[Magdalen] "Failing" parishes--Canada vs. USA

[Marion Thompson]

I can't speak for Alberta, but combining and closing seems to be flavour 
of the month around here as we all stagger along with dwindling numbers 
and revenue and too many churches in the wrong places.  Happy in our 
classification of 'strategic' rather than 'unsustainable' because of the 
food bank and our location in the poor part of town away from the 
cluster of four others uptown, we may yet survive.  But I wonder why in 
heaven's name we were issued with a Protestant priest rather than 
someone more aligned with our A-C tradition.  That sure isn't helping us 
grow!  We have yet to hear what has come of our approach to the only 
possible uptown church whose priest unfortunately retires in January and 
may, therefore, be reluctant to make a deal on the way out.

I dunno.  Maybe my blowing a gasket the other week has had an effect -- 
he left the prayers alone this week, including the BVM.  Or maybe, who 
knows, he did speak to the bishop and she backed me up, even a little, 
as the licenced lay reader.

The ways of Mother Church are passing strange.

Marion, a pilgrim

On 11/22/2015 9:37 AM, Jay Weigel wrote:
> Clarissa's prayer request led me to wonder about the varying position of
> TEC vs. the Anglican Church in Canada regarding what are considered
> "failing" parishes. Marion's recent experience, too, has made me wonder. I
> realize it varies from diocese to diocese, but ISTM that the Canadian
> church, at least in these instances, is behaving far more like the RCC in
> abruptly closing these churches or pretty much setting them up to fail (in
> the case of Marion's) rather than encouraging them along or "yoking" them.
>
> Am I seeing things correctly, or is this a misperception?
>