Posted on 05/31/2005 2:44:43 PM PDT by MeanWestTexan
Members of St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church and supporters from churches around the city, state and nation began to fill the pews nearly an hour before Sunday's service. By 7 p.m., chairs spilled out into the sanctuary's foyer until there was standing room only. It was the final Sunday many of St. Nicholas' parishioners would gather together in the building they built only four years ago. Nearly 90 percent of the congregation is leaving St. Nicholas' to begin Christ Church Midland (Anglican Communion) after Bishop Wallis Ohl of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas told those who were dissatisfied with the direction of the national Episcopal Church to leave the St. Nicholas church building by June 1. Controversy has been over Biblical teachings and the denomination's election of a gay bishop and stance on same-sex marriage blessings.
(Excerpt) Read more at mywesttexas.com ...
In 10-15 years, that church will probably be a mosque.
Or unitarian. Just as bad.
Good for you!!!
God will bless the stand you have taken.
That sounds Biblical! I was talking with a Baptist acquaintance yesterday. She and her husband attend an 8:15 a.m. "traditional" service at their Baptist church! The later two services are "contemporary." So, the folks that like old time religion are being marginalized within their own churches. Most mainline Protestant denominations are putting more emphasis on liberal politics, too.
Could you expand a bit on what that means?
After reading all the posts, it appears that the "split" has been going on for awhile.
I just don't know that much about it, 'head stuck in the sand! - Guilty!'
My own church (Roman Catholic) has had it's problems, as of late. I fear more are to come, along the lines of what you are experiencing.
God Bless.
LVM
You did take the high road and God will repay abundantly. Just you watch.
There are a number of Doctors in Midland of middle eastern orgin and numerous small business owner/operators in the mall. There is not a mosque in Midland; however, there is an Unitarian Church; and it has a fairly new building.
What is important, is the strength to 'stand up' for one's beliefs; as demonstrated by the leaving members of the congregation. In this day and age of tolerance being 'force fed' to the nation, it is getting rare that 'stands' are taken. Praise God.
What is truling amazing is that many "mainstream" denominations even still exist in their present form.
The flight began long before "gay" issues, and those issues are only symptoms of a larger issue. Part of it can be traced to "liberation" (Marxist) theology and its infectious seeds planted in all the "mainstream" denominations and their schools of theology.
The primary mission of those Churches abandoned the individual in the church pew and decided it was the government to which the church had to preach - under the rubric that Jesus was on a social-reegineering mission, not a spiritual mission.
The more that the "sermon" has no personal message for the individual, and the individual is led to take the "mission" of the church as simply a religious philosophy and not directly part of a personal spiritual experience, the more the individual sees no need to go to church - he/she can have the religious-community experience simply by being politically active as a social-change advocate.
And thus the churches empty, resembling their empty personal message.
All in all, most got taken in by this clever sleight of hand by the liberal "religionists". And if one only views the liberal church in light of the "sacrament" "efficacy", one can just invite themselves to sup at all the rest of the "selective" interpretations of scripture liberals like to adorn themselves with. (That was before the "gay priest" thing), and if Parishioners didn't like it; they could just find another church.
The split has also been happening within the RC church. Again, there are liberal RC and EPIS churches and CONSERVATIVE ones. Then there are the hookworm liberal ones scattered in the middle between these two. Did you know... the liberal RC has been involved with Amnesty International for overlong?
Yes, a congregation that actually stands for something. Impressive. Rare.
"What I don't understand is why the congregation went through the expense of building a brand new church within the last 4 years?"
We moved from a quiet location to a very prominent location on the "Loop" of the town so as to serve our mission: "to know Christ and make him known." We were hiding out light under a barrel (bushel?) in our little out-of-the way location.
Smith was the best preacher I have ever seen.
I heard that he was "firey" and that his wife sang a song and had the most beautiful voice! I have told my friend and will tell you, I really admire all of you for taking a stand for what is right, and I know God will bless you richly for it!
From about 1968-1972 I used to hang around a YMCA in Seattle's University District that was used by several religious denominations as a meeting place and lecture hall. I'd sit and listen to a couple of liberal nuns talking and expressing their contempt for the older priests, the pope, for the teachings of the Catholic Church, for men, and for just about any authority other than themselves. You could se the whole crisis in the Catholic Church sitting right there on the couch in the "Y" library, and nothing that's happened in the Church since then has surprised me.
A church is more than a building. You'll be much happier in a poorer building that's richer in spirit. And the glorious temple will fall down around the iniquitous.
Not always. A court decision recently invalidated the deed of a Methodist church that wanted to leave the denomination. The court declared that the departing people could take the facility and property with them.
If the decision sticks, the day might be coming when the membership in mainstream Protestant denominations declines even faster. Can't wait.
For others that have posted...
Losing a building is a small price to pay for their eternity. We must keep everything in perspective.
What is the proper word for a female priest in the Episcopal Church? A priestess?
I don't think I have ever really gotten over the issue of the Mass no longer being said in Latin.
Just beautiful.
The RC made other changes over the years that I did not care too much for, but accepted.
Yes, I know there are some "fringe" elements in the RC world. Scary.
LVM
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