Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Church of Uganda welcomes the Rt. Rev. Andy Fairfield to its House of Bishops

From the Church of Uganda

At the request of the Rt. Rev. Andrew (Andy) H. Fairfield, retired Bishop of North Dakota, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda voted to receive Bishop Fairfield as a member of its House at its 21st June meeting. Bishop Fairfield will assist Bishop-elect John Guernsey in providing episcopal care and oversight to the 26 congregations in America that are part of the Church of Uganda.

Bishop Fairfield has written to The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, and resigned from their House of Bishops.

In considering his new role as a Bishop in the Church of Uganda, Fairfield said, "Now, although I am 'retired' (from a jurisdictional and financial point of view), I seek further Christian service, especially in the process of this transition in Anglican orthodoxy."

The Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, said, "It is an honour for us to receive into our House of Bishops such a man of God. At the 1998 Lambeth Conference, he proposed the resolution on The Authority of Scripture, which we passed. We believe he will be a great support to Bishop-elect John Guernsey and all the congregations in America that are under our care."

Bishop Robert Duncan, Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, said, "Bishop Fairfield is one of the most respected Bishops in the entire American Church, and has served the Network very well as our ordinations suffragan. I know his work has been especially valuable to congregations in our International Conference. I am delighted to know that he has found a new ecclesiastical home in the Church of Uganda, a Province which has declared a state of broken communion with The Episcopal Church's majority, but embraces full communion with all in the Anglican Communion Network. We look forward to many years of continued fruitful ministry together."