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	War over Springs Church Escalates Reverend Fires Legal Salvo after Bishop Bans Him By Betsy Lehndorff Rocky Mountain News [Colorado Springs CO] April 7, 2007 http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5469987,00.html The Rev. Donald Armstrong on Friday filed a claim for Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish, escalating the battle with Episcopal Bishop Rob O'Neill over control of the Colorado Springs church. Attorney J. Gregory Walta, representing Armstrong's leadership, filed a complaint in El Paso County District Court, asking a judge to declare that parish property at 601 N. Tejon St. belongs to the local church and not the Episcopal diocese. The church property is insured for $17 million, said Armstrong spokesman Alan Crippen. In December, Armstrong was banned by O'Neill from the parish while the diocese investigated allegations of what the bishop called "financial wrongdoing" by Armstrong. Last month, Armstrong and a majority of the parish's governing board voted to secede from the Episcopal Church. A day later, on March 27, O'Neill wrote to parishioners, outlining some of the allegations against Armstrong. The letter cited an investigation by a church attorney that alleged theft and misuse of hundreds of thousands of dollars of parish funds during a 10-year period. Armstrong has denied the charges and said he's being persecuted for his opposition to the Episcopal Church's support for openly gay bishops, same-sex blessings and the unraveling of scriptural doctrines. He intends to discuss the allegations with parishioners April 14 and let them vote on the secession issue May 20. Diocesan spokeswoman Beckett Spokes repeated the bishop's position in the controversy: "People may leave the Episcopal Church, but parishes may not," she said. O'Neill has also argued that Grace and St. Stephen's remains a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado.
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