MISSOURI: ORTHODOX ST. LOUIS PARISH FLEES ECUSA FOR AMIA AND RWANDA

"We have a war chest and we'll go to the mat for our property," says rector

By David W. Virtue

3/1/2004

ST. LOUIS, MO — The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to leave the Diocese of Missouri and the Episcopal Church and to affiliate with the Anglican Mission in America.

The vote to leave was significant, said the Rev. Paul R. Walter, 66, who has been rector there 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 Walter.

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

"We are ready for war. We have a war chest and we'll go to the mat for our property," said Walter, a feisty, no nonsense Evangelical. Walter said he expects a fight from the diocese and they are prepared.

Walter has been accepted as a priest in the Province of Rwanda. "Our Vestry voted unanimously to change our corporate articles to expunge any reference to the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri and to allow the congregation to align with any Anglican entity we choose. As a non-profit we filed with the County Court and the judge approved our changes and the Secretary of State issued us a revised document," Walter told Virtuosity.

The consecration of V. Gene Robinson was the final straw in a church that had lost its way morally. "The resolutions at General Convention affirming Robinson to the episcopacy and same-sex rites was a bridge too far for me and my parish, and we are out of here."

Walter said the bishop's accusation that he and his parish were acting out of anger was nonsense.

Walter said he was prepared for battle. "We knew this was coming and we are prepared for it. We will fight all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. We will challenge the Dennis Canon."

"If we lose, the worst case scenario is that 85 percent of the core congregation and 95 percent of its income simply walks off campus praising God. We only have a small endowment. I don't expect this anytime soon. We are going to fight for the sake of all the little places and people that couldn't possibly muster the resources to do so."

Should the church prevail, the new parish will call itself the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd. "We will build a new church on the present property. We have been adding a family or two every week since word got out, and they are coming to us from the Baptists, Presbyterians and independent denominations. We are on a roll. We have nine candidates for holy orders, and we have three church plants under consideration. We are rejoicing in the Lord."

The Rev. Canon Tim Smith, executive officer for the Pawleys Island based Anglican Mission in America, said, "The Anglican Mission welcomes the courageous people of the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd in St. Louis. It is reassuring that stalwart parishioners and clergy will not placate the theologically corrupt structures of ECUSA. They desire to move forward in mission for Jesus Christ, and we welcome that."