The Episcopal Church has been suffering deep divisions for
several years. This is the American branch of the worldwide
Anglican Communion (a body of national churches related to the
Church of England which was separated from Roman Catholicism during
the 16th century Reformation). The Episcopal Church became
independent of the English Church when the United States achieved
independence after the American Revolution.
The Episcopal Church has been suffering deep divisions for several years. This is the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion (a body of national churches related to the Church of England which was separated from Roman Catholicism during the 16th century Reformation). The Episcopal Church became independent of the English Church when the United States achieved independence after the American Revolution.
The current controversy revolves around how strictly the church should hold to traditional biblical teaching: Should women be ordained as priests? Should openly-gay Gene Robinson have been consecrated as Bishop of New Hampshire? Should local parishes be allowed to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples?
Many conservative Episcopalians answer no to all these questions; they fear that the U.S. Church is abandoning centuries of Christian doctrine and practicing dangerous heresy, dangerous because sacraments of a heretical church may not bring salvation to its members.
This situation has become particularly relevant now because the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, a central California jurisdiction including 8,800 members and 47 parishes recently voted to cut all ties with the U.S. Episcopal Church. Bishop John-David Schofield has affiliated his followers with a conservative diocese of Anglicans based in South America.
South Valley Episcopalians have these other worship options open to them for many years.
In addition to the “official” Episcopal churches located in Morgan HIll, Gilroy and Hollister, there has existed since the early 1980s an Anglican parish not affiliated with the U.S. Episcopal Church.
Worshippers pray using the 1928 “Book of Common Prayer,” sing hymns from the 1940 “Hymnal” and receive sacraments from priests and bishops in the line of Apostolic Succession.
St. Augustine’s Anglican Church is made up of a hardy band of Christians who take their traditional faith seriously.
Worship services have been held in private homes, the historic Mission San Juan Bautista, the Hollister United Methodist Church and now Hollister’s Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (where Father Rudy and the congregation have been “extremely welcoming” in sharing their facility).
Membership goes beyond Episcopalians, with the 20 current families coming from Roman Catholics, Protestants and the previously unchurched.
They travel from Gilroy and Salinas, as well as from San Benito County communities.
The Rev. Bob Hammond, the parish’s former pastor, now leads worship on a rotating basis, taking turns with another priest and licensed lay readers. St. Augustine is in the process of seeking a new priest to assume sacramental leadership duties.
Hammond has been serving St. Augustine since his ordination in 2000.
Coming from a family of Episcopal clergy (his grandfather, four uncles and an aunt), his original career was in public education.
After graduation from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, he taught in Tulare County before becoming a principal in Hollister in 1983.
As Hammond became discouraged with recent developments in the Episcopal Church, he studied theology though distance-learning programs and was accepted as a priest in the Diocese of the West of the Anglican Church in America, a group of traditional, orthodox parishes on the West Coast. After his recent retirement from the Hollister School system, Hammond moved to Fillmore in Southern California to help with his family’s ranching business. He continues to commute to Hollister on assigned weekends to help St. Augustine through this transition period while the church seeks another priest.
Father Hammond welcomes visitors to St. Augustine, currently meeting at 680 College St. Holy Communion or Morning Prayer is celebrated at 10 a.m. He warns, “If you are seeking a place of society’s comfort or a place of anonymity or are strictly a ‘Sunday Christian,’ you won’t be comfortable worshiping with us. But if you are striving to serve Christ, you’ll find a spiritual home with us, a friendly, supportive and welcoming community.”
For more information about St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, call (831) 801-0051 or e-mail rl***********@*****il.com.
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Social Issues Forum on Human Trafficking
The Morgan Hill United Methodist Church invites the South Valley community to a forum featuring Human rights attorney (and Gilroy High School graduate) Martina (Tina) Vandenberg at the church, 17175 Monterey St., Sunday at 7 p.m.
Vandenberg is with the Washington D.C. law firm of Jenner and Block and is a specialist in the area of human trafficking and slavery. She has helped establish rape crisis hotlines in Russia and worked to successfully prosecute war crime perpetrators in Kosovo.
Her discussion of human rights will include many interesting stories of cases she has been involved in. Admission, childcare and refreshments will be
Call (408) 779-4044 for more information.
