"We strongly urge that the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in a spirit of reconciliation and humility and in order to restore the full trust of our bonds of affection across the Communion, accept and implement the recommendations of the Windsor Report and Primates' Communiqué."

"It is our prayer that such acceptance will provide a time for healing and reconciliation within the Episcopal Church of the United States of America."

The letter was signed by the Reverend Brian Grantz, President of The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Northern Indiana. A copy was forwarded to the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams.

The following letter was also sent to all clergy and Senior Wardens-in-Charge of congregations in the Diocese of Northern Indiana.

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Attached is a simple and direct letter from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Northern Indiana to the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. In this letter the Standing Committee states our endorsement of the Windsor Report and the Communiqué from the Primates Meeting of February 2005. As a rule, Northern Indiana's Standing Committee has not been inclined to make such statements, hence this letter of explanation. However, as we do our work in upholding the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church, we felt it imperative at this time to let our voice be heard on the matter of the reconciling work of the Church.

The Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion once again faces a crisis which threatens the unity of our Church. Our divisions are real, deep and, for many, quite unhappy. The temptation to polarize and divide has been growing and will likely continue through and beyond General Convention 2006. In the midst of our struggle, however, there continue to be calls to step back from the conflict and come to the table of reconciliation.

Reconciliation is not an ancillary theme within Christianity, it is central to who we are and what we do. We were reminded several Sundays ago (Proper 6) in the Letter to the Romans that reconciliation is at the heart of Paul's understanding of the work of Christ. Indeed, our Catechism defines our mission in terms of reconciliation: "The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ" (BCP 855). The Standing Committee's hope in endorsing the Windsor Report and the Primates Communiqué is, simply and directly, to urge the Church to engage in our own work and mission.

Faithfully in Christ,

Brian Grantz,
President The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Northern Indiana

Grantz cited Romans 5:6, 8-10: "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly... God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life."

When VirtueOnline inquired as to whether Bishop Ed Little had approved of the Standing Committee's letters, we were told that he had not commented one way or the other.

However an unnamed person from the Presiding Bishop's office called the Rev. Canon David Seger, Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Northern Indiana to complain about what he called "fomenting disunity."

"The fact that the Standing Committee issued the statement on their own authority says something good about them. I don't think the people in New York have any idea that people this far down the hierarchy are concerned about the situation," said a diocesan layman.

A source close to Bishop Little says that he is starting to get off the fence. "He said such great things at General Convention, but since then he has been extremely cautious about ruffling feathers."

Bishop Little has, however, been exceedingly vocal on the matter of Israel, Palestine and the Jews. He has been an eloquent voice raised against the House of Bishops anti-Israel slant. Little is, on his mother's side, a descendent of Lithuanian Jews. He lost kinfolk in the Holocaust.

In an interview recently Little said, "Traditionally, Anglicans believe in nuance and balance. When it comes to the Middle East, that nuance and balance is gone. Our utterly one-sided view of the Middle East is one of deep, deep hostility to Israel. As a Christian of Jewish descent, it all sounds awfully familiar. ... It feels like a new version of ancient hostility toward the Jewish people."

END