President Jack Eastwood recently attended a joint committee meeting at Mercy Center to hear about proposals and our common mission with the Episcopal Church of the Philippines.
Province VIII and the Church in the Philippines – Our History
In 1991 the Episcopal Church in the Philippines became independent of The Episcopal Church. In 1907 when the missionary canon was created, then a “foreign mission”, the Church in the Philippines was included in what became, in 1915, the “Province of the Pacific”, Province VIII, of the Episcopal Church. At a provincial synod prior to General Convention in 1991 in Boise, Idaho, the history and partnership with the church in the Philippines was celebrated. Since that time, a covenant relationship between The Episcopal Church and the Church in the Philippines has existed and The Joint Committee on the Philippine Covenant has been appointed to oversee our common mission.
On March 9-11, 2009, at Mercy Center, Burlingame, CA, the joint committee met to review the common mission and make proposals for the relationship of the two church bodies. Dr. Lyn Johnson of the Episcopal Church and Province VIII and Bishop Renato Abibico of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines are co chairs of the joint committee. Financial support from the Episcopal Church Center has assisted the Episcopal Church of the Philippines since 1991 and in 2009 at Anaheim, this support, which has been reducing over time, comes to a close. However, the covenant remains. During the meeting it was made clear that there are no companion relations between the several (6) dioceses of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines and those of the Episcopal Church along with the hope that exploration of mutually beneficial relationships by our dioceses and those in the Episcopal Church of the Philippines would be welcome.
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