I attended the Global South Encounter in Egypt with some reluctance, but felt that it was appropriate to be there because the meeting was taking place in the Province of which I am President Bishop. I wished, further, to be supportive of my colleague, the Bishop in Egypt, who was the host of the Encounter.

These meetings resulted in a unanimously agreed upon report with a covenant union document recommended for final approval by the House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria, and the Council of Bishops and General Committees of the REC/APA. Having received ecclesial approval of the report/covenant, the Archbishop and Presiding Bishops were able to act with the support of their churches.

Yet the way ahead for this volunteer, enthusiastic army was not made wholly clear. The goal it is to reach, the route it is to take, the weapons it is to use, the polity it is to assume and the formularies (under the Word of God written) it is to adopt were left (deliberately?) vague or unmentioned. Why?

So in October 2004, there was considerable anticipation that something decisive might come forth. The 93-page Report did present, on first reading, an indictment of the actions of the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada. It called on those churches to "express regret" for their actions and to effect a "moratorium" on any further consecration of homosexuals or blessing of their partnerships.