On 15th March 2005 at the House of Bishops’ Spring Meeting the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church adopted a "New Covenant" by an almost unanimous vote. The meeting, which took place in Camp Allen in Texas, USA has resulted in a new statement for the ECUSA and "a provisional measure to contribute to a time for healing and for the educational process called for in the Windsor Report".
Today, further work will be carried out at the meeting to prepare an additional "Word to the Church" document, which will accompany the Statement – this is the priority for the meeting say conservative evangelical group, Anglican Mainstream.
The 16th March will be the concluding day of the six-day meeting of the ECUSA, which has held the purpose as a retreat and private reflection in the Episcopal conference centre in Navasota, Texas.
Reports from some bishops attending the gathering have insisted that the spirit of collaboration and unity has been clear, and that this has been reflected by the overwhelming way the members voted for the newly released statement.
The General Convention is the chief legislative body of the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church, and is comprised from the House of Deputies as well as the House of Bishops. It meets every three years and is scheduled to meet in June 2006 in Ohio, USA.
The full text of the Covenant Statement of the House of Bishops is shown below:
We have received the Windsor Report as a helpful contribution to our relationships with Anglican brothers and sisters across the world. We recognise its recommendations as coming from a broadly representative commission inclusive of bishops, clergy, and laity and as an attempt to speak as equals to equals. We experience it as being in the best tradition of autonomy within communion and as helpful in our efforts to live into communion. Likewise, we appreciate receiving the communiqué from the February meeting of the Primates and take seriously the perspectives and convictions stated therein.
