Parishioners Vote To Leave ‘Liberal’ Episcopal Church Holy Trinity, One Of Spokane’s Oldest Parishes, To Join Eastern Orthodox Faith

The members of one of Spokane’s oldest Episcopal parishes are splitting from the church they view as too liberal to join an Eastern Orthodox faith.

The congregation at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in the West Central Neighborhood hope to keep their historic church building as they join the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

“It’s a very big decision,” said the Rev. Robert Creech, who renounced his priesthood in the Episcopal Church.

Episcopal Bishop Jeff Terry said he has not decided if the diocese will attempt to keep the church building, at 1832 W. Dean, which was dedicated 100 years ago this summer.

“It’s not as straight-forward as some people would depict it,” Terry said. “But we still have to do our homework on this issue.”

Creech and the church members will convert to Orthodoxy at a 6 p.m. service Wednesday. He will be ordained an Orthodox priest the following weekend in Detroit.

Creech said his congregation has become increasingly unhappy with the liberal trend in the Episcopal Church of America.

Church conventions have overstepped their authority to interpret doctrines, Creech said. For example, he pointed to the 1976 Episcopal general convention which voted to allow women into the priesthood, lifting a 2,000-year-old ban.

As traditionalists, Creech and his congregation see women priests as a break in the lineage of the priesthood that dates back to the apostles of Jesus Christ.

They also are disgusted by trends in the church of reinterpreting the creeds and other doctrines.

“We believe that creedal doctrines of the church are revealed (by God) and therefore not debatable by conventions or subject to majority votes,” Creech said.

Of the 275 baptized members of the church, 160 confirmed adults were eligible to vote on the matter last Sunday, Creech said.

Ninety percent of the 150 ballots cast were in favor of leaving to join the Orthodox Church, he said. No one who asked was denied a ballot.

In choosing the Antiochian Orthodox Church, Holy Trinity will report to the Archdiocese in New Jersey and a patriarch in Damascus, Syria.

Holy Trinity will have a Western Rite worship service, similar to the Episcopal liturgy.

While it’s rare for an entire mainline congregation to convert to Orthodoxy, it’s not unheard of.

The congregation of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Whittier, Calif., converted 15 years ago for similar reasons. The Rev. Michael Trigg renounced his Episcopal ordination at that time and, along with his congregation, joined the Antiochian Church.

“The Episcopal Church has become increasingly liberal,” Trigg said. “Episcopalians of Anglican persuasion have always looked to the Orthodox Church as a close companion.”

The leadership of the Antiochian Church is primarily Arabic, Trigg said. Of the priests in America, about half are Arabic. Many are converted Episcopal priests, he said.

The Rev. Creech emphasized that the congregation has no quarrels with the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane or Bishop Terry. There will be a fight for the building, if the diocese wants to keep it, he said.

Originally called Trinity Mission, the gabled, wooden structure was completed for $1,000 in 1895, according to documents at the Spokane Public Library.

“It’s one of the neatest old churches in town,” said Nancy Compau, historian for the library.

The stained-glass windows were donated by individual parishioners.

The first two priests at Holy Trinity were notorious rebels among the fledgling church community. The Rev. J. Nelson Barry argued with the bishop in the newspaper over how diocesan funds were spent.

The Rev. A. Osmund Worthing refused to use the 1789 American version of the prayer book in favor of the 1662 English version.

Famous early members include poet Stoddard King, chairman of First National Bank Arthur Lindsay and artist Bertha Ballou.

Creech said the parish holds the title to the property.

“In the 16 years that I’ve been pastor, the parish has contributed $325,000 to the diocese,” he said. “We do not receive any money from the diocese and they have no claim to our church.”