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The group has established Intercommunion with APA and is now working towards Full Communion. Text of the story from CCR also follows below.
Intercommunion Established With Anglican Province of America
On Tuesday, April 8 representatives from the Communion of Christ the Redeemer joined with leaders of the Anglican Province of America in signing Articles of Intercommunion which established an official relationship between the two churches.
Bishop Rich Lipka and Bishop Don Miles met with the bishops of the APA in Summerville, South Carolina and, in the spirit of our Lord’s prayer for the unity of His people, established a relationship between the two communions that includes a sharing of ministers, sacraments and spiritual life together.
This is the first step toward a greater unity. Dialogue is ongoing regarding full communion with the APA by July of this year. The proposal is that the CCR become a nongeographic convocation within the APA, maintaining its present leadership and structures while also sharing fully in the life of the Anglican Province.
The bishops of the two communions will meet again in St.Louis in July. More information about the APA can be found by visiting their website at www.anglicanprovince.org.
The newly updated website for El Mesias confirms a post from Samwise on the ON OUR WAY HOME FORUM that the church is being received by The Episcopal Church (TEC). The CEC links are gone and replaced with links for TEC and information about Anglicanism.
It will likely be an uphill battle for this church that is clearly orthodox to be in a movement that is making a shift to heterodoxy. But, it’s also telling that the priest feels safer in TEC than the CEC. Wow.
Thanks, Samwise, for bringing this to our attention.
Did anyone catch yesterday’s posting on Seraphim’s blogsite, where El Mesias–one of the largest CEC churches in Florida–has left the CEC and joined ECUSA???
Samwise**********************
Well there you have it! After months of prayer, discernment, meeting with all kinds of committes for ministry and the local Episcopal bishop it looks like we will be received into The Episcopal Church this summer. Upon the announcement that this was to be so, people actually danced in the aisles at mass Sunday and, the few cradle Episcopalians among us, had tears of joy….So much for GBC!
Granted, we hold no illusions about the perfection of TEC but, in the diocese we will call home, it feels like a good fit. We will be the first Hispanic ministry in the diocese, a moderately conservative leaning community, whose clergy and bishop have been outstanding in their welcome and support. From being basically homeless, we inherit a paid for beautiful building, several dozen new members, at least 70 sister churches locally, companion dioceses in Cuba and Peru and, beyond that,the Anglican Communion. It seems a given that the wide open doors are the doing of God!
Unchanged, yet mixed with a bit of sadness, is the love and regard I and many hold for our formative years in the CEC. There are scores of memories, people we love to whom we are so deeply indebted. Yet, there is a sense that there must be a parting of the ways, that each may follow Christ according to conviction with joy. I had hoped it would take longer but… alas, life happens and news travel fast! So far all has been peaceful and positive, our CEC, bishop has heard the news and spoken like a true gentleman, the clergy who know so far have been a blessing to my soul.
May God grant us the wish of a transition full of His presence for all involved …..! We are to be received at a special service in the Cathedral early summer….that will be something! Hmmm …how about that guest list!!!!
Blessings
Seraphim
In the Feb./March Bishop’s Epistle, The Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf reports on a variety of issues in the Anglican Province of America. Included is the reception of the Communion of Christ the Redeemer into the Anglican Province of America.
The text about the former CEC bishops and now CCR bishops possibly becoming APA bishops is below.
“Bringing together the faithful…”
At the end of January, I was invited to attend a meeting of clergy and laity of the Communion of Christ the Redeemer (CCR) in Ocean City, Maryland. The CCR were formerly part of the Charismatic Episcopal Church from which they have departed. This Meeting was hosted by their Diocese of Delmarva and Bishop Richard Lipka. One of the member bishops of CCR, the Rt. Rev. Fred Fick had previously requested reception of his churches and himself in our Diocese of St. Augustine under Bishop Larry Shaver. I invited Bishop Shaver and Archdeacon, Erich Zwingert as our Canonist to attend along with me. We were treated graciously by this wonderful body of Christians, who wish to be Classical Anglicans. We spent the better part of three days with them getting to know the people and during the plenary sessions, answering a series of printed questions. After we left the Meeting, the people had a positive discussion and wish to continue the process hopefully establishing an official intercommunion statement. We praise and thank God for bringing us together with these faithful people who want to be a part of a church that has a strong catholic faith and order in the Anglican Tradition.
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