I would like to make a few comments on the Resolution that your FIFNA Council unanimously approved at the November meeting. (See Resolution below.)

The Resolution was crafted by the Council’s Goals and Strategies Committee which I chaired. The members of the Committee were Bishop John Broadhurst (FiF/UK), Archbishop Louis Falk (ACA/TAC), Bishop Ray Sutton (REC), and Canon Bill Atwood (Ekklesia Society).

We restated the mission of FIFNA (which first appeared in the 1997 Good Shepherd Statement) "to secure an orthodox Province."

What shape it takes, who its members are, how it will be governed are questions that cannot be answered. We do know that Christ wills unity amongst his followers. And we know that those who uphold the Gospel and the Catholic religion in the Anglican tradition need to fulfill our Lord’s will for His Church.

Unity begets unity. This is why anything and everything that can be offered to God for greater unity to occur is critical. Each of us can be used by God to draw fellow travelers on a road as common as possible for the greater glory of God.

Whatever emerges, we believe, must be "dedicated and equipped for evangelism." We do have Good News to proclaim to a very sad and confused society. We are to win souls for Christ. We are all to be (in the words of St. Francis of Assisi) "the Good News your neighbor reads." Being thankful for our name and partnerships in and as Forward in Faith, I do miss the past name of the Evangelical and Catholic Mission. Let’s not forget that mission.

And we are "to seek the conversion of those who proclaim and/or are ensnared in a false Gospel." St. Paul teaches us that we are "to speak the truth in love." Christians are to care enough about others to say what needs to be said. And if we are people who mean what we say and say what we mean, we can do no other than pray for and witness to those involved with false teaching.

To do such missionary work, we will "cooperate as fully as possible  with the Anglican Communion Network; work with the Continuum to the same end; and collaborate ecumenically for full Christian unity in the Catholic and Orthodox Faith."

We need each other’s gifts, experience, insight, and perspectives. We need to be honest and forthright as to what we can or cannot do with each other, and yet maintain our friendships and respect in the Lord. We are in a time when we must encourage each other to do what God has called us to do and in what arena He has chosen. If what we do is for the spread of the Gospel and the Catholic religion, the healing of relationships, and the support of all within and outside the Anglican Communion who are committed to what has been believed always, everywhere, and by all, then God will be pleased.

I count it one of the greatest joys and privileges to labor for the Lord with  so many Anglican leaders. Again, it’s unity that we seek whenever and wherever possible. It is quite certainly not about competition amongst the players, nor about any disparagement of what opportunities present themselves for the greater cause of the Gospel. As a dear Roman Catholic friend remarked, "It really didn’t matter which disciple won the race to the empty tomb."

God is good all the time. His mercies endure forever. He often surprises us. His ways are not our ways.