Jeffrey Altman will be ordained an Anglican priest today in a ceremony that reflects Central New York’s role in the nationwide growth of a separate Anglican church in the United States.
Altman will lead Sunday services at Westside Anglican Fellowship, a Geddes congregation of about 25 people who began worshipping together after their former congregation, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Syracuse, split from the local Episcopal Diocese. They meet at Syracuse Vineyard Church.
It is one of dozens of breakaway congregations that have started Anglican communities in the five years since the U.S. Episcopal Church consecrated an openly gay bishop….
So Altman teaches at evangelical Roberts Wesleyan and graduated from Asbury Seminary, one of the finest evangelical schools in the country. He thus represents a growing movement of evangelicals who have trod the Canterbury Trail, a trend that has been gaining speed over the last five years and is evident at places like Wheaton, or Gordon College, or Fuller Seminary. This is immensely promising.
So within a matter of a few days we see something of the mixed evidence from upstate NY on the progress of the move to create a new orthodox province in North America. That is, how it’s sometimes two steps forward, and then one step back. Just as you’d expect in any human endeavor, even one led by the Spirit of God.
I’m referring to the recent decision by the highest appeals court in NY about the case of one of the first parishes to leave TEC, St. John’s, Irondequoit, a suburb in the Rochester area. They lost the legal battle to keep their property. On the other hand, we have a man who teaches at Roberts Wesleyan (also in Rochester) being ordained to the priesthood. And though his congregation is young and small, it has the potential to grow, and I certainly hope it does, and grows a lot, perhaps partly as some Roberts Wesleyan students are attracted.
So which matters more? The loss of a cherished building by one upstate Anglican congregation, or the gain of a new priest by another one? I suppose that may depend on your connection or investment in either of those congregations (if you have any). But in general, I’d say the gain of a new priest more than offsets the loss of a building.
But such is the nature of a church civil war like this one. In a war, you can’t expect to win every battle. But today is a great day for Anglicans in upstate NY. And that includes, of course, the faithful Diocese of Albany, my home diocese.
Rochester and western NY used to be called “the burnt over district” by revivalists in the early 1800s, because the fires of revival had swept through the region so often that there wasn’t any tinder left to burn in those days. Well, that was long ago. May the fires of revival come to western NY once again!
David Handy+
This is only the first of many more to come in Central New York, in my opinion. And I don’t think it will be limited solely to that New York diocese.
I agree with you Cennydd. I look for it to happen elsewhere as there are pockets of us without a place to turn in other diocese. This may be the way forward.
May God bless Altman’s+ ministry!
I think the best quote was by the Bishop when he said people do not have to leave because “We as a church are very embracing and open to many and diverse theological perspectives.” He does not understand that that is precisely why people are leaving.