A lay preacher is rejoicing after winning a four-year holy war against the Synod of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

And he has called on the Synod to sever its ties with the United Church of Canada (UCC), saying it has failed to meet the needs of Bermuda.

"Because of the stand the United Church of Canada has taken to ordain homosexuals, it has no place in Bermuda,'' said Grace Methodist's Willard Lightbourne, who called a Supreme Court ruling handed down yesterday the "will of God''.

A dispute among members of the Church on North Shore Road, Pembroke spilled into the courts last year.

The controversy began when members opposed a Methodist affiliation with the UCC and its policy of ordaining homosexuals.

After three years of internal friction, a court ordered the two factions to hold separate services.

But Sunday church-goers were soon embroiled in the religious war as rival ministers arrived at the same time to hold services.

The Synod then filed a writ against the faction to deny them access to church property and to revoke their church membership.

Mr. Lightbourne, represented by lawyer Sonia Grant, later filed a counter-suit against the Synod in a bid to stop it from gaining control of church property.

Yesterday, Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller identified the "underlying trust purpose on which the property is held'' as the fundamental question of the dispute.

Deeds dating back to 1885 said the property was "to be used for the celebration of the worship of the Almighty God...and for other religious and moral purposes in accordance with the doctrine, rules and usages of the Methodist Church and for no other uses, intents, or purposes whatsoever...'' And Mrs. Justice Wade-Miller called the evidence of a Canadian theology expert, Vincent Shepherd, "clear and compelling''.

Dr. Shepherd had earlier told the court that the side which most faithfully followed the tradition of its founder John Wesley should be favoured in the legal dispute.

And he said UCC "documents on sexuality cannot be reconciled and would be rejected outright by Wesley''.

The founder would see homosexuality as a "human sin'', Dr. Shepherd explained.

Dr. Shepherd's opinion was challenged by Synod lawyer Lawrence Scott who claimed there was no evidence the UCC would ordain homosexuals.

But Mrs. Wade-Miller noted it was "somewhat surprising that the parties...did not call expert evidence in their contention''.

"According to the evidence of Dr. Shepherd, of the two disputants, (Mr.

Lightbourne) most closely adheres to the original doctrine, polity and practice of the Methodist Church of John Wesley and the 25 Articles of Faith,'' said Mrs. Justice Wade-Miller.

"The (Synod) do not want to sever ties with the UCC which, according to Dr.

Shepherd, neither in its formal theology, nor its informal theology, can be said to be congruent with the doctrine of the 25 articles of the late Reverend John Wesley which is the foundation upon which the Methodist Church was established.'' `Rebels' win And although Mr. Lightbourne praised the court's decision, he said he regretted the dispute had gone so far.

"The courts are no place for the church and it should never have gone to the courts,'' he said.

"They (the Synod) were out of order. We didn't take them to court, they took us to court,'' he added.

"We were the majority. We were not trespassing. We ran the Church for the last 97 years and we feel that it's our church.'' Mr. Lightbourne said the Trustees would call a meeting to decide how to "move forward'' from the case.

But he had harsh words for the UCC which he said had divided the church and had failed to "meet the needs of the people of Bermuda''.

"The UCC has outlived its usefulness,'' he said. "It's time for them to leave.

"If they don't leave on their own, God is going to make them do it. They should iron out their affairs in Canada, we don't need them here.''