Present at the consecration were two sitting African Archbishops, Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and the Most Revd Justice Ofei Akrofi of West Africa. Two retired Southeast Asian Archbishops were on hand including the Most Rev. Moses Tay and the Most Rev. Yong Ping Chung. A Canadian bishop, the Rt. Rev. Donald Harvey, under the authority of the Province of the Southern Cone and 18 other Anglican bishops from the US, England, Africa and the entire House of Bishops of the Province of Rwanda participated. A number of Common Cause bishops participated from nine jurisdictions including Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya as well as two bishops from the Reformed Episcopal Church. Two retired Episcopal bishops, the Rt. Rev. C. FitzSimons Allison and the Rt. Rev. Alex Dickson were present at the conference but left before the consecrations. The Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan had also left the conference earlier.

The conference itself drew clergy and lay people from across the United States, Canada, Rwanda, West Africa, Southeast Asia and the UK. The Rwandan Church's House of Bishops ratified the choice of the three new bishops last year to accommodate the growing numbers of new converts and establishing of new churches on this side of the Atlantic by AMiA.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has been critical of such diocesan incursions and has spoken out directly against them.

Rowan Williams went public with a letter to Canadian Archbishop Fred Hiltz in condemning the incursion into Canada by the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, but he also made it clear that he was powerless to stop conservative Canadian and U.S. congregations upset with their national churches' positions on homosexuality from leaving and affiliating with orthodox branches in Latin America and Africa.

It was a frank admission by Archbishop as to the limits of his power, even though he is opposed to cross-border ecclesiastical moves.

"I have no canonical authority to prevent these things, but I would simply repeat what was said in my advent letter (in December), to the effect that I cannot support or sanction such actions," Williams wrote the Canadian archbishop.

Mrs. Katharine Jefferts Schori, U.S. Presiding Bishop, has inhibited one retired bishop, 87-year old William Cox, for ordaining and confirming in Kansas and later confirming in Oklahoma, but he has since fled to the Province of the Southern Cone for spiritual and ecclesiastical safety.

During his sermon, the Rt. Rev. Chuck Murphy, Bishop and AMiA Chairman, said there was an urgent need for more missionary bishops as a Second Reformation has begun and that bodes well for his church's efforts to reach 130 million unchurched Americans.

"We need more missionary bishops to step into the next level of growth. The critical factor, the God given vision of this remarkable vision, comes from the Rwandan House of Bishops and their willingness to stand up and be a part of us from the beginning. They broke with convention in the early days and pioneered a way forward in mission unheard of Anglican circles," said Murphy.

"These past 10 years have been challenging. The criticisms have been voiced and questions about the legitimacy of our existence, but with their God given vision they have stood up and stood apart. It could not have happened without them."

Addressing the conferees, many of whom were formerly members of The Episcopal Church, Murphy challenged them saying, "The world wants to know of your witness, your boldness and pioneering vision. All you need is a God given vision, a way forward in witness to the power of God who moves with great authority in the world and North America."

Citing a book he had recently read on the changing face of Anglicanism, Murphy said the AMIA was a profoundly influential movement in the Anglican Communion, pushing the boundaries in a new vigorous way.

"God promises to give us vision, again, again and again. Where there is no vision the people perish," he said citing Proverbs 29:18. Picking up the thread of Joel 2:28 Murphy cried out, "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions"

Murphy said the mission of AMIA was "unique" and offered a compelling picture of a preferred future that "motivates to work, pray, and forgive...it is a vision but then it unfolds...godly visions will flow from the word of God.

"We must ask, is it in conformity with Scripture? Godly visions will speak to peoples needs. We must get outside of our comfort zones. Godly visions will ultimately unite as more and more people see and understand what AMIA is about. Today's consecrations are yet another step in this unfolding vision."

Murphy said the AMIA had a basis for action. "We see it, we say it and we seize it. We cannot drift or lie in harbor. This is the challenge of the church in this age. The trigger for this action is the call, and that call we sense is from God.

It is also a pneumatic vision - the movement of the Holy Spirit to give us the desire to send forth laborers into the harvest. You have got to have an opportunity. The answer was yes. This "yes" required that action. The good news is that God promises us the power. It fell on the judges of the Old Testament, again at Pentecost, then St. Paul and Timothy...it came with the Spirit of power."

Murphy acknowledged both the challenges and temptations. "There is the challenge to burn out. Do anything you want but not everything you want. We need margins, time for family. We should expect attacks from The Evil One and cited the areas of sex, money and power. Satan can trip people up in the area of relationships and attacks us in the area of self esteem. We are made in the image of God Satan is not, but we should never give up."

The Anglican Mission in the Americas encompasses the United States and Canada with missions in Mexico and Bogota. Since it began in 2000, the mission has added an average of one church every three weeks. The AMiA now has seven missionary bishops serving more than 133 parishes with 62 more in the pipeline.

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