Trinity Church is an active worshipping community of approximately 130 under the leadership of the Rev. Donald Helmandollar.

Helmandollar did not return phone calls. Connecticut Bishop Andrew Smith is not aware of the move by this parish.

A large portion of the congregation of Trinity is made up of former members of St. John's, Bristol who left when the Rev. Mark Hansen was inhibited and deposed from his parish by Bishop Smith.

A source told VOL that Trinity took a confirming vote at their annual meeting in January to leave by May 1. The first vote was at least a year ago. The second vote confirmed the first. Both votes were overwhelming to leave The Episcopal Church.

A second parish joining CANA is Christ the King Anglican Church in St. Augustine, Florida, a new congregation in America's oldest city. Christ the King was formed initially by members of St. Cyprian Episcopal Church. They separated from he Episcopal Diocese of Florida after a forty-day period of discernment. They have a strong mission focus and an active ministry with young people. They are an ethnically diverse community of approximately 100 under the leadership of the Rev. David Allert.

A third parish much in the news is Grace Church and St Stephen's, Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is an historic church founded in 1872 and the "mother church" of several congregations in Colorado Springs. It is under the leadership of the Rev. Don Armstrong. Grace Church was one of the first Episcopal churches established in Colorado. They found themselves unable to follow the direction taken by the current leadership of The Episcopal Church and its bishop Rob O'Neill and recently completed a discernment process that culminated in a congregational vote by a 93 percent majority to separate from the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado and join CANA. They are an active worshiping community of approximately 550 members.

Three other churches that have recently joined CANA include the following:

St Brendan's, Washington, D.C. is an emerging congregation in urban Washington, D.C. This congregation is particularly focused on social justice issues and inner-city ministry with marginalized people, as well as focusing on the contemplative life. St Brendan's is led by the Rev. Bill Haley who formerly served at The Falls Church (Falls Church, Va.) as the founding pastor of Kairos and director of outreach.

Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Garland, Texas is a new congregation formed initially by members of Holy Trinity Episcopal in Garland. After spending more than a year wrestling with issues prompted by the crisis in The Episcopal Church, this congregation made their decision to separate from the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas and join CANA, walking away from their property and purchasing land for a new church plant. Today they are an active worshipping community of approximately 250 under the leadership of the Rev. Lawrence Harrison.

Celebration Church, Fredericksburg, Virginia was established as a new CANA congregation. Celebration Church has a vision to reach people in the greater Fredericksburg area. They are committed to building a community of faith that is both rooted in historic Anglican teaching but also engaged with the challenges of contemporary living. They are already an active worshipping community of approximately 60 under the leadership of the Rev. Toby Larson.

"I am very pleased that CANA is providing a safe haven for faithful Anglicans in the U.S. who feel cut off from the worldwide Anglican Communion," said the Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, Bishop of CANA. "I am also delighted that we are reaching out and planting new congregations. It is especially appropriate that new people are coming to faith and new churches are being established as we celebrate the beginning of the Christian movement on the Feast of Pentecost."

CANA, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, is a constituent part of the Anglican Communion through its host province, the Church of Nigeria. The Anglican Communion is a worldwide association of 38 member provinces and a total membership of more than 75 million.

CANA was initially established to provide a safe harbor for Anglican Christians in North America alienated by the actions of The Episcopal Church. Their first missionary bishop, the Right Reverend Martyn Minns, who served for sixteen years as rector of Truro Church, Fairfax, Virginia, was consecrated as a bishop on August 20, 2006 in Abuja, Nigeria. Minns was installed as the Missionary Bishop for CANA on Saturday, May 5, 2007, in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Please note, this story has been significantly modified with new additional information not available three days ago.

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