Page 1
Free Protestant Episcopal Church - FPEC World Wide Communion
Pastoral Letter
Los Angeles, CA – October 29rd 2012
It is a special honor for me to extend every good wish and pray for God’s grace on the eve of the forthco ming November convention of the Free Protestant Episcopal Church in honor of the 115 th year of founding in 1897.
First my great appreciation to Archbishop Lorite who has done the extraordinary in his serving as chancellor of the World Wide Communion. Without his help this great endeavor as an outreach to the evangelization of the world in an ecumenical setting would not have transpired.
Secondly, a special gratitude must be extended to Archbishop Firestone for his most gracious hospitality in providing the venue for this celebration in Bolivia. This supreme effort on his part is certainly a substantial sacrifice on his time and resources in that my teaching in a very international university indicates the heavy economic challenges in this country with the advancing global economy. Now it was perhaps an irony that Archbishop Firestone and I were serving the healing arts community in Los Angeles. Dr Firestone received his medical education at the Southern California University of Health Sciences and served there as a professor at the time I was serving in another healing arts institution. Pasadena College [now a university in San Diego] was Dr Firestone’s alma mater while my time was spent at Pasadena City College.
From our paths together it is my real regret that extraordinary accreditation requirements in higher education preclude my attendance at this juncture. In the United States when final accreditation for doctoral programs is dependent on academic visitation, especially in medical healing arts, the demands are great and the interface of university administrations with the visitors is absolutely required for success. The visitation for the doctoral degree in oriental medicine overlaps with the conference, and Archbishop Firestone has experienced such pressure during his ministry in higher education.
My every blessing to all those in attendance at this significant convocation with the prayer that all participants may return to their respective See and proclaim the redemption of the world through Jesus Christ. May this meeting with our colleagues bring new strength and meaning to the missionary purpose.
+ In the Name of the Holy Trinity.
The Most Rev’d Dr. Edwin Duane Follick , DTheol Archbishop Primus