The Anglican Church of North America recently announced the appointment of a Chief Operating Officer, Brad B. Root.
Here’s evidence of what he is doing. As reported at the blog of a member of the Reformed Episcopal Church, he has issued an appeal for contributions to a Special ACNA Thank Offering. Here’s the letter:
Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 10:50 AM
Subject: Special ACNA Thank OfferingGreetings in the name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
I am writing to give you advance notification of a mailing that you should expect to receive early next week. It is a letter to you and your vestry from Archbishop-Designate Robert Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Upon receipt I ask that you and your Vestry prayerfully receive this invitation of financial support with a gracious heart, and respond as generosity as you can for the sake of all that God has bestowed upon us and is doing among us.
This special Thank Offering was presented to and strongly endorsed by all of the Lead Bishops and Stewardship Group when our Provincial Council met last month to formally accept the 28 dioceses and dioceses-in-formation from all across North America. The idea is to collect an average of $1,000 from each of our more than 700 congregations. It will allow us to start-up effectively and meet the initial financial needs of the new provincial office. In the years ahead, the operations of our province will be funded by regular tithes from our dioceses, not extraordinary congregational offerings.
Full details of this extremely important offering including a sample bulletin insert, suitable for reproduction, and a return envelope will be enclosed in this forthcoming mailing. This offering can be taken on Pentecost and subsequent Sundays up to June 21st (the Eve of the Inaugural Provincial Assembly). We would also encourage your church to include news of this offering in leaflets and newsletters the next few Sundays.
This is an incredibly exciting time marked by both celebration and gratitude. No one among us doubts what the Lord has undertaken for us. The outcome of this offering will be instrumental to our start-up as we begin to fulfill our mission of “Reaching North America with the Transforming Love of Jesus Christ.” Thank you in advance for your support and please do not hesitate to contact me directly should you have any questions.
I remain deeply grateful for the tremendous privilege of serving you and your parish.
Blessings, Brad B. Root
Chief Operating Officer Anglican Church in North America
The blogger wasn’t favourably impressed. Read his own comments (scroll down) here.
Have Coors, Scaife, Ahmanson, and the other right wing sugardaddies shut down the gravy train?
What is meant by “lead” bishop? Since we’re talking about Duncan’s office and Pittsburgh has already voted to transfer the funds they have been gathering to ACNA (I may be wrong but I thought it was about 500K) versus, let’s say the the Common Cause Partners, why does Duncan need a million 2? Is the 500K now not available to ACNA? Are the funds delayed, frozen? How are the funds to be used? Since ACNA has already created so many of the structures, the old network, why does it need start-up funds? And the issue of a “thank” offering is… Read more »
Lead toy soldiers were outlawed some years ago as they were found to be poisonous. I wonder about lead bishops……
I read the blog by the member of the Reformed Episcopal Church. Someone should explain to him the difference betwen ‘led’ and ‘lead.’ That quibble out of the way, I am almost afraid to ask how the 1978 BCP ‘paved the way’ for female ordination and acceptance of gays. More seriously, I think the tone of the blogger suggests that if ABp-Designate Dunkin’ envisions his group swallowing up all the other splinter groups, he is in that, as in so many things, delusional. Archbishop-designate makes me think of Gilbert and Sullivan … something like the Lord High Executioner’s song, “I… Read more »
I believe I have found an answer to my question. On May 27th, the case of Duncan et al. is scheduled to be argued. The Episcopal Church has filed for declaratory judgment. Essentially, TEC is asking for an enforcement of the 2005 settlement, in which case all real and personal property of the diocese of Pittsburgh, now in the custody of +Duncan would be transferred to the TEC diocese. TEC is not asking for a ruling regarding the legitimacy of the secession, it is unnecessary for it to accomplish its goal. It is simply asking for enforcement. Pittsburgh had attempted… Read more »
Another interesting concern. If Pittsburgh must turn over to TEC its assets as of Oct 4, 2008, what would the value be of those assets today, especially its investment accounts? If Pittsburgh’s investments took the same kind of losses as most, it may not have the assets it needs to pay TEC’s claim should TEC win and I for one, suspect that TEC will.
IIRC, “lead bishops” is language that the Common Cause Partnership has used in its own documents around the formation of ACNA to designate the presiding bishops of the various constituent organizations. It’s the umbrella term to encompass a variety of titles, analagous to the Communion’s use of “primates.”
Coincidence that this went out on the same day as the “fourth moratorium” vote?
All this is just common sense evidence that if you are going to run a new ACNA replacement province, you are going to need money. I would not be surprised if the deep pockets that have often helped finance the IRD-type campaigns against the mainline USA church groups – Scaife, Ahmanson, others – were not bottomless nowadays. All financial instruments have taken hits to some extent, globally. Meanwhile, xDuncan must be kept in the high style to which his fine lead-ership is accustomed? Don’t forget all those other new bishops. The Southern Cone just cannot pay all the rightwing bills… Read more »
“The outcome of this offering will be instrumental to our start-up as we begin to fulfill our mission of “Reaching North America with the Transforming Love of Jesus Christ.” Thank you in advance for your support and please do not hesitate to contact me directly should you have any questions.” – Mr. Brad Rort(?) – This new ACNA fund-raiser is a little optimistic of his expressed intentions for his ACNA friends, if he thinks that funding their new ‘Provincial’ office will achieve what he sets out here. In the first place, ACNA assumption of the title *Province* may be contrary… Read more »
The ACNA really are living in a fantasy world, and getting way ahead of themselves. Here’s a snippet from a recent AAC regional newsletter; does this clssify as false advertising?:
“The first convention, from June 22-25 in Bedford, Texas, is being organized by ACNA, the Anglican Church in North America. Led by Bishop Robert Duncan, archbishop-designate, this new Anglican province is the 39th to be formed under the umbrella of the wider Anglican Communion that also includes the Episcopal Church and other provinces throughout the world.”
http://www.americananglican.org/assets/Affiliates/SE-Wisconsin-Chapter/Keeping-the-Faith-May-09.pdf
An elaboration of the “money trail” discussion involves the fund raising requests at “Stand Firm” (conservative blog) recently. Apparently one of the bigwigs at that site lost his “day job” and has made a major push for donations to keep him on the blogging job. i have no idea how it has gone although I suspect donations have been less than he desired. The articles there continue to drip with hatred but are certainly becoming more repetitive and boring – whether this is related to money constraints can only be imagined but it is happening. I, for one, will be… Read more »
What is the current relationship between CANA and ACNA?
Won’t they soon be begging money from some of the same sources?
As someone pointed out, in these financial times, there may be fewer bucks to compete for. And as someone else pointed out, both outfits and their minions will likely soon be liable for very hefty court costs and be relieved of the property where they have been squatting.
ACNA STRATEGY>>>>They set a modest figure and then they will announce they have trebled the sum!
The Diocese Funds are approximately$ 20,000,000.00
(20 Mil. dollars or aproximately 15 million BP’s).
That doesn’t include the property or individual parishes that could lose/should lose their property and endowments to TEC. As I understand it, Duncan and crew signed off on the settlement so it’s now time to pay the piper. They’re probably needing money to build new buildings, at least here in Pittsburgh.
Well at least they’re ASKING this time before taking things that don’t belong to them. Still, I shan’t be dashing out to the kitchen to whip up a batch of brownies for their bake sale.
“…this new Anglican province is the 39th to be formed under the umbrella of the wider Anglican Communion that also includes the Episcopal Church and other provinces throughout the world.”
SO! Already Archbishop-elect Bobby Duncan is counting his proverbial chickens – 39th Province? Lets hope they all come home to roost – in due time. – Maybe at AC15?. Do you think this erstwhile battler for a separatist puritanical Province will ever get it off the ground?