Joe Bjordal of ENS has the story:
Members of the Diocese of Quincy who want to remain loyal to the Episcopal Church will meet on December 13 to take the first formal steps to reorganize and reconstitute the diocese. Attendees plan to organize a steering committee to guide the process and lay the groundwork for a special synod meeting, likely to be held in January, when a standing committee will be elected and preparations to accept a provisional bishop will begin.
“We’re really starting from square one,” said the Rev. John Throop, who served as a priest in Quincy for 19 years before transferring his canonical residence to the Diocese of Chicago last year. He said that when similar votes to realign took place recently in the dioceses of San Joaquin, Pittsburgh and Fort Worth, there were already groups in place ready to begin the reorganization process, but that was not the case in Quincy.
“At this point we are looking for any Episcopalian in the Diocese of Quincy who wants to remain an Episcopalian and inviting them to the meeting on December 13,” said Throop, who lives in Peoria and is actively involved in the reorganizing movement.
To aid in that search an online discussion board and social network have been established. It is described as “a place for those who do not choose to be removed to the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone to meet and talk.” Nearly 40 people have joined the network to date.