Alas it is not going to happen. The American Episcopal Church is rife with corruption, is morally blind, spiritually bankrupt; is fast isolating itself from the rest of the Anglican Communion while living off dead men's money, with the latest figures revealing that it is slowly, but surely, dying.

Most of its bishops could not support a General Convention resolution upholding certain basic doctrines of the faith, with the same majority pushing pansexual behavior, and they can't understand why they have lost respect in their own dioceses by dwindling orthodox priests, and finds itself isolated from the mainstream of American Church life with world class churches like the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches wanting nothing more to do with it and its leader Frank Griswold.

Is it any wonder then that this rump group of Anglican Christians who broke away from the Episcopal Church nearly five years ago can muster nearly a 1000 faithful Anglicans in this resort town to press with confidence the timeless gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the framework of historic Anglicanism?

But they are doing it and they have brought in some of the world's best Anglican speakers as well as five Anglican Primates from Central Africa, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and Southeast Asia to drive home the point. In addition there are two Episcopal bishops Dr. C. FitzSimons Allison and Alex Dickson, four AMIA bishops, a British bishop and two African bishops from Rwanda.

In all, 34 states are represented, nine countries from four continents. The Anglican Communion Network is represented by The Rev. John Guernsey standing in for Bishop Bob Duncan, Canon David Anderson for the American Anglican Council, Cris Fouse is here from Forward in Faith, North America as is Chris Sugden from the British-based Anglican Mainstream and five deans from the Network. There are 25 Anglican leaders from Canada an increase of 400 percent from last year's mission conference, as well as leaders from Puerto Rico.

"It is the reality of the realignment," said AMIA leader Bishop Chuck Murphy. It is a collation of orthodox Anglicans through their primatial advisor Archbishop Drexel Gomez (Nassau) upholding faithfulness in mission," said Murphy. We are looking forward to the possibility of full communion with the AMIA, said FIFNA spokesperson Fouse.

"We are making a common cause agreement with the AMIA and the Network. The Holy Spirit is doing an awesome thing. We are united in biblical, missionary Anglicanism in North America," said Guernsey an Episcopal priest from the Diocese of Virginia. The Rev. David Holloway representing REFORM - UK said he stood with the AMIA "in this hour."

Bishop Murphy said this gathering represented united orthodox Anglican voices, and said he was grateful for letters of goodwill from Ugandan Archbishop Henry Orombi.

Reviewing the first five years, Murphy said the AMIA was not a blip on the ecclesiastical landscape that would fade away. "We are carrying on in challenging ways. I see the power of the Holy Spirit in this mission. We have not only made it through choppy waters but we are flourishing, bringing growth and life wherever we plant new seeds."

Reflecting on the mission's five year history, Murphy said the AMIA was launched from ground zero at St. Andrews in Singapore and he expressed his gratitude to former Archbishop Moses Tay and the present Archbishop Yong Ping Chung. "Archbishop Kolini is now the archbishop of every single priest in the Anglican Mission in America. Missionary bishops were sent to the US from the global south because of the crisis of faith and leadership in the US. We heard the call and responded."

"We have seen great things from small beginnings. The fear was that he (Yong) would step back and behave himself, but there has been no quiet and gentle death. There has been a no holds barred charge to reach out and to take the gospel throughout this nation. It has meant more consecrations. TIME magazine and other major media have picked us up," he said.

"This is no flash in the pan. It is a very prophetic moment. We are the morning stars of a new reformation. The Anglican Mission has been called to be that. We need to remember this; we need to remember the bench marks."

Murphy said the AMIA had seen persistent growth. "In 2000 we had 11 churches; in 2002 we had 52 churches; in 2003, 58 churches and in 2004, 70 parishes. We are one mission in 70 places. We are opening up a new church every six weeks. How can this happen? In the US 8 churches close for every 6 churches that open up. How can we keep growing as many more whither? The truth is we are growing in a climate that is increasingly secular."

Speaking to more than 900 at the Radisson Hotel, Murphy called on his hearers to step outside the boxes that we unintentionally find ourselves in and to which they have genetic links to the global south. "We have the concept of having only four active AMIA bishops, but we have oversight by affinity rather than geography and we are using coaches to break new ground with churches."

"I have a passion for mission. Jesus asked us to go to the world; He did not ask the world to come to us. There must be a willingness to innovate. It is risky work building a bridge. We must not rush to build structures. God is able to steer more precisely without a lot of structure. We must be willing to lead. This is the morning star of a new reformation. We must seize the day. We are in the mission business we are not a province or a diocese."

Reaching out to orthodox Episcopalians Murphy said that while the AMIA was called to the St. Paul paradigm, Bob Duncan (Bishop of Pittsburgh) is the apostle of the St. James paradigm.

Murphy said God is using the Winter Conference in important ways. "We hope to experience a sense of increased clarity about the distinct call that God has given us at this moment in the Anglican realignment; a sense of increased clarity about the distinct opportunity that God has given us in this country, and a sense of increased clarity about the specific strategy that God has now given us for our next chapter."

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