• Church of Our Saviour is proud to be part of the Episcopal Church USA, which ordained an openly gay bishop.

• St. Luke's is still Episcopal but would rather not be.

• Hudson Anglican never was Episcopal, having started with people who left the Episcopal Church over the ordination.

Those differences are a reflection of the division that remains within the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

It was August when delegates to the Episcopal General Convention confirmed the Rev. V. Gene Robinson and acknowledged the blessing of same-sex = [100.0]unions has become part of the church's common life.

Since then, the chasm has widened. Orthodox Episcopalians and Anglicans worldwide have called for global leaders to discipline and censure the U.S. church and there is discord within parishes and dioceses, including the Ohio Diocese.

The delegation from the Ohio Diocese, covering the northern 48 counties of the state, supported the decision of the national church, which is the American branch of Anglicanism.

Shortly after the vote, 16 members of Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson left and formed Hudson Anglican Fellowship. Although the independent church is not affiliated with the Episcopal Church, it was established in the Anglican tradition.

The congregation has grown to include more than 100 people and worships at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday at the restored octagon-shaped Danforth Barn on Darrow Road.

Although it's not a traditional church setting, the order of worship is conventionally Anglican, or liturgical. Holy Communion is celebrated each week. The ecumenical creeds, both Nicene and Apostles', are recited. In addition, worship services include testimony, a mix of contemporary and traditional music and exhortative preaching.

The Rev. David ``Doc'' Loomis, the founding pastor of the conservative congregation, spent more than 20 years as a pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Two years ago, he went to St. Luke's in Fairlawn, where he served until becoming rector at Hudson Anglican Fellowship.

Loomis says his congregation is not interested in dividing the church any further but wants to be part of the ``realigned'' American Anglican church. To that end, the church has placed itself under the spiritual oversight of orthodox bishops in the Anglican Mission in America. The mission is a part of the province of Rwanda, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

``The Anglican church is splitting in two because the main body of the Episcopal Church fails to recognize Scripture,'' Loomis said. ``More than 70 percent of the worldwide Anglican Church stands with us and against ECUSA.''

Donations rejected

Anglican archbishops from Africa decided in April to reject donations from any diocese that recognizes gay clergy and recommended giving the Episcopal Church three months to repent for ordaining an openly gay bishop or face expulsion.

Bishops in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are also furious over the American church's move. African leaders represent 18 provinces with a membership of more than 55 million people.

The Episcopal Church USA's 2.3 million members are a much smaller fraction of the global Anglican Communion's 77 million members.

Last month, the Anglican church in Canada approved a measure to implement rites for the blessing of same-sex unions, complicating the possibility of unifying the global church.

Within days, the American Anglican Network asked global leaders to recognize it as a true Anglican province in North America, if the Episcopal Church does not repent and immediately cease blessing same-sex unions. The network is a national orthodox organization that started in response to Robinson's appointment.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, has appointed a commission to explore ways of resolving the friction within the church. The Lambeth Commission is expected to issue its final report with recommendations in late September.

Awaiting direction

Until then, things in the Episcopal Church are not likely to change.

Ohio Diocese Bishop Mark Hollingsworth Jr. says each congregation in the diocese is currently focusing on its ministry rather than the issues arising out of last year's General Convention. He says that is likely to continue until the Archbishop of Canterbury gives some direction.

Hollingsworth, who was ordained bishop in April, is committed to maintaining unity within the diocese, the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.

``I am continuing to build an individual relationship with each congregation, its clergy and its lay leaders, as we explore how to work together toward those ends that will best support their ministries and the communities they serve,'' Hollingsworth said.

The Rev. Meghan Froehlich, pastor at Church of Our Saviour in Akron, supports Hollingsworth in his effort to strengthen solidarity. She believes the Anglican Communion can be held together despite differences among its members.

She holds up her church as an example of how that can be done. Church of Our Saviour is in fellowship with the diocese, the national church and the global communion.

``Four words describe what we do here at Church of Our Saviour -- welcome, worship, caring and outreach,'' Froehlich said. ``We extend an open welcome. There are no exclusions, regardless of age, race, gender, life experience. Our message is, `You are welcome here and God's love is available.' ''

Few changes

Since August, nothing has really changed for the West Hill congregation. A glance around the sanctuary during worship services reveals singles and couples, both heterosexual and homosexual; families with and without children; blacks and whites; and young and old.

``It's not a new place for us to stand in communion with the diocese and the Episcopal church. We have always been known as a welcoming church, not necessarily based on issues,'' Froehlich said. ``Jesus welcomed everyone that he met. We're continuing to do what we do because that's what Jesus wants us to do. It's all about love.''

Froehlich says her church, the Ohio Diocese and the Episcopal Church are keeping with the Anglican tradition of encompassing a variety of viewpoints in one body.

Disagreement

The Rev. Roger Ames, pastor at St. Luke's, disagrees. He says the American church has clearly violated the orthodox stance of the Anglican Communion. He and his charismatic, evangelical congregation have declared themselves in ``impaired communion'' with the local diocese and the national church.

The congregation has accepted oversight from a retired Episcopal bishop that shares its view and is withholding contributions to the diocese and national church. Instead, it is redirecting those funds to orthodox Anglican organizations and missionary work.

The Anglican Communion Network is one of those organizations. Ames is the contact person in northern Ohio for the Anglican network.

``We totally reject what the U.S. church has done and we are pulling together to reject its revisionist, liberal agenda that is anti-authority, anti-biblical and anti-marriage,'' Ames said.

``We are in fellowship with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the great majority of those in the Anglican Church that have declared themselves out of fellowship with the Episcopal Church.''

`Waiting together'

While conservatives like Ames are in the minority in the Episcopal Church, their viewpoint probably holds sway when it comes to global Anglicanism. They have been pleading with upset Episcopalians not to leave their churches, but to wait and see what the commission does.

As the commission seeks a way to resolve the rift and avoid a schism, the Archbishop of Canterbury has asked for calm.

``We have an informal understanding that everything is on hold until the archbishop issues his response,'' Ames said. ``Until then, we -- conservatives and liberals -- are in a period of waiting together.''

END