The path taken by Epiphany’s tiny congregation mirrors that of the Episcopal church at large over the last few years ”“”“ splintering, adapting and reinventing itself. “It’s like a Reformation. Many have left at great cost, leaving buildings, incomes and pensions,” says congregant Leslie Frye, wife of Canon Ralph Frye.
Their reasons are to maintain a closer adherence to the Scriptures than the established Episcopal church.
“It’s difficult when higher-ups are not hewing to the Bible,” says Leslie Hanna, one of Epiphany’s original members.
“She attributes her involvement to the church’s “acceptance of all three streams of worship –– the charismatic, liturgical and evangelical.”‘
Sounds like my denomination, the CEC. http://www.iccec.org/ ~
T
Hope they prosper. Bruton Parish is just down the road a few miles. I actually have a small watercolor of Bruton in my living room. The ACNA might want to actively consider making a large investment in the Williamsburg area – it is visited by millions of Americans each year. It is also home to the first College (mine) that was founded mainly to train Anglican Priests in North America. So it really is hallowed ground from an Anglican perspective.
I also expect many of the parishes in the smaller continuing church tradition to reaffliate with the ACNA like this one apparently has. After the Virginia Diocese ssb resolution both CANA and the REC may see strong growth.
The article got one thing wrong. They implied that Epiphany had “formerly been an associate parish of the Reformed Episcopal Church” and was now joining the ACNA. Unless they did something very unique, they are still a member Mission Parish of the REC and will become, as a part of the REC, a member of the ACNA.
I am particularly happy to see this article since it lets us in the other Virginia Parishes of the REC (A part of the Missionary Diocese of the Central States-the Rt. Rev. Daniel Morse, Diocesan Bishop) get to know them a little better than is possible through “official reports.”
“Just as many who came from different backgrounds” Interesting.