Three Anglican congregations that split from the Vancouver-area diocese over its support for same-sex blessings have gone to court to avoid being kicked out of their churches, while parishioners at St. Matthias Anglican Church in Victoria will vote on whether or not to split away this weekend.

Elinor Motta, a longtime parishioner at St. Mary's, said 84% of the congregation voted to leave the Anglican Church of Canada last month because it has been "slowly moving away" from the traditional teachings.

She said 120 people have switched to the new Christ's Church Oceanside, leaving only 14 people at St. Mary's.

"We want to preserve the faith that has been entrusted to us so we can pass it on to future generations," she said. "(Same-sex marriage) is just the tip of the iceberg. If you believe in the authority of the Bible, you can't start picking and choosing, and we see that's what is happening.

"It (the vote) was very hard on everyone, it's a sad time."

Rev. Guy Bellerby also resigned from St. Mary's and is now at Christ's Church Oceanside, which has held services the past two Sundays at the Nanoose Library Centre.

Motta said it's too early to say what the new church's next move will be, although parishioners will be closely watching the Vancouver court cases, which could determine who is the rightful owner of the church properties.

Archdeacon Bruce Bryant-Scott of the Vancouver Island Diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada said that about half of the parishioners remain at St. Mary's, "which is a small, but good nucleus for building up the church."

"At this point we need to assess how many people are still functioning within the parish. I think the people who are there need to determine what the next steps are," said Bryant-Scott, who points out that an interim priest has been appointed at St. Mary's.

"I think the bishop and diocese are intent on building up St. Mary's Nanoose Bay."

A letter posted on the Anglican Diocese of B.C.'s website signed by Bryant-Scott reads: "I find all of this very sad. This kind of thing only results in the diminishment of the proclamation of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Most groups that have split off from the diocese in the past either disappear in a matter of one or two years, succumb to further division, or carry on with a handful of people."

St. Mary's Anglican Church in Nanoose Bay began in 1990, after a smaller church was moved there from Errington.

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