to the court.

The move is the latest in a dispute between Grace Methodist Church on North Shore Road in Pembroke and the Synod of the Methodist Church of Bermuda.

Last Sunday churchgoers at the morning service were caught in a religious tug-of-war as the rival factions staged separate services at the same time.

The 11.15 a.m. service saw two ministers, each armed with their own programmes and pianist, compete for the congregation's attention. The friction is the result of a three-year split between the mainstream Methodist Church of Bermuda and Grace Church members over the Methodist affiliation with the United Church of Canada.

The congregation opposes the United Church's policy of ordaining gays.

And yesterday the congregation, led by the husband-and-wife lay ministers Willard and Gwenneth Lightbourne, announced that they were filing a writ against the Synod to prevent them from taking control of the church.

Mr. Lightbourne also told The Royal Gazette he expected another "incident'' at this Sunday's service.

"We expect that it will happen again on Sunday,'' he said. "They (the Synod) are sending a minister from Canada.'' The Rev. Leicester Bigby from Montreal, Canada, arrived on the Island on Wednesday to begin pastoral duties at the church for the rest of this month and August.

He could not be reached for comment yesterday.

But Mr. Lightbourne said the congregation had "insisted'' that both he and his wife continue their ministerial duties until the two sides sat down and resolved matters.