Congregationalist Wiccan Association
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Congregationalist Wiccan Association is a Wiccan church in British Columbia, Canada. It is a branch of the federally incorporated Congregationalist Witchcraft Association of Canada, incorporated as a provincial non-profit Society. It is notable as one of only two extant Wiccan religious bodies that have thus far satisfied the requirements to perform marriages in Canada and because it is growing rapidly.
It is explicitly a Temple association, with its focus on providing public services to Wiccans and other Pagans in British Columbia. It has four active congregations around the province: Vancouver-Burnaby, Vernon, and Penticton Temples and Nanaimo congregation. A congregation is headed by lay clergy overseen by Ordained clergy people and a Temple is fully self-governing.
Samuel Wagar and Teri Chartier were the first CWA clergy licensed to perform weddings in British Columbia. Both are located in the Lower Mainland. The CWA performed Ordination ceremonies for three lay clergy, Diane Morrison of the North Okanagan congregation, Angela Wheeler and Michael Zult of the South Okanagan congregation on April 15th in Kelowna, British Columbia. With these Ordinations the two Okanagan congregations became full Temples in the Church and both Morrison and Zult received legal marrying credentials through the church.
As a congregationalist church, CWA expects that member congregations will practice in whatever way suits them, subject to the general agreements on beliefs and practices in their bylaws. So each congregation has its' own style of ritual and approach to community service.
Periodic clergy retreats and mentoring by Ordained Clergy of lay clergy and congregations spread ideas and resources around. The church publishes a monthly newsletter "Page of Pentacles" which is available for $12 annually or free at Open Circles or events of the church.
Articles about the CWA have appeared in the Penticton Herald, the Western, the Vancouver Sun, the Kelowna Daily Courier,[1] the Vernon Morning Star, the Nanaimo Daily News and in other places
