Parish OKs change in alignment

Parishioners of the breakaway Grace Church and St. Stephen’s Parish have voted to support their vestry’s decision to leave the Episcopal Church.

There were 370 votes cast, and 342, or 93 percent, voted to align themselves with the conservative Convocation of Anglicans of North America (CANA). That group is aligned with the Anglican Province of Nigeria.

The group also voted 348 to 22 to retain the real and personal property of Grace Church, church officials said.

“I’m delighted. It doesn’t get much better than that,” said the Rev. Donald Armstrong, who has been rector of the church for 20 years.

But Bishop Robert O’Neill, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, said the vote is not valid under canon law.

The ballots were counted Saturday after parishioners had a week to cast them at the church.

Parishioners who have remained with the Episcopal Church were asked by the diocese not to participate in the vote. About 250 congregants now hold services at First Christian Church.

The new CANA group says it has 500 to 600 people attending services. Grace was one of the largest Episcopal churches in Colorado.

“Some are sitting all this out or have gone to other denominations,” Armstrong said.

The original Grace vestry — the church governing board — voted March 26 to align the parish with CANA.

Jon Wroblewski, senior warden of the parish vestry, said in a news release Saturday, “The congregation’s decision to join CANA is the most important decision in Grace Church and St. Stephen’s 135-year history. We have decided to remain true to the faith of our ancestors and founders of this parish.”

Robert McJimsey, a retired Colorado College professor who is spokesman for the members who have remained in the diocese, said “It’s sad and difficult for us in the parish. Episcopalians take serious the word communion — which means coming together in spiritual fellowship. And once you vote to leave the communion, it’s difficult to lose contact with those you have worshipped with a long time.”

The vote has no bearing on efforts by the Diocese of Colorado to regain control of its $17 million church property, said Beckett Stokes, spokeswoman for the diocese. The diocese contends that people are free to leave the Episcopal Church, but parishes are not. A suit has been filed by the diocese to recover the church building, which is occupied by the breakaway group.

Armstrong was suspended in December while the diocese investigated whether he misapplied church money.

Armstrong has denied the allegations. He also said that the church court proceedings are moot because he is no longer in the Episcopal Church.

No criminal charges have been filed against him.

The diocese in March filed a presentment to the diocese’s ecclesiastical court alleging Armstrong illegally used a scholarship fund to pay for his children’s education.

The presentment, issued by the Diocesan Review Committee, also alleges that Armstrong misused the church’s discretionary fund account, broke the terms of his suspension and encumbered the church with $4.5 million in debt without diocesan permission.

Armstrong says he has been targeted by O’Neill because of his conservative views, including not condoning ordination of gay bishops.

More than three dozen congregations, including several in Colorado, have left the national church and aligned with African branches of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The Episcopal flags are gone from the historic church, and the CANA and Anglican flags will be used in the processional today, the Feast of Pentecost.

This week, the Archbishop of Canterbury snubbed the Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, and his bishop in Virginia, Martyn Minns, who leads the conservative cluster of disaffected American churches. He didn’t invite them to a 2008 gathering of Anglican bishops, the New York Times said.