EL PASO, TX: Largest Parish in Diocese of Rio Grande Exits The Episcopal Church

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
9/16/2007

The 700-member St. Clements Pro-Cathedral, the largest parish in the Diocese of the Rio Grande, voted today to leave The Episcopal Church in a $2 million property deal that they believe will allow them to keep their property.

"We are overjoyed that this was an amicable separation," said a source in a phone call to VirtueOnline. The church and the diocese will issue a joint press release next week.

The Rector and Vestry have been negotiating with the Diocese of the Rio Grande in an effort to reach an agreement to present to the congregation for its approval on September 16.

In a parish vote Sunday, 460 voted 'yea' and 41 voted 'nay' to approve an agreement with the diocese to pay the $2 million which settles the claims by the diocese and allows St. Clements to leave with its property.

The evangelical parish has experienced tremendous spiritual growth following an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1973 at a Faith Alive gathering and has continued to see remarkable growth. The staff includes four priests including the rector and two deacons.

A spokesman for the parish said that the parish had no intention of affiliating at this time with another Anglican jurisdiction, but will stay as members of the Anglican Communion Network and Anglican Partners for Global Mission.

The church has been paying its apportionment of $200,000 a year to the diocese. The spokesman said that of the $2 million, $1 million will come from a Trust Fund and the other $1 million will be borrowed.

St. Clements is the largest missionary supporting church in El Paso giving ten percent of its income directly to mission partners around the world. The church supports approximately 40 missionaries and other strategic partners. The parish is on the border of Mexico and is a home base and launching pad for many missions to Juarez and other geographic locations in Mexico, a predominantly Roman Catholic country.

The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey N. Steenson, Bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, could not be reached for confirmation.

The parish website can be accessed here: http://www.stclements.com/

END