Priests, Parishioners Leave Episcopalian Diocese Of San Diego

SAN DIEGO -- Two priests and a group of parishioners at St. Timothy's Church in Rancho Penasquitos are leaving the Episcopalian Diocese of San Diego, making St. Timothy's the seventh local church caught up in the rift coursing through the denomination.

The two are the Rev. Russell Martin and the Rev. Larry Eddingfield, the assistant rector, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. With the separation unfolding relatively amicably, Martin and Bishop James Mathes announced the departures in a joint letter to parishioners.

While a new priest has been appointed to St. Timothy's, the 38-year-old Martin and Eddingfield will head up a new Anglican congregation that will meet at Resurrection Community Church in Poway, the Union-Tribune reported.

The departure is part of dozens across the country from the Episcopal church as priests and congregations have sought more conservative oversight elsewhere in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The dissension stems from a range of scriptural and cultural differences, including the ordination of an openly gay priest in New Hampshire and biblical interpretations.

Martin said he no longer felt he could serve the church faithfully. "I am concerned about the direction and the teaching of the national church," he said, according to the Union-Tribune. " ... The bottom line is I think they have lost their biblical roots."

In three of the previous six local departures, the churches changed their name from Episcopal to Anglican and parishioners who wanted to remain Episcopalians began meeting elsewhere, with priests appointed to minister them, the Union-Tribune reported.