The Rev. Nicholas T. Cooke, III, husband of former national church treasurer Ellen F. Cooke, has resigned as rector of St. John's Church, McLean, Va. It was announced May 1 that an audit of funds at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City had revealed Mrs. Cooke had misappropriated some $2.2 million [TLC, May 21].

An open vestry meeting was held at St. John's on May 6, with about 100 members of the parish in attendance. Before any member spoke, Fr. Cooke announced his plan to resign, effective May 31.

"In this time, this season, my primary calling is to support my family," he said, and added he could not do that "at this time and remain free to bring to St. John's the passionate leadership commitment that I believe it requires from its rector."

Following the announcement, the vestry at St. John's went into executive session and voted unanimously to accept the rector's resignation.

"Nick Cooke is an outstanding preacher and loving pastor," said Dick Edge, senior warden. "I know we will all miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

Fr. Cooke's resignation was announced at services May 7. The Rt. Rev. Peter J. Lee, Bishop of Virginia, was to meet with the congregation following services May 21.

When some of the details of Mrs. Cooke's embezzlement were revealed by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning in a letter to the church, a check for about $90,000 written to the discretionary fund of the rector of St. Luke's Church, Montclair, N.J., was identified as among the missing funds. At the time that check was written, Fr. Cooke was rector of St. Luke's, a parish in the Diocese of Newark.

The Rt. Rev. John S. Spong, Bishop of Newark, met with members of St. Luke's and said the diocese is instituting an ethics proceeding against Fr. Cooke. Bishop Spong also revealed more details of discretionary fund abuse. Some parishioners were reported as angered, and others were in tears.

"The church has lost a lot of integrity," Bishop Spong told The New York Times. "The church has lost trust. People are disillusioned, and we'll pay for that in a thousand ways."

Dale Gruner, communications officer of the Diocese of Newark, called Bishop Spong's visit to St. Luke's "onlly a pastoral visit." She added that there is "no indication of improper use of the rector'd discretionary fund, but some "sloppy bookkeeping, some gaps" in information have been noted.

One member of the parish who asked not to be identified, told TLC "No one had a sense of the true lifestyle" of the Cookes. She said Fr. Cooke "redid the chancel, brought the altar down," and the change "tugged at the roots of St. Luke's. Hardly had the dust settled when he left." She said the search for a new rector was put on hold when the information about the discretionary fund was made public.

According to the Times, the Cookes paid about $665,000 for their home in Montclair in March 1994, and $500,000 for a farm near Ottoman, Va., in 1991. The church has taken title to both properties, and both are on the market. The article said Mrs. Cooke "indulged in limousines frequently and bought lavish gifts for her staff." She earned $125,000 in annual salary before resigning as treasurer Jan. 6.

Bishop Browning met with the staff at the church center May 9 and brought personnel up to date on the investigation. Wendy White, an attorney working on the case, said federal agencies are looking into the misuse of funds.

Two church organizations which usually oppose each other, the Episcopal Women's Caucus and the Episcopal Synod of America, agreed in statements they released concerning the embezzlement.

"Citing discrimination for unethical behavior, Cooke denigrates the commitment and capabilities of all laity and all women, both of which constitute majorities in this denomination," the caucus statement said.

"Discrimination does not give one license to misuse church funds given freely and often sacrificially."

"The Episcopal Church is degraded by this crime, and its holy mission impaired," the synod's statement said. "Not least, the trust of faithful Episcopalians, who have committed their resources to the church so that the gospel may be advanced, has been egregiously violated."

Episcopalians United also issued a statement which warned, "The integrity of the Episcopal Church, its most precious asset, is at stake."

The Times also reported a discrepancy in Mrs. Cooke's resume. The News York paper said her resume listed herself as a graduate of Georgetown University in 1969 with a degree in economics, but Georgetown officials told the Times they have no record of her attending the university.

Margaret Larom, who lost her position at the church center in world mission information and education in 1991, told Religion News Service she and other former employees never imagined the cuts in staff and program could be linked to financial malfeasance.

"We all believed giving was down," she said. Ms. Larom admitted forgiveness will not be easy. "We know we're supposed to forgive, but it's betrayal and not one little slip or one little moment of temptation.

"If it had been one awful slip, a temptation she couldn't resist, and she repented ... fine. I can understand temptation and that's easy to forgive. But systematic looting over time and the personal betrayal, the betrayal to the church, the betrayal to the Presiding Bishop and all the people she worked with? That's a different thing.

"That's why I think this whole question of prosecution is very interesting, because I'm not sure that full restitution is going to cut the mustard."