Church makes the split

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/dupagestory.asp?id=301763&cc=d&tc=&t=

[Chicago Daily Herald] 14 Apr 2007--The Rev. George Byron Koch, a former civil rights leader and corporate executive, leads a West Chicago church that proudly welcomes creative types, free-thinkers and people who don’t worry about dressing up.

Now Koch’s church has become the first to break away from the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago because, Koch and his followers believe, the Episcopal Church has abandoned conservative values by electing a gay bishop and blessing same-sex couples.

The 100-plus members of Koch’s Church of the Resurrection recently took a unanimous vote to leave the diocese.

“We aren’t leaving the church,” Koch has said. “The church moved away from us.”