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St John's Vancouver Anglican Church, Vancouver is a community of Christians dedicated to the exposition and teaching of the Word of God, to the spreading of the good news of the Gospel at home and abroad, and to the application of God's purpose in our own lives and families.

 

legal update > letter from the Trustees

Letter from the Trustees of St. John's (Shaughnessy), Good Shepherd (Vancouver), St. Matthew's (Abbotsford), and St. Matthias and St. Luke's (Vancouver) Churches to their Congregations


September 10, 2008 – Vancouver, Canada

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We greet you in the name of the risen Christ, the first and the last and the living one.
On July 10, 2008, the bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster invoked Diocesan Canon 15 against the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes of St. Matthew’s Abbotsford (SMA) and St. Matthias and St. Luke’s in Vancouver (SMSL), effective August 25, 2008. Notice of this action was only served on the parishes on August 26, 2008. The bishop has purported to dismiss all the Wardens, Trustees and Parish Council members of both parishes and has ordered the Clergy to leave the buildings by mid-September. Earlier letters from the diocese demanding the clergy leave the
church buildings, suggested that Parishioners who support their clergy should leave with them. The bank accounts of both parishes have been frozen and cheques for staff salaries and payments to missions (among other expenses) cannot be cashed.

While we dispute the validity of the Canon 15 notice, the bishop took these steps in order to gain control of the church buildings and take over the assets of the parish. In a memo to New Westminster clergy dated August 26, the Rev. Peter Elliott, Commissary for the bishop, indicated that they had taken steps against only two parishes “at this time”. We know that the two remaining ANiC parishes in Vancouver – Good Shepherd and St. John’s (Shaughnessy) – will be next. In fact, St. John’s has already received a letter demanding the clergy leave the premises, although no date was given. Good Shepherd is not currently in their church building, so a similar demand letter has not been received. However, the congregation has taken the same vote to join ANiC and their rector, Rev. Stephen Leung, has relinquished his licence for ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada along with the clergy of the other three parishes.

As Trustees and members of ANiC, we have repeatedly invited the diocese and its representatives to sit down and negotiate a resolution with us on the matters in dispute. We have sought alternative resolution methods through the House of Bishops in Canada and again with all the dioceses involved. Every attempt has been refused. It is ironic that the diocese invoked Canon 15 for St. Matthew’s and St. Matthias and St. Luke’s on the same day that the Archbishop of Canterbury issued a pastoral letter stating that the greatest need of the Anglican Communion is to build relationships
and trust with one another.

When you elected us as Trustees of your parish, you entrusted us with certain legal and fiduciary responsibilities to support the ministry of the parish and to manage and maintain parish assets so that those ministries could continue and flourish. We believe we have a legal, moral and spiritual duty to act in the best interest of our congregations – the people who elected us to serve them.

The diocese claims that our responsibility as Trustees is to act in the best interest of the Diocese and or the Anglican Church of Canada. Legal threats have been made against us, as Trustees, if we fail to comply with edicts from the diocese. Clearly there are legal and financial implications if we act or if we do not act. After consultation with legal counsel, we have taken steps as a group, on behalf of all four congregations, to ask the courts in BC to clarify who are the valid Trustees of our four parish corporations and what our duties as Trustees are at this time.

We have decided to act together as a group to maintain our unity since the primary issues in dispute – particularly with respect to the trusts surrounding the church properties and assets of the parishes, as well as the duties of the Trustees – are the same for us all.

We are saddened that we are forced to defend ourselves against the diocese’s hostile actions, but the alternative is to voluntarily vacate the churches and hand over the buildings and assets of the parishes to the diocese. We feel this would be an abandonment of the legal and fiduciary responsibilities you entrusted to us as elected Trustees. However, we will certainly comply with any final determination of the court ordering us to hand over our buildings. While we know that the Church is the people not the buildings, we are concerned that the ministry of our parishes will suffer should we be forced to find alternate accommodation for Sunday worship and ongoing ministry.

We ask for your prayers during the difficult days ahead – for us as your Trustees, for our parish clergy and staff, for our ministries, and all of us in these four congregations. We seek to act in a way which will reflect the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. To him belong all glory and majesty forever.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. (Phil 1: 27-29)

Trustees of:

Church of the Good Shepherd
St. John’s Shaughnessy
St. Mathias and St. Luke
St. Matthew’s Abbotsford