It is absolutely ironic that they call themselves the Via Media, in Latin, the Middle Way, because in truth they are as far from being the 'middle way', as a drunk driver telling a cop that he was driving down the middle of the road, because he was frightened that if drove on either side of the road he might just drive off the black top and hit a tree.

Griswold says he is concerned about the advisability of a constitutional amendment being put forth for discussion at this time. "Questions of sexuality are far from settled, and a constitutional amendment which was perceived as settling this matter might make it more difficult to engage in civil discourse around this topic."

The vote to leave was significant, said the Rev. Paul R. Walter, 66, who has been rector their for nearly 8 years. "Of the 148 who could vote, 98 were present, 84 voted for and 14 against leaving ECUSA. The balance of 152 (the church has almost 300 members) are being polled." That poll will be preserved for additional evidence that the parish is united, said Walker.

The Bishop of Missouri George Wayne Smith has inhibited Walter and has fired the Vestry and Wardens of the parish.

He told his story before some 500 Episcopalians at the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, Pennsylvania recently at a lay witness weekend put on by Faith Alive, a 100 percent Episcopal organization involved in renewing the church, changing people's lives from the inside out. Faith Alive is one of the still thriving (after 30 years) evangelical ministries within the Episcopal Church.