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PHILADELPHIA: New Orthodox "Anglican Gathering" in Bennison Diocese

NEW ORTHODOX "ANGLICAN GATHERING" IN BENNISON DIOCESE
Finding a non-schismatic strategy in difficult times

By David W. Virtue

March 5, 2004

PHILADELPHIA, PA--A group of Anglicans who want traditional Anglican worship using the 1928 Prayer Book has been formed in the Philadelphia area.

The group will meet in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia in the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

Last November, a small group of Christians calling themselves "The Anglican Gathering" began worshipping on Sunday afternoons.

"To some, it seemed an aggressive move to plant the seeds of a new church in this town. Episcopalians are everywhere but orthodox Anglicans are few. We were convinced that a significant number of our neighbors would favorably respond to the Gospel if we presented it to them," said Hudson Barton a lay traditionalist and active in the new group's formation.

"We knew that many members of our community are uncomfortable with the promiscuous pantheism and revisionist nonsense preached in Chestnut Hill's two Episcopal churches, St. Martin's and St. Paul's. We knew that other neighbors remain generally unchurched. We began to pray, not knowing the future but believing God would sovereignly draw His people to Himself. We also knew that our move would be a challenge to the Episcopal establishment," he said.

"We believe that with His wings God both shelters us and gives us the means to soar. Luke (13:34, thus the name "The Anglican Gathering."

Barton said they found pastoral support from Fr. Eddie Rix of All Saints Church, Wynnewood, PA that immediately responded to their request for assistance. Rix serves All Saints as "Interim Rector." Bishop Bennison will not grant him a ministerial license,
but has been thwarted in his attempt to get rid of him. An ecclesiastical court in Rix's African home diocese censured him for functioning without one, but ordered him back to continue his work in the parish.

All Saints is a Forward-in-Faith, NA parish and is affiliated with "The Network."

"We are now realizing that there is great potential for the Gospel in collaboration. Our two footholds in the Anglican Communion, (the AMIA parish under the Rev. Phil Lyman) will make us safe and strong, he said.

For those who live in the Philadelphia area, "The Anglican Gathering" meets every Sunday for a Vesper service using the 1928 Prayer Book. A calendar of upcoming events is posted on the web at http://ical.mac.com/hhbv/Gathering, and you can contact us for further information at hhbv@highwinds.com.

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