Most of the lay leaders of the largest and most influential Episcopal church in South Texas said Friday they will resign next week as they contemplate whether to leave the denomination ”” a move that could lead to a split in the church as well.
Ten of the 16 people on Christ Episcopal Church’s vestry informed the congregation they no longer in good conscience can be leaders in a denomination they believe has strayed from Scripture. One example is the national church’s approval of gay and lesbian clergy.
The vestry members’ decision comes about a month after the church’s rector, the Rev. Chuck Collins, announced his retirement for the same reason.
This big, influential church is certainly one to watch closely in the months to come. I’m not at all surprised that many vestry members are going to follow Fr. Chuck Collins out of TEC. How many of the 2700 members of the big church will also do so will remain unclear for some time. But I’m glad that everyone is trying to make the inevitable split as amicable as possible.
I note that +Bill Frye has become the interim rector. An appropriate choice. But I sure hope he does a better job with this cardinal parish in San Antonio than he did as interim bishop in the Diocese of Rio Grande.
David Handy+
We’re parishioners of the beloved Christ Church and are more than a little distressed that this haven of orthodox Anglicanism could not find its way through disagreements regarding the actions of ECUSA. We’ve read about many churches throughout the ECUSA going through such tearing asunder. However, when you worship and participate in ministry and outreach there, it is suddenly very personal. We never dreamed Christ Church would be anything other than a unified beacon for orthodoxy. Already we see people avoiding eye contact or conversations, whispering cliques, decreased attendance and giving and the occasional breakthrough acrimony. In all of this now-retired Canon Collins encouraged all parishioners to glorify God with our thoughts, words, and actions throughout the discernment process. He counseled to keep our emotions under control, to bathe our disagreements in prayer, and try not to take sides. Sadly, wise counsel often goes unheeded or unappreciated. In humility, we do ask that all Anglicans join us in prayers for those that are staying at Christ Church and those that are departing to create or find another church home.