Ping.
Sadly "the Episcopal Church in Destin" refers to St. Andrew's by the Sea, where 800 congregants left the Episcopal Church but not the building. The Bishop took them to Court - always a good way to maintain good relationships, and the "Court" ordered the congregants out of the Church if they weren't going to be Episcopal. They decided to become AMiA.
So, they moved up the street, to another building but kept the name. The Bishop took them to Court again - "give up that name or else" and thus again, the Civil Court mandated that they give up the name "St. Andrew's by the Sea". They are now "Immanual - AMiA, Destin".
Left behind in the consecrated building known as St. Andrew's were some 35 confused people. This area has a large number of seasonal and monthly rental condos and many parishioners are, in fact, visitors to the area for months at a time.
The Rev. Donald Cramer was appointed Interim Rector of St. Andrew's, and had helped this congregation to heal from the split that had happened, restored their faith in their tradition, and they were in a search process for a new Rector when upon returning from a Sabbatical, The Rev. Cramer was killed crossing the "street" a highway actually, to deposit some leftover Travel Cheques.
The Church was immediately provided with another Interim Rector and the healing still continues.
At the time I visited the area in October 2002, every Episcopal Church near Destin - St. Luke's, Niceville, Holy Cross, Fort Walton Beach, and St. Andrew's by the Sea, Destin was without a Rector. Doesn't that say something?
There may, in fact, have been more Churches without Rectors but I could only visit so many whilst I was visiting the area. What I noticed was that they couldn't be bothered to greet Visitors, didn't even have visitor cards or anyway to recognize visitors and didn't seem interested in anyone they didn't know. I took this as something akin to an ingrown toenail - they were all huddling around each other and not interested in anyone from somewhere else.
Now I realize that they were trying to figure out a Diocesan who didn't seem to care about them - and so they didn't have the self-assurance or caring to be reaching out even in their own community. How sad.
The Rt. Rev. Duncan hasn't done anything new or wonderful with this trubled area - where charismatic Churches are abundant, and the Bishop doesn't seem to want to deal with such "fundamentalists" or "extremists". If only he knew and appreciated what the Charismatics could bring to his Diocese, he would welcome them.
But sadly, he only knows to distrust anything he hasn't personally experienced, or doesn't personally believe in.
Thus the entire area seems torn and anyone moving to the area, seems to seek out the Methodist or Lutheran Churches, even the Baptist, for it is spread that "there are problems with the Episcopal Churches" - you might want to visit other denominations to find a home there until Bishop Duncan "gets it".
Bishop Duncan is never going to 'get it" - not THIS Bishop Duncan at least.
I've started praying that he retires - and there is opportunity to bring in a Diocesan who understands what the area needs. It is certainly not more control and more lecturing on how the Priests and congregants have become lured into something 'strange'.
One final thought. Bishop Clayton Matthews has become a bitter man. Formerly in the Diocese of Virginia as a Dean, he has changed since I knew him and not for the better. Spreading innuendo and rumor about 'credit card debt' is disgusting. How political of him. Worse, it worked.
Bill Atwood would have brought to the area exactly what they needed.