Death of a Church

The Modesto Bee ^ | 6/18/2005 | Amy White

[sionnsar]

Dwindling attendance and money problems behind diocese's reason

When Jane Chynoweth looks around St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, memories flood her mind. The church is where she raised children, socialized with lifelong friends and worshiped for more than 40 years.

Now it is closing. ...

The church — one of two Episcopal congregations in Modesto — owes $150,000 to the Fresno-based diocese, parishioners and clergy said. The closure is based on dwindling attendance — and giving — at the Carver Road church, which draws about 50 Sunday worshipers. ...

... Duke Golden, chief financial officer for the diocese, confirmed the church is closing and that it owes funds to the diocese, which has closed four other churches in the past year. ...

"They built (this church) with their own money and blood and sweat and tears," said [the Rev. Tony] Morello, who will be out of a job after six years at the parish. ...

Parishioners haven't been privy to church financial records, they said, though they were told the church was in debt, owing $150,000 in assessments to the diocese and back pay for Morello. ...

Schofield, the bishop, said last fall that the San Joaquin Diocese was among those that had lost members and money since the election in August 2003 of a gay Episcopal Bishop, V. Gene Robinson in New Hampshire. ...

[sionnsar]

[Ouch. The downside of ECUSA's Dennis canon, even in an orthodox diocese. I know +Schofield, he is a good man. But this church must really be in a bad way if they are not current with their rector's pay! My APCK parish has in the past received a waiver on our diocesan tithes, but we have always managed to keep our rector current.
Note: the article provides other possible reasons for the church's loss of attendance (250 down to 50). But a sad story nonetheless. --sionnsar]

[derheimwill]

ping

[stripes1776]

"Nothing is said completely, nothing is explained completely," said member Louisa Bryant, 68, of Modesto, who wonders how the church fell into debt. "I'm so unhappy and so hurt because it's done and nobody did anything about it."

It is very sad what has happened to the Episcopal Church--that broad church with its ideal of comprehensiveness. How those term--broad and comprehensiveness--have been abused. Now it means either a fuzzy nothingness or else a narrow, left-wing ideology. The confusion by the clergy is intentional.

I think it all started to go wrong about 50 years ago with Bishop Pike. He got a lot of attention from the media as if he were a contemporary prophet. But he brought about so much radical change simply to serve his own ambition.

And now so many Episcopalians have caught the Pike disease, that it can never be cured. St. Dunstan's may be closing its doors this Sunday, but the Episcopal Church closed its doors on me a long time ago.

[righttackle44]

"But a sad story nonetheless."

A very sad story. I'm so sorry
this has happened. God bless the
parishoners as they seek His will
in other places.

[PAR35]

the article provides other possible reasons for the church's loss of attendance

Yes, the priest seems fairly upfront about that. He probably should have been moved to a different parish and a new priest brought in. Of course, with hindsight, it is easy to find other possible options.