From Rabid Robbery To Rapt Righteousness ...

Incense was everywhere at St.

Andrew's to mark the beginning of

the Centenary of Christian Unity

Week with three Oecumenical

Bishops present among the gather-

ing of interfaith clergy and laity.

I knew two of the bishops present from

having met them before. They were

Bishop Bernard Longley, Catholic

Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and

Bishop Christopher Chessun, Anglican

Bishop of Woolwich, who I first met with

Episcopal Visitor, Rt. Rev'd Sebastian

Bakare, Anglican Bishop of Zimbabwe.

It was good to spend an evening with

them along with first meeting

Bishop Basil of Amphipolis of the Russian

Exarchate of the Greek Orthodox Parish

of the Dormition.

The Prayer Vigil was in full harmony as I

arrived having just been robbed on the bendy

bus 25 that happened also to be on the eve

of the birthday. What a birthday gift to go

from a rabid robbery to rapt righteousness

at St. Andrew's ...

Rev'd Father Lyle Dennen is the rector

of St. Andrew and the Archdeacon of

Hackney. He, along with Rev'd Rhys

Martin of the Diocese of Chelmsford,

opened the service under the banner

of "Jesus Christ the Fullness of Life"

(JCFL) with chants of 'Holy Ghost, our

souls inspire' to 'Ubi Caritas et Amor,'

which followed next by readings and mov-

ing Intercessions throughout the dignified

service that saw the quietness and

prayfulness of all present.

I was especially intrigued by Rev'd Rhys

Martin, age 39, with his hair grown beyond

his shoulders and numerous tattooes on his

left arm. With his specs and tosh, he spent

most of his time at the Prayer Vigil literally

on his knees as he also directed the heavenly

religious chants with the bishops and congre-

gation meekly and agreeably in tow with Rhys.

I was quite surprised when he told me that he

was indeed an Anglican priest and not what

I first thought Rhys was - a "reformed" gang

leader or a belated hippie. Here then is an-

other example of the beauty of Anglicanism

as seen in the lifestyle of Rev'd Rhys Martin.

While I see Christian Unity as most vital

at this centenary year, I also see too

much unneeded dissension among mem-

bers of the Anglican faith of which I have

been a lifelong and an affirming member.

It is all well and good to seek unity among

those of other Christian branches - which

I personally support unconditionally -

yet at the same time cannot put its own

house in order. Anglicans need to stop

bickering and complaining and they need

to gather in unity and faith as one unto

one another whether we style ourselves

as traditional or liberal or something else.

The beauty of the Anglican faith is that we

are open enough to accommodate every

thing from Historic Anglicanism to liberation

theology to Anglo-Catholicism. We seem

to have everything, but no concrete unity

among us at this time. So as we endeavour

in giving open fellowship to our non-

Anglican friends and adherents in the cause

of Christian Unity, let us not forget to also

work hard to bring about greater Christian

love and respect for our fellow Anglicans

and Episcopalians wherever and however

we are out of the 78 million of us ...

The almost schismatic gadfly of the up-

coming Global Anglican Future Conference

(GAFCON), which is set for June at Jerusalem,

is another clear example of inter-Anglican

division and feud. GAFCON seems to be provo-

catively timed to wound and divide even further

the all-important 2oo8 Lambeth Conference

that's also set for June at Canterbury. Held

biennially, the Lambeth Conference began in

1867. In 1968, it first opened the conference

to observers and laity and not just to the

Protestant episcopate. Essentially, the purpose

has always been to bring the leaders and voices

of the worldwide Anglican Communion to

Canterbury to advance the faith and the

frame work of living Anglicanism ...

GAFCON is the opposite to that. It is

in danger of politicizing and secularising

and compartmentalizing the Anglican

faith it seems to me. I almost think we're

dealing with over-grown school kidz, who

need to first learn to grow up and stop

behaving like spoiled bratz demanding

they get their selfish and self-centered

way at the expense of Anglican unity

and fellowship. I also think it is some-

think like the bumper sticker on the back

of those 18-wheelers: "If you cannot see

my front mirrors, I cannot see you."

That's the problem with GAFCON, I'm

afraid. They cannot see us, because we

cannot see their Anglican front mirrors.

At least I cannot ... So, I'd rather listen

to Scriaban and Smetana right now than

adjust my rear view for them at GAFCON.

I have also been invitied to attend The

Holocaust Memorial Day Inter-Faith

Commemoration at the East London

Synagogue of which I am privileged to

accept without hesitation as an avowed

Anglican since I believe that Christian Unity

must also be truly interfaith with other faith

traditions be they Jewish or Islamic or Hindu

or of whatever belief held by others outside

of Christianity. There are a few exceptions

to that like: Scientology, Mormonism, and

evil cults with dubious 'preachers' of delusion.

At the end of the Prayer Vigil at St. Andrew's,

we all gathered for the 'Agape Meal' that prov-

ides fraternal space to meet with each other

over a simple and healthy supper together. It

also allowed me to personally photograph the

three bishops both individually and collectively.

It was the first time I was able to photograph

such Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican bishops

together. But best of all, I was able to spend

sometime conversing with them as Christian

friends above all else. I was happy, too, to pre-

sent Bishop Longley with a gift of one of my

photos of him in his full bishopric vestments

and mitre from when we last met at St.

Patrick's parish of Father Alexander

Shelbrooke, who is my favourite priest.

As for the robbery on the bendy just

thirty minutes before I was to arrive at

St. Andrew's, and just thirty minutes

after my earlier birthday eve bash, I

was suddenly grabbed by the copz as

the bendy stopped dead at New Oxford

Street when the doors quickly opened

with the packed bus of passengers

looking on with amazement at the un-

folding spectacle of handcuffs and instant

arrests at around 7:00pm.

I immediately protested being grab-

bed, but was soon told that I had

done nothing wrong, except I'd

been robbed by the two fellas

standing next to me on the packed

bendy. I had just caught one of

them putting back my Freedom

Pass minus some 20 quid he'd

taken from my left jacket pocket.

He'd dropped my pass on the floor

and as I was bending down to

retrieve it was then when the bendy

doors opened and I was grabbed

by the arms of the law ... It is the

police policy to grab the suspect (s)

at the same time they grab the

victim (s), too. The reason for that,

so PC Lynnette Gough informed

me, is that oftentimes the victim (s)

is terrified of being identified or

being asked to testify against

those who have victimized them ...

In my case, I am certainly not

terrified to be identified nor to testify

if required by the law. It seems the

two black gang fellas were already

known to the police for they seek

out white elderly victims who they

figure they can rob with impunity

on the bendy buses like I was ... One

cop even described them as "animals"

to me. Let me say that they're "not

beautiful people" at least ...

It was the first time I had been

robbed in London and hopefully the

last time ... Although, I was robbed last

time at South Africa's Johannesburg by

four or five professional street thugz

who put me in a tight choke hold from

behind my back and took

everything from my watch, rings,

passport, and cash all within less

than a minute right in broad day

light near Bree Street at where I

was staying at the Rand Hill Hotel.

Joberg is now considerably more

dangerous and lawless for visitors

than anything in New York City ...

When visiting Sud Africa, avoid Jo-

berg like a plague of gang violence.

When I told some of the clergy of my

bendy ordeal, they expressed alot of

sympathy, naturally. They were glad I

was not harmed for one of the suspects

I believe carried a firearm or knife on

him. If I had remonstrated to hard

with him about robbing me, I might

now been a stabbed or a dead Anglican

goose after all for all I know. What I do

know is that many of the London bendy

buses have now become a "ghettoized"

ride for folkz like me ...

Praise be to God and His protection

of me and for a wonderful day of

extremes from rabid robbery to

rapt righteousness. Who could ask

for a more stranger birthday eve

than me?

Faithfully, Monty.

+The Chair of St. Peter, 2oo8.

UPDATE: The Church Times, which I read

regularly, reports this week that Bishop Sebastian

Bakare of Zimbabwe is in a rather vile and messy

situation with the police thugz of the lunatic

government of president Robert Mugabe.

According to CT reporter Pat Ashworth

based at the capital of Harare, "Police in full

riot gear stormed (Anglican) churches last

Sunday, after a police circular was issued

saying that services could be conducted

only by priests loyal to the deposed bishop,

the Rt. Rev'd Nolbert Kunonga. All parishes

in Harare have voted to remain in the

Church of the Province of Central Africa

(CPCA) under Bishop Bakare. But Mr.

Kunonga announced this week that he had

formed a new province, the 'Anglican Church

of Zimbabwe,' under his (own) primacy."

The idea of a deposed bishop (Mr. Kunonga)

using the government's police to forcibly stop

Sunday services is tantamount to Nazism ...

"The police have no power to tell me or my

people where to worship and under whose

leadership. I am not going to be told. That's

the gist of it," so Bishop Bakare is reported

to have stated as he and his congregation

await possibly more violent actions against

them by Mugabe's corrupt police apparatus ...

Let us now pray for the safe keeping of

Bishop Bakare and his good people.

+Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 2oo8.

The Above Caption: JCFL's "Our Father."

Ecumenical News International (ENI)

Pope and WCC head to pray together

for Christian unity

Geneva (ENI). 21 January 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI and the Rev. Samuel Kobia, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, will meet in Rome on 25 January, at a ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The WCC said in a statement on 21 January that Kobia will meet the Pope in a private audience along with members of the Joint Working Group of the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC, during a yearly working group meeting in Rome

from 21-26 January. [ENI-08-0050]