Not even a snake bite could keep Bishop Clark Lowenfield (Anglican Church of North America) away from his third Gafcon. The night before his flight to Israel, a copperhead snake bit him while in his yard and he was in the hospital for two nights. “When the doctor expressed initial hesitancy about the likelihood of my traveling to Jerusalem, I immediately began to pray that God would make a way where there was seemingly no way.” 

To Bishop Lowenfield, Gafcon is more than a conference or meeting, and the thought of not attending was unfathomable to him. “This gathering of Anglican brothers and sisters from around the world is both unique and vitally important to our lives as the body of Christ.”

Walking around the registration room in the Ramada Hotel leaning on a walking cane, he emphasized that his obstacles in getting to Jerusalem were minor in comparison to others. “I have lingering pain, but it’s nothing compared to the experiences of many fellow Anglicans [at Gafcon] who sacrifice so much, on a daily basis, for the sake of the Gospel.”

Bishop Clark WP Lowenfield is the Bishop of the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast. He has served as senior pastor of churches in South Carolina and Texas for over 30 years.