Consider the following:

The DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA has a shortfall of between $500,000 and $950,000, and the diocese can barely raise $300,000 from its parishes. Officials will dip into unrestricted net assets again to keep the diocese afloat. And the standing committee wants Bishop Bennison's head on a platter for his unrestrained spending habits (not his theological utterances), which may have depleted the UNA from $4 million to zero. They will need an audit to know for sure.

The DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON'S operating budget is held up only by the endowment of one woman, the Soper Trust, to the tune of millions of dollars. For the diocese to stay afloat it will raid the Soper Trust this coming year for $1.26 million, but the projected diocesan budget for 2006 still appears headed for a deficit -- the very model of financial stress. Parish giving cannot sustain diocesan needs.

In the DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES, Bishop J. Jon Bruno said recently that the present method of funding the diocese would have to cease. He cannot fund ministry from the assets of the diocese rather than congregational contributions. The diocese's corp sole fund, which has been used to underwrite the diocese's ministries, including those for congregational development, will end. Contributions from the fund decreased by $500,000. Bruno wants parishes to increase their financial support and says that parishes not giving 12 to 15 percent need to increase their donations. What Bruno didn't say is that he is using millions of dollars to fund litigation against three parishes that have fled the diocese and ECUSA. He is losing money like crazy and is having to pay their legal fees as well! (The Living Church has a full report.)

The DIOCESE OF EL CAMINO REAL is struggling financially as membership is declining. The last bishop, Richard Schimpky, got tossed out and wound up in the ultra-revisionist Diocese of Long Island as a priest. El Camino Real passed a budget of $2 million recently, but cuts in diocesan funding could amount to more than $900,000!

In the DIOCESE OF NORTHWEST TEXAS under Bishop C. Wallis Ohl, the departure of St. Micholas', the largest parish in the diocese, caused a major financial crisis. Some say that this will be the first ECUSA diocese that declares bankruptcy or is forced to align itself with another diocese.

In the DIOCESE OF KANSAS the largest parish -- Christ Church, Overland Park -- saw Bishop Dean Wolfe bite into the parish check book, allowing it to leave the diocese and ECUSA, but keep its property in exchange for $100,000 a year for ten years. It was blood money, but it will allow the diocese to continue to stay afloat.

The DIOCESE OF CENTRAL NEW YORK is in financial free fall, embroiled in legal woes and fleeing parishes. Things are so bad there they had to make staff cuts after the disclosure that $43,000 was spent for a forensic audit of one single orthodox parish and its priest, whom the bishop hates, because, among other things, he is orthodox. The Rev. David Bollinger has turned around and sued the bishop for $4.35 million and names Bishop Skip Adams, the Diocese of Central New York, and former comptroller Gael Sopchak as defendants.

In the DIOCESE OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA they passed the hat around recently to reduce their deficit. The Rt. Rev. F. Neff Powell tossed in $5,000 of his own money to get the ball rolling to reduce the diocese's deficit of $114,000. After putting out an appeal for more money the diocese raised an additional $47,000, but the question remains, how many times can you cry wolf? The Living Church reported that the diocese got a major shock when the largest single donor, St. John's, Roanoke, significantly reduced its voluntary diocesan pledge. "St. John's is not alone," said Bishop Powell. What will happen next year?

And who will say what will happen in the DIOCESE OF FLORIDA when the dust settles from all the parishes (well over 20, VirtueOnline has been told) that are fleeing that diocese. It's hard to imagine that with the legal fights that are breaking out, fleeing parishioner checkbooks and more, Bishop John Howard isn't going to have to face fiscal reality next year and bite the bullet on many of his programs.

One priest wrote to say that parishes continue to leave the Diocese of Florida. It has been estimated that 28+ may very well have left by June and only God knows how many after that. "Even today if you look at the impact on the Diocese of Florida in numbers it is pretty staggering in terms of actual communicants," the priest wrote. "There is the how do you count them game, have they 'actually' sent a letter requesting the removal or move of their letter, etc., etc. Then of course there are the 'slipping awayers' who just leave to unknown parts, from parishes which are not moving, etc. The bottom line is that it is having a huge impact on the diocese, (and) I do not know if it can be accurately determined at this time. But I am sure it is much greater than we know and that the Diocese of Florida wants to admit."

Many revisionist dioceses that are staying afloat do so because of Dead Men's Money, and the national church dips into its mortuary pot regularly to stay alive as well.

The DIOCESE OF ATLANTA is really putting the screws to its people. The 99th annual council declared that congregations that failed to pay their 10 percent parochial assessment will lose voice and vote for their lay and clergy delegates in diocesan affairs. Furthermore, if you are in default you will not be allowed to call any assistant or associate clergy. That should do it. Pay or you're dead meat. Now you know why a number of orthodox parishes have fled the diocese and ECUSA.

BUT THE BIG NEWS of the week was the announcement by New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson that he was an alcoholic and had checked himself into a rehab center. His acknowledgement stunned the church. No one knew, apparently, and it was never unearthed in statutory background checks when he was running for bishop. I suppose that must be in the category of "don't ask, don't tell." The bishop and diocese issued an official statement, and it was immediately picked up by Susan Russell of Integrity, who praised him for his "courageous stand." But as one person wrote: "A homosexual, alcoholic bishop is lauded by his parishioners for his courageous example? Are there not some generally accepted 'above reproach' standards for church leaders?" Not if you are an Episcopal bishop. The diocese's standing committee said its members support Robinson "and we commend him for his courageous example to us all, as we pray daily for him and for his ministry among us." There now, doesn't that make you feel better? There was nothing about sin, repentance or amendment of life, just his "courage." You can read my assessment of this in today's digest. Of course you could read I Tim. 3:2, where it says: "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach ... "

In another note sent to VirtueOnline, Clergy wellness has long been a focus of Gene's ministry, and in the nineties he developed the "Being Well in Christ," conference model for The Cornerstone Project, and led clergy conferences in over 20 dioceses in the U.S. and Canada." Did that curriculum include a discussion of the well-known causes of alcoholism? "If it did, I cannot fathom Robinson's purported long-standing misunderstanding of this ailment," wrote a reader. "I will be dealing with the disease of alcoholism-which, for years, I have thought of as a failure of will or discipline on my part, rather than a disease over which my particular body simply has no control, except to stop drinking altogether."

The Rev. David Jones, rector of Robinson's home church, St. Paul's in Concord, said he had never seen any sign that Robinson had a problem with alcohol. So the question is; Why didn't this come up in a background check of VGR? He has gay sex and drinks too much? And that's not, at the very least, a problem? When the highly orthodox Rev. Dr. Peter Toon, president of the Prayer Book Society, was invited to be an interim priest at St. Thomas' in Houston, Texas, recently they did a 20-year background check on his life -- seven-year general background and ten or 14 years for criminal records! Of course they found nothing.

In the DIOCESE OF ALBANY, Bishop Dan Herzog got raked over the coals by the Times Union newspaper over allegations of financial mismanagement in the building of a Spiritual Life Center that cost in excess of $8 million. The diocese has between $30 million and $40 million in unrestricted net assets to cover it, and the bank made a legitimate loan with collateral. Smelling a rat, I wrote to Bishops Herzog and Dave Bena and asked for an explanation. You can read the Times Union story and my story that follows that. Suffragan Bishop Bena took the gloves off and accused the Times Union of "innuendo, inaccurate and deceptive" reporting and suggested that a political agenda lay at the heart of the attacks on the orthodox bishop, because people are searching for a new bishop to replace Herzog. How low will the revisionists go?

And from the DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES comes word that another parish has fled that diocese. St. Luke's in La Crescenta made this decision with the support of their pastor, The Rev. Dr. Ron Jackson, reflecting the desire of the church to stand firm on its religious convictions. "It is only after much deliberation and fervent prayer that we came to this conclusion, but it is our only recourse if we are to stay true to the historic faith and teachings of the church," said Fr. Jackson, St. Luke's Rector. Bishop Bruno is of course going to fight them for their property.

From the DIOCESE OF ALABAMA comes this little gem. Currently being played on the radio in Birmingham is an advertisement for an Episcopal church. It should be categorized as "MORE Episcopal Foolishness." While not as offensive as the Trinity Wall Street Clown Eucharist of last year, it is nonetheless an example of the slow-motion mutation of ECUSA into nothing more than a "joke" church. Listen here: http://www.bradbrad.com/mt.mp3

A VirtueOnline reader wrote to say that St Andrew's always had the reputation of being THE Anglo-Catholic parish in the Diocese of Alabama, and there was a time when it stood for catholic truth and traditional Christian values. "This old parish lost any theological grounding it had years ago and, like most non-theological liberal Anglo-catholic parishes, it is all about the drama of liturgical 'smells' and social 'Lutiebelles.' I say that because Louie Crew, aka 'Queen Lutiebelle' of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, absolutely loves this parish and this advert. And why not? St. Andrew's is now one of the best examples of campy spiritualized pan-sexual and post-modern Unitarian crap posing as traditional sacramental worship that is "out there."

IN A CASE OF FEEDING THE HAND THAT BITES YOU, the Executive Council of ECUSA has decided to up its giving to the British-based Anglican Consultative Council by a cool $550,000, from $1.8 million to well over $2 million. The purpose of this is to fund the newly formed Panel of Reference and the Orwellian "listening process" person who sits all day in a small room and listens to gays tell their whiny stories of not being accepted and loved, and where orthodox stories get fed into an ECUSA-supplied shredder.

There's so much irony here you could hang a laundry line on it. Of the four Instruments of Unity, only the ACC is deeply in love with the Episcopal Church. The other three are not exactly singing ECUSA's praises these days. But it is the ACC that has told the ECUSA to take two steps back (but don't fall off the cliff) till it repents of its actions in consecrating Vicki Gene Robinson, which of course we know it won't do. So why give them MORE money, not less? The answer is that at the end of the day it is the ACC that will manipulate the rest of the Anglican Communion to keep ECUSA in the club and not get tossed out. Kenneth Kearon, who heads the ACC, hasn't as yet, turned out to be quite as devious and scheming as his predecessor John Peterson was in manipulating events for his American paymasters, but he is learning. A cool half mill will go a long way to securing his portrait in the ACC Hall of Infamy. He's a fast learner.

AND THE SPIN GOES ON. Bishop Jean Zache Duracin of the EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN HAITI told ECUSA's Executive Council that his country was "full of hope because it has eight million able bodies willing to work, eight million consumers, a vibrant youth population, a hospitable location, and a rich history and culture."

You have to know that Haiti is one of 12 overseas dioceses of the US-based Episcopal Church and the largest diocese in the ECUSA. It also needs lots of mullah from ECUSA to stay afloat. But Haiti is a sink hole. It is at the bottom of every list you can think of for total failure. The Mafia could run the place better than its presidents. Every president they have ever had from Papa "Doc" Duvalier forward has been corrupt. The last time I visited there, rats ate the soap out of my bag and escaped by digging a hole through my luggage. I have never felt the need to return. President Jimmy Carter managed to secure a peace of sorts, by ejecting a president, just as the U.S. Air Force was about to fly over top and bomb the place, flat. The only other country that has wasted more of ECUSA's millions is Mexico, where an archbishop and bishop absconded with monies and were never heard from again. One little statistic should help. In Haiti more than 98 percent of the forests are gone, leaving no topsoil to hold rains. Even the mango and avocado trees have started to vanish, destroying a vital food source in favor of another necessity for the impoverished - charcoal for cooking.

The beleaguered DIOCESE OF RECIFE added nine new presbyters recently, living proof that you can't keep a good bishop and diocese down, despite a revisionist archbishop. In a ceremony at the packed Good Samaritan Cathedral, the bishop of Recife, the Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavalcanti, laid hands on these men and women, declaring that by these acts the clergy of the Diocese of Recife "were growing in quantity and quality, with men and women from several professional backgrounds, both mature and committed." The diocesan ministerial commission, the board of chaplains examiners, and the two diocesan seminaries (Recife and João Pessoa) continue to work for the formation of new candidates to the ministry with the aim of working in the mission of the church in this area of Brazil.

And from the DIOCESE OF LAKE MALAWI comes word that British vicar Nicky Henderson paid a visit to the diocese. Henderson, who was rejected as bishop of Lake Malawi Diocese last year on allegations that he was not of sound faith and suspected to be gay, said in an interview that it was laughable to associate him with gays. "To associate me with gays is really incorrect," he said. "I have nothing whatever to do with gays, I have never had anything to do with them, and these allegations have been quite laughable back home." He admitted that he was a member, former secretary general and chairman of the Modern People Church Union (MCU), which he said was "only" a liberal church society that freely discusses various issues affecting the church, including homosexuality. Henderson arrived in the country to a hearty welcome from the Lake Malawi Diocese church members who defied an order from leader of the Central African Province Archbishop Bernard Malango that the church should have nothing to do with the visit. Henderson said he was on a 10-day private visit, with three assignments.

"I have come for the solar panel project and I want to talk with government about the project," he said. "Also, Bishop Peter Nyanja was my good friend and while I am here one of the things I would do is to go and pray at his grave. I can say I am in this country on a pilgrimage." Malango's office issued a stern warning to Henderson that his visit should not involve the church. "I would like to strongly advise Nick that his private visit should remain private, and any involvement with parishes in Lake Malawi Diocese will be regarded as official and therefore he should be prepared to face the consequences," said the communiqué signed by Provincial Secretary Eston Pembamoyo. The truth of the matter is Lake Malawi does not need another washed-up, conflicted, single British vicar. The Africans are quite capable providing for their own leadership, they don't need the Brits or the Americans, and they don't need us to screw it up for them. That day is done.

TOON TUNED TO A HIGHER ELEVATION. The board of the Prayer Book Society of the USA met February 8 in St John's Church, Savannah, in its new facility called Cranmer Hall, in the room containing the library of the late Rev. William Ralston. The board appointed the Rev. Peter Toon as the society's president for 2006. This was suggested by the outgoing president, the Rev. David Kennedy, SSC, and confirmed by all present. This year the society will celebrate its 35th birthday. Dr. Toon recently returned to the United States from a vicarage in England. He is busy writing and speaking throughout the country.

And to complete the overseas picture, THE CHURCH OF NORWAY IN EXILE anathematized ALL the bishops of the Church of Norway, casting them out of Christ's true Church. This was done in response to the CoN Doctrinal Board's statement last week that both approval and disapproval of homosexual relations were valid interpretations of Scripture. In a pastoral letter, Bishop Børre Knudsen said, "It appears as though the bishops have forgotten the word 'sin' and scarcely understand the sentence, 'the wages of sin is death.' In the Doctrinal Board they have let loose the ancient serpent. He is hissing today as before, 'Hath God really said?' And they have let themselves be seduced like Eve. Contrary to God's clear Word they themselves wish to determine what is good and what is evil. Serpentlike, they speak with forked tongue and set forth truth and lies as equally valid views..."

"How can we be faithful to our baptismal covenant," asked Bishop Knudsen, "if we do not forsake such bishops and all their works and all their desecrating ways?"

http://www.vartland.no/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060125/ARTIKLER/60124019/1036

One wonders if the Anglican Communion Network won't one day do the same to the Episcopal Church USA.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF BURUNDI, the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi, wrote to VirtueOnline to say that his recent meeting with Alabama Bishop Henry Parsley was an act of civility, nothing less, nothing more. "During our meeting we talked about the issues within the Anglican Communion and three issues come up: I shared with him the concerns and feelings which I gathered during the conference that those who are leaving ECUSA feel persecuted and therefore have no other choice but to leave. I shared with him my perspective on the future of Our Communion and he told me that every body should try their best to stay within the framework set by the Windsor Report. I shared with him the position of the province of Burundi regarding what is going on in the USA. The Province of Burundi is absolutely against the election and consecration of clergy living in active homosexual relationships. I told him the issue was not homosexuality but the basis of our Christian Faith within the catholic Church. The province of Burundi thinks that creating a New Anglican Church or a separate province in the USA, for the moment, is not the best way forward. We do support the efforts carried out by groups like ACN, a movement ratified by ten dioceses within ECUSA."

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