A Letter from Bishop Chris (November 2023A)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
In Acts 1: 8-9, Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus calls us to be his witnesses wherever he puts us and to whomever he sends us. One such witness, and a personal hero in the faith to me, was Charles Simeon. Simeon was a British Anglican evangelical pastor who lived in Cambridge England in the early 19th century.
In the early years of his ministry at Holy Trinity Church, Simeon faced intense opposition. The congregation was deeply opposed to him and for 10 years resisted his Gospel preaching by locking the pew doors so that visitors had to stand jammed in the aisles during the service. His adversaries were so opposed to his preaching and his zeal for Christ that they inscribed on a church bell: “Glory to God and damnation to enthusiasts.”
Over the years, his faithful and passionate witness through biblical preaching, the exaltation of Jesus Christ, and his missionary outreach affected many people inside and outside of the church. Simeon’s Friday afternoon tea sessions with undergraduates from Cambridge which consisted of bible study, conversation, and discipling shaped a Gospel movement in the Church of England. His energy and drive was grounded in a deep desire to bring others to a personal faith in Christ. Simeon was a Christian who took seriously and lived into Christ’s call to be a witness. I pray the Holy Spirit will give me, and each of you, this same kind of power to be Christ’s witnesses in the world.
Blessings,
Chris Warner
p.s. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Synod next weekend. If you are a delegate for your church, please read the synod materials ahead of time. Even if you aren’t a delegate, you can still join us for the pre-synod Art of Neighboring conference, as well as the opening Eucharist at which I will be preaching on 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 17.
Follow Up on the Upper Midwest
from Bishop Chris
Last June I wrote to you about my experience at the College of Bishops which focused on resolving the showdown that emerged between the Provincial Office (the archbishop) and the Provincial Tribunal (the court) over the first of the two presentments against Bishop Stewart Ruch in the Diocese of the Upper Mid West.
In the months since the CoB meeting, the following has occurred:
The Provincial Tribunal lifted the Stay Order on the Presentment against Bishop Ruch.
The Board of Inquiry began its work to investigate that Presentment. They have determined that there are reasonable grounds to take +Ruch to trial on both presentments against him.
On November 6 the Board of Inquiry issued the following statement:
In the matter of Stewart E. Ruch, III, Bishop of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, this Board of Inquiry, selected pursuant to Canon IV.4.3 of the Canons of the Anglican Church in North America, had a presentment signed by three bishops of this Church with jurisdiction referred to it from the office of the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America. The presentment conformed to the requirements of Canon IV.4.1.
Having investigated the charges contained therein, pursuant to Canon IV.4.4, the Board of Inquiry finds, upon matters of law and fact, as presented to it, that there are reasonable grounds to put the accused to trial, and, pursuant to Canon IV.4.6, hereby makes this public declaration that, in the judgment of at least two-thirds of the Board of Inquiry, there is probable cause to present Bishop Stewart E. Ruch, III for trial for violations of Canon IV.2.4, and Canon IV.2.10.
Respectfully submitted November 6, 2023.
The Board of Inquiry
Both Presentments filed against Bishop Ruch will now be before the Court for the Trial of a Bishop to proceed according to the Canons and Rules of Procedure. Archbishop Foley Beach has asked us to pray for those who have been hurt, for Bishop Stewart, his family, the diocese, the Court, and the ACNA.
Almighty Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth, with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Collect for the Universal Church (William Laud), BCP 2019, p.646.