Bishop David Anderson: What's Happening with AMiA?

With all of this said, I first sensed alarm when the letter of the Washington, DC AMiA members was posted publicly, as it gave evidence that all was not well in the Anglican Mission, as it is currently called. Then additional letters, most of which have been posted on Stand Firm in Faith or TitusOneNine websites began to come in, some from Rwanda, and some from Chairman Murphy in response. There has been a communications train wreck unfolding in slow motion. It would seem that Rwanda is not pleased with the new direction that +Chuck Murphy wishes to take the Mission, and in taking it out of Rwanda proper. They told him to stop his action and repent or resign from the AMiA chairmanship.

Some also questioned where a large sum of money ($1,200,000) went that was allegedly sent to Rwanda, but is not accounted for. +Murphy was told to bring his financial people with him and explain to the Rwandan House of Bishops, but when he arrived, he was not permitted to make the presentation that had been requested of him. I can understand how that made +Chuck feel. On the other hand, when +Chuck responded to the Rwandan House of Bishops contrary to their instructions, keeping the AMiA chairmanship but resigning without permission from the House of Bishops itself, and then in a another letter making the unfortunate comparison of the AMiA departure from Rwanda to Moses taking the Israelites out of Egypt and thusly comparing the Primate of Rwanda to the Egyptian Pharaoh, things went from bad to worse.

When I was consecrated as a member of the House of Bishops of Nigeria, I signed an Oath of Canonical Obedience which placed me under the authority of the Primate and House of Bishops of Nigeria. I cannot resign or retire on my own. The proper approach in most Anglican provinces is to request permission to ask for either retirement or resignation; this is the Anglican Communion way of doing things. To read more, click here.