Denominational Departure: The Story of Truro Church

03/02/2009
by Jim Oakes

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a “thanksgiving dinner” to give thanks and honor to God and to recognize the efforts of the men and women who guided us on a challenging journey. Several Anglican congregations in Virginia voted to separate from the Episcopal Church of the United States and affiliate with other branches of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a process that was trying on many of us from a legal, communal and faith perspective. The dinner brought back wonderful memories of the adventure we had been through the past few years.

I was particularly struck by a comment made by my good friend Martyn Minns, missionary bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) and former rector of Truro Church. He said, “As Christians, we are a people of stories, and we must not forget the story of how we came to this place.” Indeed, we must not forget. So, let me tell you a story.

I will not forget the first meeting I attended of a group of lay leaders (“wardens”) and clergy (“rectors”) of orthodox Episcopal churches shortly after I was elected senior warden of Truro Church in the spring of 2005. There were more than 50 people at the meeting representing about 20 congregations in the Diocese of Virginia. There was much emotion in the room, as leaders of these churches grappled with a way to handle the backlash from the latest public scrutiny of the Episcopal Church – in this case, the organization’s decision to consent to the ordination of Gene Robinson, an openly gay man living in a same-sex relationship, as bishop of New Hampshire. the rest