Some Episcopalians withholding donations

ATLANTA— Several Episcopal parishes and a diocese that opposed confirming the denomination's first openly gay bishop are now withholding donations to church leaders in protest.

The lay board at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbus voted 6-4 last week to suspend the roughly $7,000 it contributes to the Diocese of Atlanta each month.

Atlanta Bishop J. Neil Alexander voted at the Episcopal General Convention to ratify the Rev. V. Gene Robinson's election as bishop of New Hampshire. Robinson has lived with a male partner for more than 13 years.

In Catonsville, Md., the Rev. Steven Randall of St. Timothy's Church said his congregation would no longer send its monthly $5,000 pledge to the Diocese of Maryland, whose bishop, Robert Ihloff, also voted for Robinson. Part of the money parishes send to their dioceses is forwarded to the national church office.

Bishop Stephen Jecko of Florida, who opposed Robinson, has instructed his diocesan treasurer to hold funds from the national office in escrow until the diocese decides how the money should be used. The Florida Diocese had planned to send about $200,000 to the national office this year in monthly installments, diocesan treasurer Becky Peeples said.

The 77 parishes in the Dallas Diocese can also decide for now whether to withhold the part of their diocesan pledge that is usually forwarded to national church headquarters. The diocese sends about $500,000 a year to the national office, spokesman Jim Goodson said.

And at least 52 congregations in 20 states, 320 priests and 16 bishops have endorsed a protest petition at www.communionparishes.org. Another page on the Web site asks Episcopalians to consider withholding contributions from the national denomination and liberal dioceses.

Alexander said Trinity, about 90 miles north of Atlanta, is the only one of the diocese's 93 parishes that has notified him of plans to withhold contributions.

Alexander said he respected parishioners' concerns and their different opinions about the votes on gay-related issues at the denomination's General Convention meeting in Minneapolis earlier this month. Delegates also voted to allow local dioceses to continue deciding for themselves whether their parishes should hold blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples.

"None of us enjoys going through this period of hard conversation and conflict," Alexander said. "But the vast majority of us believe we will not only survive, but at the end of day we will be a stronger, more vibrant and more faithful church as a result."