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Attendees to the conference, many, in fact, who were very familiar with the CEEC, were thrilled to hear of the cooperative spirit that exists; and expressed their gratitude to CANA's leadership. "The work that's been done in a relatively short time has been remarkable," commented Bp Dave Bena, Suffragan to Bp Minns. "As CANA continues to grow, the help of all our sister communions is certainly apparent... our appreciation of the CEEC's help in this area can not be understated; nor will it be forgotten"
"The 'alphabet soup' that is 'Anglican' in North America in this day can be confusing..." began Bp Jones in his presentation at the meeting. He continued, "...and since the CEEC is structured relationally, vice geographically; and since we are not associated with Canterbury, it is inappropriate for us to attempt to partner with the Common Cause Partnership. However, we certainly stand beside CANA and all the CCP partners in vision, heart and unity of Spirit. It is our pleasure to be of service to CANA." (The Common Cause Partnership is a formal agreement signed by Canterbury-tied Anglican groups in the US and Canada.)
It is anticipated that CANA will absorb responsibility for the Deanery in the Spring of 2009 - securing their own status as an endorsing agency. Bp Jones in speaking about the convocation and CANA said, "You can't have worked this closely without developing strong relationships. I've seen that one uniting factor is our mutual concern for those who call themselves the church, yet have thrown orthodoxy and historical Christianity to the side. So, to have the privilege of assisting CANA in this Kingdom work is really quite humbling... and to see them fully charged and moving ahead - and knowing we in the CEEC will have played a part - should give all of us warmth and the truest sense of Christian joy."
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