12/9/2009 Statement by

The Reverend Canon Brian Cox

The election of Canon Mary Glasspool as a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Los Angeles will only further estrange the Diocese of Los Angeles from much of the Anglican Communion.  Her election presents a particular challenge to those of us who are seeking to be faithful to the biblical, historical faith.  Unfortunately, the “big tent” that once existed in the Diocese of Los Angeles has been steadily shrinking since 2006 and has now collapsed.

Regardless of the actions of the Diocese of Los Angeles, the Rector and Vestry of Christ the King remain committed to serving the needs of this congregation best by:

1. A continued focus on our core values as the defining characteristics of our life together, our ministry and our mission.
2. A positive focus on our unique identity and our God-given mission of faith-based reconciliation to the Santa Barbara community and beyond.
3. A growing emphasis on the Kingdom of God instead of the institutional Episcopal Church.

As your Rector and pastor I am asking you to trust me to continue leading you in the manner that I have for the past eighteen years.  We will continue to have Bishop Ed Little as our pastoral bishop.  He will be coming April 9 – 11, 2010 to make a visitation and preside at confirmation.

We should remember that the Christ the King community itself has a diversity of opinion about how the church should respond to gay and lesbian persons.  Personally, I would not want to be part of any church that made gays and lesbians unwelcome.  At the same time, I do not personally support gay marriage or partnered gays as ordained clergy.  I honor those of you at Christ the King who disagree with me.  What binds us together is not uniformity on issues of moral theology but our love for Jesus Christ and our desire to surrender our lives to God’s sovereign authority.