REFLECTIONS ON THE PEARSON INTERVIEW

All the talk around the Advent nowadays is about "the Pearson article." On July 4, 2021, reporter Greg Garrison posted on al.com, "'The Advent has changed': Andrew Pearson on why he left Advent Cathedral, dealing with the diocese, starting an Anglican church in Birmingham." To say it has caused a stir around Birmingham would be an understatement. 

Find the article here  .

The article is a long piece in which Garrison gave Pearson all the room he wanted to expound on his side of the story quoting him at length. There was no effort at journalistic investigation to verify assertions, or even other interpretations. The author gave no remarks from anyone else. Apparently, Pearson took this perfect opportunity to unload. He did. In essence, he blamed everyone else for the situation at hand.

Again, I must emphasize that these are my own opinions. I speak for no one other than myself.

These are the main issues I see in the article:

WHY DID PEARSON RESIGN AS DEAN?

Pearson said he was asked to leave. 

He says he was asked to leave.

"I was asked to resign."

Whether Pearson was fired, we would have to get from the wardens and the vestry. At the moment, the only public statement we have from them is the April 28, 2021, "Letter from the Wardens," that went out to the parish. The letter was from the two wardens, John Hargrove and Jay Ezelle. They clearly implied that Pearson voluntarily resigned:

"With significant sadness, the Vestry of the Cathedral Church of the Advent has accepted the resignation of Andrew Pearson as our Dean and Rector. Andrew has discerned that the ongoing tensions he feels serving in the Episcopal Church makes him no longer able to serve as the spiritual leader of the Advent."

Pearson gave no details or evidence to support his claim of being fired. I know of no evidence that he was asked to leave. From what we know now, it appears that his resignation as dean was by mutual agreement.

WHAT LED TO THE RESIGNATION?

Pearson emphasized three factors, first and foremost the Covenant, then the liturgy, and the financial issue with the diocese.

"After 30 years of straddling through all these issues [e.g., sexuality], the Advent has made a fairly definitive decision to be an Episcopal Church full-stop," he said. "Two lawyers from Advent and two from the diocese came up with the idea of a covenant, which I was against."

The problem here is that the Advent is and has always been an Episcopal Church. It cannot be otherwise. The last several bishops of Alabama all gave the Advent a very wide latitude to self-identify as an evangelical church, even to the dubious points of unauthorized liturgies and hiring non-Episcopal clergy (to oversee worship!). The implication that the diocese was heavy handed or intolerant of the Advent's rights is not borne out by the historical facts.

Another aspect of the falling out was over the liturgy. The Covenant required the Advent to "transition" out of "Our Liturgy" which Pearson had introduced for Holy Communion and Morning Prayer. Bishop Sloan had agreed to allow Pearson to use "Our Liturgy" several years ago. "Our Liturgy" is not in the current Book of Common Prayer. The BCP has all of the approved rites for use in Episcopal Churches. Conservative evangelicals often use Rite I of the BCP which is very close to the 1928 prayer book. (It was Rite I that Zac Hicks denounced as "anti-Christ".) So, to Pearson the Advent should have remained free to use unauthorized liturgies of its own choosing. The bishop thought not and the vestry agreed with her. Apparently there was a big division between Pearson and the vestry on forms of corporate worship in the Advent (which Hicks' shocking video did nothing to change). Hopefully, Bishop Curry will give her view of the liturgy issue in the Covenant.

Then there was the money issue. The Covenant required the Advent to eliminate the "Advent Only" box on the pledge card. To Pearson this was unacceptable:

"If somebody designates their giving, you have to honor that...has anything really changed in the Diocese of Alabama that would make us feel good about taking 'Advent Only' off. Of course, the answer is that Diocese hasn't changed, but with this covenant, the Advent has changed."

The "Advent Only" box appeared several years ago as a way of reducing parish contributions to the diocese (it may have been introduced by Pearson in 2017). The obvious purpose of such would be to show parochial opposition to the diocese, and by extension, the Episcopal Church. Every diocese relies heavily on parish contributions for its financial well-being. A parish is expected to contribute a certain percentage to the diocese. As the largest parish, the Advent's reduction had an out-sized impact on the administration and programs of the diocese.

Pearson implied that the Advent Only giving had been going on a long time, originally approved by Bishop Parsley (Bp. Alabama, 1999-2012): 

"The Advent has never done any teaching on how people should give," Pearson said. "We left it to people to pray through and decide. That was an agreement we made when Henry Parsley was the bishop."

I contacted Bishop Parsley to ask about this. He responded and gave permission to quote him:

"What he said is misleading. After the election of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire there was unrest at Advent and it needed a pastoral response. The temporary agreement we made was expressly and specifically that 'Advent only' giving would not be invited or placed on Advent pledge cards. Diocesan giving would remain unchanged but it was understood that if members on their own insisted that their giving not be shared with the national level we would honor that for a period of time as a temporary pastoral accommodation. After I retired it was very disappointing to learn that this had been changed and 'Advent only' giving was invited and encouraged."

All of this goes back to the institutional  nature of the Episcopal Church. It is hierarchical and not congregational. A local church is not an independent unit. It is an integral part of the diocese which is an integral part of the national church. The idea that people can support the local parish only and not the diocese and larger church is in conflict with the nature of this denomination. Thus, it is the "Advent Only" provision that was in deviation from the institutional norm, not the Covenant's removal of the provision. The bishop was right to put into the Covenant the elimination of the "Advent Only" choice. Apparently, this was something Pearson could not countenance.

WHAT ROLE DID THEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES PLAY?

Clearly, this was very important in Pearson's ultimate decision to leave. After all, on the day after he resigned, he joined the Anglican Church in North America. It seems that Pearson had a highly Vertical view of religion. This was at odds with the increasingly Horizontal attitude of the Episcopal Church.

Pearson said he was very uncomfortable with the Episcopal Church's emphasis on Jesus as the way of love.

"That [the way of love] is part of Christianity, but that's a deficient view of who Jesus is and what he came to do."

In Pearson's Vertical view, Jesus was God's sacrifice for the salvation of lost souls. Personal salvation is the whole issue. Saving individual souls is what the church is all about.  

In Horizontal religion, personal salvation is the starting place not the ending place. What is the purpose of salvation, only to save the individual from damnation? That would be a selfish, and dead end, or to use Pearson's words, "a deficient view." A Horizontalist would say personal faith is immature until it flowers into action to make a better world. God created human beings to be his agents in the world. The person of faith is the person of God whose mission is to do His work in the world. Therefore, the true Christian must indeed follow the way of love.

We can conclude that theological differences were highly important in Pearson's choices.

WHAT WERE PEARSON'S RELATIONS WITH THE BISHOPS OF ALABAMA?

Pearson had little good to say about bishops Parsley, Sloan, and the current diocesan, Glenda Curry. One should hope to hear from all of them about their reactions to what Pearson had to say about them. No one else should dare to speak for them.

In fact, it was Bishop "Kee" Sloan who had allowed the controversial changes Pearson had made, as in liturgy and pledging. Sloan was diocesan from 2012 to 2021. In reality, Pearson owes his life at the Advent to a highly tolerant and supportive Sloan.

Concerning Sloan, Pearson made a strange statement implying Sloan was open to the Advent leaving the diocese:

"Kee Sloan had reached out to me to say would the Advent be open to mediation," Pearson said. "One of the options was Advent's departure from the Episcopal Church."

I do not know what Pearson means by this. Under Episcopal Church law, a parish cannot leave the diocese and church. The Dennis Canon specifically prohibits such. 

Pearson put a lot of blame on the bishops. To Pearson, they suppressed the necessary freedom of the parish:

But [Bishop] Curry was determined to pull Advent back in line, he said.

The main issue was Advent had to conform, he said.

"At the end of the day, it was an issue of, and she articulated this and so did Kee, that if the Advent wasn't going to change, then there was no place for us in the Episcopal Church," Pearson said. "There needed to be a greater degree of conformity."

A parish in the Episcopal Church has to conform to a certain amount in order to be in the Church. The facts show that the bishops of Alabama gave the clergy of the Advent a great deal of space to follow their own understanding of evangelical religion. This has been borne out very clearly in the new Covenant. Obviously Pearson believed that the "conformity" in the Covenant was unacceptable. 

CONFORMING TO THE ANGLICAN WORLD

While Pearson opposed the Advent conforming to the diocese and the Episcopal Church, he went on and on in the interview about why the Episcopal Church should conform with the wishes of the majority of Anglicans in the world. It is true that most Anglicans in the world today are in Third World countries that adhere to highly conservative social and cultural values. GAFCON (Global Anglican Futures Conference) was created to oppose the social reforms of First World countries, particularly the Episcopal Church in America. GAFCON and its sexist and homophobic allies in the U.S. created the Anglican Church in North America, in 2009, to replace the Episcopal Church. The ACNA was set up to keep women and open homosexuals from equality and inclusion in the life of the church. It rationalizes these reactionary stands in Vertical religion.

WHAT ARE PEARSON'S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

Pearson left the Episcopal Church and is now a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, the American branch of GAFCON. There are several ACNA churches in the Birmingham area.

Pearson said he is going to plant a new ACNA church in Birmingham:

"I am in the process of working with others to plant a new church in Birmingham," Pearson said.

Who will be invited to this new church? According to Pearson it will not be "angry" Adventers:

"No one wants to plant a church with a bunch of angry Adventers," Pearson said. That would be a terrible idea."

Terrible, really? It was not terrible when Pearson sent out a letter to selected "Friends" in the Advent, on May 17, 2021. He wrote:

"Later in the summer, we will begin to gather weekly to pray and discern what the Lord is doing, and we hope you will prayerfully consider joining us. In the interim, Lauren and I will make ourselves available for one-on-one meetings..."

(BTW, rumors abound that Pearson is looking to buy the Shades Valley Presbyterian Church property in Mountain Brook. I have been told on good authority that he is not looking to buy the property.)

CONCLUSION

This article does give us an expansive view of Pearson's take on his experiences at the Advent and his plans for the future. What we need now is the other side of the story and this should come from the sources, namely the wardens and vestry of the Advent and the present and past bishops. Pearson has put a great deal of blame on them and they need to speak for themselves. If Garrison will not publish interviews of them, they should find ways to get their sides of the story out to the public.

A highly important truth that I learned while studying the schism in South Carolina is the importance of dominating the public perception of matters. He who controls the public message controls the public. In SC, the schismatic-prone leaders of the diocese operated a highly efficient, and ultimately successful, propaganda machine. It overwhelmed the field. They misinformed and misled the majority of the people to the effect of schism. The importance of dominating the public message is a lesson that the church leaders in Alabama ought to take to heart. 

In this case, the departed dean is still stirring up resentment. It is all rather sad really, especially since he left the Advent on at least superficially good terms. What are his motives now for lashing out? I hesitate to talk about motives because no one can really know what is in another's heart. However, since Pearson is now working to establish a new congregation, I think we can draw a reasonable conclusion.

Our concern now should not be about Pearson. He has left the Advent. I think we can wish him well. He has made his choices and he will have to live with them. He is a young man gifted in many ways.

Our concern should be for the welfare of the people of the Advent. For the last twenty-five years, they have gone through a lot. The deans tried all along to move them from the mainstream of the Episcopal Church. I imagine that, in the end, the disruptions and tensions were altogether too much for the majority of the congregation. They decided the hostility had to end and peace had to reign. Hence the new Covenant. 

The Advent is in a difficult place now as it moves to sorting out how to apply the Covenant to parish life. From my perspective, the parish is in good hands. We should all have faith that peace, order, and stability will return and better days are ahead.   

REFLECTIONS ON THE COVENANT BETWEEN 

THE ADVENT AND THE BISHOP

On June 23rd of this year, the authorities of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent and of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama signed a "Covenant Between The Rt. Rev. Glenda Curry As Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama and the Cathedral Church of the Advent." Find the text of the Covenant here .

Here are my thoughts about the Covenant and its context. I must emphasize first that these are my own opinions and that I speak for no one else.

Vertical and Horizontal Religion

Before looking at the Covenant itself, it is helpful to scan the context, or background, of it. And, I have to start by returning to my theory of vertical and horizontal religion as this is most fundamental to the understanding of the need for this covenant. 

The differences between Vertical and Horizontal religion begin with one's understanding of the nature of the human and the divine and the relationship between the two. Vertical starts with a dim view of human nature. Man is born in sin and is by nature thoroughly corrupt and lost. God is the opposite, all perfection. The being of God is seen as a body in the space beyond somewhere as an anthropomorphic object, like us only greater. Man's only hope is to unite with this all-powerful being who offers salvation through the Gospels. Taken to the extreme, this becomes idolatry since man alone cannot reach perfection. Religion becomes a practice of appealing to this lofty deity for his favors. So, the purpose of religion is individual salvation which is a gift of the deity. In Vertical, nothing else matters but one individual and one God (who is up there somewhere). The nature and purpose of religion is the salvation of corrupt man by a perfect God. Evangelical Christians generally hold a Vertical view of religion. The Advent self-identifies as evangelical.

Horizontal starts with a more benign view of human nature. Man is born in the image of God and has the knowledge of good and evil. He has free will to choose right and wrong. God, instead of a finite being in outer space, becomes the transcendent force of life in the universe. The Horizontal approach starts with a bonding between man and God and then moves into the social application of that. Since man is in the image of God and can do good, it becomes his mission to do God's work in the world, in other words, to right the wrongs all around us. This is also called the Social Gospel. 

Vertical and Horizontal, even in the simplistic forms above, are not mutually exclusive. It is a matter of degree. All Christianity has both and the tension is always there. To the Verticalists, nothing else matters but individual salvation. Social action is peripheral and not integral to religion. Indeed, man's meddling in society can become an impediment to true religion which they hold as God being in control of all things. On the other hand, Horizontalists view the Vertical as immature religion that focuses only on the self. Unless this selfishness broadens out to social action, it is dead (faith without works is dead).

In the 1950's, the Episcopal Church started turning from Vertical to Horizontal religion, a move that continues to escalate. TEC came to champion civil rights for African Americans. It also brought in a new prayer book with more democratic and inclusive liturgies. Moreover, it granted to women full equality and inclusion into the life of the church. Then, it came to champion the same for open homosexuals. 

The Diocese of Alabama continued in the mainstream of the Episcopal Church as the mother church developed more and more along Horizontal lines. For instance, when TEC adopted same-sex marriage in 2015, Alabama followed along. 

The Advent was a mainstream parish when it was designated the cathedral of the diocese in 1981. Then, it began to divert from the mainstream of the church and the diocese, in the mid-1990's. Three deans of the Advent, all from the distinctly Vertical lowcountry of South Carolina, moved the parish more and more into a Vertical identity making it more and more at odds with the broader Episcopal Church. This diversion reached a crescendo in the last few years under the Rev. Andrew Pearson who introduced many changes including a non-prayer book version of corporate worship.

The Episcopal Church is Hierarchical

The Advent is not an independent church. It is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama which itself is part of the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church has been legally recognized as an hierarchical body by the federal court (Charleston, 2019) and state courts, e.g. SC in 2017 and Texas in 2020. The governing body of TEC, the General Convention, makes law for all of the church, applied equally. Below the GC is the diocese. Below the diocese is the parish. Every Episcopal parish is under the authority of the diocesan bishop and the General Convention. It does not and cannot exist separately from these.

One law of the Episcopal Church is the Dennis Canon. Under this, a local parish may hold the deed to the property but does so only with the Episcopal Church and the diocese as the trustees. Under the Canon, if a congregation leaves the Episcopal Church, the trustees automatically become the owners of the property. In other words, a congregation cannot leave the Episcopal Church and take the local property with them. If the trustees become the owners, they may transfer the deed to a local congregation that is loyal to the Episcopal Church.

Under Episcopal Church law, the Advent is part and parcel of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. If individual parishioners want to leave for elsewhere it is their freedom to do so. We have freedom of religion in this country. However, the people who leave cannot take the church property with them.

Bishop Glenda Curry has authority over the Advent. It was gracious of her to make this Covenant. She did not have to do it.

The Covenant

Basically, the Covenant bolsters the place of the Advent in the Episcopal Church while allowing the parish to retain a measure of Vertical religion. 

The important points of the Covenant:

1. Affirmation of the Role of the Advent as the Cathedral and as a Member of the Episcopal Church.

This is a given.

2. Peaceful Relations Between the Diocese and the Advent.

This recognizes the Vertical identity of the Advent. Questionable phrase:  This peace can best be achieved by allowing the Advent to express its theology and conduct its ministries as it is so led by God.

So, God leads the Advent but not the diocese? Who get to decide if it is God's leadership? Problematical down the road.

3. Theological Expression.

Bolsters the Vertical:  the historical mission of the Advent...has been to proclaim the freeing power of the Gospel and to make disciples where God has placed the Advent.

The Bishop affirms and agrees that the Advent will have the freedom to express its theology and conduct its ministries in a manner consistent with the above-described theological expression. 

The Advent has always been free to express itself within the very broad bounds of the Episcopal Church. However, even the this broad church has bounds.

4. Agreement on the Advent's Use of Rite I of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

The Advent will "transition" out of Pearson's Our Liturgy into sole use of the Book of Common Prayer. 

Very important point---the Advent may only use liturgies approved by the General Convention.

5. Safe Environment for Theological Expression.

Another given. However, specifically calls on the Advent to return display of words and emblems of identity to the Episcopal Church.

 

6. Calling of Clergy.

7. Development of Clergy.

The bishop says she will accept "qualified" candidates for ordination and that she will not exclude candidates from certain unnamed (Trinity School for Ministry, in Pennsylvania, and Beeson, at Samford Univ.?) seminaries.

A bishop always has control over ordinations.

8. Pastoral Integrity with Regard to Diocesan Covenant and Financial Stewardship.

With # 4, this is the most consequential part of the Covenant because it returns the Advent to a commitment to support the diocese. In recent years, the Advent had reduced its financial support of the diocese even thought it is the largest parish of the diocese.

It specifically requires the Advent to remove its "Advent Only" box on its pledge form. However, the rest of the section is rather vague implying one can give to the diocese without giving to the national church. 

So far, so well and good. However, there is this under # 16:

The Advent and the Bishop further recognize that actions of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church and/or any actions by future Bishops of the Diocese that are contrary to the spirit or text of this Covenant may affect and alter what is enumerated herein.

This seems to be an escape clause but is left vague. Who is to decide what constitutes "contrary"? Anyway, this provision is irrelevant since, as I have said, the Advent is subject to all of the resolutions of the General Convention. It cannot pick and choose what it will and will not recognize. The same goes for the diocese.

CONCLUSION

The Covenant is a great accomplishment for both the Advent and the bishop. For Bishop Curry, it is a tour de force that may well become her most important legacy. After a quarter of a century of drifting away from the mainstream of the Episcopal Church, she has gently nudged the Advent back toward the center. She has restored Episcopal identity, Episcopal prayer book worship, and significant financial support. On the other hand, the Advent gained a great deal too. The Covenant protects the certain self-identification of the parish as a Vertical island in a Horizontal diocese and church. 

Interesting to note that four of the six people who signed the Covenant were lawyers. I am certain they knew, better than I, that this is not a legal document. It is replete with ambiguities and apparent contradictions that would not stand well in court. But legality is not the point here. The point is that it is a friendly agreement of good will and on this it succeeds wonderfully. Everyone who had a hand in this should be thanked by everyone else.

The biggest winners in all of this are the people of the Advent. After decades of rising tensions, tumult, and divisions, they can now return to the peace, order, and stability to which they are entitled as the good people they are. This is cause for rejoicing. The Covenant is done.

[NOTE to reader. I had originally planned to include remarks on Pearson's interview in this blog piece. However, since this part on the Covenant ran on too long, I will wait and make another posting on what Pearson had to say. I have plenty to say about that too.]

PEARSON GIVES HIS SIDE

The Rev. Andrew Pearson has given a long interview to al.com about his reasons for leaving the Advent and his views of the future and other matters. Find it here .

One needs to stress that this is Pearson's view of things. Although awfully tempting, I do not want to dissect his interview today as it is a holiday and we all need to be enjoying downtime. I will just say a lot of people at the Advent and the diocese will not be happy with his remarks and will have different views of what happened. I will return with my comments about Pearson's assertions soon. I think it best we not deal with this today. Let's just enjoy Independence Day at the moment.

I am certainly enjoying this day and the beautiful weather we are having. Let us take a pause and enjoy the beauty of God's creation all around us. Here are photos from today.

Jacksonville, Alabama, from Chimney Peak atop Mount Choccolocco. The center of the picture is the Jacksonville State University campus. The tall building near the middle, with the gleaming white roof, is the University Library (12 floors).

On a walk path in the smaller side of my garden. Shrubs on left are hollies, on right Photinia. The small tree on right is Corkscrew Willow.

Along a walkway in the larger part of the garden. Lush growth is the result of copious amounts of rain and mild temperatures. The banana trees already reach ten feet. The Louisiana Palmetto is in full bloom. Birds feast on the black berries.

Balloon flower (Platycodon) is a no-care and never-fail perennial. Every garden should have this.

Another easy perennial is Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia).This one is fading out. It bloomed well even though it is getting too much shade. It does best in full sun.

Yet another beautiful perennial is Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii). Thus one, "Harlequin" has passed its prime of bloom but will continue to flower until frost. The palmetto is "McCurtain." It is from McCurtain County, in southeastern Oklahoma. It too is in flower.

A corner on the smaller side of the garden. Weeping mulberry tree (Morus alba) is an attention-getter.  Boxwood on right and jasmine, on trellis. On left, the upright is Spartan Juniper.

I hope you enjoy this Independence Day. Did we ever need it more? I do not think so. We are enjoying our independence in more ways than one this year.

I have a great deal to say about both the Covenant and Pearson's interview. I need to collect my thoughts well before I post them on the Internet. As Gen. MacArthur, I shall return (hopefully much sooner than he did). 

SHADES VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN TO SELL ITS PROPERTY TO PEARSON?

On yesterday, I reported that the Rev. Andrew Pearson, the ex-dean of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, had announced the creation of a new church which he has named "Grace Church Birmingham." The church's website, and Facebook pages, did not provide a physical address of the new church.

It is interesting to note that the Shades Valley Presbyterian Church is now seriously considering selling their property. Find their newsletter article about it here  . 

Apparently, the congregation, and budget, of SVPC have declined too much to  maintain the church and its property. The pledge total for 2021 was just $255,605, hardly enough to keep up even a small church. The newsletter said the congregation would probably stay in the present property until the end of 2022 and then would most likely merge with another PCUSA church nearby.

Anyone who knows anything about this area would know how prominent and valuable the SVPC property at 2305 Montevallo Road is. It is near the intersection of U.S. 280 (a main artery of Birmingham) and Montevallo Road, a stone's throw from the English Village, in Mountain Brook, the "uppest" upscale retail district in the Bham area, and probably in all of Alabama. Mountain Brook is the per capita wealthiest municipality in AL. SVPC is also very near the Birmingham Zoo and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The land alone of SVPC must be worth millions. Then there is the handsome and impressive church structure. I have no idea what the asking price for this place would be but one can be certain of an eye-popping amount. Zillow lists the 2020 assessed value of the property at $3,869,700.  

If Pearson is thinking about buying this property, he has a year and a half to come up with a financial arrangement. Of course, he would have a handy advisor in Mrs. Pearson (Lauren) who is a Certified Financial Planner and head of  Somerset Advisory, in Bham. Still, it is hard to imagine how a new start-up congregation could come up with even a down payment on such a pricey place.  

One other interesting fact to point out is that St. Peter's Anglican Church, the most successful of the ACNA congregations in the Bham area, is just down the road from SVPC, at 3207 Montevallo Road, in the old Mormon property. This means there would be two ACNA churches within about a mile.

So, if Pearson does have an eye on the SVPC property, it is wise of him to start building a congregation now. It seems to me it will take a church of several hundred people to occupy and keep up this property. 

Pearson has invited his "Friends" at the Advent to join him, and Lauren, as they move to build a new congregation of his own particular design. Since the adoption of the Covenant at the Advent, "Grace Church Birmingham" will be quite distinct from the Advent. Certainly, there will be people at the Advent who will join him. How many remains to be seen.

Right now we know two things: Pearson has set up a new church without a physical address and the Shades Valley Presbyterian congregation is tentatively planning to sell their property. 

Meanwhile, we will keep our eye on the happenings at Shades Valley Presbyterian. We shall see if Pearson's new church will find a home there.

In the end, the sale of the property is the choice of the people of the Shades Valley Presbyterian Church. Given the long and fervent devotion of these people to the Social Gospel, one can only wonder whether they would surrender their property to a denomination devoted to discrimination against gays and women. 

PEARSON ANNOUNCES NEW CHURCH

The Rev. Andrew Pearson, formerly the dean of the Episcopal Church Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, has announced on social media his new church. He is calling it "Grace Church Birmingham." 

Find info about it here .

One may also find info about it on the Facebook pages of Lauren Saddler Pearson and the Reverend Andrew Pearson.

Since Pearson has become a part of the Anglican Church in North America, this would be an ACNA church. There are already several ACNA churches in the Birmingham area, most notably St. Peter's, of Mountain Brook. Apparently, Pearson expects his "Friends" from the Advent to bolt the Advent and join him.

I could not find a physical address for the new church. Apparently, it does not have one.

So, what kind of church will this be? It does not take much imagination to know. It is clear on the website:  strict adherence to the 39 Articles (Calvinist); 1662 prayer book ("Our Liturgy" at the Advent), and the Jerusalem Declaration. The JD was an agreement in 2008 of anti-Episcopal Church forces (GAFCON and its allies in the Americas) to form a sexist and homophobic alliance to oppose the Episcopal Church. This led to the formation of the Anglican Church in North America in 2009. The ACNA was set up by this socially reactionary alliance with the purpose of replacing the Episcopal Church as the legitimate branch of the Anglican Communion in the United States. ACNA was created to prevent active homosexuals and women from having equality and inclusion in the church. This remains its goal. Pearson's new church will be an ACNA church.

The ACNA is not in fact an Anglican church although the word is in its title. The dictionary defines "Anglican" as one in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Episcopal Church is is communion with the ABC. The ACNA is not in communion with the ABC. The Archbishop has said repeatedly he is not in communion with the ACNA. So, Pearson has on his website a statement that is a factual error:  The relationship to the Archbishop of Canterbury, although historically important, does not define Anglicanism in our day and age. Au contraire, Rev. Pearson. It definitely does define Anglicanism. Your new crowd is not in the Anglican Communion; and people who follow you along should recognize that fact. Honesty is the best policy. 

So, now we know that Pearson left the Advent to start his own church. We know too that he sent a letter, on the day after he left, encouraging his "Friends" at the Advent to follow him. Only time will tell how many of them will follow the lead and where he will take them.

_____________________________

NOTE. I am working on a commentary on the new Covenant between the Advent vestry and the bishop having returned home from a ten day break. I will post soon my thoughts on the new agreement. Not today, it is my birthday (78). 

NOTES,  21 JUNE 2021

Greetings, blog reader, on this Monday, June 21, 2021. I hope all the Dads out there had a good Father's Day. I did. My twin daughters remembered me well. Let's check in on the crises we have been tracking.

PANDEMIC. America continues to inch toward "normalcy" as rates go on declining and vaccinations arising, however slowly. The pandemic definitely is not over as cases and deaths continue to occur at stubborn rates. In the last month, SC added some 7,000 new cases of COVID-19, and 150 deaths. At the same time, Alabama added 8,000 new cases and 300 deaths. The U.S. as a whole saw 700,000 new cases, and 17,000 deaths in the past 30 days. The plague is not over and no one should jump to that conclusion. 

Vaccinations are rising, however slowly. As of yesterday, the U.S. reported 45.6% of the population to be fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, our southern states continue to lag far behind. In South Carolina, only 36.9% of the people are fully inoculated. As always, Alabama and Mississippi are at the bottom. AL is listing 31.9% and MS, 28.9%. Experts are saying this highly contagious disease will continue to spread widely in the states with low vaccination rates. This stands to reason. With more than two-thirds of the people around us not vaccinated, we southerners need to remain vigilant when we go out in public.

SCHISM IN SC. I know of nothing new to report.

THE ADVENT. Last week, the lay leadership of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, released the names of the search committee tasked with selecting the next dean/rector. 

I have reason to believe that soon, perhaps this week, the leadership will release important new decisions about the life of the parish. Keep an eye out in the next few days for big announcements. I do not want to say more about this now. I will return with commentary if and when the announcements are made publicly.

On a very sad note, the state of Alabama is in shock and grief today with the news of an horrific highway crash last Saturday. The pictures are too awful to post here. One may Google the topic to find articles and pictures. 

The wreck occurred in the midst of bad weather, storm Claudette moving northward with heavy rains. It happened at mile marker 138 on I-65 near Greenville AL. I know that very spot well as I have traveled that highway countless times to and from Pensacola in the past 50 years. 

Ten people were killed in the fiery 18 vehicle pile-up. One of the 18 was a van loaded with girls from the Alabama Sheriffs' Girls Ranch at Camp Hill AL. Passers-by pulled the driver out of the mangled and burning wreckage, unconscious (she survived), but could not reach the girls engulfed in the flames. All eight girls aboard burned to death. Two other people also died in the massive wreck.

Some of the girls who died were at-risk youngsters, from abused, neglected, abandoned backgrounds. The Christian girls' ranch was their only chance at a "normal" life. No doubt, the little time they had at the ranch were the best days of their short lives. How cruel life can be sometimes.

Right now, the ranch is raising money for eight funerals. One can find more info on their Facebook page here . They also have a Gofundme page, here .

Like Job, we cannot always know the reasons why bad things happen to good people. Sometimes events just do not make any sense and seem profoundly unfair. The  mind of God is beyond human understanding. What we can know is that God is present with us in the suffering and that, like Job, we must go on being God's people in the world. Through thick and thin, it is our calling, our mission. Peace.

THE ADVENT ANNOUNCES

SEARCH COMMITTEE

At long last, we have news (and good news it is) from the lay leadership of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL. Today, they announced the names of the search committee members. The committee is tasked with selecting the next dean and rector of the Advent. The previous dean, Andrew Pearson resigned nearly two months ago. Today's announcement came in a letter from the Chair of the search committee, Don Menendez and the two wardens, John Hargrove and Jay Ezelle. 

Find the announcement here .

The committee has nine members counting the chair. The odd number means there can be no tie votes. Also, as far as I can tell, it is about evenly split among men and women (a good sign).

Also, the Advent website now has a special page devoted to the search where readers may keep abreast of the latest developments. Find it here . This is another good sign that shows improving communications between leaders and ordinary parishioners. 

So, now the search for the next dean and rector of the Advent can get underway. We should all admire the committee members who volunteered to take on this formidable task. They will have a great deal of work to do as those who have been on search committees will know.

One should not expect this search to be quick or easy. Dean and rector of this size church is a big job that calls for an outstanding candidate with certain education and experience. There is a large parish, a clergy staff, and a sizable lay staff as well as the day school. Most of all, this is a parish now seeking to define its identity and correlation with its larger denomination. In short, there is a lot to be considered.

(I suppose the only thing we know for sure is that the pipeline from St. Helena's of Beaufort SC has been closed. The next dean of the Advent definitely will not be coming from St. Helena's.) 

Surely, everyone will agree to offer generous thoughts and prayers in support of the new search committee.  

NOTES,  17 JUNE 2021

Welcome to my blog, reader, on this Thursday, June 17, 2021. Nothing much new to report today, but it is time for a regular check-in on the crises we have been following for a long time.

PANDEMIC. Numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to decline as they have for the past few months. At the same time, vaccinations are increasing. As of 15 June, 44.4% of Americans are fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, our southern states are lagging way behind the national rate. In SC, 36.3% of the residents are vaccinated. Alabama (30.8%) and Mississippi (28.5%) continue to occupy the bottom slots. This means that the vast majority of people in these states have refused to be vaccinated.

It is difficult to understand why most people in our local states are avoiding inoculations. It is not from lack of supply. There is an abundance of vaccine available and many places in which to get the shots. I expect part of it is political. Unfortunately, the pandemic became a national political issue at the start and remains such. So, the "redder" the state, the lower the vaccination rates. Still, it makes no sense that people would rather die of this horrible disease than to get the shots to be protected against it. I am at a loss.

Of course, vaccination does not prevent contracting COVID-19. There are people who had both shots and still fell ill with the disease. However, their cases were relatively light. This is why we need to remain vigilant, wear masks in public, and keep our distances. We are still in the worst pandemic in a century and are likely to remain in it for months to come.   

SCHISM IN SC.  Still waiting on word from the SC Supreme Court on the appeal of the Episcopal Church side of Judge Edgar Dickson's 2020 order consigning all to the new Anglican diocese. I have a feeling we had better settle in for a long wait. We should be used to that by now. One reason is that two of the four justices considering this appeal are new to this exceedingly large case. 

On a sad note, it occurred to me a few days ago that exactly six years ago, the legal war between these bitter adversaries could have been settled once and for all. In June of 2015, the Episcopal Church made an offer of settlement to the breakaway contingent. The Church offered to hand over claim to all of the 36 parishes in question in return for the entity of the old diocese. The secessionists flatly refused the offer and ridiculed the Church side to boot for making it, questioning their motives. The possibility of peace collapsed. Just think of what we could have been spared. 

Ironically, that is essentially where the two sides are today. The breakaways have the 36 parishes and the Episcopal Church has the entity of the old diocese. One big caveat to this is that the Anglicans have refused to accept the federal court ruling on the diocese and have appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, the Anglicans are holding the assets of the pre-schism diocese even though they are under Injunction of the federal district court to refrain from claiming to be in any way the historic diocese. So, it is not quite true that the Church has the diocese and the schismatics have the parishes. The Church has the legal right to the old diocese but it has not yet received its assets. 

If the SC Supreme Court comes down on the side of Dickson, the breakaways will finally have clear legal possession of the 36 parishes. If the federal appeals court comes down on the side of the Church, the Episcopal diocese will own the entity of the historic diocese and its assets. However, the Church side will still have to take some kind of action to gain possession of the assets unless the schismatics voluntarily turn them over which I certainly would not expect. Deny and delay has been the modus operandi of the Anglican side all along. No one should expect them to change now.

I'm just wondering what might have been saved if the two sides had agreed to the compromise offer in June of 2015. We know that the Anglican diocese has been budgeting $.5m/yr for legal costs, no doubt a far too conservative estimate. Yet, if we take even this modest figure and double it for both sides, we come up with $6m spent since the spurned offer of 2015. Of course, the human cost of six years of legal warfare is incalculable. What a shame. What a scandal. What a violation of the Scriptures by the very people who want everyone else to live by them, particularly when it comes to sexual orientation and gender.

Do not get me wrong on this. I am not predicting that the SCSC will side with the breakaways. It is inconceivable to me that the justices would overthrow a previous majority decision of their court in favor of a lowly circuit judge's opinion. If justice, law, and reason prevail, the SCSC will uphold its 2017 decision and order the hand over of the 29 parishes in question.

THE ADVENT.  The vestry of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, met last week and discussed terms of a Covenant with the bishop. Apparently, they did not finalize a deal because, to my knowledge, there has been no public announcement of such. If there is a snag, I have no idea what is is.

A big part of the problem at the Advent is poor communication. It has been almost two months since the two wardens sent a letter to the parish announcing the resignation of the dean, Andrew Pearson. Since then, there has been virtually no communication from the clerical and lay leadership of the Advent about the dramatic events going on in the parish or the trajectory into the future. There is a newsletter available on the parish website. It has said very little about what has happened and what is likely to happen at the Advent. Meanwhile, Pearson left and called on his "Friends" to follow him out to form a new church, and his ally, Zac Hicks, posted a video calling Rite I "anti-Christ." The response from the leadership to the people--- crickets. Meanwhile, people are flocking to this blog for information. In the last 30 days, there have been 17,900 hits on this blog, the vast majority on the entries concerning the Advent, the most popular ones getting 1,000 hits each. Really, this blog should not be the source of information about the happenings of the Advent, although I am happy to oblige. The church leadership should be the ones talking to the people. Why they are not is a mystery to me.

(BTW, Zac Hicks is still listed among the Advent's clergy. He has not publicly explained, let alone apologized for, his shocking defamation of Rite I. According to the newsletter, he is going on sabbatical from June 20 to July 31. I wonder whether the hootenanny band will go away too.)

We know the vestry and bishop are working on a "Covenant," but, evidently, no word of this has leaked to the public. At the very least, the Advent leadership could tell the people that something is going on that will address the dramatic events occurring in the church. A church leadership operating in secrecy on and on is unhealthy for any parish. The people of the Advent are entitled to know what is happening in their own church. After all, they are the ones who pay the bills. At the very least, parishioners can contact their vestry members. The list of the vestry membership is posted on the Advent website. Find it here . 

I am sure we all wish these crises would just disappear, go away and leave us alone. Alas, that is not our choice to make. Our choice is to do our best to live through these difficult days as the Christians we claim to be. When it is over, and all is said and done, we can look back with satisfaction that we did all we could to carry out our mission of being God's people in a world of hurt. Peace.

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UPDATE on the Advent. 2:00 p.m.  I have reason to believe important decisions have been made by the leadership of the parish and these will be conveyed to the parish soon (let's hope very soon). Presumably these will relate at least to the Covenant that has been under discussion between the parish and the bishop. I would guess the others would have to do with the search for the new dean and forms of corporate worship (as what to do about the hootenanny band). I will relay information as I receive it.

  

NOTES,  10 JUNE 2021

Welcome, blog reader. It is Thursday, June 10, 2021 and time to check in on the crises we have been tracking for a long time. There really is not much new to report, so this is just a reminder that I am here and keeping an eye on the matters at hand. 

PANDEMIC. Signs show improving data in most countries, as America. New cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have declined steadily since the winter surge. Vaccinations are continuing although they have slowed a bit. As of June 8, 42.3% of all Americans are fully vaccinated while more than half had had one shot. Sadly, our southern states are bringing up the rear, as usual. Of the 50 states and D.C., South Carolina is #40, at 35.16% vaccinated. Not surprisingly, Alabama is #50 at 29.48%, and Mississippi is dead last, at 27.95%. In most places, restrictions have been removed or lessened. Many people are out and about now as summer arrives.

SCHISM IN SC. Crickets. As usual, still waiting on the courts to act, this time the SC Supreme Court. Sooner or later, and it looks like later, the SCSC will have to render a judgment. The Episcopal diocese is appealing Judge Dickson's decision of 2020 that rejected the SCSC decision of 2017 and awarded all to the breakaway faction. The SCSC has two choices: uphold its 2017 decision and reject Dickson, or, affirm Dickson and reject its 2017 decision. Common sense dictates the former, but no one should jump to the conclusion that this will be the outcome.

THE ADVENT. After the dramatic events in May, the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham, is in the process of finding its way to a new order and stability. The last time I checked, the Rev. Zac Hicks was still on the payroll. He is the canon for worship who, last month, declared publicly the Episcopal Prayer Book to be anti-Christ (specifically the gap in the Rite I communion liturgy). I watched the two morning services on YouTube last Sunday. There were more traditional Episcopal worship forms in both. However, the "praise band" (what I call the hootenanny band) was still making noise in the early service. The Chancel Lamp was still out, meaning there was no reserve sacrament in the Ambry. I may have missed it, but I did not see an Episcopal Church flag although the U.S. flag was clearly visible.

The vestry and the bishop have been busy working on a "Covenant" to settle tensions between the parish and the diocese. I do not want to say more about this now just to say I believe it likely the Covenant to be finished soon and released to the public. I will post it when I receive it. I think most people will be pleased with the settlement. 

POLITICAL CRISIS. After last fall's election, I thought the political situation in the U.S. had calmed down. Not so. It has worsened. There is a giant clash between pro-democratic revolutionary forces and anti-democratic forces. Unfortunately, the two big parties have become polarized around this. This has become critical for the continuation of the United States as a democratic society. The forces of one party tried to overthrow the government last January 6 and since then have denied and protected this attempted coup. That party has turned against the principles of democracy. Democracy rests on two great principles: equal rights for all people, and majority rule. One party is now defending these and the other party is struggling to build a political system in defiance of them. This is the most serious political crisis in America since the Civil War. The upcoming elections, in 2022 and 2024 will be a test of wills between the pro and anti democratic forces in America.

Finally, my usual sign-off: no one asked for all of this. We did not have a choice. These crises were given to us for the time of our lives. We also have a mission, to be God's people in the world and we must treat these crises in terms of our mission. Peace.

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If anyone is wondering what is going on with my garden these days, I will offer a few photos made this week. We had a warm winter and have had copious amounts of rain since then. The result is a lush garden, weeds and all (a garden that will not grow good weeds is not much of a garden).

Most hydrangeas are coming out into full bloom now. Here, Nikko Blue stands before Oak Leaf. There are several kinds of hydrangeas in this shady area. They expect lots of water. 

Nikko Blue is popular in southern yards and gardens and for good reason. In fact, hydrangeas are native to the south. At this time of the year, Oak Leaf hydrangeas, with their long white flower spikes, can be seen growing in abundance in the natural woodlands of Alabama.

Being a native Floridian, I am fond of tropical plants. No plants love lots of rain more than banana trees, and they show it in their exuberance. The ginger to the left will provide aroma to this seating area in the fall.

Looking from the other side, one sees Sabal minor (Louisiana palmetto) and perennials. The seating area is hidden behind these. 

Japanese Pea Shrub (Lespedeza thurnbergii) is an excellent and much under-used deciduous bush for a sunny spot. This one is full grown at six feet across.

Spiraea is one of the best families of shrubs for the garden. I have numerous examples. A common form is Anthony Waterer Spiraea. It makes a small bush and can be tucked into a sunny spot to add color.

For a conversation plant, try this one, Giant Cone Flower (Rudbeckia maxima). It grows six feet tall and puts out these large "cones" of seeds. Likes sun but tolerates some shade. Birds greatly enjoy the seeds. I am sure I have the happiest birds in the county. I give them plenty of natural food, water, and nesting places, and they reward me with their beauty and song. It's a win-win.

 

 

AN UPDATE ON THE SC SUPREME COURT

The South Carolina Supreme Court has before it the Episcopal Church case, to be specific the appeal of the Episcopal Church and diocese of Judge Edgar Dickson's 2020 order reversing the SCSC decision of Aug. 2, 2017. This is an opportune moment to review the matter now before the SCSC.

First a brief chronology:

---July 13, 2020. Notice of Appeal. The SCSC agreed to accept the appeal of Dickson's order of June 19, 2020.

---Nov. 12, 2020. Appellants' Initial Brief. Appellants are the Episcopal Church and the church diocese.

---Feb. 12, 2021. Respondents' Initial Brief. Respondents are the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina using old title of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina and the individual parishes aligned.

---Mar. 4, 2021. Appellants' Reply to Respondents' Initial Brief.

---Apr. 22, 2021. Respondents' Final Brief.

---Apr. 26, 2021. Appellants' Final Brief.

---Apr. 26, 2021. Appellants' Record of the Case. 19 volumes, 9,016 pages.

---May 3, 2021. Briefing and Record Complete.

All of these documents may be found on the SC courts website here .

Now we know that all of the papers have been submitted to the state supreme court. The full case is before the justices in Columbia. 

The court must make two decisions soon. One is whether to engage an acting justice. Of the five sitting justices, one has recused herself, leaving four. In the past, the court has often used a temporary justice to fill out the full bench. They could do the same now.

The other decision is whether to hold a public hearing or go straight to a written decision. Since two of the four justices are new to the case, it would make sense to hold a hearing so that these justices could question the attorneys on both sides as to the details of the case. The longer the justices go without announcing a hearing, the greater the likelihood they will go straight to a written opinion.

On one hand, this case is exceedingly complex and complicated. The full case record mentioned above is mountainous---over 9,000 pages. Imagine the justices, or their poor clerks, having to wade through and make sense of all that.

On the other hand, the matter before the justices is simple. In all of the back-and-forth of the five briefs listed above, there is really one major point. It is the Dennis Canon. 

The SCSC decision of Aug. 2, 2017 ruled in a majority opinion that 28 (actually 29) of the 36 parishes in question had in fact acceded to the Dennis Canon; and therefore the congregations forfeited the property to the trustee, the Episcopal Church, when they declared separation from the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church is now the owner of the 28 (29) parish properties. The same for the Camp which is now property of the Episcopal diocesan trustees. 

Judge Dickson declared in his June 19, 2020 order that the parishes had not acceded to the Dennis Canon and they, and the Camp, remain in local hands. In other words, the Episcopal Church did not own the properties.

So, the decision before the justices is really rather simple. It is whether to defend the SCSC decision or to affirm Dickson's order. They must choose one or the other since the two are diametrically opposed. If they choose the SCSC decision, the Episcopal side gets the properties. If they affirm Dickson, the Anglican side gets the properties.

Although I am not a lawyer or legal expert, I just cannot imagine how the justices could justify overturning a SCSC decision that had become the law of the land in favor of a circuit court judge who decided on his own to reverse the state supreme court and to ignore the Remittitur that the SCSC has delivered to him at the start. A Remittitur is an official order to a lower court to implement a higher court decision.

Upholding the SCSC decision would be upholding the law. Affirming Dickson would be throwing into chaos the entire legal system of the state. If a circuit judge is allowed to overrule a state supreme court decision, there would never be order or finality in court decisions. Court rulings would become only suggestions. The supreme court would no longer be supreme. Why have courts at all if that becomes the case?

The matter before the SCSC now is really rather simple, but is far, very far, from being insignificant. 

 

NOTES,  3 JUNE 2021

Welcome, blog reader. It is Thursday, June 3, 2021 and time to check in on the crises we have been following for more than a year. Here is how they appear today:

PANDEMIC. The plague of the coronavirus is still ongoing. However, the signs in many countries, as the U.S., are encouraging. New cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are declining across the board in America. Some countries, as India, are still enduring surges. The pandemic is far from over, but it has abated enough in the U.S. for the authorities to ease almost all the restrictions. In general, Americans are anxious to get out and about. It is called "revenge travel."  

The best news in the U.S. is the spread of vaccinations. As of June 1, 40.9% of all Americans have been fully vaccinated and 50.8% have had at least one shot of a vaccine. The country is well on the way to "herd immunity." The president has set July 4 as the goal for this. Unfortunately, our southern states are at or near the bottom of the list in vaccinations. Of the 50 states plus D.C., SC is #41, at 33.83% fully vaccinated. As usual the bottom two states are Alabama (29.23%) and Mississippi (27.13%). The unofficial state motto of Alabama has always been "Thank God for Mississippi."

SCHISM IN SC. Nothing new. We are still waiting on the South Carolina Supreme Court to act on the Episcopal Church's appeal of Judge Dickson's ruling. The last papers were submitted to the SCSC in May. Since then, crickets. As far as I know, no one has any idea of when the justices will act. They can take as long as they wish; and as we know, this court is not known for expediency. It will soon be nine years since the schism of 2012. We are all growing old waiting for closure. Meanwhile, we have no choice but to bide time until the justices hand down their decision. Considering the amount of time that has elapsed in this appeal, my guess is the court will not hold a hearing but will go straight to a written decision on Dickson's order, but this is just speculation.

THE ADVENT. To put it mildly, the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL is in transition. We have been following what has been going on there since May 1 when news broke that Dean Andrew Pearson had submitted his resignation. Considering that 15,200 hits have been made on this  modest blog and its posts on the Advent in the last 30 days, I would say people of that parish are starving for information on what is going on and looking for a little encouragement that matters are improving. I am happy to provide a bit of both although as an outsider, what I know comes from a handful of sources, albeit well-placed and impeccable ones. As I see it, here are the main issues in the Advent today:

---Zac Hicks. On May 19, Hicks posted on the Internet, a 26-minute video of himself talking into the camera arguing to keep Pearson's "Our Liturgy." He trashed Rite I in the prayer book as "anti-Christ," anti-the Gospel," and liturgically against the Gospel. Although meant for the vestry, the video circulated as wildfire in the parish. Explosion. Hicks soon deleted the video from the Internet. He has not offered a public explanation for his shocking remarks let alone an apology. 

Hicks's future at the Advent really is a  matter for the authorities of the parish to handle; and I do not want to say anything more that might impact on this one way or another. I will say that if his video was meant to bolster Pearson's "Our Liturgy," it backfired.

---Covenant. For some weeks now, the vestry has been working on an agreement with the bishop to strengthen relations between the Advent and the Diocese, and by extension the Episcopal Church. Apparently this process is nearing a conclusion and we may expect some news about this later this month. I do not want to say more about this at this  moment lest I jeopardize sensitive issues. I expect we will have big news soon.

---Worship services. Now that covid has declined, all churches are easing back toward "normal" services and programs. The clergy and staff at the Advent are working on restoring as much pre-covid "normality" as they can. At the Advent, I expect one will see less of the camp meeting and more of the formal prayer book liturgy. Personally, I am looking at what will happen to two important symbols: the hootenanny band and the Chancel Lamp (aka Sanctuary Lamp). (Personally I would like to see the band turned off and the the lamp turned on.)

---Search for the new dean. A search committee is being formed to find a new permanent dean to replace Pearson. The Rev. Canon Craig Smalley is the interim dean. This is likely to be a long and difficult search that will go on for months. The understandably unsettled parishioners of the Advent should be patient. If and when I get the list of the search committee, I will post it. Then, parishioners will know whom to contact with their views of the search process.

If last month was the time of problems, this month may well see the beginnings of the solutions of those problems at the Advent. I know for a fact that the clergy and staff of the parish are working as best they can to solve the problems. My view is that everyone has to give them room to do what they think God's will to be for the church. I feel certain that matters will be clearer to everyone before the month is out.

Meanwhile, this is a moment for looking up. The pandemic is easing and life is slowly but surely inching back to "normal." As for SC, "normal" is waiting on the courts to act. I know it seems that there will never be closure in the schism, but we have to know that it will arrive in God's own time which we do not, cannot, understand at the moment. As for the Advent, "normal" means finding its comfortable identity and settling down into the confidence that it too is God's will. 

As always, none of us asked for these difficulties. None of us wanted these crises that were thrust upon us. Yet, here we are for the living of this hour. We must do our best for our mission. Peace.