Pictures and Videos of Grace Anglican's Reception, August 13th, 2016 |
Grace Anglican Church was officially received into the Anglican Diocese of New England on August 13, 2016. It was a blessed moment in the Diocese, as this new church was received and its building consecrated with much joy and celebration. Bishop Bill Murdoch, Canon Andrea Mueller, and many other clergy celebrated this historic occasion, with the church at standing room only, as parishioners and guests participated. A new church launch is a blessing in and of itself, but this was a very special and unique event. An Anglican parish of the Diocese, New Hope Anglican, and an independent church, Trinity Covenant Church searching to get back to its Anglican roots, were merged to form Grace Anglican Church.
New Hope Anglican started as a home-based church in Whitman, Massachusetts, with Mother Leah Turner as Vicar. Parishioners met each Sunday for 2 ½ years and showed a slow but steady growth over that period. It was evident that a new meeting space was required, and the leadership of New Hope started praying in earnest for God to guide them to a new space. Despite the challenging circumstances of operating a church from the living room, New Hope stayed faithful that God was growing and preparing us for His next step in our growth as a church. Trinity Covenant Church of Bridgewater, Massachusetts was an independent church formed 30 years ago. Maintaining close ties with its history, Trinity would stay close to the Anglican worship it had grown to love, under the leadership of Reverend Thomas Bergeron. Upon the retirement of Rev. Bergeron, Trinity’s council hired Pastor Christopher Hatton, as their Interim. Trinity continued to pray for God’s guidance, as New Hope prayed for God’s next steps, and Pastor Hatton reached out to New Hope’s leadership to discuss the possibility of worshipping together. New Hope invited the council of Trinity to worship one Sunday as an opportunity to experience an Anglican service, as well as to get to know each other. At coffee hour, through casual conversation new friends were made amongst both parishes. It became evident that both groups recognized connections within the communities, their love of Anglican Worship, and a vision for the future of the church. Over the course of the summer, with both parishes worshipping together, New Hope’s vestry and Trinity’s council made plans with much prayer and guidance from Bishop Bill as well as many others in the Diocese to celebrate the formation of one united church under the Diocese, Grace Anglican Church. |