On Thursday, Jan 22, the Rt. Rev. Jack Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth, conducted a hearing under diocesan Canon 32 with members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Fort Worth. Parishioners were invited to the meeting in a Jan. 12 pastoral letter. The meeting was held in the parish hall of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles because, as Bishop Iker’s letter explained, parish attorney Frank Hill had sent a letter on Dec. 31 warning the Bishop not to “trespass on All Saints’ property.”

The rector of All Saints’ parish is the Rev. Christopher Jambor. Since the diocesan convention in November 2008, Fr. Jambor has maintained that the parish is staying in The Episcopal Church, even though an 80 percent majority of the convention delegates – including 4 of the 7 lay delegates from his own parish – voted to dissociate from the General Convention of TEC. Also since the convention, all current and prospective vestry members have been asked to take a loyalty oath that bars them from continued service or parish membership in the event that they should desire to separate the parish from TEC.

A little over 100 people attended Thursday’s meeting, which began at 7 p.m. and concluded around 8:15. Several persons who could not be present sent statements to be read by others. All those who spoke expressed dismay at the situation in the parish under its current pastoral and lay leadership, as well as their support of the diocese. Several speakers noted that they were interested in serving on the vestry, but they were unable to run because they could not sign the loyalty oath. All expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to speak directly to their Bishop.

Also present among those in the parish hall was Avery McDaniel, an attorney for All Saints’.