Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh is in Fresno this weekend to watch the outcome of this vote. So is Bishop Frank Lyons of Bolivia, part of the Anglican Southern Cone (South America), which has agreed to provide emergency oversight for the diocese if it passes the amendments and requests it.
“I’m for disassociating from the Episcopal Church,” Krismanits said. “My sense is that they’ve come up with a new religion. In fact, it’s antagonistic toward the Christian faith. It’s clear from leadership that the authority of Scripture isn’t maintained. I guess it’s not God’s word anymore. It’s been thrown by the wayside.
“I believe with all my heart that a vote in favor to take a step to disassociate from the Episcopal Church will be better than if we don’t. I believe there would be bleeding either way. But in our diocese, the fallout of priests and parishes leaving the diocese would be greater if the vote would fail.”
Others, of course, disagree, and Schofield has said that if the vote succeeds, parishes that wish to take their church prop-erty and leave the diocese to remain with the ECUSA may do so if they are not in debt to the diocese. Some churches, for example, have large mortgages held by the diocese and would have to pay them off in order to leave.