us.

We are mindful that the decisions of the 78th General Convention do not take place in isolation. The Episcopal Church is part of a larger whole, the Anglican Communion. We remain committed to that Communion and to the historic See of Canterbury, and we will continue to honor the three moratoria requested in the Windsor Report and affirmed by the Instruments of Communion.

We invite bishops and any Episcopalians who share these commitments to join us in this statement, and to affirm with us our love for our Lord Jesus Christ, our commitment to The Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communion, and our dissent from these actions.

Communion Partner signatories:

The Rt. Rev’d John C. Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee
The Rt. Rev’d Gregory O. Brewer, Bishop of Central Florida
The Rt. Rev’d Daniel W. Herzog, Bishop of Albany, resigned
The Rt. Rev’d Paul E. Lambert, Bishop Pro Tem of Dallas
The Rt. Rev’d Edward S. Little II, Bishop of Northern Indiana
The Rt. Rev’d William H. Love, Bishop of Albany
The Rt. Rev’d Daniel H. Martins, Bishop of Springfield
The Rt. Rev’d Edward L. Salmon, Bishop of South Carolina, resigned
The Rt. Rev’d William J. Skilton, Assistant Bishop of Dominican Republic, resigned
The Rt. Rev’d Michael G. Smith, Bishop of North Dakota
The Rt. Rev’d Don A. Wimberly, Bishop of Texas, resigned
The Rt. Rev’d Bruce MacPherson, Bishop of Western Louisiana, resigned
The Rt. Rev’d John Howe, Bishop of Central Florida, resigned
The Rt. Rev’d Russell Jacobus, Bishop of Fond du Lac, resigned
The Rt. Rev’d James Adams, Bishop of Western Kansas, resigned
The Rt. Rev’d David Reed, Bishop Coadjutor of West Texas

Other signatories:

The Rt. Rev’d E. Ambrose Gumbs, Bishop of Virgin Islands
The Rt. Rev’d Julio Holguin, Bishop of Dominican Republic
The Rt. Rev’d Alfredo Morante, Bishop of Ecuador Litoral
The Rt. Rev’d Jean Zache Duracin, Bishop of Haiti
The Rt. Rev’d Francisco José Duque Gómez, Bishop of Colombia
The Rt. Rev’d Orlando Guerrero, Venezuela
The Rt. Rev’d Lloyd Allen, Bishop of Honduras
The Rt. Rev’d Johnson Howard, Bishop of Florida