Another Convert

[GenX]

Allen Hunt, a pastor of the third largest Methodist Church in the USA, has announced his upcoming river crossing:




January 2008

After much prayer and meditation over the past six months, I have shared with Bishop Lindsey Davis that I am relinquishing my status as an ordained United Methodist pastor in the North Georgia Conference. This deeply personal decision reflects my sense that God has called me to serve in a new mission role. Moreover, I believe that God has led me to a new spiritual home in the Catholic Church, so I have made provision to be received as a member into that Church. Anita plans to continue her ministry with children in the United Methodist Church, and I naturally will continue to support her and that ministry with my prayers and my regular volunteer service. I pray God's blessings on my brothers and sisters in ministry in the United Methodist Church, particularly the wonderful family of believers at Mount Pisgah.
Allen

LINK

[GenX]

"I was a pastor in The Brethren in Christ Church for 27 years. Sometime in the late 90s I was introduced to The Liturgy of the Hours, the prayer book of the historic Church. There I discovered readings from the early Fathers of the Church. This attracted me to the monastic tradition, which led me to domestic vows with The Brothers and Sisters of Charity.

In late 2006 I gave my resignation after 18 years as senior pastor in one congregation. In the summer of 2007 I entered the Catholic Church as a step of obedience. The practice of the Faith by Catholic people is far from perfect, but there is a fullness of Christian Faith, in principle, that cannot be found elsewhere. My vision and my current ministry is to encourage people to be open for the Spirit to enable us to be part of congregations that seek to express a fullness of worship — to praise and share in the freedom of the Spirit, to declare God’s Word in its fullness, and to share the true Communion Jesus gave his Church."

LINK

[Soundbear]

"The practice of the Faith by Catholic people is far from perfect, but there is a fullness of Christian Faith, in principle, that cannot be found elsewhere."

Elsewhere?? Not really, just not by him.

[GenX]

Great reply, Barry.

Should change a lot of minds.

[Soundbear]

So??

[GenX]

I thought you were out to win souls?

[GenX]

"An influential priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced that he will renounce his vows as a priest in the Episcopal church in order to convert to Catholicism and apply to become a Catholic priest. Rev. Alvin F. Kimel Jr., rector of St. Mark's Church, told his 200-member parish about his decision in a letter Thursday.

The 55-year-old pastor and father of four also posted the letter on his Web blog May 19.

"In the name of an ideology of radical inclusivity, the Episcopal Church has moved significantly away from the apostolic and catholic faith of Jesus Christ," his letter read.

“With the decision made by General Convention two summers ago to approve the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions, it has, in my judgment, become heretical,” he continued.

"I cannot in conscience represent the Episcopal Church to the world, nor can I in conscience summon sinners into its fellowship,” he stated.

“As my wife and close friends can well testify, my life has been an agony for me since the 2003 General Convention. I have struggled to discern God’s will for my life and for my ministry,” he shared in his letter.

“I have had to reassess my understanding of the Church from the ground up. I have finally concluded that I cannot in conscience remain an Episcopalian. I must be in the Church founded by Christ Jesus. It is thus my intention to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church,” he concluded."

LINK

[Soundbear]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Speedy the Arrogant Parrot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I thought you were out to win souls? </div></div>

Don't be silly. Speedy. That's the LAST thing on your mind.

[GenX]

Barry, "you" means, ummm, you, not me.

[Soundbear]

Let's look into converts, and the reasons.

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/198120

Officials of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson acknowledge that Pentecostalism is luring some Hispanics away, particularly new immigrants.
"Definitely there is a concern. The thing is that in the Catholic Church, everything is usually very subdued, like the pomp and circumstance and the liturgy," said Ruben Davalos, diocese director of evangelization and Hispanic ministry. "Those (Pentecostal) churches have more of an emotional thing. It gets you going and appeals to people's feelings."
Davalos said a current priest shortage has left many large parishes with just one or two priests — not enough to give new immigrants the attention they may need or want. He said there are parishes here with thousands of worshippers and only one or two priests.
And many new immigrants coming to Catholic churches have not been educated in basic church formation, which means they don't have the building blocks necessary to fully understand a worship service, Davalos said.
"Smaller evangelical churches have the time to take care of people. That is a concern and frustration for us," he said.

I'll bet it's frustrating.

I'll be looking for other info on catholics converting.

[GenX]

Quality of the convert, Barry.

Until you see priests and bishops leaving the RCC for Protestantism, then this all means nothing.

No one ever said there wasn't a two-way street. What I've always said it's the quality of the convert that is starkly different.

We're getting many former ministers and pastors of Protestant churches. You are not getting many former priests or bishops.

[Soundbear]

We'll see.

[GenX]

What, is there a massive group of clergy getting ready to make a move?

[Soundbear]

Quality of the convert?? You mean education?? What education??? Are all Protestant schools equal?? D they all teach the same thing??


You probably think Harvard Divinity School and Dallas Theological Semniary teach exactly the same thing.

One of those has the respect of evangelicals. One does not.

[Soundbear]

"..Until you see priests and bishops leaving the RCC for Protestantism."

http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Home-C.../dp/1561011339

From Publishers Weekly
"I was brought up as an Episcopalian, but I never doubted that I belonged to the Catholic Church," says Webber in this paean to the Episcopal Church as reflected in the stories of 11 converts from Roman Catholicism. A homogeneous group, all are from the educated middle class; five, like the author, are now Episcopal priests. Taken together, their stories portray an Episcopal Church very much like the church they left, but, in their opinion, more responsive, less authoritarian and far superior in art and liturgy. Despite his preference for Anglicanism, Webber is careful not to badmouth Rome; in his mind, the two denominations belong to one big happy family and, indeed, he seems more comfortable with his Catholic cousins than with his barely mentioned evangelical Episcopal siblings. Of undoubted interest to Episcopal "inquirer" groups, this book should also be taken seriously by Catholic decision-makers who wonder why denominational loyalties are fraying.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Midwest Book Review
In Finding Home, Christopher Webber tells the stories of men and women who left the church of their childhood for a number of different reasons: questions of conscience, remarriage after divorce, conflict over authority, the need to explore and to ask questions of their faith, instruction for their children, a hunger for spiritual growth. Finding Home presents what it meant for a lawyer, a pilot, a nurrse, an executive, a homemaker, two priests, and a bishop to leave the Roman Catholic Church and enter the Anglican Communion. The stories of their journeys into the Episcopal Church also raise larger issues of conversion, discernment, hospitality, including, church membrhsip, theology, and belonging. Finding Home provides the reader with a great deal of "food for thought" and a framework to consider themselves and their own situations with respect to membership in their church.

Barry, lets not prolong this. It will not prove anything. It will simply elicit tons of counter stories. What's the point?

[Soundbear]

Then I'll stop with this. You and I both know that the RCC, along with other mainline churches is losing ground fast. Members are deserting, either for the world, or for other churches.

Anyone with the willingness to keep an open mind will quickly discover that there are many more converts AWAY from the RCC than TO it. Regardless of "quality". And most of the converts are going to Protestant, especially Pentecostal churches. The information IS out there, just a little harder for us to find than for the desperate RCC.

Another bizarre aspect I found is that traditionaly Democrat catholics usually become Republicans when they convert.

[GenX]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">two priests, and a bishop </div></div>

Wow!!

That almost counters the dozens of Protestant ministers that come to the Catholic faith every year, over the last two decades.

[GenX]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Barry Morris</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Then I'll stop with this. You and I both know that the RCC, along with other mainline churches is losing ground fast. Members are deserting, either for the world, or for other churches.

Anyone with the willingness to keep an open mind will quickly discover that there are many more converts AWAY from the RCC than TO it. Regardless of "quality". And most of the converts are going to Protestant, especially Pentecostal churches. The information IS out there, just a little harder for us to find than for the desperate RCC.

Another bizarre aspect I found is that traditionaly Democrat catholics usually become Republicans when they convert. </div></div>

Where???

Show us the numbers!!

You guys can sit there and tell each other lies, but the rest of us want to see some concrete numbers!

<span style='font-size: 8pt'>(note to other members: there will be no links or sources, because the fundamentals of Barry's fantasy are simply the wonderful ruminations of his limited imagination) </span>

[Soundbear]

Don't post stuff to other members Speedy, they all know your full of it.

Go argue with a mirror, parrot.