As we greeted 2006, many of us felt we were being abandoned by the Church we knew and loved, The Episcopal Church.  June offered a glimmer of hope as everyone waited and watched to see if our Church would abandon the path it seemed to have chosen. With the close of General Convention 2006 in Columbus, Ohio, our worst fears were realized; The Episcopal Church USA would not repent and was abandoning those of us who consider themselves orthodox Christians according to the Great Tradition of the faith.

Some of us returned from GC06 ready to leave and some of us knew leaving was coming soon. Upon returning from Columbus, the Reverend Rickie Steenstra, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, Elizabeth City, wrote a letter to her flock. The letter stated how she felt about GC06 and the fact that she could no longer serve a church headed in a direction that did not acknowledge the authority of Holy Scripture. There was also a ray of sunshine, since Rickie felt led to help those who wanted to plant a new Anglican church.

Many of us put our names on the list of lay members interested in getting this new venture off the ground.  The list grew and grew.  Finally on August 23, 2006, we met at the home of Tim and Susan Witwer in Elizabeth City.  To nearly everyone’s surprise, over sixty people showed up that night.  After some singing, some worship and not a small amount of discussion, we decided that we wanted to form this new Anglican Church that Rickie felt led to help us plant.  Work was begun to incorprate the Anglican Church of the Redeemer in North Carolina and begin the process of gaining tax-exempt status.

Another meeting followed on September 12, 2006 at Roanoke Bible College.  Here we learned that we now were incorporated in North Carolina as the Church of The Redeemer, Anglican. There were sheets for us to fill out about who the members of this new church were and how we all felt led to serve.  There was also a call for those who were willing to serve on a provisional vestry.  Again, there was singing and worship.

 Then, because people were curious about why we were starting a new church, the steering committee wrote the following Statement of Reason:

Church of the Redeemer (Anglican)

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  • We are here because we believe Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead for us. 
  • We are here because we know that if we repent of our sins, Jesus will forgive us and give us new life in Him.
  • We are here because we believe Holy Scripture is the Word of God and that we are called to live our lives in accordance with His Word. 
  • We are here because we stand firm in the faith with our Brothers and Sisters in the Anglican Communion and with all orthodox Christians of other denominations throughout the world. 
  • We are here because we believe that peoples' souls are at stake and Jesus has called us to preach the Gospel to all the world.
  • We are planting a new church in order to preserve the faith that has been handed down to us and that we hope to hand down to future generations. 
  • We do not believe that we are leaving the Episcopal Church but that the Episcopal Church has left us. 
  • We are all walking by faith, strong in our conviction that the Lord is leading us and sustaining us. 
  • Our only desire is to be faithful to the leading of Jesus Christ who is the head of the church.
  • We continue to pray for the Lord's blessing and guidance on the Church of the Redeemer and on all that we do. 
 

 We learned that once we had a Senior Warden, he (or she) would begin the process of applying to join the Anglican Communion Network and seeking oversight from a Network Bishop.  The paperwork was on-going to file for tax-exempt status, and a process was begun by the steering committee to elect a  Provisional Vestry and a Senior Warden.  We also decided that we wanted to start holding worship services by mid-October.  We left that meeting certain that the presence of the Holy Spirit was with us as things began to move forward.

The third meeting was held at the new Museum of the Albemarle on September 23, 2006.  A conference room had been reserved for us but it soon became apparent that more people were coming than the room would hold and we were given the auditorium to use.  A slate of 10 was presented to those gathered and our provisional vestry was unanimously elected. We immediately held our first vestry meeting and elected the Senior Warden, Junior Warden, and Clerk.  Motions were made and passed to have the Senior Warden make application on our behalf to the Anglican Network for parish status and for episcopal oversight.  The joy on the faces of those gathered spoke volumes about how God was leading us.

Tuesday, September 26, brought more good news.   Deacon Fred Moncla emailed to tell us he had found a church building for us to use in Weeksville – some 10 miles outside Elizatbeth City.   Union Methodist Church had been built in 1826 and was no longer in use.   They wanted us to pay utilities, insurance, grounds upkeep and agreed that we could start using it beginning in October.  

October 5 was the night of our second Vestry meeting and we held it at Union Methodist Church so the entire Vestry could get a feel for the building before voting on its use.   We discussed how long we might need to use the building and a decision was made to hold a picnic the next Saturday for all our members.   We formed committees and commissions.   Someone made a gift that covered all new vestments.  Others had purchased new bibles, prayer books and hymnals.  We decided that our first worship service would be there in Weeksville on October 15, 2006 – less than two months after the first meeting at the Witwer’s home.

The forecast for Saturday was bleak: cold and rainy. We decided to move our picnic indoors. As the time approached, the weather kept improving. By the time we arrived at the church it was sunny, warm and beautiful! While we were getting ready to eat, our Junior Warden called the Vestry members aside. The day before he and several others had gone to Camden, North Carolina (just across the Pasquotank River from Elizabeth City) to look at a Baptist Church whose congregation had dissolved and was trying to sell their building. The sanctuary portion of the building was 8 years old and a new parish hall had just been completed – in total it was 7,000 square feet on 3 acres.  There were two other churches and a day care center looking seriously at it. 

The building, which had been valued at $1.2 million, was for sale for $695,000.  Our Junior Warden felt moved to offer $650,000, contingent upon Vestry approval, financing and closing by November 10, 2006.  The church pastor and trustees had verbally indicated they would accept this offer.  We decided to go and look at the building immediately after the picnic.

Upon arriving at the property, we were all in awe.  What we saw was a lovely building on an enormous lot, in a country setting that was easily accessible from the major roadways in the area.  We then went inside.  We learned that the pastor and trustees were leaving everything behind – pianos, organ, copier, furniture and sound system.  While showing us around, our Junior Warden received word that the contract had been signed subject to formal Vestry approval and our obtaining financing and that the realtor was en route to deliver it to us.  The Pastor also informed us that we would have permission to begin using the building for our worship services prior to the actual closing.

The next Vestry meeting was scheduled for October 12, 2006.  This was Rickie’s first chance to sit down with us as she was still Rector of Christ Episcopal Church and had not been involved at all in the meetings or decision.  However, she had submitted her application to retire from the Episcopal Church and October 8 was to be her last service in the Episcopal Church.  We sat down and discussed the purchase of the building that seemed to all to be a gift from God.   After some discussion the resolution to purchase the building passed unanimously.  In addition, the Vestry asked Rickie to begin serving as the Interim Rector and she agreed.  Also, Deacon Fred Moncla had also decided to leave the Episcopal Church and serve Redeemer as our Deacon.