[Magdalen] Please pray for Ascension, Chicago

[Roger Stokes]

Prayers for Father Russ as well as for Ascension.

Roger

On 31/08/2015 20:56, Jon Egger wrote:
> Stories like this remind me how much I dislike parish politics.  When our
> PiC showed up maybe two years ago, I took him to our wall of dead rectors
> and wall of dead bishops.  I told him "to be careful and that wall may get
> his ass someday."  Saturday the PiC had a stroke and I hope he's doing ok.
> I'll have to call and see which Episcopal Horsepistol he's in.
>
> On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Roger Stokes <
> roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>> On 31/08/2015 16:22, Scott Knitter wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 9:42 AM, Ann Markle <ann.markle at aya.yale.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I will surely add Ascension to my prayers, and am sorry for the turmoil
>>>> this causes, especially for you.  I'll admit, I'm ambivalent about them
>>>> publishing this "special notice."  On the one hand, I think the
>>>> transparency is good; on the other, it seems like dragging the entire
>>>> parish through what seems like an internal "political" battle.
>>>>
>>> The Special Notice was published on the Facebook site and then I was
>>> asked to copy it over to the website's front page. One reason for this
>>> is so that the general public could get this news as easily as they've
>>> been getting the opposing side's views via a Save Ascension weekly
>>> e-newsletter and Facebook page.
>>>
>> I think that was a sensible move. There is no point in pretending that all
>> is sweetness and light when it isn't - in fact that is being hypocritical.
>> Bring the dispute into the open so it can be addressed openly.  The Recor
>> was called because he was thought to be the best fit for what the parish
>> said it wanted.  He is the spiritual leader of the parish.  If some other
>> leader feels they cannot work with him then the Bible says we should seek
>> reconciliation.
>>
>> Did the Junior Warden do that?  Is the "Save Ascewnsion" group prepared to
>> engage in meaningful discussions?  I just hope that, bearing in mind the
>> shennanigans surrounding the diocese's involvement in the early stages of
>> the search for a Rector, the bishop and his staff are not being brought
>> into play by the malcontents.  I have experience of that, and iut is not
>> nice.
>>
>> Prayers for cool heads and a Christian approach from all parties. As the
>> Curate wrote for your website a few weeks ago
>>
>> "God's way is not always easy, and may often seem counter-intuitive. It
>> may be difficult, and it may feel like a slap in the face.
>> "But we have to remember that God chose the way of the cross. And we also
>> have to remember that the story didn't end there."
>>
>> Roger
>>