Vestry's letter to Bishop Lillibridge

July 26, 2006

The Rt. Rev. Gary R. Lillibridge
111 Torcido Dr.
San Antonio, TX 78209

Dear Bishop Lillibridge,

The Vestry of Christ Episcopal Church met last night to discuss our current situation in light of General Convention 2006.  We have had several meetings for this purpose.

In a unanimous vote, the clergy and vestry of Christ Church and Christ Church in the Hill Country affirm our commitment to Jesus Christ, to the authority of Holy Scripture, and to that which binds us to our Anglican heritage. As a consequence, when the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates offer us an acceptable option, we will disassociate from the Episcopal Church. We feel that we must do this because we believe The Episcopal Church has left the Anglican Communion, and us, and now no longer lives under the authority of the Bible.  It is our firm intent to continue our membership in the Anglican Communion and in covenant relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury with constituent member status.  We sincerely hope that we can do this with the support and in partnership with our diocese.

We thank you for publicly and strongly standing against the actions and inactions of the 75th General Convention of The Episcopal Church.  We are grateful for your determination to be a Windsor Bishop and for the Diocese of West Texas to be a Windsor Diocese.  We believe that in recent years and decades The Episcopal Church has departed from biblical truth and the historic faith of Anglicanism.  At the Columbus General Convention The Episcopal Church failed to address the recommendations and requirements of the Windsor Report.  It is apparent that The Episcopal Church has abandoned the wider church, further breaking the “bonds of affection” that define our participation in the Anglican Communion.

We respectfully request that you and the Standing Committee of the Diocese of West Texas, according to the provisions of the Windsor Report and in partnership with other dioceses, lead us toward alternate primatial oversight as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion provide a means for this to happen.  This would be a drastic measure for our diocese, but one that is certainly justified in the light of recent actions of the General Convention and the disdain shown the Windsor Report.

We assure you, the congregation of Christ Church and Christ Church in the Hill Country, and our friends in San Antonio and throughout the diocese that we will continue to worship, teach, pray, and reach out in love to a hurting world as we have in the past, and with renewed commitment to the mission of Christ Church to “proclaim, embody and extend Christ’s reign in the world.”

We thank God for you as our bishop, and we pray for you, Catherine and your children during these trying times.

Respectfully yours,

 

The Rector, Assistant Rectors and Vestry of Christ Episcopal Church