Bishop Schofield removes Episcopal vicar from Atwater post

By SUE NOWICKI
snowicki@modbee.com

last updated: December 29, 2007 04:30:26 PM

ATWATER -- Father Fred Risard, vicar of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church here, received an unwelcome e-mail on Christmas morning from the Diocese of San Joaquin. It said that the holy day was Risard's last day of service at the mission church and that arrangements would be made for him to pick up his personal things.

Risard said he'd known for months that his days with the San Joaquin Diocese were numbered. But in an earlier conversation -- he thinks it was in September -- with Bishop John-David Schofield, he said he was told he could remain in his post until the end of 2008 -- earlier if he found another job.

However, when Schofield arrived at the church Sunday to help celebrate the Eucharist and give the message, he said before the concluding blessing that, contrary to speculation among parishioners, he wasn't there to close the church or to fire the priest. Then he added that the priest had to go simply because of dwindling funds from dwindling worshippers.

The irony: Instead of the usual 20 people at worship, nearly 100 had shown up that morning.

Schofield said that 20 people couldn't possibly support a full-time vicar beyond the end of the year. As it turned out, Risard's job was cut just two days later.

Schofield didn't mention that Risard had abstained from an overwhelmingly victorious vote earlier this month to switch the diocese from the Episcopal Church USA to the oversight of the Anglican Church in South America (called the Southern Cone). Nor did he point to the fact that most conservative believers have left St. Nicholas over the past two years during Risard's tenure, coinciding with a growth of the liberal faction.

But there's no doubt in Risard's mind or in the opinions of other members of the Remain Episcopal faction within the diocese that the timing of the layoff is related to the changes.

"We're a mission, which by definition isn't self-supporting of clergy," Risard said. "My opinion is, yes, he relieved me because of my stand. I was very neutral when I first came (two years ago). I don't believe in creating conflict.

"For the last two years, some of the people have left. Everyone who left was in the bishop's camp on schism. I know they were all conservatives and supported the bishop. But for my first year here, in 2006, the record shows we had double-digit growth in members, attendance and giving. We continued those same growth numbers in new members and attendance the first part of this year."

Then why the claim that the church can't support itself financially? For one thing, Risard admitted, attendance has dropped in the past few months.

"We were down to around 20 people on average (for Sunday services)," he said. "It declined from 35 or 40. They were a solid group of people here for 29 years. The newcomers don't come every Sunday like the old faithful did."

About two months ago, Risard said, the bishop summoned him to Fresno. He took along a church official.

"He started building a case as to why he was getting rid of me," Risard said. "I asked him, 'What's this all about?' He said, 'We already talked that you're going to leave at the end of '08.' He said, 'The bottom line is you have to go because we're not going to have the money to support the mission. If we vote up (to leave the Episcopal Church USA and join Anglicans elsewhere), we're going to lose the liberals and their money, and if we vote down, we're going to lose the conservatives and their money.' "

The diocese office in Fresno was closed this week. The bishop and other officials could not be reached for comment. But an e-mail from the bishop's assistant, the Rev. Canon Bill Gandenberger, sent to two St. Nicholas officials on Dec. 25, reads in part:

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