ACNA continues to grow

SAN JOSE, CA: New Anglican Church Will Come under ACNA

By David W. Virtue www.virtueonline.org
3/23/2009

The first congregation in the San Francisco Bay area - St. James Anglican Church - to leave an Episcopal diocese has come directly under the newly formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

The initial launch team for St. James is lead by Fr. Ed McNeill, 49, rector of St. Edward's Episcopal Church for 10 years, before his congregation voted overwhelming to leave The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of El Camino Real under Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves.

In a phone call to VirtueOnline McNeill said the parting from the diocese was "gracious" with Bishop Gray-Reeves inhibiting him "with regret".

80 of the 110 members left and held their first worship Sunday March 15 in the nearby Camden Community Center. "In the 2 weeks since we left there is a tremendous feeling of freedom and promise and hope for all of us," McNeill told VOL. Their new bishop is the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh.

The decision of Fr. McNeill and other church leaders to found St. James Anglican Church marks the end of years of debate within St. Edward's about supporting the efforts of The Episcopal Church USA. While members of the Episcopal Church have always welcomed a diversity of opinion, recent theological innovations by the national leadership have made it impossible for many orthodox Christians to remain.

"The Episcopal Church has increasingly adopted policies that are unacceptable to orthodox Christians, departing from the primacy of Scripture. Church leaders have taken positions that undermine traditional teaching on the Divinity of Christ, Jesus' resurrection and His role in salvation, Biblical standards on sexuality, and many of the tenets expressed in the Nicene Creed. These changes aligned the church with today's social trends, and led the church away from its historic mission.

The result has been declining attendance, declining ordinations and the departure of many clergy members, strained relationship with the global Anglican Communion, and nationwide lawsuits."

Six of the twelve Vestry also left St. Edward's to help found St. James. The parish first joined the Anglican Communion Network in 2006. On our first Sunday 81 showed up, said McNeill. Their initial budget is $140.000.

"We walked away from everything leaving the church in a pretty healthy state. Our leaving was more about our character. We did not want to criticize anyone who stayed. The divorce was as amicable as these things ever are in these situations."

McNeill said his congregation is the first to leave the diocese in decade. The last time this occurred was in the 90's when St. Lawrence left and became Christ the King located in Campbell, Ca. under the Anglican Mission in the Americas.

St. James will unite with 700 orthodox Anglican congregations, representing roughly 100,000 Anglicans in the United States and Canada under the ACNA. Their website can be found here: www.Stjamesanca.org "We are very happy that the time of divisiveness has passed, and that healing can begin. We will miss our friends who have chosen to remain in the Episcopal Church and are committed to praying for them. We look forward to serving in the Bay Area as Anglican Christians."

McNeill said his goal is to launch both a parish and a new diocese. "NewAnglicanChurch.com is a social networking site that allows registered users to search for other registered users by zip code, city, county, and state. Our goal is to get 1000 registered users by March 1st 2010. In the San Francisco Bay Area, The Episcopal Church Average Sunday Attendance) ASA dropped around 2000 between 2003 - 2007. This includes both the Diocese of California and a large portion of the Diocese of El Camino Real.

A website has been established at www.newanglicanchurch.com, to provide a means for community-building among Anglicans in the Bay Area. Those who have left the Episcopal Church, or who have been searching for Orthodox churches in the Bay Area, will have access to news and information, as well as an opportunity to communicate with others. Sunday services will include a traditional mass at 9am and a contemporary service at 10:45 am. St. James will be meeting at the Camden Community Center at 3369 Union Ave, San Jose, CA 95124.

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