Florida's Grace Episcopal Church tries to steal into Rwandan Diocese, legal fight ahead?

FLORIDA: Sadness, joy, as Grace departs from Episcopal Church

By MARY MARAGHY
Clay County Line
The Florida Times-Union
January 14, 2006

The leadership and members of Grace Episcopal Church of Orange Park declared themselves Anglicans this past weekend, following standing-room only services on Friday and Sunday, which members described as poignant and bittersweet.

On Friday, the church held a disassociation service to sever its ties with the Episcopal Church USA and more than 760 attended Sunday services marking the birth and unveiling of Grace Church (Anglican). Florida's Episcopal Bishop, the Rev. Samuel Howard, who was invited to the services but didn't attend, faxed a letter to Grace voicing opposition to the services.

"There is no way that a congregation, just lock, stock and barrel, can take down one flag and put up another and claim they are now something else.

They can leave, in the traditional sense, get up and go somewhere else," said the Rev. Kurt Dunkle, canon to Howard, who said the church's pastor, the Rev. Sam Pascoe and the church's vestry are in serious violation of church and state law.

"We are looking at our options. One option may be legal action."

Grace officials said they have realigned under the Anglican Archbishop of Rwanda, Africa. Grace is one of six Florida churches that left the denomination for its increasingly liberal stance culminating with the ordination of a gay bishop. All six are realigning with the Worldwide Anglican Communion.

"We'll be next, if the church doesn't repent and move under a more conservative alignment," said the Rev. Hal Hunt, pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan in Orange Park, who attended the Friday service. Hunt's church is among five others in Florida planning to join the exodus if the church does not apologize for its actions at its next general convention in June.

Dunkley said the Episcopal Church cannot reverse the gay bishop's ordination and that Howard is working to ensure that Florida bishops don't vote to ordain any more gay bishops in the future.

Meanwhile, last week at Grace, church leaders -- expecting about 250 people -- scrambled to set up folding chairs to accommodate about 400 who attended.

As the service began, staff members went to run off extra program copies and get more Communion wafers. Some members hugged long and hard before the service in which Pascoe retired the church's Episcopal banner and other diocesan papers. Some cried during a video presentation of the church's history.

Just before the service, Walt Button got tears in his eyes while explaining that his children were baptized and married at the church. "We've helped each other raise our kids. We've renovated this church. We've led Scout troops and projects here. We've served the community. Our hope is we can continue to do that," said Button. "There is still so much uncertainty."

Pascoe, his staff and a team of lawyers plan to fight for the deed to the campus, arguing that they have paid for the church. Dunkle said Grace exists only because it is an extension of the diocese and that any contributions members made were to the Episcopal Church. While some were misty-eyed and nostalgic over the weekend, others were rejoicing.

"It's a monumental step and a step in the right direction," said Bill Harkey, a member for more than 20 years who serves on the church vestry and recalled a recent renovation project in which members moved the church's entrance from one side of the church to another.

"We literally turned the church around then, and now we're really turning the church around." Richard Hoshour, a Florida transplant, said he joined Grace about seven years ago, and said he had left his Episcopal Church up North.

"I've been waiting for something like this for about 20 years," he said. "This is the best thing that has happened in a long time. This is freedom."

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