Suing For Intimidation?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=84481&paper=63&cat=104

[The Connection Newspapers] 13 July 2007--Business might look usual at Truro Church, but its vestry members are experiencing some behind-the-scenes legal trouble brought on by the Diocese of Virginia.Truro Church, along with several other churches in Northern Virginia, split off from the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Diocese last December and joined the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, or CANA— an Anglican missionary effort sponsored by the Church of Nigeria. The split came after the consecration of a gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2003, followed by Episcopal actions that more orthodox believers saw as shifts from scripture. CANA affiliates with the Anglican District of Virginia, or ADV, which includes 14 CANA churches and four churches affiliated with the Church of Uganda. Presently, the district has about 6,000 members.

The split has created tension between the CANA and the Episcopalians, especially over who owns the property rights at the former Episcopal churches. The Diocese recently added the names of volunteer vestry members to its lawsuits against the churches — a move the CANA churches believe is meant for intimidation purposes only. "The ADV churches think the Diocese and the Episcopal Church have nothing to gain from this action," said Kelly Oliver, spokesperson for the ADV.