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4- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 27, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com St. Hilda's and diocese battle over church By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The battle that has been brewing between the Anglican Church of Canada and many of its followers has finally come to a head. Three congregations in the GTA, including St. Hilda's Anglican Church in Oakville, have voted to break away from the national institution and are now hurtling towards a confrontation in court to decide whether these congregations can continue to use their local churches. This stand off has been years in the making and stems from the belief of many followers that the Anglican Church of Canada has lost touch with the true Anglican faith. "We feel that the Anglican Church of Canada is walking away from the basic theology that we believe in and the tenets of our faith," said Paula Valentine, St. Hilda's spokesperson. "These include the acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. I know that other faiths don't believe that, but Christians do. There are issues around the resurrec- "We paid for this building, we bought it, we paid the mortgage, we've paid the upkeep, the day to day expenses. The diocese pays nothing towards that, so morally, who owns it? Unfortunately the name on the deed is Diocese of Niagara." Paula Valentine, St. Hilda's spokesperson Pastor Rev. Paul Charbonneau Province of the Southern Cone. Valentine said St. Hilda's Pastor, Rev. Paul Charbonneau. was suspended by the diocese for allowing this vote to happen. Far from being the radicals in this situation, Valentine believes the St. Hilda's congregation is simply trying to return to the mainstream Anglicanism practiced worldwide, which she said the Anglican Church of Canada has abandoned. Niagara Archdeacon Michael Patterson disagrees and noted that the Anglican Church has a tradition of evolving theology as the meaning of scripture is better understood with each generation. "It's not static, it's ongoing. God is constantly revealing tion, the virgin birth, all of these things have come into question over the years." While these theological issues contributed to St. Hilda's decision to split from the church, Valentine noted that the last straw came when the church chose to bless same-sex marriage. "This is not biblically based, and because it isn't, we can't go along with it," she said. This determination not to go along with the national church's path took its ultimate form last year, when, during a special conference, the congregation voted 86 to 0 to leave the Anglican Church of Canada in favour of the more conservative Anglican God's self to us in a variety of ways," he said. Besides disagreeing about the tenants of the Anglican faith, the two sides are also facing a confrontation on who has the right to St. Hilda's Anglican Church itself. The Anglican Church of Canada is making the argument that if the members decide to leave the church, they must leave the property too. The congregation of St. Hilda's does not subscribe to this. "This is our church, it has been for almost 50 years. We do a lot of community work out of this church, there are all kinds of outreach programs that take place here, and all that would be lost if the diocese takes over the building," said Valentine. "We paid for this building, we bought it, we paid the mortgage, we've paid the upkeep, the day to day expenses. The diocese pays nothing towards that, so morally who owns it? Unfortunately the name on the deed is Diocese of Niagara." Both sides are currently meeting in Toronto to determine if a compromise can be reached, however, Valentine has her doubts noting that the diocese is not going far enough. "They've offered one option where any minister whose conscience doesn't allow them to perform same-sex blessings can excuse themselves, but that doesn't cover the whole issue," she said. "That still means that we are financially supporting a diocese that we can not agree with." If no agreement is reached between the three churches and the Diocese of Niagara the matter will be referred to court on Friday. In the meantime, St. Hilda's website has added a new Daily Update section. "Due to the rather fluid conditions that St. Hilda's finds itself in, we have a new Daily Update section," reads the site. As of press deadlines yesterday, the Tuesday, Feb 26 update from Pastor Paul read, " We have a busy week. Please pray for God's favour and grace as we prepare and seek the Lord. It is my desire to continue on as we always do this week; praying, teaching, meeting and ministering in the name of the Lord Jesus. 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