On the first Sunday after being stripped of his priesthood by his bishop, the Rev. David L. Moyer responded with resolve and defiance.
In the filtered backlight of the stained-glass windows surrounding the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, the embattled Episcopal rector strode purposefully to the pulpit, stretched out his arms, and told his congregation that he would not leave them.
He said that his defrocking Thursday "had lit a bonfire" in the worldwide Anglican community and that the person who needs to resign is his superior, Bishop Charles E. Bennison, who oversees 70,000 Episcopalians in the Philadelphia region.
As Father Moyer concluded his remarks yesterday morning, more than 200 members of his Main Line congregation sat and applauded.
Then they stood and continued to clap - long and loud.
Under suspension prior to his defrocking, Father Moyer has not been in the Good Shepherd pulpit for six months. He and his family had continued to live in the church rectory.
"We were in danger of being hijacked by a left-wing that... was trying to turn us into Unitarians," said parishioner James D. McLaughlin, of Malvern. "Father Moyer's defrocking is bringing about a much-needed discussion about our church's future."
The dispute, which pits a conservative rector against a liberal bishop, has drawn international attention. The flash point of the controversy is Father Moyer's opposition to the diocesan policy of ordaining women and gays as priests. He believes this is contrary to biblical tenets.
Father Moyer, 51, who has been the Good Shepherd rector for 13 years, said he has received supportive e-mails from Europe and Australia as well as closer to home.
He also has received support from church leaders around the world.
Last week, the Rev. George L. Carey, archbishop of Canterbury and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican communion, took the unprecedented step of intervening in the dispute by making Father Moyer a priest in the Church of England.
That support was repeated by the Rev. Robert Duncan, bishop of Pittsburgh, who made Father Moyer a priest of the Pittsburgh diocese.
And Archbishop Bernard Malango, the Anglican primate of central Africa, attended Mass at Good Shepherd yesterday. He has been in the area for some time to show support for Father Moyer.
Bishop Bennison, in a telephone interview yesterday, said that the outside support for Father Moyer did not change the fact that he has been removed as a diocesan priest and must vacate his pulpit.
"The reality is that the bishop has supervision, according to church law," the bishop said.
Bishop Bennison said he does not worry that the rift will divide the larger Episcopal Church.
"The Episcopal Church is the only Protestant church that did not split during the Civil War," he said. "It's almost unsplittable."
While the impetus for the dispute may be ordination of women and homosexuals, both Father Moyer and Bishop Bennison downplayed those issues yesterday.
"Bishop Duncan ordains women," Father Moyer said. "I don't agree, but I don't condemn him.
"It's also not about homosexuality," he said. "Some of our members are homosexual."
Bishop Bennison said the conflict involves authority. For years, he said, Father Moyer has refused to allow him to preach or say Mass at Good Shepherd, behavior at odds with church policy.
"I'm not trying to change their worship or impose a woman priest on them," Bishop Bennison said.
"By rejecting their bishop, they are saying they are not in communion with the church and don't accept its beliefs," the bishop said. "They say they haven't left the church, but they really have."
But Father Moyer insisted it is the bishop who is out of synch with the church, a view reinforced yesterday by his congregation, which includes members from as far away as Princeton, N.J.
Yesterday, standing outside the elegant stone facade, which was modeled after churches in 14th-century England, Father Moyer effusively thanked his parishioners for their support.
During his sermon, he apologized for being distracted by the conflict.
"I have not asked you a lot about yourselves," Father Moyer said. "That's changing today. Don't ask about me; I'm fine.
"Let us be occupied with going forward," he said.
That direction is likely to involve the courts.
Father Moyer's attorney, John Lewis, filed a civil lawsuit in Montgomery County Court last week, charging Bishop Bennison with "fraud, misrepresentation, collusion, bad faith, and denial of due process."
Father Moyer said he expects the bishop to countersue.
"He's like a wounded tiger," Father Moyer said of the bishop. "He's bleeding, but he's still got fight left."
Bishop Bennison admitted another lawsuit is likely, but he views it differently.
"It's one step in a long process to make sure that no one takes that property out of the Episcopal Church," he said. "I'm not trying to minimize the situation; it's a heartache."
For Father Moyer's parishioners, the heartache is largely behind them.
"Everyone is very happy that he's back," Elizabeth Miller said. "We're grateful for all the support."
Miller, who now lives in Bryn Mawr, said she attended Good Shepherd even when she lived in Chestnut Hill.
"Everyone is here out of choice, not just convenience," she said. "Many come from quite a distance."
Deborah Kolb Hillanbrand of Skippack said she and her husband visited 35 churches before settling on Good Shepherd about four years ago. Distance was not an issue, she said.
"We wanted an orthodox Christian church to raise a family in," she said. "Father Moyer has been a blessing."