It was a historic moment in Ottawa as a subdued crowd of about 300 filed out of St. Alban\u2019s Anglican Church on King Edward Avenue on Sunday, leaving behind a place where some have roots going back to Confederation.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1865, the church where Sir John A. Macdonald worshipped has been in the spotlight ever since a showdown over same-sex marriage and other issues led the congregation of St. Alban\u2019s to leave the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, and, after a bitter battle, the building they have called home for 146 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is kind of historic. We\u2019re in a new era,\u201d said Sheila Lang, 79, as her grandchildren \u2014 the seventh generation of her family to attend the church \u2014 played in the reception hall of the Ottawa Little Theatre, where the congregation, now called the Church of the Messiah, will meet until it finds a permanent home. Meanwhile, the diocese will establish a new congregation at St. Alban\u2019s, with a relaunch planned for Friday.<\/p>\n
The move is historic in a broader sense, Ms. Lang added: \u201cThis is a societal shift,\u201d in which traditional Christian values are \u201ceroding and we see the church trying to accommodate the eroding values.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we are not deviating\u2026. We stand on the Bible and the Word of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reverend George Sinclair urged the congregation not to dwell on grief over losing St. Alban\u2019s, but instead to embrace the change as an opportunity for renewal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are entering a time of new dreams and new visions,\u201d he said on the stage of the theatre, flanked by reproductions of three stained-glass windows Macdonald\u2019s wife donated to St. Alban\u2019s after his death. \u201cA church that just has the building, but does not have the dreams and visions that come from God, is on its way to dying,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n
The service was lighthearted, with Rev. Sinclair remarking at the beginning, \u201cYou\u2019re all looking pretty frisky for 146 years old,\u201d and quipping that everyone would be glad of the air conditioning.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, some members were overcome with emotion. \u201cIt\u2019s very sad. It has been my church for 33 years,\u201d said Barbara Allen, 72.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an emotional day,\u201d said Lisa Moore Ede, a member of the church for 17 years. \u201cBut overall I\u2019m excited to see where God is going to lead us,\u201d said Ms. Ede, whose nine children also attend the church.<\/p>\n
In an interview after the service, Rev. Sinclair said the move was \u201can issue of conscience, and for us. Conscience trumps buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n
The immediate catalyst for the church\u2019s break with the diocese was the latter\u2019s 2007 decision to allow the blessing of same-sex marriages. But Rev. Sinclair added that his church was also responding to a general sense that the Anglican Church of Canada has been drifting away from Jesus\u2019s teachings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you end up thinking you\u2019re smarter and nicer and wiser than the master, in what way are you still his disciple? The Bible is very clear on certain things, as to what is right or wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A few months after the diocese gave same-sex marriage the green light, his congregation voted almost unanimously to leave the diocese and the national Anglican body, realigning instead with a breakaway organization called the Anglican Network in Canada. In October 2008, St. George\u2019s Anglican Church on Metcalfe Street in Ottawa followed suit.<\/p>\n
Rev. Sinclair said he had hoped to negotiate an amicable settlement, but in May 2010, the diocese filed a lawsuit against the rectors and wardens of both churches for the buildings and property.<\/p>\n
\u201cLegally, canonically and morally we believe that we own St. Alban\u2019s,\u201d Rev. Sinclair said, but faced with a time-consuming and expensive legal ordeal, he and the rector of St. George\u2019s opted for mediation, under which his church got cash in return for vacating the building. (St. George\u2019s kept their building, but it is now called St. Peter and St. Paul\u2019s Anglican Church.)<\/p>\n
Rev. Sinclair is glad the church has found a temporary home in the urban core, where it can pursue its mission to help the most needy, but concedes that it will be a challenge to find venues for the church\u2019s many activities. For the time being, the church will use community centres and borrowed church halls for events such as potluck dinners, choir practices and youth groups.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In Ottawa Canada, a church leaves its Anglican building over the same-sex controversy: It was a historic moment in Ottawa as a subdued crowd of about 300 filed out of St. Alban\u2019s Anglican Church on King Edward Avenue on Sunday, leaving behind a place where some have roots going back to Confederation. Founded in 1865, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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