Church at home with the Lord Holy Cross celebrates Christmas in Priest’s living room

Ai Lin Choo,

Vancouver Sun

Friday, December 26, 2003

ABBOTSFORD Surrounded by Christmas wrappings, presents and excited children, about 20 members of Abbotsford newly terminated Church of the Holy Cross gathered in their priest’s  living room for Christmas service Thursday.

While the gathering was mostly upbeat and included the usual Christmas songs and nativity stories, the reasons behind the domestic gathering were still on the minds of many.

We as a church community will continue as we always have. It unfortunate that the diocese has felt the need to close down the mission, said Dave Chapman, who has been a member of the church since it opened in 2001.

Thursday was the first time parishioners had met for a service since hearing that Bishop Michael Ingham had decided to terminate their mission. The small church has been battling Ingham ever since he decided to sanction same-sex marriages in the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster.

Reverend James Wagner said the service renewed his commitment to his congregation, adding, we will continue to worship, even though were

apparently not recognized formally.

The makeshift church looked like any other Christmas-morning household.

Children ran around excitedly displaying and playing with their new toys. But for the parishioners, the atmosphere reiterated a sense of loss -- of not feeling like they belong to a larger community.

We hear a lot about tolerance and diversity and that diverse views should be respected. It seems to me a strange way to resolve conflict, said Chapman.

He said he has been feeling frustrated and disappointed since hearing that the church has been cut off from the New Westminster diocese. He finds it ironic that a church is closing down a mission when, in his view, churches are supposed to be about opening new missions.

There’s just something strangely ironic and surreal about all this.

And although the mission church is only three years old, member Rachel Weiland said she is very hurt by the closure.

We follow the minority these days and we stick to the word of God and the diocese doesn’t, so they just cut us off, she said.

While the New Westminster diocese does not place an obligation on priests to perform same-sex marriages, Wagner says the issue is only part of the fight with the diocese. Members of the mission church say they differ from their diocese in their belief that gays and lesbians can be cured of their sexual orientation.

Wagner says the controversy is now being looked at by a task force at the Canadian House of Bishops for dissenting parishes and hopes the decision to terminate the church will be overturned. Beyond that, he says, he has no plans for what he will do next. I haven’t thought that far yet.

Because the New Westminster diocese withdrew funding to the church in October, Wagner doubts the congregation will be able to continue to meet in the location where it has been holding services lately – a seniors room at the Matsqui Recreational Centre.

But Jeremy Smyth, who described the mood Thursday as quiet and reflective, said that doesn’t mean it lacked joy. In a strange way, I am joyful because as a Christian I find it a joy to be persecuted for Jesus sake -- especially at Christmas time when were caught up in the stress and activities of preparing for it, he said.

END