For the few remaining members of the former St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal church in the Town of Tonawanda, starting over meant staying right where they were.
Just a dozen-or-so in number, they represent the beginning of a brand new church in the same old building, now called Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles, since the majority of their members left citing philosophical differences with the greater Episcopal Church late last year.
Those who remain sat in the very same pews they’ve occupied in some cases for decades Sunday, listening to a sermon about seeing beyond the old veneer.
“Allow your responses to change,” the Rev. Sarah Gordy told worshippers young and old, elaborating on a theme encouraging spiritual growth and leaving old assertions at the door as Lent approaches.
Is it just me, or does it seem like a majority of the ‘remnant congregations’ are now being headed by women? Even here in Florida, Advent was assigned a woman interim rector, and I think she just accepted the position permanently.
Not being critical, just noticing a pattern.
Jim Elliott <><
I really like the fact that the dioceses feel obligated to uphold the pretense that the parishes are carrying on. This is a very costly endeavor, especially for dioceses like Central New York that recently announced draconian budgetary cuts. Then we have the same principle at the national level with the rump dioceses.
It makes me happy that the enemy acts so foolishly.
You mean the same pattern of women outnumbering men in Episcopal seminaries?
“It’s more of a community church than a destination church,â€
I assume this quote came from a church member. Can anyone explain what a “destination church” is?
Pity her encouragement was that those present should not accept false answers rather than old answers . . .
Doomed. This is basically a non-starter. It would be far, far cheaper for the diocese to put the property on the market for whatever it will fetch, ’cause that’s where it is infallibly going in the end.
Having some experience with this, the most remarkable quote is this one from one of the remaining folks who claim up and down that that all this came out of nowhere.
“I never got really concerned about this. I thought it would fly by,†said John McKay, 81, who has attended services there for at least 15 years. “And all of a sudden you start getting these letters,†he said regarding literature accompanying the split.
I imagine, given the overwhelming number that left (in the hundreds) vs the dozen who stayed behind, that this parish was very, very well-informed. The folks who stay behind and make claims like the one made by this 81 year old man were simply not paying attention or (worse) willfully ignored the information being supplied. Then they wring their hands.
You can only do so much for folks like this. Praying for them and loving them when you see them is all that is left. I hope they enjoy their new priest. Perhaps it will become very clear very shortly where TEC is heading, since they have chosen to ignore the warnings.
Western New York is a diocesan train wreck. From 2002 through 2007 (the good economic times) it lost 22 percent of Members, 21 percent of ASA, and Plate & Pledge fell 7 percent, which added to 16 percent inflation means a decline of 23 percent in “real” dollars. In 2007 84 percent of its churches were Small (Plate & Pledge less than $150,000). And Aging is a real problem with 200 Infant Baptisms and 306 Burials in 2007. And these 200 Baptisms were produced by 13,233 Members or 66 to ONE. The one bright note for TEC is that Bishop Garrison voted to depose Bishop Duncan. And now cometh the tough economic times. For Rev. Sarah, Lord have mercy. Statmann
I hope that the remnant is rich and doesn’t have to be propped up for 10 years.
Western New York was once a tremendously strong diocese, especially when it was led by a real bishop, the last one in Buffalo not to be pulled around by the nose by laity and lower clergy, the Right Rev. Lauriston Scaife. He was a scholar of classical languages and a leader in developing Anglican-Eastern Orthodox relations in the USA, and was willing to work ecumenically with all Christian denominations, always on carefully biblical principles, in his support for the justice and peace concerns confronting the parishes of his day in his diocese. He was first and foremost, however, a true overseer of the great tradition passed down from the first apostles. A sad lot, indeed, have been Western New York’s TEC bishops ever since in comparison.
Pity her encouragement wasn’t true sorrow and repentence for sin.
“destination church†: probably one that has a unique character that is worth driving further than you have to, which draws from a wider region.
community church: the closest church.
Funny though: the person quoted used to be the choir director of a Catholic church (from info outside of this article), so I’m assuming that he used to be Catholic. So in fact he has made a choice to be TEC, which makes it less “the closest church” than a destination that he picked.