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FLORIDA: Episcopal bishop gives rift church ultimatum
By JEFF BRUMLEY
The Florida Times-Union
January 18, 2006
Bishop John Howard may take Grace Church to court as early as this week if its leadership does not return its Orange Park property to the Episcopal Diocese of Florida today or make speedy arrangements to do so, a diocesan official said.
"We expect them to turn over all symbols of possession, like keys, the books and records," Howard's chief of staff, the Rev. Canon Kurt Dunkle, said late Tuesday afternoon.
"If they are unable to do that, if they need some time, of course we'd be willing to work with them," Dunkle said. "But that would be a short amount of time."
Grace Church was one of six churches to officially leave the Jacksonville-based diocese and the Episcopal Church USA between November and Jan. 6 citing irreconcilable theological differences.
Of the six North Florida parishes to leave, Grace is one of three that has continued to worship in its original buildings.
The other two -- Church of the Redeemer and All Souls in Jacksonville -- are closely watching the situation at Grace and expect similar actions soon, said the Rev. Neil Lebhar, rector at Church of the Redeemer in Jacksonville.
The other three -- Calvary Church in Jacksonville, St. Michael's in Gainesville and St. Luke's Community of Life in Tallahassee -- were either worshipping in rented space already or left their buildings to do so.
All six of them have formally aligned themselves with conservative Anglican bishops in other nations who, like them, condemn the November 2003 election of an openly gay man as Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire.
An attorney for the diocese sent a letter to Grace Church on Friday announcing today's deadline to make the arrangements or face some form of legal action.
The Rev. Sam Pascoe said his attorney responded Monday with offers either to purchase the 6-acre, 17-building campus or to lease it from the diocese.
Dunkle said the diocese isn't interested.
"The diocese is not willing to sell its property to anyone," he said.
Pascoe said he doubts the diocese can find enough replacement worshippers to pay the approximately $200,000 a year needed to cover a $600,000 mortgage plus maintenance and insurance costs. He said the church has 1,300 members and its property was recently appraised at $2.5 million.
"They can't afford this property without us," Pascoe said.
Dunkle disagreed, saying he expects enough Grace parishioners to stay behind and enough contributions from donors throughout the diocese to pay for the property.
In the Episcopal Church USA, congregations pay all their own expenses, from construction and mortgage costs to priests' salaries and insurance and everything in between.
For that reason, Pascoe said, his congregation should be allowed to stay put.
"The people paid for every one of those buildings and every inch of that dirt, not the diocese," Pascoe said.
At Redeemer, Lebhar said Grace may have been the first to receive notice of legal action because it held a public, formal service Jan. 6 to disengage from the diocese.
Grace also was the first to formally join an overseas Anglican diocese, in this case the Diocese of Rwanda.
Since Friday, Lebhar said, Redeemer, All Souls and Calvary officially joined the Diocese of Madi West Nile in Uganda.
On Jan. 11, Howard took action to inhibit seven of the priests from performing priestly duties in the diocese and its properties.
Dunkle said a diocesan committee met Tuesday to consider changing the status of the three congregations still in their buildings from parishes to missions, which would give Howard greater control over their personnel, property and finances. No action was taken during the meeting, he said.
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