* The information phase where a profile of the proposed merged congregation is presented to the vestry for discussion and vote. Upon a favorable vote, the vestry presents the profile to the parish for discussion and further negotiation, if necessary.

* The final phase involves both parishes voting upon the final draft of the proposed merger.

(This was seen in Upper Darby in the Diocese of Pennsylvania recently when disgraced Bishop Charles Bennison participated in a revived parish ceremony, but at the expense of another parish he had to close. Another parish also closed in Lansdowne, PA, this past week.)

In the case of Christ Church, Lincoln, the parish has been wrestling for many years with the issues of inadequate funding along with the massive financial burden of maintaining costly structures.

During a recent presentation, their treasurer, Ethan Gafford said that in order to establish a realistic 2011 budget to maintain its programs and staffing, an overall increase in pledged dollars of at least 40% would be needed. This number does not include any funding for anything other than basic building maintenance. "Long-term commitment from everyone is critical in this scenario because there is no longer any reserve available to make up for a budget shortfall", he said.

Once the endowment runs out, even a "growing" parish cannot survive when the buildings haven't been properly maintained. Church charts show that attendance dropped dramatically in 2006, recovered a bit in 2007/8, and dropped again dramatically in 2009, but pledges continued to grow.

Based on these facts, earlier this fall, the vestry made the painful decision to begin the process of exploring alternate locations for their parish. This process included continuing exploration of merger opportunities.

The question was asked, could the parish get by if everyone just gave "a little bit more"? The answer was "No".

"To preserve our ministries and programs, every pledging member would need to increase their annual pledge by at least 40%. As the treasurer's presentation showed, the financial (as well as the spiritual) health depends on ongoing adult formation opportunities afforded by having two priests on staff. If we did receive a 40% increase in pledges, we would still have a number of building problems to solve. This is why the vestry has recommended a different way forward," explained the treasurer. So what went wrong? The following reasons were put forward for not supporting the Renaissance Campaign:

* Don't like plans to fix Parish House.

* We should be fixing more (like LaFarge windows).

* Don't like plans for second priest.

* Don't like the rector.

* Brunch was "too fancy".

* Don't like the name "Renaissance Campaign".

* "More people need to step up".

FAQ: If we're Growing, Why Are We Selling Our Buildings?

* We'll have a shrinking but real operating deficit.
* We'll have many unfunded capital projects
* We are running out of "piggybanks" of unrestricted money to draw from to stay afloat.
* Our Diocesan grant for our Associate Priest runs out next year, which will increase our operating deficit. We have begun borrowing against our endowment: okay as a short‐term bridge loan but ILLEGAL long‐term.
* We need to cut expenses, in a big way, fast.
* We've run out of time. We're at a point of reckoning and we have to make a choice.

You can see it all here:

http://www.christchurchlincoln.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ChristChurchFinancial.pdf

Christ Church is not the only parish that will close in the future. A nearby parish, St. John's will also close in 2011.

What emerged finally was that Christ Church would merge with nearby Emmanuel Episcopal Church.

The question as to whether the present rector would be the appropriate rector for the new merged church is still outstanding. Emmanuel has been agreed to the merger. The rector will be evaluated on whether he is a good candidate to lead this merged church, initially. If he is selected, he will be evaluated in 18-24 months to determine if he is a good long term fit for the new community.

Earlier, on November 21, Rhode Island Episcopal Bishop Geralyn Wolf wrote a letter to members of Christ Church about the situation:

To: Fr. Gunn and Members of Christ Church
From: The Rt. Rev. Geralyn Wolf
Re: Future of Christ Church

Over the past few weeks I have received correspondence regarding several plans that you have developed in response to the deteriorating condition of the fabric of Christ Church. Having reviewed the information in your PowerPoint presentation, it appears that you do not have the resources to meet the expense of needed repairs. As you may know, there are other churches that are facing similar challenges.

I know that you have reviewed many options for your future. The ones presented me are:

1. Immediately raise funds to renovate the church and parish hall.
2. Continue conversations with a merger partner.
3. Leave Christ Church, without merging, and gather in a new site.

On many occasions, I have stressed the gospel imperative to witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This includes sacred worship, Christian formation for all ages, and an ongoing and creative response to the poor and those in need. Is the continuation of these imperatives possible in light of what is revealed in your current financial reports, capital campaign results, and in anticipation of future expenses?

Based on the latest information this parish will close and its members merge with Emmanuel church.

VOL believes that what is taking place in Rhode Island will be replicated in various forms across the Episcopal Church as aging parishes close.

The main reason is not, as we have learned, primarily about money or the lack of it, or the will of the people, it is the aging of congregations, the lack of young people to fill emptying pews, the lack of a real vision for church growth, the failure of the gospel to be presented in real and clear terms. (This is not about making bad people good, but pulling people from death into life. That is simply not happening.) A basic, pray, pay and obey mentality still occupies most congregations.

National news about the ongoing crisis regarding homosexual acceptance, (gay and lesbian bishops) is also not a driving issue for most small, aging congregations. Many parishes (including my own, a large suburban parish) have a head in the sand approach to what is going on at the diocesan and national levels. People simply do not want to know in effect saying, "This doesn't affect us. We see the bishop once in three years. He's an idiot, anyway, and he is basically not relevant to our daily or parish lives.'"

This is the case with the return of Charles Bennison, Bishop of Pennsylvania. While the Standing Committee seems committed to getting rid of Bennison (see separate story), most people simply don't care. General Convention resolutions on sexuality are mostly ignored. The mindset is if you have a gay or lesbian priest and you don't want to be in that parish, then leave and find a church that doesn't have one, or simply leave TEC for another denomination or ACNA.

Small rural and inner city parishes are more worried about flower arrangements at the altar and if everything is being done decently and in order. In the end, it is about survival and what to do if the roof leaks and if there is the $50,000 needed to fix the problem. For the next decade, the consuming issues for hundreds of Episcopal churches across the US will not be the latest Episcopal outrage to grab national headlines. It will be whether the parish will simply have enough parishioners to meet the budget for another year.

The Second and Third Reasons TEC's Continuing Decline - Kevin Martin
http://kevinoncong.blogspot.com/2010/12/second-reason-for-our-continuing.html

St. David's Episcopal Church in Highland Mills, New York closes its doors
A piece of history and community is gone.
You can read about it here: http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2010/11/29/photo_news/news/1.txt