"Their doctrine is exactly what we believe," said senior warden Carl Kleeman III. "The order of the service is very important to us and also the dignity and reverence of the service."

Members see themselves in line with the Reformed Episcopals' traditional views.

For example, congregants were critical of the 2003 election of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson to the Diocese of New Hampshire, said The Rev. Skip Burzumato.

Members also liked that authority over St. Andrew's property and assets remained in the hands of its membership, Kleeman said.

More than a century old, the Reformed Episcopal Church represents approximately 13,000 members and 137 parishes and missions worldwide.

The denomination is in fellowship with the Free Church of England (also known as the Reformed Episcopal Church in England) and the Anglican Province of America.

St. Andrew's Church was founded in 1968 by former members and the rector of St. John's Episcopal Church at 1 West Macon Street.

The breakaway congregation believed mainline Episcopals were becoming too liberal.

About 40 members in cooperation with rector Rev. Ernest Risley began meeting in homes or rented meeting rooms.

The group then purchased the former B'nai Brith Jacob synagogue at 112 Montgomery St., which was the worship house of local Orthodox Jews from 1909 to 1962.

It was there the church adopted the moniker "Independent Episcopal" to distinguish itself.

The membership remained on Montgomery Street until 2003 when it sold the building and moved to newly purchased property off Waters Avenue at 608 Hampton Street, where it is today.

Technically, the phrase "independent Episcopal" is contradictory.

Being Episcopal means being in communication with the see of Canterbury, as the Episcopal Church of the USA (also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church) is.

St. Andrew's Church is not.

However, congregants kept the "Episcopal" to indicate their loyalty to the 1928 Prayer Book and to what they believed were traditional Episcopal values. While the Reformed Episcopals use the earlier prayer book, the mainline Episcopal Church of the USA uses a 1979 prayer book.

With no national affiliation over the years, the congregation received help with ordinations, confirmations and traditions from a variety of bishops. Some of those bishops were retired from the Episcopal Church and some from other Anglican jurisdictions around the country.

In January 2005 then rector Rev. Louis Tarsitano died in hospice care.

Before his death, he advised the members to consider joining the Reformed Episcopal Church.

Burzumato, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., joined the congregation as its newest rector in December following a year-long search conducted with help from the Reformed Episcopals.

He came to Savannah following six years at the Center for Christian Study in Charlottesville, Va., ministering to students and faculty at the University of Virginia. During his years in Charlottesville, he also served as a curate at All Saints Anglican Church (APA).

"One of the reasons that St. Andrew's called me as their rector was because of their interest in affiliating with the Reformed Episcopal Church," said Burzumato.

Burzumato predicts worldwide growth of conservative Christian denominations, most notably in Africa where the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) joined a union of Anglican churches in November.

"We're not praying for the demise of the Episcopal Church," Burzumato said, "but with them becoming more and more liberal, theologically speaking, it's really solidifying the conservative churches."

ABOUT THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The Reformed Episcopal Church was organized in New York City in 1873 by eight former priests and 20 former members of the Protestant Episcopal Church.

Doctrine and organization are similar to that of the parent church with several important exceptions:

* Holy Scripture is the highest authority.

* The church vigorously holds to the plain understanding of the 39 Articles of Religion of the English Reformation and adopted them as the doctrinal standard of the Church.

* Clergymen ordained as presbyters in other churches may be received into the ministry. If their ordination is irregular, such orders are regularized by the laying on of hands of a Bishop. Members are admitted on letters of dismissal from other Protestant denominations.

* Worship is liturgical. At Sunday morning worship, the use of the Prayer Book, recently revised to conform with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP), is required. The 1928 BCP is also authorized for use. At other services, the use of the Prayer Book is optional while at any service extemporaneous prayer may be used by the minister.

* The triennial General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church is not like the General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA since bishops do not constitute a separate house but, rather, vote with the Clergy.

Source: "A brief overview of the Reformed Episcopal Church" from the REC Web site at http://www.recus.org

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