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VA: Diocese May Pursue Litigation Against The Falls Church, Truro, Other Churches
Combined Sources | 2007-01-10

Posted on 01/10/2007 9:06:55 AM PST by rabscuttle385

VirtueOnline reported last night that the Diocese of Virginia may be reneging on its protocol for departing congregations and may pursue litigation after Jan. 17, 2007 against The Falls Church, Truro Church, and other churches that voted to depart TEC and join CANA in December 2006 parish votes. The Diocese will not renew a thirty-day standstill on litigation or property transfers. The announcement followed a meeting between Diocesan leadership and David Booth Beers, chancellor of The Episcopal Church. TEC has indicated that it will intervene on behalf of the Diocese.

From The Episcopal Church & The Diocese of Virginia:

Jan. 9, 2007 Press Release from The Diocese of Virginia

"The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia announced today that it will not renew the 30 day standstill agreement with the clergy and members of congregations who voted to leave the Episcopal Church to associate with the Anglican Church of Nigeria."

Coverage from The Episcopal Church's Web site

Reaction from The Falls Church:

"We are greatly saddened by this regrettable decision by the Diocese. We urge the Diocese and The Episcopal Church to return, with all the Christian charity each of us can muster, to the important work of reaching amicable settlements," said the Rev. John Yates, Rector, The Falls Church.

Jan. 9, 2007 Press Release from The Falls Church & Truro Church

Mainstream Media Coverage:

The Washington Post

The Daily Press

Quote from VirtueOnline coverage:

"For the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia to pursue a lawsuit over the property of the Falls Church, Truro Church and those Virginia congregations who affiliate with them is to express the most vicious kind of tyranny and intolerance. Given the broken state of the Anglican Communion, it is an action without moral excuse. Under the guise of honoring the original intent of the donors of that property, the Episcopal Church has elevated avarice to an ethical principle employed for the pursuit of wealth and power. It is a charade as old as the Garden of Eden. Any churchgoer with any moral integrity should be outraged," said the Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, rector of the Church of the Good Samaritan, one of the largest orthodox parishes in the Northeast in Paoli, Pennsylvania.

This story is developing...


TOPICS: Current Events; Mainline Protestant
KEYWORDS: churchproperty; episcopal; fallschurch; truro; virginia

1 posted on 01/10/2007 9:07:00 AM PST by rabscuttle385
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To: sionnsar; Huber; newheart

Anglican ping


2 posted on 01/10/2007 9:07:44 AM PST by rabscuttle385 (Sic Semper Tyrannis * Allen for U.S. Senate in '08)
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To: rabscuttle385

Money makes the world go around
The world go around
The world go around
Money makes the world go around
It makes the world go 'round.

A mark, a yen, a buck, or a pound
A buck or a pound
A buck or a pound
Is all that makes the world go around,
That clinking clanking sound
Can make the world go 'round.


3 posted on 01/10/2007 9:25:06 AM PST by HuntsvilleTxVeteran ("Remember the Alamo, Goliad and WACO, It is Time for a new San Jacinto")
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To: rabscuttle385

There's Christians and then there's tyranical lefties.


4 posted on 01/10/2007 10:08:51 AM PST by BufordP ("Every morning I start my day with juice, toast, and a big bowl of Baby Crunch!" -- Michael J. Fox)
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To: BufordP

The church I attend (Apostles) is one that will likely be sued.


5 posted on 01/10/2007 10:19:49 AM PST by rabscuttle385 (Sic Semper Tyrannis * Allen for U.S. Senate in '08)
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To: HuntsvilleTxVeteran

This is about more than money. This is heritage, sacred objects, burial plots, monuments, tithings, and objects donated in memory of loved ones.


6 posted on 01/10/2007 10:26:22 AM PST by dangus (Pope calls Islam violent; Millions of Moslems demonstrate)
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To: dangus
I thought it was about queers stealing the property of the congregation of local churches because they took over the leadership of the headquarters.

A one sided money grab!
7 posted on 01/10/2007 10:30:41 AM PST by HuntsvilleTxVeteran ("Remember the Alamo, Goliad and WACO, It is Time for a new San Jacinto")
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To: rabscuttle385

Hope everything works out.


8 posted on 01/10/2007 10:52:09 AM PST by BufordP ("Every morning I start my day with juice, toast, and a big bowl of Baby Crunch!" -- Michael J. Fox)
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To: ahadams2; Peach; Zippo44; piperpilot; ex-Texan; ableLight; rogue yam; neodad; Tribemike; ...
Thanks to rabscuttle385 for the ping.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.

FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this moderately high-volume ping list (typically 3-9 pings/day).
This list is pinged by sionnsar, Huber and newheart.

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Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15

9 posted on 01/10/2007 12:01:37 PM PST by sionnsar (†trad-anglican.faithweb.com†|Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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To: sionnsar

Seems stupid of the diocese, and TEC, considering that these churches existed a century BEFORE there was a diocese of Va.


10 posted on 01/10/2007 12:44:50 PM PST by ken5050
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To: sionnsar

This may well work out in the long run....as these Churches have excellent lawyers on their side, with excellent legal reasoning, I'm sure.

No matter how the main stream media spin it, it's still a large rich denomination against individual churches...and that large rich denomination, since it is shrinking fast, is getting less popular all the time....and this has to be the worst kind of PR for TEC.

It's a mark of Schori's lack of experience that she's letting Beers and the lawyers run the show--as given the schism crisis anyone with a modicum of political savvy would quickly and quietly settle--especially with politically connected Washington DC area churches. If the churches do this rightly, it will only be TEC with a black eye, whether or not, they win back the properties.

In the worst case, TEC couldn't handle such expensive properties with only token congregations--and they would be stupid to try. This may well be a legal tactic to enact the largest pound of flesh ($$$) from these churches possible, but all that money will be less than the negative publicity TEC will garner for itself.


11 posted on 01/10/2007 2:47:23 PM PST by AnalogReigns
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To: sionnsar
TEC has indicated that it will intervene on behalf of the Diocese.

That just leaves a bad taste. I'd just want to say BACK OFF if I were the diocese. Of course, in this case the diocese has no backbone. Just what is the point of even having dioceses if the national church is constantly interfering at the local level? (aside from maintaining the episcopal structure.) The hierarchy has broken down and the diocese is welcoming it! If I were the bishop of VA I would be terribly offended and embarrassed. All theology aside for the moment, in the business world, and let's remember that this is exactly what TEC is making the church into - a business, the CEO (the Presiding Bishop) has no place in trying to discipline an individual (i.e. a parish). There is a chain of command in place that needs to be followed, otherwise TEC is no longer Episcopal (which, of course, we already knew). (And it sure isn't The Church - Rome would have fun with that!)

12 posted on 01/10/2007 2:57:32 PM PST by Peanut Gallery
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To: rabscuttle385

It is my understanding that Virginia laws are somewhat sympathetic to the local parishes. There is also a critical mass of Christians able to fund the litigation costs for the parishes. This probably is not a good place for liberals to institute a test case and is thus a sign of their desperation.


13 posted on 01/10/2007 4:18:41 PM PST by PAR35
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To: PAR35

The properties in question, large church buildings, both including historic properties (i.e. they could not be sold off as commercial property, as the county and state would permit no significant changes on them) would be of no use to TEC to try to (re)start tiny token denominations. (How many growing large liberal churches do you know of?) To the TEC, these properties would be classic white elephants.

I am sure these lawsuits are merely intimidation tactics to try to garner large cash settlements from these congregations. Since these congregations have shamed TEC, TEC's foxhounds want to make them leave paying with a big of a pound of flesh as possible. This is an old standard legal blackmail technique for certain, and par for the course, for TEC, apostate.


14 posted on 01/10/2007 9:36:07 PM PST by AnalogReigns
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To: AnalogReigns

The congregations were willing to make large cash settlements. Beers would rather have a large empty building than one filled with Bible believing worshipers.


15 posted on 01/11/2007 4:35:38 PM PST by PAR35
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To: rabscuttle385
Under the guise of honoring the original intent of the donors of that property, the Episcopal Church has elevated avarice to an ethical principle employed for the pursuit of wealth and power.

The Falls Church was originally donated to the Anglican church - how do the Episcipalians figure that they own it?

16 posted on 01/11/2007 4:42:21 PM PST by patton (Sanctimony frequently reaps its own reward.)
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To: patton

That's a good question. The reality is...they don't. The larger, wealthier churches (like TFC and Truro) possess the deeds and title to their property, in the parishes' legal names. The new law here in Virginia allowing churches to incorporate, plus the Civil War statues allowing dissenting parishes to take their property with them, do not bode well for TEC and The Diocese.


17 posted on 01/11/2007 5:23:38 PM PST by rabscuttle385 (Sic Semper Tyrannis * Allen for U.S. Senate in '08)
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To: rabscuttle385

Yeah, I was wondering about that - can the TEC produce a title deed?

If not...


18 posted on 01/11/2007 7:14:11 PM PST by patton (Sanctimony frequently reaps its own reward.)
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