Senior leaders from the Anglican Church in North America and the Anglican Mission met in a conversation facilitated by a certified mediator to discuss broken relationships, and to find ways that produce a faithful witness to Christ that has been undermined in the past. In our conversations at this meeting, we experienced many requests for forgiveness for past actions and words. With surprising and encouraging depth, forgiveness was extended in both directions for many things. We agreed to continue conversations to develop godly relationships that fully honor Christ. We are committed to comprehensively addressing the offenses of the past in a similar fashion to the way that we addressed the first issues dealt with today. Our conversations were shaped by this prayer:
Heavenly Father, we bless and thank you for our creation, our salvation and our preservation, through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. We come to you confessing our sinful quarreling and the divisions among us. We are determined to follow you, Lord Jesus, to the foot of your cross. There we will find forgiveness and the the restoration of our unity. By your Holy Spirit, give to us that wisdom and that mind which only you can give. Forge in us both humility and charity that we might think better of each other that we think of ourselves. For we believe that we have renounced the spirit of this present age and we have received your Holy Spirit. Give us grace to walk together in the way of Jesus Christ and thus to proclaim that He truly is Lord over His people. All this we in Jesus Holy Name.
Present at the meeting were Archbishop Foley Beach, Bishop Philip Jones (pictured), Bishop Bill Atwood, Bishop Sandy Greene, Philip Ashey, and Allen Hughes.
