Episcopal parishes in Emporia, Purdy quit over gay issue

Two small parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia have quit the denomination over gay ordination and joined a like-minded group of dissident churches based in Northern Virginia.

The break-away Anglican District of Virginia announced Friday that Christ Church in Emporia and Grace Church in Purdy had become members. The district now includes 23 parishes that have cut ties with the Episcopal Church.

Church of the Messiah in Chesapeake quit the Episcopal denomination in 2006. Grace Episcopal Church in Newport News quit a couple years earlier. The Southern Virginia diocese has about 120 parishes, including more than two dozen in South Hampton Roads.

Messiah, Christ and Grace Church/Purdy all contend that their congregations own their church building and grounds. The diocese argues that it owns the properties and that the congregations were only trustees.

Nationally, the Episcopal Church has seen an internal split over denominational leaders’ endorsement in 2003 of the ordination of a non-celibate gay man as a bishop. Traditionalists denounce gay ordination, and also say the denomination is drifting from orthodox interpretation of Scripture.

The Purdy and Emporia parishes left over those issues, said the Rev. Colin C. Cooper, who leads both congregations.

Cooper criticized the denomination for “their general approach to Scripture that seems to say, if we come to Scripture and find something that doesn’t fit with the way we think, we’ll just reinterpret it,” he said.

Cooper said the Purdy congregation has about 40 members, while the Emporia parish has about 25. Both were established around 1840, he said.

I am very happy that you appreciated my post.

As for the Lutherans (who have a similar liturgy to the Episcopal church): Unfortunatly, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has the same problems as the Episcopal church, with slight variations (no Gene Robinson, but an increasing number of gaysbians being ordained via loopholes, a feminist “inclusive language” liturgy, increasingly replacing the Gospel with liberal politics and shilling for islam, etc.) The ELCA is in “full communion” with TEC, so it figures. If you click on my screen-name and see my recent posts, you will see some recent ELCA threads, and see the comments of other knowledgeable Freepers.

Then there is the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), which is considerably smaller than the ELCA and is considered more conservative. Some LCMS congregations might be OK for you. Others are non-liturgical and into the “church growth” movement, or may have a generally negative tone due to a sense of isolation.

As for English-language Orthodox congregations, you will probably find them among Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and Antiochian Orthodox parishes. Beware of non-cannonical churches that call themselves “Orthodox” but are not in communion with the real, cannonical Orthodox churches (e.g., OCA, Antiochian, Greek, Serbian, etc.) that were founded by the Apostles and their successors. There is an Orthodox Christian Mission Center in St. Augustine that can probably direct you to local OCA and Antiochian Orthodox parishes. (Even some Greek, Serbian, etc. Orthodox parishes worship largely or entirely in English.)

Some of us believe that God is showing us in all the troubles of the Episcopal, Lutheran, and other “mainline” churches that it is time for us to return to the Orthodox Church, the original Christian church of East and West. However, you need to try worshipping in an Orthodox cburch and ask a lot of questions, to see if that is true for you and your family.

Once again, God’s blessings in your spiritual journey!

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