Profiles in Courage: In REMEMBRANCE of St. John's Anglican, Vancouver, Canada

Profiles in Anglican Courage:  In REMEMBRANCE of St. John’s Anglican Church, Vancouver, Canada

          The story originally ran on the website of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA).  See:  http://www.anglicanchurch.net/?/main/page/306.  St. John’s Anglican Church,  Vancouver, Canada is a profile in courage.  Rather than acquiesce to the waywardness, theological illiteracy (we mean that), apostasy and incompetence in the Anglican Church of Canada...and after a series of repressions by the huffing bishop, Michael Ingham...St. John’s established a new federation of old school Anglicans in Canada.  They walked away from an old property.  They took the losses on their historic investment in the property.  Why?  The old faith mattered and matters to them.  Again, we cite this as a profile in courage, an odd, unusual and infrequent thing in American and Canadian Anglicanism!

          Here is the ACNA story at:  http://www.anglicanchurch.net/?/main/page/306

Photo caption: St. John’s Shaughnessy Anglican Church in Vancouver, now the property of the Diocese of New Westminster. (Photo credit: The Vancouver Sun)

St. John’s Anglican Church in Vancouver Leaves Historic Property instead of Compromising Anglican Beliefs

In a move to protect its Christian beliefs, St. John’s Vancouver Anglican Church, the largest Anglican congregation in Canada, chose to walk away from its historic church property instead of compromising its orthodox Anglican heritage and faith. After many years of litigation with the local Diocese of New Westminster, the large congregation will continue with its ministries, preaching and teaching of the Gospel from a new area location. More on the congregation’s plight here.  J.I. Packer, the prominent Canadian Christian theologian, author and public speaker, is a leading member of the congregation of St. John’s.

Archbishop Duncan offered the following prayer for St. John’s, as well as all congregations who are in the position of walking away from their physical houses of worship for the sake of protecting the faith:

“O God of unchangeable power and eternal light, look favorably upon your whole Church, and especially on the Clergy and People of St. John’s Shaughnessey in this hour of great witness. By the effectual working of your Providence carry out the plan of Salvation in tranquility. Let people everywhere see and know that things which had been cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by Him through whom all things were made, even Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord; to whom with You and the Holy Spirit be all Honor and Glory, forever and ever. Amen.”

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http://www.stjohnsvancouver.org/media/news-2011.09.22.php

Largest Anglican Church Congregation in Canada Leaves Buildings, Puts Faith into Action

• St. John’s Vancouver leaves 100-year historic location
• Prefers to ‘keep the faith’ and give up prime real estate
• Mixed emotions as congregation moves to new location

VANCOUVER, BC – September 22, 2011 – St. John’s Vancouver Anglican Church, the largest Anglican congregation in Canada, will begin Sunday services at a new location after moving from its historic location on Granville Street and Nanton Avenue. The congregation, through a lengthy legal action, chose to leave their buildings rather than compromise their beliefs.

St. John's Vancouver, which had been meeting at the Granville Street location for almost 100 years, will begin Sunday services on September 25 at Oakridge Adventist Church, at West 37th Avenue and Baillie Street in Vancouver.

Disagreement over basic Christian beliefs has separated Anglican congregations around the world into two camps, usually labeled orthodox and liberal, with those holding to historic, Bible-based values and beliefs in the vast majority. The St. John’s Vancouver Anglican congregation has aligned itself with the mainstream global Anglican Church, rather than continue as part of the local, more liberal Diocese of New Westminster.

“It is remarkable to be part of a Christian community which is putting faith into action in a way that seems inexplicable to those who love the world,” explained Canon David Short, Rector of St. John’s Vancouver. “We are doing something countercultural and counterintuitive for the truth of God’s word, losing something very valuable for the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ, holding the unity of faith by acting together as one, and joyfully accepting the confiscation of our property.”

The underlying, central issues of belief are: the authority of God’s Word in the Bible, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, and the need to be saved by Him. St. John’s, along with the majority of Anglicans worldwide, joyfully upholds the historic biblical faith, expressed in the founding Anglican affirmations.

The move was the result of a court action to determine whether the Diocese of New Westminster or the St. John’s Vancouver congregation was conducting the ministry for which the buildings were intended, and is a result of an on-going world-wide upheaval in the Anglican Communion, the 80 million member Christian Protestant denomination formed 500 years ago.

St. John’s Vancouver’s final Sunday services at the Granville Street location on September 18, attended by over 1,100 congregants, included prayers to bless the Diocese of New Westminster and those that would occupy the buildings after the congregation had left. Congregation members both wept and smiled as they left the church to travel the short distance to the new location. There, they joyfully sung hymns and prayed together.

“It is inexpressibly sad that we are forced to choose between God’s final word and these wonderful buildings,” said Canon Short, “but we feel relief and much joy in God’s faithfulness and provision for us."

St. John's Vancouver will continue to be led by its present clergy, Canon David Short, Rector, Venerable Daniel Gifford, Associate Minister, Rev. James Wagner, and Rev. Aaron Roberts, assisted by Canon Dr. J.I. Packer, Honourary Assistant Minister and a world-renowned published theologian, a staff of 15, and by the Trustees of St. John’s Vancouver Anglican Church.

The new location secured by St. John’s Vancouver is at West 37th Avenue and Baillie Street and belongs to Oakridge Adventist Church, which has graciously offered to share its building. St. John’s Sunday services will start in Oakridge on September 25, 2011 and all other mid-week activities are planned to continue as normal in the new location.

All those who visited St. John’s Granville Street location in the past, new neighbours in the Oakridge location, and all visitors and residents in Vancouver are welcome at the services, prayer times and church events. Special events are planned during the transition period and special welcoming services will be held.