Just a brief comment on the trial court ruling yesterday allowing the conservative congregation of the breakaway CANA Churches to retain ownership of some historic Truro Parish property. I will have more thoughtful comments on the ruling and its implications in the next few days.
The ruling was not unexpected. The underlying property issue was pre-determined by the trial court's earlier ruling on the applicability of the Virginia division statute. A trial court is very unlikely to rule an existing state statute unconstitutional. Overturning a state statute on constitutional grounds is almost always done at the appellate level.
Of more concern is the recent focus on the validity of the continuing congregation of The Falls Church Episcopal Church itself - of which I am a member. Our very existence as a displace but growing group of people local to Falls Church area and faithful to the Diocese of Virginia and to The Episcopal Church is crucial to the eventual outcome of the dispute and to the ability of two distinct Anglican Church cultures (one conservative and one progressive) to exist side by side. In my view our existence as a progressive congregation representing a overwhelmingly progressive community is also key to the survival of Falls Church City.
The conservatives wish we were not here and have yet to fully accept the continued presence of a progressive Anglican congregation. It is a very odd feeling to have your church stolen, to be displaced, and for your very existence to be denied. Right here in good old metropolitan Washington DC. Whether factually accurate or not, that is the way at least some of the members of the continuing congregation feel at the moment.
So just a quick point about the front page Washington Post article today. The whole painful issue is summed up in this one line from the article:
"... A lot of people's willingness to take a step away from the Episcopal Church depends on the existence of a place to go," said Steffen Johnson, an attorney who attends The Falls Church and is also co-counsel for the breakaway churches...." [emphasis added]
Did you see how neatly that was done? Did you see how the Washington Post unblinkingly referred to the new breakaway Falls Church CANA Church as "THE" Falls Church? Like The Falls Church Episcopal Church no longer exists? The distinction should have been made by the WaPo that Mr. Johnson is a member and legal counsel for The Falls Church CANA congregation. Not "THE" Falls Church.
For nearly three hundred years the Falls Church Episcopal existed in our community as a founding church in our country. Last year conservatives filled the church with evangelical Christians and left the Episcopal Diocese but retained the historic church property. The breakaway congregation allied themselves with the right wing theocrat Archbishop Akinola and the Anglican Church of Nigeria. The breakaway conservative congregation has reformed itself as the Falls Church CANA congreation.
But the loyal Episcopalians and the Falls Church Episcopal are still here. We are the continuing congregation of The Falls Church Episcopal Church. Thank you very much.
