Whither Pittsburgh?

Lionel Deimel, an Episcopal layperson in the Diocese of Pittsburgh writes of some of the preparatory steps being taken in that diocese by laity and clergy from across the spectrum who wish to remain Episcopalian should there be a vote by other members of the Diocese to leave the Episcopal Church.

Deimel reports the formation of a new broadly representative group:

“In January of this year, 12 right-leaning clergy wrote ‘to the people and clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’ that they intended to work within The Episcopal Church, rather than leaving it. This communication had been a long time in coming, and it provided the opportunity for the group that had been meeting with church officials in Western Maryland to invite the 12 priests and representative laypeople of similar persuasion to join the discussions about the future of the diocese.

The group that had been meeting with church representatives in Maryland, joined by conservative clergy and an increasing number of conservative laypeople, began conversation tentatively and with some mutual suspicion. Initially, the group deliberately remained nameless—thereby avoiding a potentially divisive discussion—though it has come informally to be called the ‘Across the Aisle’ group. Although there is some reluctance to use the terms, the part of the group that developed from the original PEP*-initiated discussions is know as the ‘Gospel side,’ and the group of more-recently-added conservatives is known as the ‘Epistle side.’ Happily, these terms are being used less and less, as the ‘sides’ are increasingly concerning themselves with the mechanics of reorganizing the diocese so as to discourage the divisiveness that have characterized Pittsburgh in the recent past.

PEP has perhaps become known for its rhetoric because its marginalization within the diocese provided little opportunity for it to accomplish very much, at least through diocesan institutions that have been firmly in the hands of the bishop and his supporters. The Across the Aisle group, on the other hand, sees a realistic opportunity to gain power only a few months from now, and it has neither the time nor the established mechanisms to articulate for the wider diocese and church what it intends to do with that power. The increasing harmony and dedication of the group to the task at hand, however, is quite encouraging.”

Read the full article here.

*[PEP stands for Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh -ed]

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