Wow…didn’t see this one coming.
(via CEC Home)
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Patriarch Regretfully Accepts Abp. Woodall’s Resignation
January 31, 2011 – 1:27 pm
Effective Jan. 26, 2010, The Most Rev. Douglas Woodall resigned as Archbishop of United Stated Armed Service and Federal Chaplaincy. Archbishop Woodall stated as his reason for leaving the ICCEC was to join the Missionary Diocese of All Saints under the Anglican Church of North America.
The Patriarch, who also serves as the Primate of North America, regretfully accepted Archbishop Woodall’s resignation. He stated, “I pray that Archbishop Woodall will find joy in his new ecclesiastical home. I know that he will bring to ACNA and the Missionary Diocese many gifts, particularly the gift of evangelism. We will miss him in the ICCEC.”
Archbishop Bates is working with Bishop Kessler to make sure the transition is smooth for our Chaplains. Archbishop Bates said, “Our Chaplains are some of the best clergy that we have in the ICCEC. We hold them in the highest esteem and are daily praying for them, particularly those who are deployed. I know that they will continue to minister to our men and women in uniform with the same high caliber that they did under Archbishop Woodall.”
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January 31, 2011 at 9:07 pm
anon4cec
See Fr Dundas’ comments two topics down for a different take on the story. I guess nothing has really changed….
February 1, 2011 at 12:52 am
jzholloway
I think a lot of us saw this coming… If I recall, in November of 2009 myself and some others even discussed this possibility. Abp. Woodall, if I am not mistaken had already taken up with the ACNA church in St. Augustine, and has been an active member and clergy person there, so I do not really see the “shock” in all of this.
I will say this, God bless the chaplain corps… if it wasn’t for chaplains, CEC, or other Christian chaplains, even one Muslim chaplain, myself and others would probably not be here today.
February 1, 2011 at 1:22 am
jzholloway
A thought that I had today while I was painting a floor. I remember when the CEC began… yes, I was there at 12 years old
I remember the charge that then Abp. Adler gave those in the CEC… “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,” from Shakespeare’s “Henry V” of course. I posted a status on facebook (wow how things have changed) basically stating that the Church has gone from “the few and the proud” to an “army of one” and not in a good way… almost reminded me of my dad’s warnings of the “Jesus Movement” in the 70′s, i.e., me and Jesus. Ironically, how true the Henry V quote is, the American CEC church is few, though internatioanlly She has grown pretty well. The American church is down one more bishop, no surprise to me, nor to a majority of the people I talk to, both within and without the CEC. Ironically, it is those outside the CEC who I have talked to who have both expressed sadness and anger as well as relief, while those in the CEC just attempt to trudge on like nothing has happened. First, let me say that Abp. Woodall has always been a mentor to me, since I was a young acolyte at St. Micheal’s aand All Angel’s church in Thomaston, GA when he tries to “buy” me off my dad when I was like 14 (he wanted to make sure I ended up a priest and probably a chaplain… though I ended up neither… however I served Honorably in the Marine Corps for 5 years)… to when he called me out of the blue while I was in the Marine Corps to pray for me because he felt that God had told him to… unknowable to him, I needed it, and it helped, and of course, he asked me for my tithe… and for that story you will need to go to him and my dad… together… 
To say I do not have a love and respect for Doug Woodall would be an incorrect statement. Whether as Archbishop, Bishop or Priest… or just as a man, I doo have a respect for him, even as a sheriff deputy… (as long as he doesn’t pull me over). I love the man, not quite as a father, but more as an uncle… he always played that role well. Him and Pam have always been close to myself and my family, and vice-versa.
… now, I do not no where to look. Should I look behind my back? So many accusations… deposition… trying to steal Chaplains away from the CEC… money issues… I do not know… I know what my gut tells me, and a lot of that I pray is not true, I pray that Bishop Doug, as I have always known him, simply left because he has found his home, not because he was influenced, not because he saw an opportunity, not because he was upset or pissed off, but because he found where God, our Father, wanted him to be. For as he knows, Abp. Woodall that is, that still matters to me. I love the man, I cannot deny it, for my father loves him, and I believe he still loves my father… and yes, I could see this as betrayal… for he will never be responsible for my father again… but a part of me believes he may become the biggest giver and contributor to my father… just as my father was to him in many ways. Anyways, I wish Archbishop-Uncle Doug and Pam the best…
Though I am not surprised by this… I am hurt. Though my father, still a bishop (retired medically) and Doug often disagreed, they, well, from how my father and Abp. Woodall tells it, were the best of friends. I do not know if he has had the opportunity to come visit my daddy, I hope he has, and if not, I hope he, and Pam, do come to see him. I have looked up to Abp. Woodall for approximately 17 years… sideways for about 10
Now, for the “comment,”…
To me, it seems the CEC needs to make a stand for what it is… not what it believes, not being “Pro-life” (focusing on abortion not euthanasia), but what it is, a Charismatic/Evangelical/Liturgical Communion… My Church, which I go to once a month, I visit the local Roman Catholic Church on other Sundays, has a priest who wont vest because he does not want to appear to Roman Catholic. I for one am fed up with CEC Churches who will not follow the Canon Law… the Canon Law which has been affirmed… and I no longer am willing to hear the excuses from bishops, “well we don’t really follow the Canon Law,” oh wait, cause if they did, they would still have to take care of my father and mother… oh wait, priests would still have to vest for Sunday service/Mass… maybe that is why Woodall left…. maybe we will never know… but seeing the state of the CEC, I do not think my father would blame him… it is time that the CEC stop being a Evangelical/Charismatic/Protestant Church but become a Bible believing/sharing Catholic worshiping and sharing communion.
JZ Holloway
June 16, 2011 at 6:02 pm
47whatsup
Speaking as a former cec member an one very close to the Woodalls… I can say that healing was a big need with us. His greed was so very evident. We experienced first hand how he operated. He demanded tithes and threatened to remove his priest’s orders when he didn’t get what he wanted. He called his chaplains like a debt collector. He lived well and let his own clergy suffer. So his public personna doesn’t match his personal actions. He is a toxic person. He reminds me of the guy who gives the best seat to the rich… We saw it so often. He abused his power greatly. He poor mouthed from his nice home and gas guzzling car while telling people he only made 14,000 a year…. He is a very manipulative person. When you live and work with him then it is easy to see. He used to work the crowd before confirmations and then he would take those conversations and say he had a word from God. It is sick really. I am glad to be out from under his hate. He will always act hurt and destroyed…. that is how he gets the pity vote, but be not deceived. Underneath that sweet drawl is the man that even the local waitresses fear. He needs for someone to say ‘enough” already. Grow up and stop using the priesthood to be a parasite for the support of your life style. He is a man that truly can do well if the people around him would understand that he needs a set salary and no knowledge of the finances. He needs to learn to live within his means and to be happy in those means. I truly believe that that is and has been his undoing. This is the first I have ever spoken about this but when I saw your blog I thought, wow healing?? My experience was acidic and it has taken years to heal. God is so very faithful and gracious to me and I can say that I honestly look with pity on a man that has so much to offer but because the people around him refuse to give him the boundries he needs, has become an opportunistic, greedly spoilt man. I hope that whatever is going on with him will bring forth the change that will bring about a true amendment of life and that he will just have a salary and no ability to squeeze or abuse any more clergy by holding their orders over their head. I know these are my words and I am not asking anyone to believe me. God is the judge between me and him, and that is good enough for me. I just thought that having a different perspective would give a more rounded view. Often we see only what people want us to and for any of my fellow believers that have had this experience, I hope God had granted you the return of joy that he has us.
September 19, 2011 at 3:55 am
shockedatwoodall
47Whatsup,
I cannot agree with you any more. I, too, have been close to Woodall for many more years than I would ever wish upon my worst enemy.
I have known him since 1993. In the years that I have known Doug Woodall, I have personally observed numerous ethical issues and abusive, controlling behavior by him. He was one of the most unprincipled and unethical men that has ever been my misfortune to know.
Doug was ONLY interested in people’s tithes–nothing more. His prime motivation was money. Which is odd, because he couldn’t seem to save any. He spent money like he was a millionaire, yet he had the audacity to whine and cry about his financial state to try to get more money out of us. We all used to joke that the only time Doug wanted to talk to us is if your tithe was late.
I first met Doug in 1993 when I was a postulant in the CEC. He was so rude, overbearing, and abusive that I almost did not join the CEC. I joined the CEC DESPITE Woodall because I felt, and still do, that it was God’s will for me and my family. However, I was always embarrassed to have him as a bishop. He gave the CEC a very bad name amongst the other denominations because of his sheep-stealing tendencies.
For years, he kept trying to get me to steal chaplains from their denominations to join us. Why? To add to the tithing-pool of course! I refused to engage in this unprincipled and very unethical behavior. I find it very interesting that Doug’s final downfall was over his trying to steal an entire diocese from the CEC. He would have done so had one of the priests not turned him in for approaching him to join him in such an evil plan.
What did his chaplains get for their tithes? NOTHING. Though there were usually no more than 20 chaplains, Doug couldn’t manage to call any of us for nine to twelve months at a time–unless you were late with your check. That was the only way to get any “pastoral” care from him.
In respect to Doug’s resignation as a bishop, I can only say that it was an unexpected blessing. Doug’s attempt to pull a coup against the CEC by stealing a diocese DID NOT surprise me in the least. His getting caught did surprise me, though. I had resigned myself to having to put up with his unprincipled, dishonorable, and abusive behavior until I retired from the military. I decided before I joined the CEC that I could suffer through 20-30 years of his horrible ethics and bullying for the sake of ministering God’s Word and Sacraments to his people in the military. I generally don’t delight in other people’s suffering. However, I feel as if I were a citizen of a brutal dictatorship that suddenly put off its oppressive ruler in favor of a freely elected democratic rule. I easily can relate to the newly freed citizens of Libya and Egypt. Oppression in any form is not a good thing.
I could write numerous instances of Doug’s very questionable and unprofessional behavior over the years. However, I will not do so.
The things that he did were so outrageously unprofessional, that though they are all very true, they would tend to sound like ad hominem attacks rather than a recitation of unbelievably bad behavior. Those of us who had to deal with Doug Woodall know just how unfit he was for such a responsible position. It was obvious to all of us that he was not fit to be in the ministry in any capacity. He simply lacks honor.
November 25, 2011 at 9:40 pm
cecvanguard
This is very interesting. I wonder what people that are or were close to you would say about YOU. I cannot imagine how little time you must have that allows you to sit around and conjure up so much garbage. If the man sinned, forgive him. Have you not sinned yourselves? Judging from your apparent lack of reality, I assume you are all perfect, sinless sons and daughters of God.