Speaking to a group of clergy and laity in Orlando under the banner of the Central Florida American Anglican Council, Anderson, bishop-elect of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), an Anglican missionary effort sponsored by the Church of Nigeria, ripped into Williams. Anderson. accused him of manipulating the Primates, detailing how, since Dromantine in 2005 if not before, the ABC had participated in presenting the rest of the Communion with "a watered down version of TEC, knowingly misleading," and demonstrating a "routine duplicity, refusing to let yes be yes and no be no."

"Dr. Williams took two important actions upon leaving New Orleans: launching the Joint Standing Committee Report (very likely written before New Orleans by the Rev. Canon Dr. Gregory Cameron of the Anglican Communion Office); and immediately commencing a telephone campaign, phoning Anglican Primates to ask (read convince or coerce) their agreement that the Episcopal Church had substantially met the standards of the Dar es Salaam Communique. With ears carefully turned to Lambeth we find that Rowan Williams is determined that Lambeth 2008 will absolutely take place, and on his terms."

Anderson characterized the present legal landscape in The Episcopal Church as mixed, saying parishes that are incorporated and titled have some chance of keeping their property, whereas others have little chance.

One of AAC's services to orthodox Episcopalians, as well as to new Anglican congregations, is to provide legal advice based on their accumulated experience in litigation and incorporation. Anderson noted the Episcopal Church's egregious practice of suing the laity in departing congregations. "Vestry members will be sued personally and individually. There is no hope for TEC to win these suits, but it scares the vestry members. This is a terror tactic."

Anderson said that the Episcopal Church's real intentions are to drive the orthodox out of TEC. "As long as there are orthodox in TEC, the heretics do not feel safe. If they did, they would not be trying to eradicate us through 'non-Anglican' church transfer rules.

"The appropriate strategy in response is to stand on the air hose; cut off financial giving to national and diocesan coffers, out of which the fund for the church's present scorched earth policy is derived. The AAC is watching the national Episcopal Church office closely to monitor its attempts at siphoning off trust and pension funds to fund its legal campaign," he said.

Anderson said the Episcopal Church is more worried about the loss of franchise than the loss of property. "TEC does not want you to use the word 'Anglican.' If you use the word, you offend them. They want the name branded for them only."

He characterized the present worldwide movement of realignment as "the biggest thing that has happened since Henry VIII took the Church of England from Rome." He challenged his listeners to ponder what a non-Canterbury Anglicanism might look like.

"At least part of the Primates will recognize this as a province of the Anglican Communion. If you're looking for something to invest your life in, this is it.

"The future of Anglicanism in the United States is apart," he told the audience of nearly 200, which included more than 35 clergy from the Diocese of Central Florida. Bishop John W. Howe was not present and has said in a letter to his diocese that he will not permit parishes to leave the diocese with their properties for another branch of Anglicanism.

The Rev. Lorne Coyle, rector of Trinity Church, Vero Beach, the second largest parish in the Diocese of Central Florida and a local AAC convener, said the results of a survey registrants filled out regarding realignment in the diocese revealed that 111 said they had made a personal decision to realign in the following time frame: 65 within 6 months, 19 within 15 months, and 21 -- within three years.

Those "committed to staying in TEC" answered: yes 28, no 127, unsure, 27. Those who have told their rector or senior warden about their plans answered: yes 113 and no 34. Those who indicated they are designating their giving to the purposes of their parish only answered: at the present time 63, from now on 45, and unsure 39. Two respondents registered the last question as no". In a question indicating how committed they were to leaving the parish they now serve, the group said: 127 wanted to realign, 12 wanted to remain in TEC, 61 wanted to designate giving through parish only, and 2 were not sure.

Most believe that in recent months they had turned a corner. The die has been cast for them regardless of whether they are in TEC or out of it, with or without their present parish holdings.

One visitor to the Central Florida Diocese, who drives thirty miles on Sundays to attend one of the local AAC parishes remarked, "How wonderful it is to sit with people and not have to worry about being politically correct."

A laywoman who grew up in the Dutch East Indies during the Second World War, was captured by the Japanese and confined two years in a concentration camp, and saw family members die, said this: "I want to tell all of you that a building is not that important. When we lost everything and had no church, we were closer to God than we'd ever been."

One observer noted that the only chill in the atmosphere of the meeting was indicated by the careful use of the word "realignment" instead of "the 'L' word" by those discussing possible plans beyond TEC. Bishop John W. Howe recently informed the clergy of Central Florida that "deciding to leave" TEC was legally the same thing as actually leaving. "No one was eager to press the legality of what constituted 'deciding to leave', so talk was restricted to prospects for 'realignment' with other Provinces of the Anglican Communion," said a priest.

---The Rev. Canon J. Gary L'Hommedieu is Canon for Pastoral Care at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando, Florida, and a regular columnist for VirtueOnline. David W. Virtue is the president of VirtueOnline