BRITISH COLUMBIA: Victoria parish votes to join the Anglican Network in Canada

[david at virtueonline.org]

BRITISH COLUMBIA: Victoria parish votes to join the Anglican Network in Canada 
ANiC has 28 parishes, three bishops, 73 priests and deacons and 3500 Canadians


ANiC News Release 
March 8, 2009

The congregation of St Matthias Anglican Church, in Victoria , British Columbia voted decisively on Sunday, March 8, to come under the episcopal oversight of Bishop Donald Harvey, Moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), and under the Primatial authority of Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. 

St Matthias, which is one of the largest Anglican parishes on Vancouver Island, is the 16th former Anglican Church of Canada parish and the third on Vancouver Island to join ANiC in the past 13 months. The official vote taken in the special vestry meeting today - which was called in careful compliance with diocesan canons (bylaws) - was 94.4 per cent in favour of realigning with ANiC, excluding spoiled ballots. Of the ballots cast, 170 were in favour and ten opposed. Seven ballots were spoilt. 

In addition, a declaration with 32 signatures was received which expressed opposition to the meeting and the vote. Letters of support were received from 20 members who were unable to attend, but affirmed their support for realigning with ANiC.

"I am delighted to welcome this parish which is so well known for its solid Bible teaching and prayer ministries," said Bishop Harvey. "By aligning with the Anglican Network in Canada , they join a growing movement of Anglicans throughout North America seeking to remain in the mainstream of global and historic Anglicanism."

St Matthias Anglican Church is an evangelical parish with deep roots in the community. Founded in 1911, this alive, growing parish numbers 375 members - ranging from young families to retirees - and has an average attendance of over 200 at its two Sunday morning services. In addition, St Matthias offers a mid-week service, 12 home Bible fellowship groups, active youth and seniors programs, and outreach and mission work locally, provincially and internationally. It is well known for its vibrant Biblical teaching and prayer ministries, with a focus on healing. 

The people of St Matthias acted because they are determined to remain Biblically faithful and true to historic Christian and Anglican doctrine. It was a decision they took after months of systematically examining all sides of the issues, searching Scripture for direction, and seeking God's leading. 

St Matthias' rector of 15 years, the Rev Ronald Corcoran together with the three other clergy in the parish - the Rev Rodney May, associate priest, and the Rev Glenn Sim and the Rev Dr Michael Pountney, both honourary associate priests - had earlier offered their resignations to the Anglican Church of Canada, asking for an effective date of March 8. However, the Bishop's Commissary of the diocese chose to make the resignations effective February 26th and ordered the clergy to leave the church premises immediately. All four clergy members have applied to Bishop Harvey for ANiC licences and will receive these tomorrow.

The congregation of St Matthias will meet in the Fairfield Community Centre beginning March 15. During March, Sunday worship will be held at 1pm. Beginning April 5, worship services will be held at 8am and 10am. 

The Primates recently acknowledged that members of ANiC are fully Anglican, and that the global Anglican Communion is clearly divided over these serious theological differences, particularly in relation to the authority and interpretation of the Bible. While orthodox Anglicans may be in the minority in Canada , they are the overwhelming majority worldwide. 

The decision to join ANiC demonstrates the deep faith, conviction and courage of the people of St Matthias. Parishes that earlier made this decision have faced hostile court proceedings, eviction and other punitive action by Anglican Church of Canada bishops simply because they seek to continue worshipping in their buildings - which they paid for and maintained through the years - while the Anglican Communion addresses the theological divide in the global Church.

Today, ANiC numbers 28 parishes, three bishops, 73 priests and deacons and 3500 Canadians in church on an average Sunday. Members of the Anglican Network in Canada are committed to remaining faithful to Holy Scripture and established Anglican doctrine and to ensuring that orthodox Canadian Anglicans are able to remain in full communion with their Anglican brothers and sisters around the world. 

ANiC is under the Episcopal authority of Bishop Harvey and the jurisdiction of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone - one of the 38 Provinces in the global Anglican Communion - which encompasses much of South America and includes Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay and Argentina. The Anglican Church of Canada is also one of these 38 Provinces. 

Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, has responded to the need of Biblically faithful Canadian Anglicans for spiritual protection and care on an emergency and interim basis - pending a resolution to the crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion. 

END

*****

A report on the proceedings of St Matthias' Special Vestry meeting held at Church of Our Lord, a Reformed Episcopalian parish in Victoria, B.C., March 8, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

The meeting opened with prayer followed by hymns. 

Motion # 1 was presented (see Appendix) and moved by two members of the Parish with no response given during the comments period.

The ballots were passed out. Followed by a minute of personal prayer, the ballots were filled out and collected by members of Parish Council.

Hymns were sung while the ballots were counted ending with the sung version of The Lord's Prayer.

The results of the vote was announced as follows:  By a secret vote with 180 ballots cast, 94.4% voted Yes to move to ANiC, while 5.5% voted No.  20 Letters of Intent were submitted affirming the move to ANiC. These were parishioners who were unable to be present. 

In addition, a declaration was received prior to the meeting from 32 individual members of St. Matthias to stay with the Anglican Church of Canada, under a point of order that the vote was illegal. The Chairman explained that the parish leaders had taken legal advice upon receipt of the petition and declared that all necessary procedures had been scrupulously followed in that the Special Vestry meeting was legal according to the Canons.

Motion #2 was presented (see Appendix). The purpose of this motion was to ratify and indemnify any legal consequences as a cautionary move following the affirmative vote. It was moved, seconded and unanimously voted by a show of hands in the affirmative.

In the Closing Remarks, those moving with the parish to ANiC were invited to send tithes to the ANiC - Fairfield Project; welcome to submit names for the new parish; informed of the location of next Sunday's service; the 94.4% who voted in the affirmative were instructed to send an email or call the parish office asking that their names be removed from the parish roll; thanks were extended to Bishop Charles Dorrington, host of the meeting at Church of Our Lord; and finally, the sad news of the passing of Reverend Ron Corcoran's mother was announced.

The meeting closed with the hymn, God of Grace.

Overall, the meeting was carried out with calm, order, grace, sensitivity and love. There were no incidents. The meeting lasted just under 2 hours.

Appendix

Motion 1: Motion to Affiliate with the Anglican Network in Canada and the Province of the Southern Cone.

Whereas:

1. The Solemn Declaration of 1893, forming part of the constitution of the Anglican Church of 	Canada ("ACoC"), requires that the ACoC be in full communion with the Church of England throughout the world; 
2. The Declaration of Principles of the Diocese of B.C. (1875) also requires that the Diocese 	remain in full communion with the Church of England and preserve the doctrines of the church; 
3. The ACoC, by its actions, is "walking apart" from the Anglican Communion, specifically by:	- failing to commit to or uphold the doctrine and teaching of Anglican Communion, particularly Lambeth Resolution 1:10; - failing to give a clear and unequivocal response to the questions addressed to it in the Windsor Report, as requested by the Primates of Dromantine in February 2005; with the ACoC, as called for in the Primates' Communiqués (2003, 2005 and 2007) and the Windsor Report (2004); 	- rejecting a pastoral scheme proposed by the Primates of Dar Es Salaam in February 2007; 	and 	- threatening clergy and congregations who seek to remain faithful to the historic faith and 	order of the Anglican Communion; 
4. Many Anglican Primates and Provinces have declared broken or impaired Communion with 	Anglican Church of Canada dioceses or the ACoC; 
5. The Synod of the Diocese of British Columbia has made clear its intention to support the 	actions of the Anglican Church of Canada set out in #3 above, and its direction to "walk apart" from the global Anglican Communion; 
6. This parish wishes to remain in full communion with the Church of England throughout this 	world and to be recognized as such; 7. This parish is committed to and will uphold Anglican communion teaching and doctrine, 	including the 1998 Lambeth Resolution 1:10; 
8. The Primate and Province of the Southern Cone have offered Adequate Episcopal Oversight 	on an emergency and pastoral basis through Bishop Donald Harvey, under the Primatial oversight of Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Province of the Southern Cone; 
9. The ANiC has established an ecclesial structure through which such AEQ can be facilitated;

Therefore, it is Moved by ____xxx_____ and Seconded by _____xxx______ that:

In order to remain a biblically faithful congregation "in full Communion with the Church of England throughout the world," the congregation of St. Matthias hereby requests on an emergency and pastoral basis, the Episcopal oversight of Bishop Donald Harvey, under the Primatial oversight of Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Province of the Southern Cone;

If this request for Adequate Episcopal Oversight is accepted, we hereby agree to affiliate with the ANiC to facilitate the provision of such oversight.

We further authorize and direct the Wardens and Trustees to take whatever steps are necessary to arrange such affiliation with the ANiC, and to use any parish or other funds held in trust for the mission and ministry of St. Matthias, and to facilitate and support the provision of such Adequate Episcopal Oversight and protection of the staff, clergy, congregation and all property and assets of the parish to ensure that the traditional, historic and biblically faithful Anglican ministry may continue to be carried out by the congregation of St. Matthias Anglican Church.

MOTION 2: Motion to ratify actions of the Wardens and Trustees and indemnify same. 

Be it resolved that this Vestry hereby:

a) Confirms, approves and ratifies all acts of the Wardens and Trustees of the Parish, duly elected and appointed at the last Annual General Meeting of St. Matthias, taken in good faith and pursuant to a resolution approved at this or any future Vestry meeting of this Parish, whether directed or discretionary, in relation to the holding and disposition of parish or other funds or in the furthering of the ministry of this, including obtaining Adequate Episcopal Oversight and better securing the interests and protection of the clergy, staff, volunteers, members, property and assets.

b) Affirms that this Parish will indemnify the Wardens and Trustees for all claims, costs, expenses, losses and liabilities that may be made against them or which they might suffer, for any and all actions, suits or demands in connection with carrying out their duties, in good faith, as Trustees of the Parish.

Olivia Thornburn
thornburno at shaw.ca