Members of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa are keeping their vow to leave and form a breakaway church in a dispute over liberalization, including same-sex marriage.
The Kanata Lakes Fellowship, an independent, evangelical church that follows traditional Anglican liturgy and beliefs, held its first mass on Jan. 6.
The breakaway church will soon join the Anglican Network in Canada: a national body of Anglicans who have moved away from the Anglican Church of Canada and are helping other churches and individuals to do the same.
Bishop Donald Harvey, moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada, is scheduled to visit Ottawa on Feb. 10 to hold a public meeting at the Sandy Hill Community Centre at 7:30 p.m.
Tony Copple, president of the Anglican Gathering of Ottawa, was one of the main movers behind the creation of the breakaway church.
He says members of his group have been ready to leave the Anglican Church of Canada since 2004.
“What we are seeing is a gradual departure of Anglican faith away from biblical principles and to take in the cultural needs that are being created with every generation.” He says many Anglicans are upset with their church for wanting to follow advances in society, such as blessing same-sex marriages.
Copple says the Kanata Lakes Fellowship is a place that provides comfort for Anglicans who want to stay true to their orthodox beliefs.
Since its debut, the Kanata Lakes Fellowship congregation of only about a dozen people has met in the Old Schoolhouse, a small building in the neighbourhood. However, Brian De Visser, who leads the service, is happy with the current turnout, and anticipates it will grow.
“It takes a lot of courage for someone to leave a church, which they have been going to for 20 or 30 years, and to come to a sort of unknown entity,” De Visser says.
“As word spreads and people see that we are not just going to disappear and close shop after a couple weeks, when people see that we are sticking around, then more people will come.”
Ross Moulton, executive archdeacon to Bishop John Chapman, says that the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa’s response to the Kanata Lakes Fellowship is one of regret, but respect.
“Our preference would have been if people with diversity of opinion would stay and remain part of the dialogue,” Moulton says.
“That said, clearly we respect people who do feel in conscience that they need to walk apart from the rest of the church.”
Bishop Chapman will decide whether to allow blessings of same-sex marriages once he discusses the issue with other Anglicans at the Lambeth Conference in July.
Although this matter did play a role in the development of the Kanata Lakes Fellowship, De Visser says disagreements with the Anglican Church of Canada go far beyond homosexuality.
“Whether or not the Bible is God’s authority for us? Whether or not Jesus is the only way, or a way to salvation? Whether He really existed?" he asks.
"These are all things that I have heard various parties in the Anglican Church of Canada deny, and I find that shocking,” De Visser says. "This issue of the same-sex blessings has revealed a deeper underlying issue, and that's the basic drift from the Christian faith."