Wednesday, December 12, 2007

San Joaquin, may God bless you

I have been following the developments in the Diocese of San Joaquin as the bishop and most of the parishes have seceded from the Episcopal Church of the USA. I do feel for the remaining faithful churches and members who now form the real if rather small remaining Diocese. Those who have left can no longer be regarded as Anglicans. It may be uncharitable but I do love the words of one of the remaining members who said
"The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is very much alive, despite what everyone thinks. We're going to be growing in fertile ground now that the weeds are gone."
It so reminds me of our Diocese of Sydney where there seems to be so few true Anglican plants growing, or is there? Yesterday I was asked by one of the members of my musical group about the times of services at St James, King Street which he had heard me mention.
It was so sad to hear him say. “We sometimes go to Christchurch, Springwood but it is not what we are use to, not the type of service we grew up with.”
He and his wife are about 80 and he cannot walk far so it is unlikely they will make more than an occasional visit to St James especially the way our City Rail loves to cause disruption by completing trackwork on weekends. How many people there must be in the diocese who are unhappy with what is happening but too polite and too restricted in their choices to make a fuss. I do not object to people worshipping in whatever way suits them but the Jensenites have changed most churches in our diocese so that they no longer resemble Anglicanism. I wish they would all leave, we would be left with a much smaller but an inclusive church serving those who want to worship in their traditional Anglican way and accepting all who want to worship with them.
I wish the remaining churches of the San Joaquin diocese all the very best and my prayers are with them as they maintain the Anglican traditions of inclusiveness. It is uplifting to visit their website and read the messages being sent to them.

2 comments:

Davis said...

The problem is complex. With this supposed "move" of the diocese to Coneheadland, they feel they -are- still Anglicans (and are supported by your "friend" ++Jensen to boot). With the ABC not saying a word, they appear to -be- Anglicans, yet I cannot see how they really are.

The ABC's failure to address this can only threaten ultimately the future every single province of the AC.

I am depressed...

Brian R said...

Yes Davis, The Archbishop of Canterbury has been a great disappointment. His latest comments to young people on the news yesterday were disgraceful. Until I read those, I felt for him trying to deal with a difficult problem. He seems to be an academic unable to cope. Some forceful language is needed.