Posted on 12/19/2006 8:53:34 AM PST by sionnsar
St. Pauls Remains Faithful To Its Historic Biblical Roots
At a special congregational meeting of St. Paul's Church, Haymarket, concluded on Sunday, December 17, 2006, the people of St. Paul's voted overwhelmingly to disaffiliate from the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia. 90% of voters 18 years of age and older voted to disaffiliate. 92% of voters 18 years of age and older voted to have the property of the church held by the majority.
As a means of preserving its ties to the historic Faith of the Anglican Communion and the Faith of Christians for the past 2000 years, St. Pauls elected to affiliate with the Anglican District of Virginia, an association of churches under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), a missionary initiative of the Church of Nigeria. The Anglican District of Virginia includes churches in northern Virginia and various parts of the state.
St. Pauls Rector, David N. Jones stated: We are deeply saddened that the American Episcopal Church has surrendered its core beliefs and practices. Members of St. Paul's who are life-long Episcopalians no longer recognize the teachings and practices now being promoted by the leadership of the Episcopal Church. And the Episcopal Church continues to change in ways that are a denial of its history and central beliefs.
It has dramatically moved away from the beliefs embodied in the Articles of Religion (39 Articles) found in our Book of Common Prayer and affirmed in 1801 as the foundation of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA following the War of Independence and its separation from the Church of England.
The American Episcopal Church is on a path that contradicts the beliefs and faith of believing Episcopalians for the past two hundred years, many of whom are buried in our cemetery. The new Episcopal Church has embraced a new Episcopal religion, with many innovations and changes, particularly during the past ten years.
As a congregation of Biblically faithful Anglicans, St. Paul's has declined to join the Episcopal Church in its theological break with the worldwide Anglican Communion. The people of St. Pauls have chosen to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and the love and grace and hope that He offers us.
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