St. Francis was packed Sunday, with about 140 people filling every pew and the choir area, with visitors from Bakersfield to Lodi. The crowd fit the theme of the day, from the opening hymn to the sermon: “All Are Welcome.”
“What a joy it is to be here in St. Francis Church,” Talton said during his sermon. “This is the church, St. Francis, a part of the Diocese of San Joaquin and a church cannot be divided. We affirm that, praise God.”
But division did hit the parish in 2007, when the San Joaquin Diocese and 40 of its 47 parishes, including St. Francis, voted to leave the theologically liberal national Episcopal church. It became the first diocese in the nation to do so and renamed itself and its parishes Anglican, remaining with the worldwide Anglican Communion, to which the Episcopal church also belongs.
Confiscations of church buildings so they can return to their “rightful TEC owners” are usually crowded for the first worship service, as attendees drive in from far and wide to make a good show for the cameras. The real test will come in a year when ASA figures and giving have settled to realistic levels. We’ll see if the Modesto Bee has a story and photos then.
Don’t their eyes see? Don’t their ears hear?
I wonder how many of the congregation were ringers from other places? I hear that Grace Church Anglican is doing rather well in their new home, by the way.
Dr. Witt, that they could only bring in 140 for their first service doesn’t bode well for their future.