"You'd Better Answer That -- It Might Be God."

Despite the usual admonitions to turn off cell phones before mass, a doofus didn't bother, and a ring tone began to sound insistently during Fr Tom's homily on Sunday. Normally a doofus turns it off in short order, but apparently this particular doofus was frozen in panic and just let it keep ringing. Fr Tom finally interrupted his homily and said, "You'd better answer that -- it might be God." After a few moments of further reflection, the doofus finally complied. What God had to say we never learned.

That reminded me of an earlier dialogue with God, reported by none other than Robert William Bowman on the All Saints Fountain Valley Facebook page entry for June 16, 2014:

Beloved Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Yesterday I informed the Vestry of All Saints Church that I would be concluding my service to the parish on the Lord's Day, August 31, 2014. Over the past several months I began to sense that the LORD was preparing me for a move, as I was contacted by 2 ACNA congregations and one diocese of the ACNA inquiring about my availability for service. One congregation is on the East Coast, one congregation is in a different part of the the state of CA, and the diocese contacting me is in Texas.

When I came to All Saints, I expected to stay for a few weeks until a new priest could be appointed to replace Dr. Morello. A few weeks has turned into 18 months, and by August 31, will be 20 months. It has been a distinct privilege and joy for me to serve this congregation over these many months. I have appreciated everything that everyone has done to serve the LORD here. You cannot possibly know what a tremendous blessing you have been in my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me this privilege. Just as the LORD sent me to be the "supply guy" (as I have styled myself) these many months, so He will again send His man to serve you in the future. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to "trust in the LORD will all your heart and He will direct your paths."

I will continue to serve you until August 31, with the exception of the next 3 Lord's Days when I will be away on my trip to China. Next Lord's Day, June 22, the 10:00 AM service will be Morning Prayer. On the Lord's Day June 29 and July 6 The Reverend Bob Hammond will be the visiting priest. I will return to the pulpit July 13.

I ask your faithful prayer support as I travel to and from China. Please pray for travel mercies as we fly out Tuesday, June 17, and return Monday, July 7. Please pray for the man The LORD has already chosen to serve you. As the LORD supplied in the past, so He will do again in the future.

Kept with you in HIS love,
Robert Bowman
Romans 11:33-36

I didn't need to pick up the phone to figure out what my own response to God's call here would be -- I addressed the following to the public inquiry page on the ACNA main web site:

Robert William Bowman has been interim priest at All Saints Anglican Church in Fountain Valley, CA since 2013. He was formerly rector of St Luke’s REC parish in Santa Ana, CA, but was dismissed from that position following his arrest on child pornography charges in 2009. See http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bowman-168221-home-church.html

On the Facebook page of All Saints Anglican, he posted on June 16 of this year,

“Yesterday I informed the Vestry of All Saints Church that I would be concluding my service to the parish on the Lord's Day, August 31, 2014. Over the past several months I began to sense that the LORD was preparing me for a move, as I was contacted by 2 ACNA congregations and one diocese of the ACNA inquiring about my availability for service. One ...congregation is on the East Coast, one congregation is in a different part of the the state of CA, and the diocese contacting me is in Texas.”

I believe it would be an exceedingly unwise move for the ACNA to hire this man in any capacity. I hope you will warn the parishes and the diocese of this issue.

However, I believe the ACNA is an utterly different sort of organization from the ACA, and it would require written applications, criminal background checks, and full reference checks of all clergy. And since the REC is now part of the ACNA, the ACNA may well be already aware of Bowman.

For that matter, I would assume that Bowman is also fully aware of ACNA policy and understands fully that he will never be hired in the ACNA again. As a result, I can't help but wonder if the Facebook page is intended as a face-saving lie. But whose face is being saved here? I notified Brian Marsh of Bowman's arrest record in early April -- according to Bowman, he began to get calls from God several months before his June announcement, although I very much doubt they were eager inquiries from the ACNA.

I suspect instead that they were highly confidential chats with Frederick Rivers and "Bishop" Owen Williams. "We gotta ease you out," I assume was the basic subject. "Real slow and inconspicuous. Our jobs are on the line just as much as yours. Let's make this all just between us, and make it look like you're just movin' on here, huh?" As of today, Bowman is still on staff.

My only question is why Marsh, Williams, and Rivers thought it would be a good idea to keep the All Saints Fountain Valley parish exposed to a pedophile for almost five months so everyone could save face. I trust that responsible parties in the ACA will address this question, although if I were an ordinary parishioner, I'd be hopping mad and want some good answers myself.