The Rev. Donald Wilson spoke out against the confirmation of a gay bishop.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – An Episcopal priest who clashed repeatedly with the diocese over its election of a gay bishop has been removed from his Rochester church.

The Rev. Donald Wilson was dismissed from the Church of the Redeemer after responding in an “insubordinate way” to a request to meet with Bishop Douglas Theuner, Theuner told Wilson in a letter.

Theuner was unavailable for comment Friday. One of his advisers, the Rev. Hays Junkin, said Wilson was not removed because of his refusal to recognize Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay man elected to serve as the diocese’s next bishop.

In his letter, however, Theuner cited a statement by Wilson that because of his “greater loyalty to our Lord,” he would have no loyalty to Robinson.

Wilson, a retired priest living in Berwick, Maine, began serving as interim priest at the church after its previous rector retired in April.

Many of the church’s roughly 60 members shared Wilson’s opposition to Robinson’s consecration.

Church treasurer Kathy Lewis said the upheaval threatens the existence of her small congregation.

“If we don’t get a conservative priest, you will see people leave. Ten people is not enough to keep this church going,” she said.

Lewis said she and other parishioners feared for their priest after watching Wilson clash with Theuner and other diocesan leaders over Robinson’s elevation, which has divided both the U.S. Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion to which it belongs.

Here and elsewhere, some conservatives say they will not recognize Robinson and have asked for pastoral oversight from bishops who share their belief that homosexuality is a violation of Scripture.

Wilson said Thursday night he had not received the letter from the diocese but wasn’t surprised.

“(Theuner) has refused to believe me that I’m not the one stirring up the trouble. I have been trying to keep it under control,” he said. “I have no intention of leaving the church or encouraging anyone else – in fact, the opposite. I’m trying to keep them from leaving.”

Lewis said the Rev. Marthe Dyner, who works at diocesan headquarters in Concord, would conduct the service on Sunday. She said Robinson opponents from churches around the state plan to attend and to confront Dyner.

Parishioners at two Episcopal churches in the state, Redeemer and St. Mark’s in Ashland, are working through a national dissident group to be supervised by the Diocese of Albany. Both bishops in that diocese are affiliated with the group, the American Anglican Council.

Junkin said the New Hampshire diocese wants to work with dissaffected parishioners.

“The diocese remains concerned about how to reach out to the people in Rochester,” he said. “Our bishops have said they’re willing to work with any parish … to set up episcopal care, but that has to be done with oversight from Bishop Theuner and later with Bishop Robinson,” he said.

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Associated Press Writer Mike Recht contributed to this story.

AP-ES-11-07-03 1743EST