[Magdalen] Mass e-mails, was Test

[Jim Guthrie]

From: Roger Stokes

>I would have thought it was against the bishop's interests to wreck a parish. 
>In any case didn't you say that the diocese pried to foust somebody on you and 
>then the Search Committee called the diocese on it?

You'd think.

Shortly after Bishop +Walker (and African-American) became Bishop of the Diocese 
of Long Island, the drumbeat amongst some of the mostly White parishes 
started -- that he was out to wreck them.  This pretty much continued throughout 
his tenure. Included in the Mantra was that having an African American Bishop 
meant it was hard to bring in new members, so it was the Bishop's fault that 
parishes were losing ASA and pledges. Ugly stuff.

It should also be noted that three priests of the diocese left upon +Walker's 
election (including one who publicly said he couldn’t stay with a "radical" AA 
Bishop (his eventually ended up having to merge with one nearby). One parish 
left TEC (and seemed disappointed when in effect, Bishop +Walker didn’t contest 
it and took the high road). Another parish simply ceased any association with 
the diocese at all.

Having ceased getting around, ceased vestry participation and thus participation 
in activities of the Diocese, I lost track shortly before Bishop +Provenzano's 
election, and since moved away.

But I'd bet that some of these parish "leaders" have found new persons to blame 
for the actuarial reality of an aging congregation without influxes of new 
people.

Cheers,
Jim Guthrie