Resignation of priest 1st sign of rift in S.D.
By Sandi Dolbee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 16, 2005

An Episcopal priest has resigned from his church and taken much of his congregation with him in the first significant sign that the divisions between the U.S. Episcopal Church and its Anglican counterpart have arrived in San Diego.

The Rev. Keith Acker, rector of Christ the King Episcopal Church in Alpine, resigned Monday and turned over the church keys to the diocese, San Diego Bishop James Mathes said yesterday. Most of the parish's leaders also have resigned. the rest at ORTHONY



A Letter from the Bishop of San Diego concering Christ the King, Alpine
December 14, 2005

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with a heavy heart that I write to brief you on developments at Christ the King, Alpine. When I came to the Diocese, I was informed that the congregation of Christ the King had been greatly disturbed by the actions of the 2003 General Convention.For that reason, I met with the Rev. Keith Acker, rector, in the early weeks of my Episcopate and arranged to go to Christ the King for an Evensong the first Sunday in June. While the service seemed grace-filled and the meal following convivial, the presence of Canon Vervynck as my chaplain was not well received by some members of the congregation.

In preparation for my official visitation on the Feast of Christ the King, I met with the rector. We had a candid conversation about my first visit and mutually committed to work together to share directly our differences so as to build up the body of Christ. In the course of that visit, I clarified the role of Frank Pannitti, a priest in the Anglican Province of America, who had been functioning sacerdotally at Christ the King. I addressed the need for appropriate licensing and indicated that we needed to do this for Fr. Pannitti. This aspect of the conversation became a source of additional animus and resulted in an alternate service being held on the day of my visitation. The rest at Connecticut Six