About 40 people gathered to discuss the church's uncertain future, one clouded with possibilities of merger with the more affluent St. Andrews Church, located on Catlin Street. The next meeting of the two churches' merger exploration committees will be on July 14 at 7 p.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church. There was some confusion on the part of vestry members as to what options were available to them. There was even a sense of lingering resentment towards the Connecticut diocese for not helping sooner. Yet all of those feeling were trumped by the parishioners' willingness to continue fighting - and praying - to keep the doors open.

As a show of solidarity and as a way to publicize their plight, the vestry - the church's governing body - voted to hold a candlelight service at the end of the month. The hope is that through their combined prayers, God will offer a solution to save their floundering church.

Eleanor Niemeyer, a Burlington resident, suggested the service, getting her idea from the Old Testament story of an Israeli king who, when faced with invaders, put on sackcloth and ashes and prostrated himself before God, seeking an answer to his problem. The invaders faded off and the kingdom was saved, Niemeyer said. "Deep in your heart, do you believe that God's hands are tired and pockets are too shallow and his powers too limited to create a financially viable situation if he wants it?" she said.

Santana agreed, saying this is something the church community should have done in the first place. He urged the parishioners not to give up hope that their church could be saved. "The only way to do this is to call upon God. We went for dollars and mergers first. We should have done the opposite," Santana said. "Let's get our heads together. Better yet, let's get our hands together, lets get our hearts together."

The church has been suffering from financial woes since the mid-1990s. All Saints, founded in 1887, now draws well under 100 people to each of its Sunday services. Even All Saints' burgeoning Hispanic community can't contribute the funding necessary to cover the church's meager budget.

In the period from Jan. 1 to July 3, the church brought in $216,500 in revenue, a slightly misleading number because the receipts from the sale of the rectory earlier this year were included in the tally, said church treasurer Beth Crawford. Parishioners donated only $68,000 over the six-month period. Over the same time period, the church amassed $94,100 in bills. There is only $116,000 left in the church's endowment, funds officials are forbidden to touch by the diocese. The current financial prognosis gives the church until the end of the year to live. "We have expended a lot more than we have brought in. If we did not have the sale of the rectory, we would not have been able to meet expenses," she said. "It makes it look like a prettier picture than it actually is."

Santana said an average merger takes 18 months to two years. If the merger talks continue, the diocese will agree to "mothball" the building, paying for light and heat to remain on. There is no specific timetable as to when the merger talks should be finished. There is a question as to whether the parish will continue to be used during that period.

"We need to turn ourselves over to God and ask God to help us work it out. If He means for this building and our programs to continue, He will show us how to do it," Crawford said. "It is time to open up and let God take over."

Copyright 2005 The Record-Journal