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Similarly, conservative John Yates, rector of the Falls Church (Virginia), wrote to his congregation on June 22: "I find myself at home with the great majority of Anglicans around the world. But I feel very little kinship now, personally, with the Episcopal Church. 'Inclusive' as it has become, I do not feel welcomed or accepted anymore."

A leading conservative theologian from South Carolina, Kendall Harmon, said, "It looks increasingly likely that structural realignments will emerge," referring to conservatives' hope of aligning themselves with Anglicans in the Global South.

Harmon encouraged conservative Episcopalians to remember that obedience often is more evident in small, everyday decisions than in grand gestures. "They need to be patient and persevering and stick together with other Anglicans to work for a more hopeful future."

Harmon compared the current life of the Episcopal Church to the time when Jeremiah told the Israelites to settle in the land during a time of exile.

"This is a time of judgment, and we are in exile," Harmon said. "A different future emerges in individual acts of faithful obedience. Emotionally, people look at the devastation and think, 'I've got to do something huge.' But you need to do the exact opposite."

Douglas LeBlanc is a journalist based in Richmond, Virginia.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Christianity Today's full coverage of the conflict in the Anglican Communion includes LeBlanc's dispatches from the General Convention.

Episcopalian General Convention Adopts Vague Resolution | Call for 'restraint' in consecration of practicing gays falls short of recommendations of Anglican leaders. (June 22, 2006)

General Convention Brushes Against Its Deadline | Conservatives, liberals can't agree on response to the Windsor Report. (June 21, 2006)

Conservatives Stunned by Bishop's Election | The new church leader supports same-sex marriages, vows to bend over backwards for those she disagrees with. (June 20, 2006)

Episcopalians Elect Female Nevada Bishop as Top Leader | Conservatives see election as confirmation of church's 'revisionist theology,' while one diocese appeals for alternative oversight. (June 19, 2006)

Gays in the Church Debated | Conservatives press Episcopal convention to repent of gay bishop's consecration. (June 16, 2006)

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August 2006, Vol. 50, No. 8