"I Can Deal With An Imperfect Church"

The Rev Barbara Cawthorne Crafton has reflected on the meetings in Tanzania in her own very special and gentle way. But, it's firm and enlightened gentleness I wish you to partake of.

"I CAN DEAL WITH AN IMPERFECT CHURCH"

How often have I desired to gather your children together

as a hen gathers her brood under her wings

and you were not willing! Luke 13:34

"I haven't written my pithy, quotable essay on the Anglican Primates meeting in Tanzania yet.

I want to write it, but I keep thinking of things that slow me down. Not indecision about the disagreement at hand -- I'm not in doubt about the rightness of everyone being fully the person God intends, whether in marriage or ministry. My own life has been too rich with the blessings of friendship with far too many gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered people to turn my back on them now..." You can read the rest of her Daily eMo for 03/02/2007 here .

"As We Set Our Faces Toward Tanzania: Of Hot Air and Archbishops

Two noblemen in England, Roderick and Cedric, who had grown up together and gone to school together, pooled resources and did a week long adventure each year.

Some years it was off to Africa, others to climb mountains in Switzerland, and so on and so forth. In this particular year, they decided to rent a hot air balloon and float around for a week.

As fate would have it, they launched off and were immediately socked into a nasty fog. Even worse, they dropped and broke their compass, so they lost all sense of direction. After drifting aimlessly for hours, a break came in the fog. They saw a field below them with no identifiable landmarks, but a person was walking through the field.

Roderick yelled down, "Sir, where are we?"

The person yelled back, "You're in a balloon."

Then the fog socked back in and they were again adrift.

Says Cedric, "Well, a lot of good that did us."

Says Roderick, "Oh, that was very useful, we are just outside Canterbury."

"How do you know that?" says Cedric.

"Well, that was obviously the Abp. of Canterbury out for walk. I know that because everything he said was the absolute truth, but of no earthly value whatsoever."

__________________________

As told by the Rev'd Donald Lowery,

former clergy from Upper SC but how now lives in NC.

This anecdote is brought to us courtesy of MadPriest via Telling Secrets by Elizabeth K+.