No, no, not St. John’s Shaughnessy, they have 40 people and that extra five makes all the difference. Apparently, “[t]he minimum standard …. for sustainable and viable ministry is being able to afford a priest”. Is the diocese paying for St. John’s priest because Michael Ingham would look too much like a dog in a manger if he didn’t use the building he fought so hard to keep for something that at least bears a passing resemblance to a church – albeit a nearly empty one?
Much better to mothball St. Mark’s which, ironically, is a diocesan appeasing “inclusive community” which is “grounded in social justice” – neither of which prevented Ingham giving them the chop:
From here:
Pam Martin married at St. Mark’s Anglican Church. She was baptized and confirmed there, as were her children. But at month’s end, the 52-year-old and the rest of St. Mark’s congregation won’t be allowed to use the church building at 1805 Larch St. anymore.
The Diocese of New Westminster owns the property, and Bishop Michael Ingham told St. Mark’s it couldn’t hold services after Feb. 28, although the building isn’t being closed.
Membership at St. Mark’s is stable but small – about 35 show up for Sunday worship. It’s been able to support only a quarter-time priest for years. Martin is upset about not being able to use the building, which she considers her spiritual home.
Interesting that the Diocesan spokesperson said that the parish is “self-determining,” since that principle didn’t seem to apply to St. John’s Shaughnessy and others that made the determination to leave the Diocese. Nor does the St. Mark’s congregation seem to have much say in the latest decision by the Diocese.
Sell the land for condo development and pay out the United Church lease. Use the money to keep the Synod Office open. Repeat until count equals zero.
The Buddhist meditation groups will have to relocate.
The problem is, if all the buildings are signed away, the ANiC, and other denominations/congregations, need those buildings, in my opinion. Many of the buildings were built when there was a lot of cheap land around. Now, that is not the case.
Heretics: people who use words to mean whatever they want them to mean, to deceive whoever, and don’t care tuppence even about being consistent in their deceit.
Still, God told us that such people exist and would exist.
There are various evangelical congregations in the area that could probably fill that church. The question is, would they want the building and would the ACoC even sell it or lease it to them?