FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From Via Media USA (Pittsburgh, PA, December 13, 2004)

Contact: Dr. Christopher Wilkins, Facilitator, Via Media USA,
Voice: 412/831-1737 and 412/760-8817 (cell)
Email: ciwilkins@juno.com

Contact: Leslie Poole, Public Relations Committee, Via Media USA
Voice: 407/647-3492
Email: Lespoole@cfl.rr.com

VIA MEDIA USA RESPONDS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT “WHO WE ARE”

Who and what is Via Media USA?

Via Media USA is an alliance of independent groups who have joined in common cause to support the Episcopal Church and its traditional via media. The via media perspective is a priceless gift from the Anglican tradition to an increasingly polarized world. We strive to be a voice for the ordinary Episcopalian who treasures the Church as a sacramental and service community that rejoices in multiple understandings of God’s call to us.

The Via Media USA alliance was formed in March 2004 when leaders from a number of independent groups met together for the first time. We have since grown to include thirteen groups in twelve dioceses:

• Remain Episcopal (San Joaquin),
• Via Media Rio Grande,
• Dallas Via Media,
• Fort Worth Via Media,
• Episcopal Voices of Central Florida,
• Southwest Florida Via Media,
• Episcopal Forum of South Carolina,
• Tennessee Via Media,
• Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh,
• Springfield (IL) Via Media,
• Concerned Episcopalians of St. Lawrence Deanery (Albany),
• Albany Via Media,
• The Widening Circle (Rhode Island).

Each group is unique, with its own system of organization. Some groups focus more on education, others on making a difference in the diocesan activities, still others on providing a forum for dialog. Our allied groups are not all in dioceses claiming affiliation with the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, but they have emerged first where there have been challenges to the via media. All the groups are committed to strengthening the Episcopal Church and preserving its unity.

Our members mirror the face of the Episcopal Church: we are laity and clergy; high-church Anglo Catholic, low church and broad church, liberal and conservative. We are male and female, of a variety of races, married and single; young, old and everything in between. Our sexual identities and relationships reflect the range found in the Episcopal Church, and, we hope, God’s love to us. While not all of our members agreed with the decisions of General Convention in 2003, we all support the decision-making processes of our church.

The mission statement of Via Media USA states our collective goals. You can learn more about us at Via Media USA.

Mission Statement of Via Media USA
(Adopted March 27, 2004)

Via Media USA, an alliance of associations of laity and clergy, is committed to promoting and protecting the faith, unity, and vitality of The Episcopal Church as the American expression of Anglican tradition.

Via Media USA Strives to emulate Jesus Christ, respecting the dignity of every human being; Affirms the four principles of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral-the Nicene Creed as a sufficient statement of belief, the Holy Scriptures as containing all things necessary to salvation, the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Eucharist, and the Historic Episcopate; Acknowledges that Holy Scripture must be understood within the context of its origins and traditions of interpretation, as well as with the mediation of reason and the Holy Spirit; Nurtures greater understanding of Anglican tradition and Episcopal polity; and Celebrates its diverse understandings of matters outside the basic tenets of the faith as indicative of humanity’s struggle to understand God’s will for contemporary societies.

Via Media, the middle way, is not a compromise for the sake of peace, but a comprehension for the sake of truth.

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