Five Anglican parishes set to separate from Church [Same-Sex Blessings]

Canwest News Service via National Post ^ | 2008-02-17 | Bill Keay

[Clive]

At least five more Anglican churches -- three in British Columbia and two in Ontario -- are likely to separate from the national Church over the divisive issue of same-sex blessings by the end of the month. Another four will also vote on similar motions this month.

They will be following St. John's, the country's largest Anglican parish, which voted this week to leave the Anglican Church of Canada. The Vancouver parish chose to put itself under the authority of conservative Gregory Venables, the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, which encompasses parts of South America.

Rev. Andrew Hewlett, minister at St. Mary of the Incarnation near Victoria, which will vote tomorrow, received a letter from the bishop of his diocese, James Cowan, that said anyone "found to be acquiescing in or to be actively promoting such a separation" could face "immediate termination of employment without notice or severance."

He said the vote will go ahead despite the threat because it is the will of his congregation that it happen. He expects the motion to leave the Canadian Church will pass.

Rev. Simon Chin of St. Matthias & St. Luke Church in Vancouver said he, too, expects his parish to separate when it votes on Feb. 24.

"For the last six years we have been calling for help [from the diocese and the Anglican Church of Canada], but they've not done anything," he said. "Our people in our church are the ones pushing all of this because they feel we don't have a home here."

He said the mood at his church -- a mix of Chinese-, Japanese-and English-speaking members -- is one of relief. "We finally have someone to give us a home."

Several churches in the Diocese of New Westminster, which encompasses the Vancouver area, have been battling for six years with the local bishop, Michael Ingham, who gave permission to parishes to conduct same-sex blessing in 2002. Churches in the diocese have been told to expect legal action and fights over property if they leave.

Joyce Lee, a member of the Church of Good Shepherd in Vancouver, said her parish would also vote this month and she believed the motion to leave would pass. The church has been in Vancouver for 118 years and is believed to be the largest Chinese Anglican Church in Canada.

"We are torn apart between our conscience and what our diocese is doing," Ms. Lee said.

"There is a very sad feeling here about the Anglican Church of Canada moving further from orthodox teachings."

Both churches have withheld dues to the diocese in protest since 2002. St. Matthew's in Abbotsford, B.C., also part of the New Westminster diocese, is expected to vote tomorrow.

Two other churches that expect to pass motions to separate are St. Alban the Martyr in Ottawa, which votes today, and the Church of the Good Shepherd in St. Catharines, which votes on Feb. 24.

The schism has accelerated since June, when the general synod of the Anglican Church of Canada said performing same-sex blessings did not violate core doctrine.

Since then, the dioceses of Ottawa, Montreal and Niagara have all voted in favour of the rite, but their bishops have yet to decide if they will let them go ahead.

[Clive]

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[fanfan]

[PAR35]

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[isrul]

They’ve done their best to try and separate themselves from God, so separating from the Church is no big deal.

[Huber]

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