Tuesday, December 23, 2008

First Female Bishop for Conservative Anglican Breakaway

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/12/22/no-lay-discipline-in-proposed-canon-changes

[The Living Church] 23 Dec 2008--The Rev. Ruth Urban, who was ordained an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Bethlehem in the late 1980s, was consecrated Dec. 20 as a bishop of All Nations Anglican Church, which is led by Archbishop John G. Githiga. She became the first woman to be consecrated to the episcopate by a conservative breakaway in Anglican church history.

All Nations Anglican Church, which is based in Amarillo, Texas, makes no claim of being in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Githiga is the older brother of the Rt. Rev. Gideon Githiga, Bishop of Thika in the Anglican Church of Kenya. John Githiga was a priest in the Diocese of Northwest Texas in 2005, when the Rt. Rev. Wallace Ohl deposed him.

About 100 people attended the consecration, which consisted of a mix of Christmas hymns, contemporary praise choruses, and a vigorous Kenyan song. Before the service began, the new bishop’s bright red-and-gold vestments were hanging next to a decorated Christmas tree in the sanctuary.

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