“Our intention from the beginning of this was to provide an open door for those members of St. Barnabas who chose to, to remain in the Episcopal Church,” said Bishop Wimberly. “Clearly Jeff and members of his congregation have decided to pursue their lives as Christians in a different way. We, as the Episcopal Church, still have a mission and ministry in the northwest area of Austin and will meet soon to discuss plans for new work in the same area,” he added.

Among the topics covered at the one-day Summit were: Stewardship models, Evangelism through multiplication, Case studies of new Ohio plants, A review of the worldwide Communion, Matters of canon law, and the formation of a new church planting organization called Great Lakes Anglican Renewal. www.hudsonanglican.com/glar/index.html

The ultimatum by Archbishop Gomez, a member of the Lambeth Commission set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury to broker peace between the warring factions, will outrage liberals and further polarise positions.

It would be unprecedented for a bishop to be stripped of his post after
his consecration. Dr Jeffrey John, the gay cleric named as Bishop of
Reading last summer, withdrew before the ceremony.

Williams said he wanted to make two points about the controversy: First, he said, "the present difficulties would feel a lot more difficult were it not for the immense love and generosity shown to me by (the American Episcopal Church)."

Second, Williams said his experience on Sept. 11, 2001 -- when he was caught in lower Manhattan only blocks from the World Trade Center -- had "made it difficult to feel estranged from the struggles of the Episcopal Church in the United States."