Once dismissed as the fantasy of a handful of fundamentalist malcontents, an unprecedented realignment of the Anglican Communion appears increasingly likely after leadership from dissident movements in both the Anglican Church in Canada and the Episcopal Church pledged mutual cooperation before more than 1,600 worshipers and two active primates on Sept. 7 in Vancouver.

“A pastoral emergency was created in Minnesota and we need to deepen our relationships with one another,” said the Rev. David Roseberry, rector of Christ Church, Plano, Texas. “We are unsure about the future shape of our church and we may not know how far to take it, but it is not coincidental that new biblical jurisdictions and new alignments are occurring at this time.”

In addition to extending a personal invitation to members of the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW), a coalition of 10 parishes within the Canadian Diocese of New Westminster who hold to a traditional interpretation of marriage, Fr. Roseberry also announced a location change for the much-anticipated meeting in Plano next month. After two weeks of registration the number of participants has exceeded Christ Church’s 1,600-seat capacity. The new location, the Anatole Convention Center in nearby Dallas, can accommodate 6,000.