Saint Paul reminds us that the foundation for spiritual renewal is laid once for all in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:10,11). However, each of us must continually take care that we build on this foundation. Spiritual renewal is nurtured through prayer, meditation and an openness of one's heart, mind and soul to Christ the Lord thereby ensuring that He becomes and remains the effective Head of our lives, relationships and families.

In an effort to meet the extraordinary challenges to contemporary Christian living Christ Our Savior Retreat Center announces the initiation of small group (six to twelve persons) Spiritual Encounters. One and two day programs are offered on a continual basis. These Spiritual Encounters emphasize Scriptural reflection, prayer and meditation, as well as sound individual formation and group discussion.

Topics of currently planned Spiritual Encounters include: Bringing God to the Workplace; Christian Relationship Building; Bringing God into Family Living. For additional information on these and other Spiritual Encounters you are invited to contact the Parish Center Office by calling (989) 772-2567 or email us at [email protected].

AN APOSTOLIC BLESSING + UPON ALL THOSE WHO READ THIS MESSAGE Let me first say that I was deeply saddened by the American Episcopal Church's House of Bishops recent decision to promote a practicing homosexual priest to the rank of Bishop. Many of us who derive our Apostolic Succession by way of the Union of Utrecht (Old Catholic) Churches have maintaned a filial relationship with our Episcopal brethren in this country since October of 1946. With recent events, this relationship of intercommunion between our jurisdictions will likely suffer. My heart pains for those within that Church who disagree with the recent House of Bishops decision and base their dissent on the clear and unequivocal evidence in the Sacred Scripture. Although I firmly believe in the reality that the Holy Spirit can guide our decisions, I also am convinced that He would not guide anyone toward conclusions which are diametrically opposed to the revealed Word. I pray daily for all our Episcopal brethren and for the success of the scheduled appeal of Rev. Robinson's consecration before the world-wide Anglican Communion. As a lifetime student of the Scripture, I am familiar with a number of salient passages which condemn the life choice of homosexualty. My intent here is to focus on five clearly defined passages, which in my mind, oppose the practice of homosexuality. For those who might be interested, I am using the New King James Verson of the Holy Bible for the passages quoted in this column. In Genesis 19, we read how the men of Sodom, both old and young, surround Lot's home. They repeatedly threaten and harass Lot, and order him to allow them to sodemize his two male visitors. The visitors were two angels, who came to Sodom one evening. Lot pleads with the Sodemites, at one point even offering his two daughters to the would-be-perpetrators, saying: "Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly." As Lot's attempts to repel the Sodemites were becoming more frantic and personally draining, the men of Sodom, who were at the doorway of Lot's home, were struck with blindness by God, so that they would eventually become weary over their quest. In Leviticus 18: 22, we read: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." Jesus, as a rabbinical teacher, would have been well aware of this admonition. As the Son of God, he could have chosen to alter this teaching. He clearly did not. If anything, Jesus is frequently portrayed in the Gospel as advocating the following of sound Mosiac tradition and practice. In Matthew 19: 4 - 5; Jesus states: "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?" Jesus clearly enunciates the constituent parts of the marital family unit, male and female. As the Lord God, He could have readily expounded on the appropriateness of same sexed marriages and relationships. He did not choose to do so, as such is not in keeping with the will of God. As a good Baptist minister friend is fond of saying, "marriage is a union between Adam and Eve, and not Adam and Steve." In I Corinthians 6: 9 - 10; St. Paul states, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Christian practice, from the time of Christ Himself, has made the distinction between the individual and his/her behavior. I endorse the fundamental of faith, namely that God extends an invitation to all and is loving of all. However, as Jesus demonstrates thoughout His ministry on earth, we must separate the person from his/her conduct. When Jesus healed the sick, He typically said, "your faith has healed you, go and sin no more. We are not to judge the person, but we are empowered, by the Scripture, to judge conduct. If we fail to do the latter, then we fail to perform our Christian duty toward God and one another. In I Timothy: 8 - 11; St. Paul writes, "But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners." He then goes on to enumerate that this includes "the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." It is my contention that from a Scriptural perspective, there is clearly no room for a practicing homosexual in the position of leadership within any bona fide Christian church. This seems to be the very conclusion which some of the Episcopal clergy and faithful have come. Some of those who support the consecration of Reverend Robinson, conclude that Scripture is not the definitive source for them. In my mind, this opens up the door to the type of confusion experienced by the Corinthian Church of old, whereby, as St. Paul poins out, they "replaced sound teaching with human wisdom, taking the things of the Spirit of God and deeming those to be foolishness." St. Paul's admonition to the Corinthians was: "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in his age, let him become a fool that he may become wise." I believe that St. Paul's admonition applies equally to Christian's in today's world. Given on this, the 11th of August in the 2003rd year of the reign of our Lord. Reverend Dr. George J. Drozd, D.D., Psy.D., ACCFC Bishop and Pastor Christ Our Savior Old Catholic Parish 1305 S. Mission Road Mt. Pleasant, Michigan Back