Hi All –

I’m just back from Winston Salem NC and from participating in the ongoing dialogue between the Episcopal and Moravian Church as we move (slowly) toward full communion. It was a great chance to meet Moravians from the Southern Province and hear their history.

I’m excited to be part of this process – and I’m very much looking forward to working with people as we move forward.

When I get a chance I’m going to try to more carefully respond to some of the concerns that I heard from Moravians of the Southern Province that going forward with the dialogue would signal agreement with actions of the Episcopal Church General Convention this summer. Apparently the actions that were taken in Minneapolis (consenting to the election of Gene Robinson and “de-criminalizing” issues of human sexuality) are difficult to understand in some of the parishes in the Southern Province.

For what it’s worth – Episcopalians are used to not being in agreement with each other. But I suspect that in this case, our ethos is rather different than the ethos of the Moravian church which so strongly treasures their Unity in Jesus.