Canada: 14 Anglican churches in B.C. may close

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
CBC News

Anglican Bishop James Cowan says the church is trying to avoid a crisis by closing 14 churches on Vancouver Island. (Anglican Diocese of B.C.)The Anglican Church of Canada may close 14 of its 59 churches on Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands because of falling attendance.

Five other churches would be renamed and become so-called "hub churches," which would provide services in the areas affected by closures, Bishop James Cowan said in a report released Tuesday.

"We have the choice at this time to be able to make the choice for a transformational change, focused on mission and where we're going, rather than dwindling," Cowan – the top Anglican bishop in the province – said at a news conference in Victoria. the rest