From Here
This brings me to our present financial position, and the request I am making around the passing of the 2009 Budget. The diocese faces significant financial challenges that must be addressed soon to ensure that we can continue to meet our obligations around payroll and our standing with the bank. The current pressure on cash flow in 2008 is the result of costs associated with the breakaway parishes including legal, administrative and operating expenses, significant historical, outstanding parish receivables, return on investments below our budgeted figures, increasing operating deficits associated with Cathedral Place, and the size of the deficits incurred by the diocese over the past two years.
It is with no small sense of satisfaction that, after over 30 years of seeing St. Hilda’s diocesan assessment being at best flushed down the toilet and at worst being used to oppose the gospel, having broken free of the Diocese, we are now contributing to its financial downfall.
My dear friends, here is the bottom line: the status quo is no longer an option both in terms of how we function as parishes and how we function as a diocese. Let us be united in this firm commitment that we are moving well beyond a position of mere survival and passionate
Let me see, we’ve had the moribund Anglicans in Mission, Decade of Evangelism and Survive and Thrive. Now we have: the Status Quo is No Longer an Option. That should do it; I can’t think why no-one came up with that before.
Over the past several months, I have endeavoured to prayerfully and faithfully wrestle with these two critical duties of a bishop in the Church and at times dealing with the issue of the blessing of same sex unions has felt like a monumental task and a heavy burden to bear. How do I keep in balance the responsibility I feel toward those who have elected me as their bishop, while at the same time remaining faithful and loyal to the members of our National Church and the Anglican Communion? So many times I have prayed for the wisdom of Solomon around this issue and I continue to wait upon God for a more complete answer.
The interesting point here is that Bird obviously thinks that those who elected him as bishop did
so with the expectation that he would proceed with same-sex blessings; he sounds like someone whose strings are being pulled. As you can see (2nd from the left), he is somewhat shorter than the average cleric; this, of course is a distinct advantage for Puppet Bishops.
I am fully aware that some on both sides of the issue will see this as a lack of wise leadership on my part and I accept that. Having consulted as widely as possible, across our own diocese, across our country, at the House of Bishops (including many discussions with our Primate), and of course at Lambeth, I believe that I have come to a better understanding of what is at stake and what the implications are of the decisions we make at this critical period in the history of our Church.
I don’t remember Solomon accepting the epithet of Unwise Leader from others, so one assumes that Bird’s prayer was not answered. But it is a relief to know that at least he realises what is at stake: no more invitations to Lambeth; shunned by most of the world’s Anglicans; massive defections; bankruptcy. I wonder where he is getting his advice?
