SAN JOSE, CA: Anglican church receives 'gift from God'
By Chuck Flagg
Gilroy Dispatch
http://www.gilroydispatch.com/
Oct 24, 2011
Some people talk of "luck," "fortune" or "fate." People of faith are more likely to see God behind the scenes making things happen according to His will. This is a story open to such interpretation.
The Episcopal Church is a national body that achieved independence from the Church of England when our nation won the War of Independence.
It is part of the 80-million member Anglican Communion, a group of Christians united through historical ties, The Book of Common Prayer and relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Since the 1960s, however, it has been beset with successive controversies caused by its progressive stand on issues of race, modernized prayer book language, ordination of women and homosexuals and same sex marriage.
Hundreds of parishes (and even a whole diocese) have left the Episcopal Church, resulting in expensive lawsuits to determine who owns church property and leading to much bitterness on both sides.
St. Edward the Confessor Episcopal Church, dedicated to an important English king, was founded in San Jose's Cambrian Park neighborhood in 1956. Through the years it prospered, adding buildings to its campus and establishing an endowment through sale of an adjacent orchard for the construction of Highway 85.
In 2009, however, the majority of the congregation and its priest, the Rev. Ed McNeil, became unable to support the progressive views of the Diocese of El Camino Real and the national church.
They moved from the property on Union Avenue, formed St. James Anglican Church, and affiliated with other separated parishes. St. James, however, avoided lengthy legal battles, leaving buildings, trust funds and other assets behind. The remaining members of St. Edward's are continuing ministry under a new priest.
St. James, now building-less, rented space for worship at community centers in San Jose and Saratoga. They were resigned to spending years as a "portable church."
One day Father McNeil heard of a church building that might be available in Willow Glen. When he contacted the pastor of Christian Assembly, he discovered that it was indeed for sale. Although St. James had no building fund, they had the building appraised between $400,000 and 500,000. Christian Assembly wanted nearly twice this amount, so the idea was dropped.
This spring, Christian Assembly's pastor contacted McNeil again, mentioning that the congregation had made many improvements to the property and was still interested in selling. The price, however, was still too high.
In July, conversations began again. It was finally decided that St. James would purchase both the church and a nearby cottage (with kitchen and office/meeting space) for $900,000 with a 10-year zero percent mortgage - extremely generous terms.
Then astounding news came in August: Christian Assembly offered to sell both properties to St. James for just the $311,000 in their building fund. According to Fr. McNeil, "They believed that God wanted us to have these buildings ... The Holy Spirit was directing them. ... They did not want our ministry hampered by a mortgage."
He insists, "These buildings are a gift from God. Although we own them in a strict technical sense, we fully understand that we have been given stewardship of them. We thank God for this amazing gift and encouragement and pray that ministry will be fruitful in this place."
St. James Anglican Church meets at 1565 Lincoln Ave. at 9 a.m. (traditional liturgy) and 10:30 a.m. (contemporary liturgy). For more information, call .
For more information regarding this story go to Pastor McNeill's blog here:
http://www.edmcneill.com/Edsblog/
By Chuck Flagg
Gilroy Dispatch
http://www.gilroydispatch.com/
Oct 24, 2011
Some people talk of "luck," "fortune" or "fate." People of faith are more likely to see God behind the scenes making things happen according to His will. This is a story open to such interpretation.The Episcopal Church is a national body that achieved independence from the Church of England when our nation won the War of Independence.
It is part of the 80-million member Anglican Communion, a group of Christians united through historical ties, The Book of Common Prayer and relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Since the 1960s, however, it has been beset with successive controversies caused by its progressive stand on issues of race, modernized prayer book language, ordination of women and homosexuals and same sex marriage.
Hundreds of parishes (and even a whole diocese) have left the Episcopal Church, resulting in expensive lawsuits to determine who owns church property and leading to much bitterness on both sides.
St. Edward the Confessor Episcopal Church, dedicated to an important English king, was founded in San Jose's Cambrian Park neighborhood in 1956. Through the years it prospered, adding buildings to its campus and establishing an endowment through sale of an adjacent orchard for the construction of Highway 85.
In 2009, however, the majority of the congregation and its priest, the Rev. Ed McNeil, became unable to support the progressive views of the Diocese of El Camino Real and the national church.
They moved from the property on Union Avenue, formed St. James Anglican Church, and affiliated with other separated parishes. St. James, however, avoided lengthy legal battles, leaving buildings, trust funds and other assets behind. The remaining members of St. Edward's are continuing ministry under a new priest.
St. James, now building-less, rented space for worship at community centers in San Jose and Saratoga. They were resigned to spending years as a "portable church."
One day Father McNeil heard of a church building that might be available in Willow Glen. When he contacted the pastor of Christian Assembly, he discovered that it was indeed for sale. Although St. James had no building fund, they had the building appraised between $400,000 and 500,000. Christian Assembly wanted nearly twice this amount, so the idea was dropped.
This spring, Christian Assembly's pastor contacted McNeil again, mentioning that the congregation had made many improvements to the property and was still interested in selling. The price, however, was still too high.
In July, conversations began again. It was finally decided that St. James would purchase both the church and a nearby cottage (with kitchen and office/meeting space) for $900,000 with a 10-year zero percent mortgage - extremely generous terms.
Then astounding news came in August: Christian Assembly offered to sell both properties to St. James for just the $311,000 in their building fund. According to Fr. McNeil, "They believed that God wanted us to have these buildings ... The Holy Spirit was directing them. ... They did not want our ministry hampered by a mortgage."
He insists, "These buildings are a gift from God. Although we own them in a strict technical sense, we fully understand that we have been given stewardship of them. We thank God for this amazing gift and encouragement and pray that ministry will be fruitful in this place."
St. James Anglican Church meets at 1565 Lincoln Ave. at 9 a.m. (traditional liturgy) and 10:30 a.m. (contemporary liturgy). For more information, call .
For more information regarding this story go to Pastor McNeill's blog here:
http://www.edmcneill.com/Edsblog/
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