Members of the congregation in Buxton have no one to blame but themselves for having to vacate their church, according to the lawyer representing the British Methodist Episcopal Church (BMEC) of Canada.
The story of the North Buxton Community Church claiming the BMEC was kicking the congregation out broke Monday, but lawyer Michael Czuma said they declined numerous offers to stay and worship.
"There were numerous meetings with [the congregation] and hostile meetings," Czuma said. "From what I understand they wouldn't budge. We were offering them a lease of a very nominal amount -- to my understanding -- and they said 'no, give us the property and get out.' We were beating a stone wall."
UPDATE BELOW: Buxton Residents Respond To Allegations
Czuma said the BMEC had no choice but to serve them with a court application and the congregation decided they couldn't defend it, so they offered to accept the lease. According to Czuma, that ship had already set sail.
"We said 'how can we deal with you people? You are so hostile towards us'" Czuma said. "That means we'd have to deal with them year after year and other problems would come up. We just didn't see that as the way to go anymore."
The lawyer said the two parties settled the court application and agreed the congregation wouldn't have to pay legal fees if they vacated the church.
Czuma added the there is a BMEC Discipline, which is a booklet that describes how each church is to be run. He said the Buxton congregation wanted to break from it and worship in their own way.
"That's fine," Czuma said. "Just do it somewhere else."
The lawyer said the BMEC plans to turn the Buxton church into a retreat centre, which would be used by ministers or congregation members as a destination to meditate and pray for an extended period of time.
As for the cemetery, Czuma said it will operate as normal.
"We're not going to keep the dead out," Czuma said. "We feel we're obliged with the ancestors who live there. It is a cemetery and people have been buried there and will be buried there."
Czuma added the BMEC is working out details as to which funeral home will be in charge of the cemetery, as it has to have a special license to run one.
Ultimately the lawyer said this isn't how the church wanted the situation to play out, but felt its hands were tied.
"I hate to say this, but I think in some respects they are the authors of their own misfortune. Who knows though, maybe in the future things might change if there's a change of attitude on their side, but we'll see."
Buxton Residents Respond To Allegations
Historian and Cemetery Board member Bryan Prince is disputing claims of any "hostility", though, and has provided a letter to Blackburn News that he says was sent to BME Church officials in September 2017.
You can read that full letter by clicking here.
Prince says he wrote the letter "on behalf of and with the full blessing of the people of Buxton" and hopes that Czuma will reconsider his opinion, asking him "not to confuse hurt with hostility."