Episcopal oversight and evangelical

In case you haven't read my home page, let me take a moment to tell you about our group. The Order of St. John the Beloved is a Franciscan monastic order led by Bishop/Abbot Jim Beckett, and the members are referred to as monks or nuns. We allow each to serve in the state he/she is called to be -- celibate or married. Our order allows for clergy as well as lay, and also for family members of members. We also have oblates. While a lot of orders focus on one area of service, each of us is involved in whatever ministry he or she is led to do. We feel like we are called to shine as lights in the world, so while we want to focus on our prayer life, we are an "active" order -- we serve in the world.

We are Anglican/AngloCatholic, and the name of our communion is the United Convergence Church. We believe in worship in a "convergence," or blending of the three streams of worship of the ancient Church: evangelical, charismatic, and sacramental/liturgical. From what I have seen, folks don't generally think AngloCatholic and evangelical go together. We believe they do -- we're very sacramental, and we believe Christ is to be received by each person, and preached in all the world. We believe the Holy Bible is the inerrant, infallible written Word of God, every Christian's rule for all of life, and that we are to obey it, the best we can. Also, charismatic to us is the work and life of the Holy Spirit in indwelling, filling, and moving in us, gifts to serve God and man. (We don't believe a person must speak in tongues to be filled with the Spirit; each person receives gifts "as the Spirit wills," as Paul said.) As far as a liturgy, an order of service -- every church has one of those, but every church doesn't print it and have all use it. Ancient Israel, the Lord Jesus, and the ancient Church used a written liturgy for public worship. It is a beautiful thing to combine liturgy and charismatic spontaneity.

As an Anglican/AngloCatholic part of the Church, we believe in a succession of bishops, or chief pastors, who shepherd the church and are to safeguard its teachings. Sadly, just because a person is ordained in apostolic succession is no guarantee that person holds to the apostolic faith which came from the Lord Jesus, was given to the apostles, passed on to the early bishops, and written in our Bible. There are many ordained ministers in the world today who weren't ordained in apostolic succession (but according to their tradition), who teach the truth of the Scriptures. But if you are looking for episcopal oversight from a bishop ordained in the apostolic succession, holding to the apostolic faith, and believing in the Scriptures and the move of the Spirit, our Abbot and Bishop Jim Beckett would enjoy talking with you. His email is j_beckett@sbcglobal.net. He would also enjoy talking with you if you're interested in our monastic order.

If you are evangelical, believe in the Trinity, that the Lord Jesus is God in the flesh who died and rose for our justification and salvation, and will come again, in the Bible is the Word of God our perfect standard, that we're saved by grace alone through faith alone, and have repented and received Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are family. We are one body in Christ. If we scraped the names of our churches off the signs, they would all underneath say: "Jesus." There is but one Church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

Jesus Christ is Lord and God and is worthy to be praised and for us to give our whole lives to.

Peace to you in our Lord Jesus.

br francis

Tonsure, preparation, ring

Well, Shirley has been shaving my tonsure for the past couple of weeks. We're used to it now. What I'm not used to, and don't think I'll ever be......is our Houston weather. We're cool one day and warm and muggy the next. I don't like warm and muggy. I like it cool and dry (hey, I'm a big guy, what can I say?). I've been here nearly all me life. You'd think I'd be used to it, by now. The older I get, the less I like it. Oh, well -- 8 months to put up with it, one more long, hot Summer.

So, I have to say we're looking forward to OKC this weekend. The humidity there day before yesterday was 14. Love it! Dry. Our next premarital counseling time with the Abbot....we did a family tree for this one, should be interesting. And we're supposed to talk about what will it be like for Shirley to be a pastor's wife. And, we're supposed to begin my formation for the priesthood. I'm excited and nervous at the sam time. I've always got my head in a book.....maybe it'll be worse, now. : )

And I bought Shirley's ring. Got it from a missionary who is a gemologist to fund his mission work. This man serves in India, Nepal, Africa, Madagaskar, and I can't remember where else. He's an Anglican priest, attends a Baptist church with his wife when home, and has served with Mother Theresa. I bought her a white sapphire that has a tint of blue, in a gold band -- the stone is from Sri Lanka and the band from Thailand. It's a beautiful ring. We're very thankful for it, and I purchased it a a very good price -- it's worth quite a bit more than what I [aid for it. So, now she has a ring. And she likes it very much. We're thankful.

I'll post more often. It's been very busy lately.


under the mercy,
br francis