California Parish Joins Western Rite Orthodox Church
Episcopal News Service. April 10, 1992 [92087]
Ann Scott, Editor of Pacific Church News, the newspaper of the Diocese of California
The rector and nearly half of the members of a parish affiliated with the Episcopal Synod of America (ESA) voted on March 29 to leave the Episcopal Church and have formed a new mission in the Western Rite Orthodox Church.
Approximately 40 members of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Concord, California, joined their rector, the Rev. Eric Heers, in the decision to depart.
Tensions among members of the parish have simmered since it voted to join the ESA several years ago.
"The surprising turn of event was not that the leadership of St. Michael's departed from the Episcopal Church," said California Bishop William Swing, "but that they did not exit by the Episcopal Synod route into the newly formed nongeographic missionary diocese which... they helped to create."
The small Western Rite Orthodox Church will allow disaffected Episcopalians some latitude in using older Episcopal prayer books, and it opposes the ordination of women.
Swing said that he would begin the process to assist the parish into mission status so that they could have support from the diocesan department of missions in rebuilding the congregation. Since the departing members will not seek to control the church property, an ecumenical food program and St. Michael's preschool, both housed on the property, will be unaffected by the changes, Swing said.
After a meeting with the remaining members of the parish, Swing said that the church is now looking to the future. "They prayed for the people who left -- it was quite a moving moment," he said. During the meeting with Swing, the parish voted 55-1 to reverse the congregation's membership in the ESA.
One week after the departure, 87 people attended the Sunday service. "That's one less than the top attendance they had in the past year. It will take time to heal, but St. Michael's is going to be just fine," Swing said.