CHURCH UNION

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19665, 27 August 1935, Page 9

CHURCH UNION

AN UNSEEMLY DISPUTE. CANON SHEPPARD EXPLAINS. I i * --a ( t | A FELLOWSHIP MEAL. V (From a Correspdonent.) LONDON, June 30. Canon H. R. L. (‘Dick’) Sheppard ! explained to a Sunday Times repre- ! sentative ' the circumstances which have led to his withdrawal from the i list of speakers at a meeting at the I Albert 'Hall on Sunday on July 11, orj ganised by the Church Union. The Union is the leading AngloCatholic organisation, the subject .of • the meeting is “ Is England Christian Still? ” and Canon Sheppard was to be the only speaker who is not an avowed Anglo-Catholic. “ In this ease I believe that a principle of religious liberty would go by default if the action of the Church Union were not repudiated,” Mr Sheppard said. j “As President of the Brotherhood ; Movement, comprising many thousands of deeply religious people, I suggested that we should begin our annual conference at Middlesbrough with a 1 Fellowship Meal.’ This, which had no connection with any service of Holy Communion, was held in the | Wesley Central Mission Chapel. ] Through an error in the local press it was referred to as a 'Communion service, with the result that many Anglo-Catholics were greatly dismayed. Resignation Offered. “ When I arrived in London I explained that I did not celebrate the Holy Communion, and had made that clear to those present, but that our Brotherhood broke bread together and passed the cup in token of our oneness I in Jesus Christ. “ For .that I made no sort of apology, nor should I hesitate to do it again. At the same time, seeing that the Church Union was obviously disturbed, I offered to withdraw from their meeting on July 11. I was privately assured that that would not he required, but I chose to place my resignation in the hands of the committee. I did not think it would be accepted, as in fact it was within a few hours. “ During the last fortnight I have been assailed with abuse from extremists. and congratulations, quite as unwelcome, from uninformed people who imagined that I had dealt a cunning blow at the Church to which I belong, and to which 1 desire to be loyal. Distasteful Controversy. Among my correspondents was a zealous City rector, in whose church I had promised to preach. He wrote to say that I must not now keep my engagement. “ it is very distasteful to ventilate this controversy in this way, but I am convinced that there are some scandals —and this is one. of them —so ominous that they should not be allowed to be tucked away in the background. “ English people still have religious liberty and toleration in their bones, and I would like those who believe this to be of paramount importance to know what is going forward at the headquarters of one powerful though small section of the religious community, and one, moreover, to whom we are invited to look for revival of true religion.”