The Anglican Mission in America, formed to receive parishes which are leaving the Episcopal Church, has taken its "full speed ahead" initiative [TLC, Aug. 27] seriously, drawing three congregations into its fold. Two churches in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast aligned with the new group late in August, and four priests of the Diocese of Colorado took a similar step.

Nearly all the members of St. Andrew's by-the-Sea Church in Destin, Fla., and their three priests were received into the Episcopal Church of Rwanda under the oversight of the Rt. Rev. Charles H. Murphy III, who has been designated by that church as a missionary bishop to North America. The decision came a week after the rector and about 80 members of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Gulf Breeze, Fla., aligned themselves with the Rwandan province.

In Colorado, four priests resigned their parishes, and a new congregation, the Anglican Church of the Savior, was formed.

The Rev. Mike Hesse, rector of the Destin parish, said 550 letters of transfer were received from members who wanted to transfer to St. Andrew's by-the-Sea Anglican Church. He told TLC he had been considering a move for some time.

"Heritage has been the stumbling block," Fr. Hesse said in a telephone interview. "It is a God-appointed way out for us, under Anglican authority. We don't miss a beat."

St. Andrew's held a parish meeting on Aug. 27, and all 412 members present signed a request to be received as a parish of the Rwandan church. The Rev. Rob Grafe, associate rector, and the Rev. Forrest Mobley, priest associate, also left the American church.

The standing committee of the Diocese of Central Gulf Coast was scheduled to meet Sept. 7 to discuss the situation. Fr. Hesse said everyone had voted knowing that the parish probably would lose its property.

"Events in the Episcopal Church ... have caused us increasing alarm as we have seen the primacy of scripture replaced by human experience and opinion," said a statement sent to parishioners by the clergy and vestry of St. Andrew's. "As we have looked back over the last two decades we have seen the Episcopal Church increasingly reflect not the gospel of Christ, but rather our secular culture. We believe we are in a spiritual war where the stakes are people's salvation."

"The issue is not sexuality," Fr. Hesse said. "That is just the symptom of the underlying problem.

"What we are questioning is that at the General Convention it was acknowledged and committed to writing that they recognize that there are other lifestyles besides heterosexual, monogamous, lifetime commitments that are holy - effectively making marriage one option. In effect, they are moving toward blessing what God has called sin."

Fr. Hesse told The Log of Destin that if the diocese prevents the parish from using its building, the Destin Middle School could be a future site for the congregation. A Methodist church and a Baptist church also offered their assistance.

A few miles west, in Gulf Breeze, the Rev. Mark DiCristina, rector of St. Francis of Assisi Church, and about 80 of the church's 257 members established the Anglican Church of the Messiah, meeting in a Holiday Inn. It, too, has become a congregation of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda. Fr. DiCristina told the Northwest Florida Daily News that the resolution adopted by General Convention affirming relationships other than marriage was a factor. The church's "continued departure from the apostolic faith" helped bring about the decision, he said, "but the recent resolution is the final straw."

Fr. DiCristina was rector of St. Francis' for nine years, and told the Pensacola News Journal that the decision was difficult.

"I have struggled with this for a long time, and I am still crying every day," he said. "I am a priest who said, 'I can't do it anymore'."

Steve Hogg, senior warden at St. Francis', told the News Journal he would remain in the congregation where he's worshiped for nearly four decades.

"Most of us who are staying are sympathetic with Mark and his group and feel the same way about the church's permissive attitude, but we chose to stay and see if we can change the church's direction."

Following the resignations, Bishop Charles Duvall of the Central Gulf Coast issued a pastoral letter which was read in all churches Sept. 3. Bishop Duvall said he intended to recommend that the clergy be inhibited from officiating in the diocese "due to their abandonment of the communion of this church." If after six months they have not returned, with the approval of the standing committee, I will depose them.

Bishop Duvall told TLC he was surprised by the action. "Frankly, I did not expect anything," he said. "We're considered a conservative diocese. I'm considered a conservative bishop."

He said one or two more churches in his diocese could take similar steps. "I'm in communication with those congregations," he said.

The four Colorado priests who left their parishes could face possible disciplinary action from the Rt. Rev. Jerry Winterrowd, Bishop of Colorado. The Rev. James Stone, rector of Grace Church, Buena Vista, and the Rev. Dennis Garrou, rector of St. Barnabas', Cortez, were among the clergy who decided to align themselves with the Anglican Mission in America. The Rev. Kathy King and the Rev. Alan L. Sulzenfuss, both associated with the Buena Vista congregation, also left.

The Rev. Robert Franken, a spokesman for the bishop, said, "We haven't decided what our next step will be. It's a bit different than someone leaving for the Baptist church, or a church with which we have no communion."

Most members of the Buena Vista church were reported to have left for the new one, which is meeting in a former Baptist church building.