HARTFORD, CT (7/24/2005)--In an effort to win support from Episcopalians in his showdown with the Rev. Mark Hansen, the Bishop of Connecticut, Andrew Smith is asking all Episcopalians in his diocese to display the church's Episcopal shield in their cars to show support for him.When members of St. Paul's in Darien heard about the bishop's attempt to win their support they obtained a number of the stickers and handed them out during Sunday's morning's service with instructions for everyone to display them in the car windows, but turned upside down, following the naval practice of flying the flag upside down to indicate a ship in distress.
"This is the appropriate action to take; all the parishioners at the other 'Connecticut Six' churches under siege by the bishop are doing likewise," said Ken Blackwell a layman at St. Paul's.
At the diocesan website there is a message "Episcopal Church Shields - Show Your Support." The message from Bishop Andrew D. Smith is also printed in the June-July issue of Good News, the diocesan newspaper.
Wrote Smith to the diocese, "In the past weeks many members of our diocese have written or spoken to me and have asked how they can support the Diocese or the Episcopal Church. Ideas have run the gamut from a diocesan rally to a full-page advertisement in the New York Times.
"My first response is to thank folk for asking, and to encourage them to continue to pray for all members, lay and clergy, of our Church and diocese in these days. To urge them to stay involved with the missionary work of the church, through the community of their home parish. But many still want a symbolic action to connote their support."
The bishop said he ordered five thousand window sticker decals that could be applied to the outside of a car's rear window or bumper.
In an interesting move by the bishop this past weekend, Smith who says that the Rev. Mark Hansen is not welcome at the altar or to preach, said he was going to celebrate at the parish of the Rev. Gil Wilkes at Christ and the Epiphany in East Haven Sunday, but then backed down and attended an afternoon Parish Meeting instead.
