Has Something Changed Along the Way?

After reading Dr. Jim Simon's recent pronouncement at the TEC Executive Council Meeting to Canon Kearon, Sec'y to the Archbishop of Canterbury: "Currently, there are over 100 priests, deacons and one bishop canonically resident in the Province of The Southern Cone as well as another Bishop canonically resident in the Province of Rwanda functioning in our diocese without licenses and laying claim to some of our parishes", I thought it might be helpful to look back and compare what Dr. Jim previously has stated about parish property.

In a New York Times article published on October 5,2008, we read:"The Rev. James Simon, a conservative who is the remaining member of the Standing Committee, said he had heard from many people who hoped to avoid litigation with a compromise on the property issue, as a symbol of healing after the split. But Mr. Simon did not sound hopeful. 'I wish it were that simple,'he said".

Dr. Jim also posted on his blog on June 28, 2008 an apologetic piece he wrote titled, "Reasons for Staying in the Episcopal Church" His seventh of ten points is this: "Property Issues: Perhaps the most distasteful aspect of the proposed realignment would be the inevitable lawsuits which will arise over parish property. While many of us who wish to remain with TEC have no desire to enter into such suits, it remains to be seen how TEC will respond".

You make the call: Has something changed along the way?

O, The Gall Of It All

I can’t believe the nerve! Today I received a mailing from the Church Insurance Corporation. This is a corporation affiliated with the Episcopal Church (TEC) of which the Church Pension Group is a part. This is the second communication I have received since my last pension assessment notice received in September 2009. On October 12, 2009 I received a personal letter from TEC bishop Ken Price, the Provisional Bishop of the TEC Diocese of Pittsburgh telling me that unless I informed him otherwise, he would assume that I wished to renounce my orders as priest. I did not respond to his letter so I received a subsequent letter on October 28 informing I along with 102 others had been “released” from my ministry as a priest according to TEC Canon Whatever. This letter was signed by two former colleagues --- Hmmmm, I know, like all good Germans, they were just following orders --- and Ken Price. It was copied to the Church Pension Group. On October 30, 2009, I was terminated (termination is their term) from further participation in the Church Pension Group. This came to me via my parish in the form of a termination notice, my last communication from them after paying into their 8 billion dollar fund for 14 years --- no personal letter to me ala Ken Price.

Now this same corporation writes me a “Dear Friend” letter, dated June 2010, inviting me to buy an annuity from them - a Church Life IRA! This is thoroughly amazing! I wonder if they’ve offered a Church Life IRA to ACNA Bishop John Guernsey who amassed over 29.5 years in the pension fund and who was not permitted by Bishop Lee of Virginia to stay in the CPG to reach his 30 year threshold in order to retire with tens of thousands of dollars of additional pension benefits?

I am utterly agog that they want the very money that I am not permitted to continue my pension with to be spent on purchasing an annuity from them! Wowzer! It is signed “Best Wishes” by James Thomas, the General Manager of the Church Life Insurance Corporation. What Hypocrisy! I don’t know what they’re smoking up there at 445 Fifth Avenue in NYC but it sure ain’t Marlboro Reds.