"I love Bishop Jim Stanton; this is not a decision against him or the diocese as such. I have been a priest here for 18 years, I love the church, I love preaching the gospel, I love leading people to Christ, but I cannot do this in the framework of an apos tate c hurch," he told VOL.

Pendergrass will leave his 560-member parish at the end of November. "I am not seeking to take anybody away. People are free to choose. I suspect the majority of the parish is going to stay where they are. This is a personal decision. Everyone," he said, "has to make their own decision."

Pendergrass will come under the authority of the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, The Most Rev. Greg Venables. His move to the new jurisdiction is being assisted by Ekklesia General Secretary Canon Bill Atwood, he said. Pendergrass said the turning point that led to his decision was the leadership collapse of Dr. Rowan Williams who failed to deal with events in 2003.

"My greatest disappointment is that Williams could not make a simple declarative statement in 2003 over the Robinson consecration, and because of that we are all having to deal with the fall out and consequences of his failure. A simple declarative statement could have changed the whole course of the Anglican Communion," he said.

Pendergrass believes that every layperson, priest and bishop is forced to come to terms with that failure; "Each of us has to discern how God is calling us t o move forward," he said.

He said that Bishop Stanton had issued letters Dismissory to transfer him to Archbishop Venables. There is no animosity between the two men.

Pendergrass said he will be starting a new church in the area which will be called The Anglican Church of the Resurrection. It will not be Episcopalian, he said. A core group has said they will follow the orthodox priest, but he admitted that the number was uncertain at this time. "I am not interested in sheep stealing and I am more than happy to turn the parish over to Canon Dr. Neal O. Michel, Missioner for Strategic Development of the Diocese of Dallas. We are good friends and I wish him well." Canon Michel will act as interim rector.

In a message to his parish, Pendergrass wrote, "As you know, the past several years have been a time of intense turmoil within the Episcopal Church. The events of Gener al Con vention 2006 have only confirmed that the Episcopal Church is deliberately moving away from the Apostle's teaching as found in Holy Scripture. Despite the relative strength of our own diocese, it is nevertheless the case that we remain part of a withered branch of Christ's Church that has turned its back on His saving Gospel and squandered its spiritual inheritance."

"After much prayer and consideration of the information at hand, I have concluded that I cannot in good conscience continue to bring others into the Episcopal Church, and this leaves me ill-equipped to lead our church family or serve our Bishop."

"I do believe there is a future for the Anglican expression of the Christian faith. I see in the Global South a dynamic, Spirit-driven form of evangelical Anglicanism that holds great promise for North America."

"It would be beyond inadequate to say that this act ion gr ieves me. This diocese has been my spiritual home for forty-five years. I love this church family, and carry each of you in my heart. I have had the opportunity to work closely with Bishop Stanton, and I have great affection for him."

"My departure is not a rejection of any of you. This is a personal decision Colleen and I have reached, precipitated on the conviction that we can better serve the Kingdom of God outside the Episcopal Church. Those who differ, and believe their vocation is to remain within the Episcopal Church, can be assured of our love and my prayers."

His new church venture will begin December 1.

In a conversation with a member of his church family, Pendergrass said they were both in complete agreement on the seriousness of the situation. "We both agree we are on a ship that is in distress. She told me that, right now, her calling is to stay on t he shi p in order to help get as many people as possible off before it goes down. I explained that I believe my calling is to help get the lifeboats ready for the people who are evacuating the ship. Both of these jobs are necessary. In fact they constitute a form of teamwork, and when the crisis is resolved I believe the entire team will be reunited, not only in spirit, but in fact."

You can reach the new parish at the following website: http://www.celebratetheresurrection.org which should be up and running in a few weeks.

The Rev. Henry Pendergrass can be reached at: hpendergrass@comcast.net

A copy of Father Henry's resignation statement may be downloaded by clicking here http://www.stnicksonline.org/

END