New Hampshire churches may see some realignment.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -Members of at least two Episcopal churches in the state say they’ve asked leaders from another diocese to supervise their congregations after the New Hampshire diocese consecrated an openly gay man as bishop.

“There definitely looks like there’s going to be some realignment,” said Robert Newton, a lay leader at St. Mark’s Church in Ashland.

Newton said he has already spoken to the conservative bishops at the diocese of Albany, N.Y. “They’ve already agreed to give us that oversight,” he said.

Bishop Douglas Theuner, who continues to serve as bishop of the diocese of New Hampshire until his retirement in March, said he and incoming Bishop V. Gene Robinson “will be happy to meet with any congregation wishing to consider alternative episcopal pastoral care.” He said they had not received any requests.

Pastoral care, however, differs from “oversight,” which is not allowed under Episcopal church law, and pastoral care by the Albany bishops would be allowed only with Theuner and Robinson’s permission.

Representatives of the diocese of Albany did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press.

Newton said he is hoping the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Anglican Communion, will intervene to allow churches to affiliate outside of the New Hampshire diocese.

Kathy Lewis, treasurer of the Church of the Redeemer in Rochester, said she also sent a letter to the diocese of Albany asking for advice for her congregation, which includes a majority of members who do not support Robinson as bishop.

She said she was advised to sit tight while plans are developed, but that the New Hampshire church would likely fall within Albany’s geographical area if a new system of oversight is created for conservative parishes.

Robinson was elected as the next bishop of New Hampshire by a majority of clergy and lay leaders in the state in June. His appointment was confirmed by national leaders in August and he was consecrated Sunday. He still has widespread support among Episcopalians in the state, which has 50 congregations with about 16,475 members.

But his election has triggered reactions worldwide. At an emergency meeting in October, Anglican leaders from around the globe called for provinces to make “adequate provision for episcopal oversight of dissenting minorities … in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

What form that takes remains to be seen, but church law does not allow the Archbishop to impose a solution on the Episcopal church or any other arm of the Anglican Communion.

The Rev. Hays Junkin, rector at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Hopkinton, said Robinson is sensitive to those upset by his elevation to bishop.

“I think they can take him at his word that he’s going to do everything he can to minister to their parish in ways that are appropriate and acceptable to them,” he said. “Gene will find a way to be a pastor, even to the clergy who disagree with him.”

Even where the majority of parishioners are supportive, divisions over this issue are felt within many congregations.

Parish priests in New Hampshire say a few members have left as a result of Robinson’s election as bishop. Others have chosen to stay within their church community but redirect their money to specific church projects instead of to the diocese. But few report any mass exodus from their churches.

At Robinson’s urging, church rectors have been reaching out to the disaffected with “good old-fashioned pastoral care – spending time listening and visiting people in their homes,” Junkin said.

Jacqueline Ellwood, who attends the Church of Good Shepherd, said her pastor has made her feel welcome but she feels she’s been labeled and dismissed as a “conservative” by others in her church.

“There are several who have said: ‘There’s the front door. We don’t need you,’ ” she said.

She said she and her husband are praying and waiting for guidance from God about whether to stay or leave the church. “We’re not ready to make that decision,” she said.

Thus far, many of those upset about Robinson have been persuaded to remain in the fold.

“We’re not arguing biblical interpretation, but we have assured them we understand them,” said Gail Anthony, senior warden at All Saint’s Church in Peterborough. She said maybe a dozen people left the church, which has about 250 people regularly attending services.

Some dissenters are fearful of what their opposition means for the future. At Church of the Redeemer in Rochester, the priest is serving on an interim basis and parishioners wonder if diocesan leaders will push him out because of his opposition to Robinson’s consecration.

“We’re hoping and praying to hold onto our priest and our people and our property,” Lewis said.

AP-ES-11-04-03 1541EST