WISCONSIN: First Episcopal Parish Leaves Diocese of Milwaukee and TEC for CANA

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
12/31/2008

St. Edmund's Episcopal Church in Elm Grove, a congregation founded in 1874 in Milwaukee, voted overwhelmingly this week to leave the diocese and The Episcopal Church and move its canonical jurisdiction to the Convocation of North American Anglicans (CANA) based in Herndon, Va.

The Wisconsin parish congregation is following some 100 Episcopal parishes and four dioceses who have left The Episcopal Church during the past two years because they view the National Church as increasingly hostile to orthodox, traditional Christian belief and practice.

St. Edmund's is the first of what is projected to be several Episcopal parishes in Wisconsin to take this step.

"The difficult decision to make this lateral move within valid jurisdictions of the Anglican Communion was finalized after months of prayer and discussion at the Elm Grove parish. The final declaration was signed by 75 of the 84 adult communicant members of the congregation," said a press release from the church.

A spokesman for the parish note that the final decisions were made during bitter winter conditions that brought out more communicants than anticipated who wanted to sign the declaration.

In a formal letter to Bishop Steven Miller, the Episcopal Bishop of Milwaukee they said the issues were theological and "beyond suffragan episcopal bedrooms in New England" and that the congregation was contending for the 'faith once delivered to the saints' and nothing less.

"We are defending the irrevocable stance on biblical authority and order firmly held by the vast majority of the world's Anglicans," they wrote.

"People of Faith are not leaving the Episcopal Church; The Episcopal Church has left them."

The congregation accused the bishop of showing "callow disrespect" for their faithfulness, good will, integrity and the ability of a congregation of thinking adults to make fully informed decisions. We wish the Diocese of Milwaukee no ill will, they wrote.

The Vestry said in their letter that the corporation of St. Edmund's Church would stay in the hands of the parish. "No action on our part may be construed by any person or persons as a dissolution, devolvement, abolition or alienation of St. Edmund's church and all assets, properties, chattel, and resources of St. Edmund's Church remain those of St. Edmund's Church."

Bishop Steven's said last month in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the new Anglican province of North America would have "no impact on the diocese of Milwaukee."

The parish's complete statement, their doctrinal statement and letter to Bishop Stevens can be read here:

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/content/stedmunds_pressrelease.pdf

Editor's Note: St. Andrew's, Vestal and Westside Anglican Fellowship in Syracuse are the CANA parishes in Central NY.