Some friends were at a meeting in Oakville that included local churches from all denominations. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how better to help the poor in Oakville – astonishing as it may seem, there are poor people in Oakville. A member of an evangelical church opined that we should not just be feeding people, but sharing the gospel of Christ with them, that he is way, the truth, the life and the only way to the Father. Whereupon the representative of Oakville’s Diocese of Niagara posh Anglican parish stood up and said: “we don’t believe that; we believe there are many ways to God”.  I know this is as surprising as saying the sun rises in the east, but the evangelical church representative was a little taken aback.

After my friend identified her church as “St. Hilda’s ANiC”, Rev Cheryl Fricker – the once diocesan priest-in-charge at St. Hilda’s – planted herself firmly in front of my friend displaying a ghastly smile; she didn’t have “we won” written in indelible marker on each of her teeth, but she might as well have.

As the DoN website says:

In Vancouver, the Supreme Court of British Columbia has ruled against four parishes who have broken away from the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster and had filed suit seeking to keep the church buildings. The four are part of a wider radical group, including four parishes in Niagara, who left the Anglican Church of Canada. This is very good news.

We are now anticipating moving this legal case forward here in Niagara and to have this matter settled so that we may continue in our mission and ministry.

I can almost hear Michael Bird purring.