The pastor of troubled St. Mark's Church was suspended at the weekend after a three-year battle concerning his leadership finally came to a head.

Anglican Bishop the Rt. Rev. Ewen Ratteray told parishioners at yesterday morning's service that Father William Hayward's licence was suspended on Saturday.

The move follows three years of bitterness at the Church, whereby parishioners had frequently called for his resignation, citing a range of issues.

Yesterday, Bishop Ratteray attended the 10.30 a.m. service and asked members of the church of the church to put the past behind them, as the wounds of both they and Father Hayward would have to heal.

“The situation has dragged on for a long time, and has caused considerable damage to the Church in Smith's Parish and beyond the Diocese as well,” the Bishop said. “That has been a cause of great pain and sadness to me as Bishop and it is my hope that in time, both the Parish and Fr. Hayward will be healed of their wounds.”

During the annual general meeting, which followed the service, the churchwardens welcomed the Bishop's decision.

They voiced concerns over the financial situation of the church, the fall in the congregation and discussed ways in which the church could move forward.

The Vestry said their reasons were based on Father Hayward's performance as a Rector and said they wished him well in the future.

The services will be carried out by lay readers until a new rector will be appointed.

“We the Vestry of St. Mark's Church have no confidence in the Rev. William Hayward as our rector, noting that none of us hold any enmity towards him,” the Vestry said in its annual report, which was read out at the annual general meeting.

The Vestry members added: “The attendance of the 10.30 a.m. service has slipped from a regular 55-plus in February 2002, to about 35.

“This has meant that Rev. Hayward was not reaching out to the St. Mark's community in a spiritual way, but also that the income from pledges and collections had gone down.

“The Rev. Hayward procrastinates and lacks energy, perhaps due to his chronic diabetes.”

Last night, Father Hayward could not be reached for a comment.

During the service, Bishop Ratteray told the congregation that he was sure that there were problems from both sides, but that they should all look towards a brighter future.

“We are an Easter people, a new life for everybody, a fresh start,” the Bishop said.

“We must love one another. It is easy to speak of love until you run into difficulty.

“Christians are not perfect people - they are human - there is no room for disharmony in Christian behaviour.”

In a press statement, Bishop Ratteray said Father Hayward was inducted in to the parish of St. Mark's after objections from parishioners and a petition.

The Bishop said he felt strongly that Father Hayward should be given a chance to succeed despite the opposition of so many people, especially as he was the choice of the vestry at the time.

He said he appointed Friar Michael Davis, Rector of St. Anne's in Southampton, to act as mentor and Fr. Hayward met with him once weekly and with me on a monthly basis.

“Despite or best efforts, the relationship between the Rector, the Vestry and the people of the parish deteriorated to an unacceptable level,” said Bishop Ratteray.

Last September, the Bishop appointed a review group made up of clergy and lay people to oversee his activities and to make recommendations to him.

“Following a consultation of the review group, on February 20, I asked Fr. Hayward to resign as Rector of the Parish within three months of receipt of the letter. He did not do so, and rather reluctantly, I have decided to suspend his licence as Rector of the parish.”

During the AGM the congregation questioned whether Fr. Hayward was suspended with or without pay, and about the church's troubled financial state of affairs.

The group was told that Fr. Hayward will receive his last cheque at the end of the month, but that he had not cashed his last three cheques - perhaps in a bid to save the church money.

To add more money to the church's coffers the Vestry is looking at renting out the rectory, Mount Hope in a bid to pay off some of the church's debts.

The members could not afford to keep up the graves and decided to use a Clorox solution this year instead of paying the $12,000 for their upkeep.

The Vestry also hoped to encourage members who had left St. Mark's to return to help save the church.

St. Mark's Vestry member Cherie Henderson called on the members to help where they could, as trying to arrange fundraisers on her own and receiving very little support was disheartening.

Several people volunteered to join the Vestry, but they wanted to also offer positions to members who had left the church as well.