No papers were published, statements released or strategies produced. Therefore, you will be as surprised as we were that the purpose of the Ekklesia Mission Conference in Nassau March 30- April 2, was to minister to those who are bearing the weight of reform and renewal in the US, both on the Missions front and on the Political front. The Most Rev. Drexel Gomez, Archbishop of the West Indies and Bishop of the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands opened the meeting on Tuesday [March 30] morning by declaring:

"We are in the struggle for the future of the Anglican Communion. What kind of Communion are we going to have? ONE THAT IS FAITHFUL TO THE GOSPEL. . . . In the next 5 months, (The Lambeth Commission Report is due on September 30, 2004) we must work for clarity. We must act with perseverance, stout-heartedness, courage and a tough­ness of spirit. We must put our total dependence on the Lord and His Grace. As we open to that Amazing Grace, we will be strengthened and reformed. It is His mission, not ours."

"We have come together to be encouraged. We are on His course and He is with us. In His strength alone, we can prevail."

Archbishop Greg Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone (South America) spoke next. When he discovered that all but one participant was from the US, he spoke with great clarity, telling us that others around the world "are praying for us now. They weep for you. They weep with you. It is true that they do not understand how the US has arrived at this impasse."

Many Anglican Christians in the countries he serves spend much of their energy on the
basics of life: food, water and shelter and whatever jobs are available. These folks find it impossible to understand how the Gospel can be so distorted that people actually believe that men should be allowed - and blessed - to marry another man.

"But, we must not loose heart. There is no way to know what our Communion will look like in two years, but we can be assured of the steadfast purpose and presence of God and Christ," he reassured us again and again.

Taking full advantage of the opportunity he taught for six hours over the next three days, taking his text from Acts 26. The presentations were Biblical, Christ centered, and
refreshing like the spring rains. I can't tell you how compassionately and eloquently he spoke. It was - in the midst of the feelings of distress and despair that we brought with us - soul food of the highest order. Manna.

The Rt. Rev. Royal Grote, Bishop of MidAmerica, Reformed Episcopal Church, led us in Bible study on Tuesday, talking about 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:3: "The only point of preaching the Gospel is to see transformed lives. Paul ex­plained in 2 Corinthians 3:1-3: ‘You are our letter, (of certification) written on our hearts, written by Christ not with ink
but by the Holy Spirit.’ Paul explained that the proof of his work was in the transformed lives of the Corinthians, to whom he preached for over two years. Plato was a good teacher but he wrote with ink. That will fade.

"Only that written on the heart by the Holy Spirit will survive.
Therefore, as a priest, your letter of certifica­tion is the lives of
your pa­rishioners. That certification is written by the Holy Spirit."

Referring to preaching in Nassau the prior Sunday [March 28], Bishop Grote said, "With our own eyes, we saw the certification of Archbishop Drexel Gomez, who has preached and labored in Nassau for 30 years. It was quite a thrill to see all of those transformed lives."

All of the Reformed Episcopal Church and Anglican Province of America bishops who preached in Nassau had memorable experiences. The churches were full and the congregations were warm and open to the message of the Gospel. Prayer times were intense and the singing was so joyous. Each reflected on how much we have lost in the States - and we don't even know it.

Archbishop Venables concluded that the most redeeming purpose of the whole mess with ECUSA was that it would drive us to God. If we let it do any other thing, the enemy and the liberals win. “Nobody ever trusts God unless they have no other option. In America right now, you have no other option,” he said.

On Wednesday [March 32], The Most Rev. Leonard Riches, Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, led us in a Bible study about character. “Whose character do your works demonstrate? ‘By your fruitfulness, you demonstrate that you are Mine. Your works bear My character.’ (Philippians 1:9) The suffering of the present time should draw us to Christ and draw us together, not fur­ther separate us. This is the time that the faithful must stand together and contend as one person for the Gospel; because this fight is not about sex. It is all about the Gospel; the authority of Scripture to dictate how we are to live our lives.”

“So, my prayer for us is the same as Paul's: ‘May your love abound. May your knowledge be firm, especially your knowledge of the truth of Christ. May you have a sure and certain discernment, especially about Christ. May you be blameless and pure; may you be found righteous, so that your life and ministry will have God's impact and shine into this present darkness.’”

And that is the gist of it. This time was designed so that the truth and character of God's impact on our lives can shine forth into the present darkness. Many may feel that you can't do much to affect the current situation; but I would respond that you have spent your entire lives preparing for this fight at this time. Your decades of worship have equipped you for just such a time as this. The Truth has been written on your hearts and you must not be silent.

What must we do from today on? We must continue to stand, shoulder to shoulder, and repeat quietly and constantly that the Bible cannot be compromised; cannot be rewritten to appease the culture. We must continue to call those who have done so to repentance and renewal of life. We must continue to pray without ceasing. And we must give whatever is available so that the Archbishops, who, unlike Frank Griswold, don't have abundant travel budgets, can get to the two get to critical meetings.

So many of these good, Godly men KNOW how the Anglican Communion must be
restructured. They are certain that the heresy that Frank Gris­wold has promoted must not be allowed to be pre-eminent. They are willing to strive to exhaustion for this goal. But, they need our help.

Anglicans United needs to raise $40,000 above office expenses in the next 10 weeks so that we, in partnership with Ekklesia and the Rev. Canon Dr. Bill Atwood, can provide travel money for the bishops and archbishops who are in agreement with the Gospel.

Trust me, all of those who are not in agreement with the primacy of the Bible have an abundance of re­sources provided by Griswold. The truth about the redirection of missions mon­ies to support the few bishops and archbishops who are in agreement, is very sobering. And infuriating.

We need your help to meet the critical goal of $40,000.00 so that every faithful archbishop can attend all the forthcoming meet­ings in various parts of the Communion. Please Help! The meetings are critical, the need is real. And your prayers and most faithful financial contri­butions are needed.

Note: For further information and to make a contribution write to: Anglicans United PO Box 763217 Dallas, TX 75376-3217 1-800-553-3645 or Ekklesia PO Box 118526 Carrollton, TX 75011-8526 1-800-303-6267 Online donations: www.ekk.org

The Rev. Todd H. Wetzel is Executive Director Anglicans United & Latimer Press