June 28, 2008:

Story from the Saturday Charlotte Observer mentioning our own Chris Brayne.

http://www.charlotte.com/187/story/665022.html

Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Recent and Future Departures of Congregations in the Episcopal Church as Reported in the News

Why are some congregations leaving the Episcopal Church?
A relatively small number of congregations have left or have voted to leave the Episcopal Church because they perceive it no longer represents their beliefs.  In reality, the Episcopal Church is one within which there is great diversity of beliefs and ways of worshipping.  We believe there is room in the church for all people, wherever they are on their spiritual journey.  This has been the tradition of our church and we consider it to be one of its greatest strengths. Those who are leaving have apparently decided that they can no longer live within that tradition.

Is the Episcopal Church in “revolt” as represented in recent news articles and television reports? 
No. Relative to the total number of Episcopal congregations in our nation, only a few have left or are planning to leave the Episcopal Church.  Furthermore, a number of those congregations that have recently voted to leave had in reality already ceased to participate meaningfully as a part of the Episcopal Church, many of them over issues that predated the ordination of Bishop Robinson.  To those who were aware of this information, the vote was simply a confirmation of old news.  To say that the Episcopal Church is “in revolt” is therefore an extreme overstatement.

Can we expect more churches to leave the Episcopal Church?
It is likely that there will be more congregations that will leave.  The places where this may happen are in the Dioceses of Dallas, San Joaquin in California, Quincy in Illinois, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, and Western Kansas.  There may be other congregations in other dioceses that will leave as well.  However, the overwhelming majority of congregations will remain in the Episcopal Church.  And many of the communicants in those congregations that have decided to leave will also choose to remain in the Episcopal Church.  Ministering to those Episcopalians who remain in churches that have voted to leave will be one of The Episcopal Church’s challenges.  Our Presiding Bishop has asked us to remember “to pray for everybody involved, those who feel a need to leave and those who remain, to pray that those people and their families can find some peace and remember that communities can reach beyond this kind of division.”

What do I say to my friends or family who may have questions about what they are hearing about in the news?
You can explain to them that some people have decided that the best way to deal with the problems of the church is to leave. They are a minority.  The overwhelming majority of congregations have not left and are committed to working together in a common mission.  The Episcopal Church remains a strong church with over 7,200 congregations in its 100 domestic dioceses, and about 150 in its 10 overseas dioceses and one convocation.

What can we expect from Anglican Communion in the future?
The Anglican Communion is going through a process of trying to figure out how to stay together.  The Anglican Communion is very diverse and diversity sometimes brings challenges to unity.  Although there are some who predict that there will be a split in the Anglican Communion, only the Archbishop of Canterbury can decide its future shape and membership.  He has made no pronouncements and has discouraged people from breaking from the Church.

What is Christ Church going to do in the future?
We intend to continue to be members of the Diocese of North Carolina, The Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communion.  Most especially, we are choosing to not get wrapped up in the church politics that underlie the present divisions.  We are, instead, focused on making our church a stronger community of believers than ever before.  We are building our ministries to be more engaging and relevant to the lives of our parishioners.  We are excited about finding new ways to serve our community.  We see that our mission in a broken world is to address the needs of our own parishioners and the issues such as poverty and affordable housing that afflict our neighbors.  We see this as the mission Christ intended for us. The future is bright at Christ Church.  We are moving forward.