April 21, 2004
By Richard Ellwood
New Anglican Parish Started
In the midst of the fall-out caused by the selection of V. Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church, a new orthodox parish has been formed in New Hampshire. The forty members of the Anglican Church of the Resurrection have been meeting since the beginning of the year at the Durham Evangelical Church in Durham, NH.
Initially calling themselves the Seacoast Missionary Fellowship, parish members chose their permanent name this week to signify that God has given them “a new life through Jesus Christ,” said Senior Warden Joanne Ward. “Our members drive as far as two and a half hours to celebrate in a traditional Anglican, orthodox manner. We are purposely not a part of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire because we stand in opposition to how the national Episcopal Church has split away from Scripture. We welcome all people who are looking for a deeper relationship with the Savior.”
The new parish is one of two new Anglican parishes in the US, the first being in Versailles, KY. Each parish has decided to associate with the new national Anglican Communion Network (ACN), which was founded as a “Biblically-driven missionary movement of dioceses and congregations committed to the propagation of the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ,” explained Jacqueline Ellwood, a parish member. The formation of the ACN was initially suggested by the Archbishop of Canterbury and is supported by the vast majority of the worldwide Anglican provinces and a dozen dioceses in the US.
The Anglican church has approximately 70 million members worldwide, of which about 2.2 million are members of the Episcopal Church in the U.S., down from 3.3 million in recent years.
“Anglican Church of the Resurrection is not about Gene Robinson as bishop. With all due respect, it is a much larger, more important issue,” said parish spokesman Richard Ellwood. “It is about helping people experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The national Episcopal Church has frequently lost sight of that goal. It is our duty to grow churches, with God’s leadership, that will let us fulfill Jesus’ direction to ‘go and make disciples of all nations.’ There will be many more parishes like Anglican Church of the Resurrection in the very near future.”
Anglican Church of the Resurrection meets every Saturday at the Durham Evangelical Church, Rt. 108, in Durham, with a weekly Eucharist service at 5 PM. The parish also sponsors two adult bible studies during the week.
Those interested can contact Rich Ellwood at 603-883-8430, e-mail at rle1967@adelphia.net, or check the parish’s website at http://netministries.org/see/churches.exe/ch14924.
For more information, please contact:
Richard L. Ellwood, Press Advocate
Anglican Church of the Resurrection
603-883-8430
Date Created: 4/22/2004