Kathleen LundquistWHERE YOUR TREASURE IS
Virginia and TEC get ready to open fire:
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. The terms of the agreement were set to automatically renew unless one party notified the others seven days prior to the expiration of the agreement. The Diocese notified these congregations today of its decision not to renew the agreement, which is set to expire on January 17.
The leadership of the Diocese of Virginia – Bishop Peter James Lee, the Standing Committee and the Executive Board – will meet after the expiration of the standstill agreement to determine their next course of action. Specifically, the Standing Committee must decide the status of the clergy of the departed congregations. In turn, the Executive Board must consider whether the property of these Episcopal churches has been abandoned.
Why? Why do you think? Pete Lee heard from headquarters. 815's coming in and coming in hard.
Leaders of The Falls Church, Truro Church and other Anglican churches in Virginia expressed their profound disappointment over a decision by the Diocese of Virginia to call off negotiations aimed at reaching amicable property settlements. They decried the expenditure of valuable resources to litigate property issues versus the myriad benefits of devoting time, energy, prayer and money to unifying mission work.
“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.Representatives of The Episcopal Church, headquartered in New York City, notified attorneys for The Falls Church and Truro Church Monday that it plans on intervening in the now anticipated litigation. This decision followed a meeting between the Diocese and David Booth Beers, Chancelllor of The Episcopal Church.
Nothing surprising here. Perhaps if a Network split becomes a distinct possibility at Dar es Salaam next month, David Booth Beers J. Jon Bruno Katharine Jefferts Schori might call off the dogs, figuring that TEC wouldn't be able to handle a large number of legal challenges at one time. But we all knew that TEC was eventually going to go this route. Its real estate is all it has left.
UPDATE: Hmmm.
I wonder if 815 is collecting bargaining chips to head into Dar Es Salaam with. Supposing they have heard that there WILL be a reckoning for TEC coming up, they will want to have as many bargaining chips in their back pockets to squeeze out concessions from the GS primates.
One of the few things that TEC can use to bargain with is property. 815’s preoccupation with litigation and threats seems like a stupid strategy otherwise. The only way it makes sense is that it would allow KJS to say to the primates “if you let us have some sort of recognition in the AC, we will agree to stop harassing you over your property.”
Submitted by dwstroudmd
at 1/9/2007 6:44:48 PM| Glory, Glory! How inclusive! Glory! Glory, Comprehensive! Glory, Glory litigation! ECUSA marches on! Sherman would be proud. Jesus, I'm not so sure. |
Submitted by Tom
at 1/9/2007 6:57:22 PM| I am just lousy at predictions. I really thought TEC would lay low until after the Primates meeting...that is unless the Presiding B---- has already decided to star in her own show. That being the case a good politician would want to force her opponents hand in hopes she could lay the blame for her decision on them. hmmmmmmm |
Submitted by Mike S
at 1/9/2007 7:28:24 PM| Mene, Mene, Tekel. Parsin. |
Submitted by David+
at 1/9/2007 7:42:08 PM| If TEC tries to use property as bargaining chips, they will come up with an empty hand. The Global Primates have already indicated such by saying loyalty to Jesus is far more important than loyalty to property and buildings. |
Submitted by Uncle Dino
at 1/9/2007 7:44:42 PM| I said hello to Virginia's suffragan bishop Jones at the George Mason - UNC Wilmington basketball game in Fairfax last night. Even though we've known each other for years - and he knows I am a member of Truro - it was a rather 'chilly' encounter. I can only imagine the pressure that 815 is putting on Lee and Jones. |
Submitted by Philip G
at 1/9/2007 8:02:56 PM| Well, when the cease fire ends, it is logical to expect that hostilities will open up. It is also logical to expect, that the lads on the other side of the lines from the 815ers, will be legally locked, loaded and ready to fire for effect. I'm not an attorney, so I know nothing about the arcane minutia of the law, but doesn't a party to a legal action, need to have standing in the matter? Is 815 a VA corporation? Does 815, own title to the lands, through filed deeds? Will a VA court accept that the Denis canon, filed with a New York corporation, has standing and authority in Virginia? Let 'em come then, to waste their resources and themselves to no good result. |
Submitted by Katherine
at 1/9/2007 9:08:23 PM| The success of the lawsuits varies state by state, according to whether state law recognizes the hierarchical claim. According to what I have read, Virginia, like California, recognizes the holder of the deed as the owner, which is the parish, not the diocese. In North Carolina, the law is different, and the diocese wins. Check your state laws and adjust your donations accordingly. |
Submitted by Rod
at 1/9/2007 10:05:11 PM| Note that this story isn't one of the headlines on the diocesean home page: www.thediocese.net |
Submitted by JM
at 1/10/2007 12:56:09 AM| If I were the PB's consigliere, I tell her to let Beers play bad cop, and threaten all sorts of law suits. Then, the PB could could go in and play "conciliatrix" and look like the good girl to the Anglican Communion -- at least to the liberals, the moderates and the fence sitters. Apparently, however, that course of action is inconsistent with her personality. |
Submitted by Sasha
at 1/10/2007 3:00:13 AM| First: is not the appropriate Italian word "consigliOre" (this must be at least the 3rd time it seems necessary to query this nit on account of what I happen to know of the language)? Second: If that's what TE"c" thinks is the right way to handle the situation (assuming that Mr. Rowan Williams - plenty of CONTEMPT be upon him and ALL revisionist COMMIES!!! - is on TE"c"'s side), then let Akinola, Orombi, Chew, Nzimbi and company strike back and finish matters off with SCHISM!!!! When those apostates say that schism is worse than heresy, the appropriate reply is that sometimes heresy is so bad and evil as to not only justify but to REQUIRE schism!!!! So there (and in the worst case, better to abandon property than one's faith, whatever happens!!!!)! |
Submitted by a real linguist
at 1/10/2007 4:22:57 AM| off topic, but Sasha please do a minimum of fact checking (for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consigliere ) before repeatedly insisting that everyone since Mario Puzo is wrong about the term. And it's Sicilian, not Italian. For example, something like "il poco che so lo devo alla mia ignoranza" in Italian is "'ppi 'ddu' tanticchia 'ca sacciu, aiu' a ringrazziari a' me' gnuranza" in Sicilian. The scorched earth policy really doesn't make any sense at all, and indicates to me that all the level-headed advisors at 815 have left. It seems to me that some very highly placed advisors have decided that punishing reasserting parishes is a priority above the MDGs, church growth, reaching out to the unchurched, staying in the anglican communion, and anything else that have been the claimed objectives. Somebody wants payback. |
Submitted by Angican Observer
at 1/10/2007 8:08:41 AM| Virginia Friends - Just be sure that our Global South Primates are kept fully informed ........ |
Submitted by Fuinseoig
at 1/10/2007 9:13:32 AM| Wow. It always looked like the Dar es Salaam thing would be interesting, but now they could sell tickets. If TEC are still interested in being a part of the Anglican Communion (and this looks less and less the case as each day passes), then they may be told lay off the 'departing congregations' - and it looks like they're finally willing to lay down the law to TEC, what with the Panel of Reference decision and all. On the other hand, if TEC are going into this with the attitude "You can't fire me, I quit!", then they may be going to say "Yeah, welcome to litigation and lots of it, suckers" as a sort of parting gift. Ladeez and gennlmen, we present to you the Heavyweight Champeenship of the Anglican World next month in Dar es Salaam! |
Submitted by GB
at 1/10/2007 9:15:36 AM| Katherine, you may be interested to now that the TEC bishops have been busily collecting both property deeds and loyalty oaths from the vestries of parishes all over the country. The rules are different in every diocese, but as far as Virginia is concerned, I doubt that Rev. Lee is under any pressure at all from anybody. If all I have heard about him is true, he is a sure believer in revisionism. It is the people in the diocese who have been fooled into thinking he is some kind of Southern Gentleman. |
Submitted by Horseman
at 1/10/2007 9:47:23 AM| As always, TEC's strategy ignores those to whom they are ultimately beholding, i.e., us poor pew potatoes. Do they honestly believe that the heavy-handed strategy will endear them to rank-and-file parishioners? This has to be distasteful to many of those who do believe in the revisionist agenda, much less to the orthodox. My bet is that further pursuit of this kind of strategy will leave them with a few empty buildings in states that will follow the Denis Canon, and little more. I would also bet that there will be more than a few state court judges who will work hard to find a way to keep buildings in the possession of local parishes. After all, most judges are elected, and parishioners are voters, too. A third point on historical perspective. Secession preceding the War Between the States was in large part precipitated by one part of a country forcing tis views on another. The irony of 815 coming down on historic churches in Virginia is inescapable. Heavy-handed action such as that being pursued by 815 can be a galvanizing force - those who may have otherwise remained on the sidelines can find themselves suddenly angered and motivated, and on the front lines. My prayers are with the Virginia churches. |
Submitted by Sasha
at 1/10/2007 1:36:30 PM| All right, real linguist: I was ASKING regarding the term, NOT affirming that I was right. [Yours truly hadn't yet learned to go to wikipedia all the time...] And now, be happy in my being wrong, ENJOY (that's part of being human)! |
Submitted by loonpond
at 1/10/2007 5:45:38 PM| Hey Kids...there's a Caption Contest over at Stand Firm. |
Submitted by loonpond
at 1/10/2007 5:49:02 PM| Sorry - meant to post that under the article about the PB in AR. My Bad. |
Submitted by Katherine
at 1/11/2007 1:14:57 AM| GB, the results will vary by state. In North Carolina, where my home is, unfortunately the diocese will win whether or not it got the property deed before suing. We found this out some years ago with a case in Eastern NC. So in the Diocese of NC everyone is lying low and trying to avoid +Curry's notice. In some other states, the parishes have a fighting chance as long as they haven't filed some sort of acknowledgment of the diocese's claim with the courts. |
Submitted by David Loving
at 1/11/2007 7:57:36 AM| My favorite church - Reunion Church in Dallas Texas - frankly tec is 2nd choice right now - ON PURPOSE - doesn't build a church, even though it could, easily. Why? The pastor says he is in the sheep buisness not tha barn business. The focus on property is wrong; it's an out of focus obsession . I think people do not want to change - even when they have to. So, they at least try to keep the bhilding. Just think how energizing and exciting it is to start and finish your own place to worship - a clean break - if you build at all. Let 'em see if they can fill up the old churches and maintain them. Buy the places back at auction. |