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Local Episcopalians pledge solidarity
By: JAMES CURRAN - Staff Writer | ∞
Any divide in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego regarding gay clergy appears to stop at the Riverside County border.
Two local pastors said that none of the three Episcopal churches in Southwest County will join two North San Diego County churches in splitting from the Anglican Communion.
The Rev. Charles Rines, interim vicar of St. Thomas of Canterbury in Temecula, expressed solidarity with the San Diego diocese, which includes some Riverside County churches. Episcopal churches in Fallbrook and Oceanside have not only broken from the Anglican Communion ---- a worldwide association of 22 separate national churches ---- but a legal battle appears to be brewing over who owns the properties where the congregations gather for worship.
"Where a parish splits, both sides lose," Rines said. "I think it's a destructive thing."
In addition to St. Thomas, which has a congregation of about 170 people and meets in a strip mall on Jefferson Avenue, Southwest County has Episcopal churches in Lake Elsinore and Sun City.
In a voice message left Wednesday evening, the Rev. Janet Westall at St. Stephen's in Sun City said, "We are very, very happy to be ... with the diocese of San Diego."
Calls left for the Rev. Jose Pacheco of St. Andrew's in Lake Elsinore were not returned.
"I know Jose and Janet would agree with me," Rines said. "I've known them for a long time. ... They're not involved in the leaving-the-church business."
Rines, who is retired, took over for the Rev. Sean Cox at St. Thomas in March. Cox had said he would back the Episcopal Church after an openly gay man was ordained a bishop in 2003.
The resulting turmoil was exacerbated this year when the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori was promoted to presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Schori became the first woman to lead any church in the global Anglican Communion.
Rines said he does not know if the current split will damage the financial health of local Episcopal churches. The diocese has not asked for assistance with legal bills, for example, should the dispute with the North San Diego County churches over property lead to a lengthy legal battle. Rines did say some of the faithful from St. John's in Fallbrook attended services at St. Thomas as a result of the split.
Rines has not addressed the current troubles within the Anglican Communion during services. He has answered questions from some of the faithful.
"Some of us feel this whole business is a distraction from what the church is here to do, which is to help people and to show people God's love in the various things that we do," he said.
Contact staff writer James Curran at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2627, or jcurran@californian.com.
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Smarter wrote on Aug 10, 2006 11:27 PM:Sure we'll stay together. Picking the parts of Scripture that we like, and ignoring the parts we don't. Anything goes, whether it's one man-one woman, one man-one man, four men-three children, two women-one goat, etc... We want a church that will "support" and "affirm" whatever we want to do. We "tolerate" everything!!!
rsj92211 wrote on Aug 11, 2006 8:27 AM:Cant believe Mr. Curran's bias. How could he possibly miss St. Margaret's Palm Desert, one of the largest Churches in the Diocese and one of the 50 most influential congregations (of any denomination) nationwide.
Christopher wrote on Aug 11, 2006 9:25 AM:Smarter, what you are describing is EXACTLY what the fundamentalists do. It is the fundamentalists who pick and choose the parts of scripture they like and ignore the rest. The Bible says eating shrimp is wrong. The Bible says divorcing for ANY reason other than infidelity is wrong. The Bible says to beat your children if they disobey. Of course, the literalists sweep all of these under a rug.
Andy wrote on Aug 11, 2006 12:03 PM:Mr Curran's story will create a lot of misunderstanding. You see, it's the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego and the Episcopal Church USA that has chosen to be separated from the Anglican Communion. The churches in North San Diego County and others that are breaking away from dioceses and the Episcopal Church are doing so in order to remain joined to the Anglican Communion.
Jackie wrote on Aug 11, 2006 1:34 PM:Christopher - With all due respect, you need to check your facts. The Bible tells us to discipline our children because we love them. The Bible says that shrimp is not good for you - uh did you know that if you put shrimp in polluted water, they will thrive? That's what they were made for - they absorb the pollutants and don't pass them through their system back into the water. Fish - that's a different story. The Bible is right - Divorce is wrong it is society that has made it A-ok. Please - you might want to re-read the book you are quoting.
Scott+ wrote on Aug 12, 2006 8:24 AM:Homosexual behavior is not the issue here. It is the authority of Holy Scripture and the Tradition of the Church. While the fact is Katharine Jefferts Schori is a woman is not an unimportant issue that fact that she in her ministry has promoted behavior which is inconsistent with Scripture and Tradition is why she should not lead any church. Choice of a leader show much about an organization. The choice of Jefferts Schori shows a departure of the Episcopal Church from the rest of Christianity.
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