NEW ORLEANS: A FEMA representative burst into the office trailer of the Free Church of the Annunciation to tell us all that suicides in Plaquemins Parish, where the eye of the hurricane blew in a year ago were up, and those dying were not just old people over 80, but 40-year old couples who had lost hope, with little insurance money, no jobs and no future. They take pills or a bullet...and it is all over. The blonde lady with an ID card around her neck tells us the news in a matter-of-fact manner as though she were announcing that Quiznos had just opened up down the road. (It just has). "The newspapers are not reporting this," she said.

Outside the double-wide church trailer a long line of poor and impoverished, mostly black folk; wait quietly and silently for food and supplies. Bleach and water are the two items people need most. Normally 200 people is about all the church can take care of before supplies run out, but today nearly 300 are patiently lined up and they will all get something, thanks to the Salvation Army and UMCOR - the social service arm of the United Methodist Church.

But sin lurks in the shadows. Three Hispanic young men have picked up a supply of laundry detergent and are selling it on a nearby street corner. Making a buck is the name of the game. It's all about survival. It's hard to get too mad at anyone here, life must go on.

Fr. Jerry Kramer, the priest here, is up to his neck in visitors, conferences, visiting priests, and his own staff needs. He sticks his head out of the trailer to make sure there is a certain amount of order in the food and clothing distribution line. All is well.

Over the weekend comes some really good news.

The possibility of an abandoned Roman Catholic Church complete with a rectory, religious education building and storage facility could be handed over to Fr. Jerry for a new ministry plant in the Lower 9th Ward. It's a virtual turnkey operation. It's a major answer to prayer. Everyone is excited. All Souls, a church plant out of Annunciation might now be a reality. A Nigerian priest Fr. Shola will run it. A brief prayer meeting is held to thank God, and then it's back to business. There is much work to be done. The hungry need to be fed, the poor clothed, houses need to be restored, and money raised for the steel shell that will be the new Annunciation parish church on an empty slab of concrete, next door to the double-wide which is the present parish home.

My own introduction to New Orleans came within an hour of landing here. With little fanfare we jumped into Fr. Jerry's SUV and headed for the partially restored levees. "I want you to see first hand, David what it's like here. This is truly a no spin zone." Moments later we cross the industrial canal bridge...into the war zone of the Lower 9th Ward, complete with its own Military Police.

It is a sight never to be forgotten. As a kid I used to read a 9-volume picture book of World War II. This looks like Berlin after an RAF bombing. Miles of rows of homes pushed off their foundations; old cars stick out of second storey windows, grass and weeds grow high because of the rains and humidity. There is bleakness here, a terrifying sadness...and then we meet Jimmy. He's a Black brother who remained and now he is the point man for a new church plant in this hell hole. He is cheerful and full of smiles. You can read the account of my first few days here: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4682

It's not all bad. There is always hope, and Fr. Jerry Kramer has it in spades. His infectious hope and winsomeness pervades everything. No one is sad for long; there is work to be done. There is no time now for moaning, whining or complaining. Welcome to America's "Third World", work now, cry later. There's enough blame to go around here for what happened that fateful day, but a year later and Fr. Jerry's only concern is planting the flag of God's Kingdom anywhere he can, especially in the worst section of the city - the Lower 9th Ward. He has broken through and now new seeds will fall again on fertile ground amidst the holocaust of busted homes and broken lives. The Good News of the Kingdom needs to be proclaimed even here where the stench of death and decay is everywhere. God is alive. "Even though I make my grave in Sheol thou art there..." The Lower 9th Ward is America's 'Sheol'. God is here.

WEDNESDAY. A call comes from Bishop Charles E. Jenkins; I get an invitation to attend an ecumenical Bible study with the bishop and a group of city pastors. I go. It is a wonderful occasion. The bishop shines with these evangelically-driven mostly black men. They want to see revival. The bishop offers the diocesan retreat center to facilitate a weekend of prayer and fasting. Later I ask for an interview. He agrees. You can read that in today's digest or click here: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4689

BEING HERE in New Orleans the tribulations in the wider Anglican and Episcopal community seemly strangely unreal, even surreal. The problems here are terribly real and Jesus is offered as the only hope for would be suicides and those in despair. Jesus also comes with dollops of food, clothing and bleach...day in and day out, week in and week out. There is no end in sight.

OUT OF NEW YORK comes news that the meeting of bishops of varying theological persuasions, convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury has ended. Predictably, as VOL called it, the bishops had nothing to show for their conversation. Despite "honest and frank conversations," the bishops were unable to reach an agreement on how to meet the needs of seven dioceses that have asked for oversight with a primate other than the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. "We're hoping to call another meeting later this fall to continue to wrestle with the issues," Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori said after the meeting concluded. You can read the full report, the Archbishop of Canterbury's response and that of Network convener Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan. In the end it will all boil down to property and pensions.

FROM her position in London, Ruth Gledhill, religion correspondent with the Times, reports on plans for a 'two-church solution' to the crisis in the communion.

She says plans are in the works to prevent US conservatives or liberals precipitating a schism in the Anglican Communion. Senior bishops from opposing sides in the Anglican war over homosexuality have called a temporary truce and they have begun talks that could save the Church from schism.

The most likely outcome is a "two-church solution" for the United States, allowing conservatives and liberals to exist, separate but side-by-side, as Anglicans. It would have implications for the worldwide communion, because many other provinces, including England, have similar problems. The plan this week is to draw up a pact giving the appearance of unity, enabling a final deal to be hammered out at the Lambeth Conference in 2008.

This sounds fine, but will Griswold and PB-elect Katherine Schori really accept being second class citizens in a downgraded church. And if there is going to be two churches who will own the properties? What will revisionist clergy in orthodox dioceses have to say about that; and what of down trodden orthodox clergy in revisionist dioceses? Will the spirit of compromise finally prevail? One doubts it. We shall see. You can read her story here: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4680

Ironically even as Southwest Florida Bishop John B. Lipscomb co-convened the meeting of orthodox and heterodox bishops in New York, he took a swing at Blogs this week and urged everyone to go on a 40-day fast from web Blogs. He says that Blogs cause more damage with half truths and lies than erroneous teaching! I kid you not. Writing in the September/October 2006 online issue of his diocesan newspaper, The Southern Cross, Lipscomb blasts those who "hide behind masks of anonymity" and says that their "half truths and outright lies" are damaging the church's mission.

That was over the top for this writer, and you can read my scathing response to Lipscomb's call for an unauthorized campaign of censorship here: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4669

IN OTHER EPISCOPAL NEWS, the Rev. Tom Herrick, Vicar of Christ the Redeemer in Centerville, VA, a church plant out of Truro in Fairfax has left the diocese and the Episcopal Church. A VOL reader wrote to say the church voted last Sunday to leave the Episcopal Church. "Oversight has not been determined but they'll probably stay close to Bishop Martyn Minns in terms of leadership." They are giving their church property to Truro as Truro probably has the resources to deal with it better. They have land but still meet in a school. No word from Lee about he will receive this.

FROM Kenneth J. Brown, Music Director/organist and choirmaster of Grace Episcopal Church in Panama City Beach, Florida comes this: "At a July 4th picnic, I was shocked to hear our Pastor, Fr. Morgan A. Hickenlooper, say that Christ's "I am the Bread...." cannot be taken literally. To do so limits the paths to God. I and other members at the table were told that there are many paths to God and once we realize that, it opens a whole realm of possibilities. The discussion began when Fr. Hickenlooper stated that he KNEW Ghandi was in heaven. A new member (who has since left the church) said, "but Ghandi wasn't a Christian. The new member then quoted the passage from John's Gospel Chapter I. I was a Catholic, who left the Catholic Church and was considering joining this small church, but not now...Ah pluriformity.

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PENNSYLVANIA BISHOP CHARLES BENNISON is on the warpath again. Perhaps believing that a weak Standing Committee cannot unseat him and Bishop Clayton Matthews is not pressing the Presiding Bishop to force the revisionist bishop out of office, Bennison has returned in a Fall fighting mood. He plans to canonically discipline the Rev. David Ousley and depose him by Feb. 2007 if Ousley doesn't recant. Action was taken against Ousley under Canon 10. Ousley reportedly will not contest the action. He has already lost his parish property so there is little incentive to play ball with Bennison. He also thinks the Episcopal Church is spiritually lost and will never recover.

In a letter to all clergy and lay leaders, Bennison has also set his sights on Father David Moyer (Church of the Good Shepherd) and Fr. Eddy Rix (All Saints', Wynnewood) and wants them out of their churches and to take over their properties.

Here is what he wrote: "As one of seven appointed to the House of Bishops' Property Dispute Task Force I know that the longer we wait now, the more difficult and expensive will be legal action to meet our responsibilities to hold in trust both properties. Later this month the Standing Committee, the Chancellor, and I will meet to discuss what next steps we should take. Our auditors have advised us that this year we have spent $15,000--$20,000 in legal fees versus the budget of $250,000 that has been funded through your Episcopate Assessments. With the unexpended legal fees the Committee on Finance and Property is establishing Legal Defense Reserve."

If Bennison thinks he has it all in the bag, he should think again. An attorney for Fr. Moyer says "the war has just begun", and victory for Bennison is far from certain. The attorney for Good Shepherd and Fr. Moyer stated: "Charles Bennison, his attorneys, and the standing committee know that the illegality and invalidity of the "deposition" of Fr. Moyer are the issues in two pending lawsuits by Fr. Moyer. Any attempt to move against the property of Good Shepherd will not only be vigorously defended - there may well be counterclaims and third party claims if any litigation is instituted. The Standing Committee has stated that Bennison concealed information from them in the Moyer matter, and cited these wrongful acts as one of the reasons for demanding Bennison's resignation. The Standing Committee should carefully consider the consequences of permitting Bennison to institute litigation against good shepherd." Hell clearly hath no fury like an orthodox attorney scorned.

Bennison also says he needs an additional $100,000 from congregations to run the diocese, but he is unlikely to get it unless he raises mandatory assessment, which got blown off a year ago. If he gets the $100,000 he says he needs he plans to hire a Canon to the Ordinary. In the meantime parishes continue to close with no let up in sight. The combined Average Sunday Attendance of the ten most recently closed parishes was 200! Bennison also announced that some 30 congregations are "in transition." INTERPRETATION: Going out of business fast. The handful of orthodox priests remaining in the diocese, are either trying to flee or stay under Bennison's radar screen. What he is doing to this diocese is nothing short of execrable.

RWANDA: A group of Anglican primates from the Global South will meet in Kigali, Rwanda, from September 19-22 "to address current Communion concerns" such as the proposed Anglican Covenant, responses to the Episcopal Church's 75th General Convention, and the agenda for the 2008 Lambeth Conference, a Global South Anglican News release reported. Archbishop John Chew of Southeast Asia, general secretary of the Global South Steering Committee, said that the meeting will follow up on some of the key issues raised at the last meeting, which met in October 2005 in Egypt. Priorities will include tackling poverty through economic empowerment, strengthening mission co-partnership, and cooperating in Communion theological formation and education development.

NEW ORLEANS was an eye opener for this journalist. I hope my stories gave you a small picture of life in the Diocese of Louisiana here. I also hope you will take a moment to support this ministry. VOL totally depends on its readers to stay in business. You can send a tax deductible donation to:

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