By the time St. Peter’s voted in March 2007, facts had changed drastically. The diocese already had threatened to sue the leave-takers. It already canceled – with very little notice – the health plans of the clergy involved, making the ministers scramble to find other coverage.
The bank account of one of the departing – St. Stephen’s in Heathsville, Va. – had been frozen by its bank because two groups were laying claim to the assets. This made it impossible for the majority who left – and who had hung onto the property – to pay anything from utility bills to salaries.
Plus, the diocese held the deed to St. Peter’s property. So the folks at St. Peter’s voted to stay. Their vicar, Bob Koth, wanted out.
“I respected the congregation’s wishes,” he told me. “I struggled with the decision to stay in the Episcopal Church. As things dragged out, we were late in taking that vote.”