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SAN DIEGO: St. Anne’s Church Aligns with Worldwide Anglican Communion
By Joan Gast
OCEANSIDE, CA (January 30, 2006)--– St. Anne’s Church, a biblically orthodox church, affirms its membership in the Worldwide Anglican Communion and will no longer be affiliated with the Episcopal Church USA or the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.
The church is now under the jurisdictional oversight of the Rt. Rev. Frank Lyons, Bishop of the Diocese of Bolivia in the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. The Diocese, and the Province led by Archbishop Greg Venables, are members of the mainstream 77 million-member Anglican Communion which has churches in 164 countries. The Episcopal Church USA only represents about three percent of the Anglican Communion.
St. Anne’s, a church body of 250 members, has remained steadfast and loyal in their commitment to the Holy Scripture, the historic teachings of Christianity and the Anglican Communion for over 100 years. However, the Episcopal Church USA has chosen a path that no longer reflects the membership’s steadfast faith.
“We are a biblically orthodox church that accepts Jesus Christ as the One and Only Lord and Savior, and acknowledges the authority of the Holy Scripture as the Word of God,” said Connie Fowle, a congregational leader. “Our devotion is to God, not to an institution. When an institution no longer represents our understanding of God’s Word and His Will, we must have the courage and faith to stand by our convictions. That time has come.”
The church members and board of directors overwhelmingly made this decision with the support of their pastor, The Rev. Tony Baron, reflecting the desire of the church to stand firm on its religious convictions.
“We have prayed and struggled with this decision for many years,” said Rev. Baron, Rector of St. Anne’s. “We came to this conclusion only after much deliberation, dialogue, and fervent prayer. We believe it is our only recourse if we are to stay true to the historic faith and teachings of the Anglican church.”
“The members of St. Anne’s wish to move beyond this issue so we can concentrate on our core mission: To glorify God, uphold the Holy Scripture, raise our children to love and serve Jesus Christ and share the Gospel with the world,” concluded Rev. Baron.
Said Ms. Fowle, “Our desire is to form and retain bonds of authentic Christian faith and belief with any who are of the body of Christ. Our congregation hopes to reach out beyond former denominational walls to other like minded Evangelical and Orthodox churches, where we believe the true unity called for by Jesus is waiting to flourish.” St. Anne’s will continue to worship at its present location and facilities in Oceanside.
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