Thursday, June 10, 2010

Virginia Supreme Court Issues Ruling

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.
And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
I John 1:3

Dear Truro Family,

I have just received notice from Bob Dilling, our chancellor, that the Virginia Supreme Court has “reversed and remanded” Judge Randy Bellows 57-9 ruling regarding the Truro property.   Though the Court agreed with our position that there had been a division within the Episcopal Church and the diocese of Virginia, they did not agree that we joined a legitimate “branch” of the Church as outlined by the statute.  Thus the property issue has, in the language of the decision, “not been resolved.”   What does this ruling mean to us now as a community?  Do we lose our buildings?  No, further proceedings will be required. 

While I am disappointed by this decision, I continue to be grateful to all of you for your devotion to Jesus Christ, to one another, and to our commitment to remain faithful, mission focused Anglican Christians in North America.  I am also enormously grateful to God for His steadfast love and mercy as He continues to challenge us – even now – to reach out beyond ourselves and share the Gospel in our own community and the world.

What are our next steps?  First, we will pray and seek the Lord’s face.  I ask you to stay in a season of intercession and Thursday fast days.  This Friday, at 7:30pm the ADV churches will join together with our Bishops at the Falls Church for worship, prayer and thanksgiving. This Sunday at 10am, June 13th, we will devote the Rector’s Forum to this recent decision and its implications.  I trust all of you will make a special effort to be at worship this Sunday.  Additionally, I want you to know that I will be meeting with the Vestry on Tuesday, June 15th and together we will review our next steps.  We will keep the parish posted at all crucial steps. 

Over the past few weeks in my own prayer time, I have been reflecting on I John 1:3:  “- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”  In this passage we see that entry into the eternal fellowship of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is mediated through the temporal fellowship of the Christian community.  This means our fellowship has both the privilege and responsibility to be a foretaste of the fellowship of the Holy Trinity.  This is my prayer for all of us: that Truro will be a foretaste of heaven for all who enter the ambit of our fellowship.  

For now we will be in a season of collegial discernment with other ADV churches and our Bishops.  However, one thing remains unchanged – these buildings do not “belong” to us nor do they belong to the diocese of Virginia, nor do they belong to the Episcopal Church.  These buildings belong to the Lord; we are merely stewards.  Join me, in even greater resolve, to make them an extension of our fellowship in the Spirit – so that others may “have fellowship with us, and our fellowship with the Father and the Son.” 

Your brother in Christ,
Tory+

 

Questions & Answers

What did the Virginia Supreme Court do?

Earlier today, the Virginia Supreme Court issued its final ruling in the church property case, of which Truro is a part.  The Court overturned the previous favorable ruling of the Fairfax County Circuit Court and remanded it back to the Circuit Court for further proceedings.

Who made the appeal?

The appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court was made by The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and challenged the 2008 ruling of the Fairfax County Circuit Court.

What is going to happen next?

Please know that we and the other ADV churches and Bishops, along with our legal team, are examining the ruling carefully to determine what our best options are as we move forward.  We have not made any final decisions at this time.  The Court’s ruling simply involved one of our statutory defenses, and our property is titled in the name of our congregation’s trustees, not in the name of the Diocese or The Episcopal Church.  We continue to be prayerful about God’s direction and purpose for us in this litigation.

Where can I read the Supreme Court’s ruling?

If you’d like to read the Court’s final ruling, please visit http://www.courts.state.va.us/opinions/opnscvwp/1090682.pdf. 


Statement from the Anglican District of Virginia:

The nine Anglican District of Virginia (ADV) congregations that are parties to the church property case brought by The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia are reviewing today’s Virginia Supreme Court ruling overturning the Fairfax County Circuit Court’s ruling in the case and remanding it back to the Circuit Court for further proceedings.  The Episcopal Church and Diocese of Virginia had appealed a ruling in favor of the congregations to the Virginia Supreme Court.

“We are disappointed with today’s ruling and will review it as we consider our options.  This is not the final chapter in this matter.  The court’s ruling simply involved one of our statutory defenses, and these properties are titled in the name of the congregations’ trustees, not in the name of the Diocese or The Episcopal Church.  So we continue to be confident in our legal position as we move forward and will remain steadfast in our effort to defend the historic Christian faith,” said Jim Oakes, chairman of the Anglican District of Virginia, which is the umbrella organization for the nine Anglican congregations. Continue reading here.


Events:

Worship Gathering
Friday, June 11th at 7:30 p.m.
The Historic Falls Church
115 E. Fairfax Street
Falls Church, VA 22046

A special time of prayer and praise for church members of all the ADV Churches, listening to God, and hearing from a number of our leaders.  Childcare available for children three years old and under.

Rector’s Forum
Sunday, June 13th at 10:00 a.m.
Truro Undercroft
Truro Rector Tory Baucum, Chancellor Bob Dilling and Truro Attorney George Peterson will be speaking.



Media Inquiries

If you should receive any media inquiries, please refer them to the following:

CRC
2760 Eisenhower Avenue, Fourth Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-683-5004
Kelly Oliver – Ext. 140
Megan Franko – Ext. 148
Caitlin Bozell – Ext. 119

 


 

Friday, June 4, 2010

A Call to Truro to Pray & Fast

Please join us as we come together as a church family and commit to pray and fast on Thursdays May 19th–June 10th as the Commonwealth of Virginia Supreme Court deliberates the Episcopal Church appeal of our case. We expect we may have a ruling from the Supreme Court on Friday, June 11th (although this is subject to change). You are encouraged, as you are able, to fast at least one meal every Thursday and intercede in prayer. To help guide your prayers, here is a prayer that I will be using in my prayer time:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who built your Church upon the rock of the Apostles, that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it: Be merciful to the churches of this land, give us the grace of repentance so that our hearts turn to you alone, and especially we pray for our own Church, Truro Parish, that we would have a single heart for You. Make our worship pleasing to your sight, sweeten our fellowship with tender hearts toward one another, unite us in a common vision and purpose, grant us favor in the deliberations of the Virginia Supreme Court, and most of all, make us instruments of your peace and truth in a country in need of a revival of goodness and light. We ask this is Jesus Name. Amen.

If you are new to fasting, an excellent resource to introduce you to this Christian discipline of prayer is Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, available at Amazon.com or at your local Christian bookstore. Now is the time to pray!

—Tory +

 

Dear Parish Family, 

 

 

 

 

Truro and our sister Anglican congregations are waiting, concerned but confidently, to see how the approaching decision of the Virginia Supreme Court will affect our future at our home campus. Although we remain confident, we also believe it is prudent to be prepared for any outcome.

Our most critical concern is that our Truro Church family hold together with effective communications in a strong network. This is good strategy if we retain our buildings, and essential if we do not. Therefore, we have asked our Home Group Leaders and Vestry to act as key contact persons for Truro households who are not currently affiliated with a Home Group.

If you are not in a Home Group, you can expect a personal call from one of these congregational leaders soon, to establish contact and be sure you are connected within the church. This also is a good time to remind all participants in Truro worship of the urgency of close Christian fellowship. We urge you to join a Home Group. If you would like to take the initiative and join a Home Group or be in the contingency communications network, please give Marlene Jones (mjones@trurochurch.org) an e-mail, or call at extension 305.

Once again, we have justifiable confidence in a favorable ruling by the Court. Beyond that, we are supremely confident that no matter the outcome, this church is greatly blessed by our Lord, and we will continue to advance strongly in our vision and ministry. Thanks to each of you for your part in our fellowship.

—Tory +

 

 

Wednesday, April 14, 2010


Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I had the privilege of attending the Virginia Supreme Court hearing of the Diocese of Virginia's and The Episcopal Church's appeals of the lower court's rulings in favor of the churches of the Anglican District of Virginia.  The hearing, actually two separate hearings, generated a lot of interest judging by the number of attendees (including both of our bishops, Martyn Minns and David Bena and the new bishop of Virginia, Shannon Johnston) from both sides.  The courtroom, which holds between 100 and 120 people, was completely packed with overflow to two smaller rooms with closed circuit broadcast of the proceedings.
 
The lawyer for diocese was given 20 minutes to present oral arguments and then Steffen Johnson, attorney for the ADV churches, was given 20 minutes to present reply arguments.  The diocese was then given a short time to rebut the ADV argument.  The TEC hearing was handled the same way with 20 minutes given to each side and the TEC lawyer  having a short time to rebut.  The five justices hearing the cases were very engaged and addressed pointed questions to each attorney.  I felt that Steffen's responses  to those questions were thorough, thoughtful, concise, and gracious.  Given the brevity of the hearings and the nature of the questions posed by the justices, it is difficult to guess how the court will finally rule.  We can expect to receive the ruling sometime in mid-June, possibly the 11th based on the traditional judicial schedule.
 
Your faithful and powerful prayers were and are critical during these court proceedings.  Please continue to pray that the Virginia Supreme Court Justices will have God's wisdom in considering the rulings of the circuit court and the materials submitted in support of that ruling.  In the end, God is good and His will is what we truly want in this and every situation.
 
God's Peace,
 
Steve Springmann
Senior Warden


 

 

 

 

Friday, February 5, 2010

CANA Churches File Briefs For Episcopal Church Appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court

We have available the briefs filed by the CANA churches on Monday, January 31 with the Virginia Supreme Court for the Episcopal Church's appeal of Judge Randy Bellows' ruling in favor of the CANA churches in the Fairfax Circuit. We also have amicus briefs filed on behalf of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (authored by Michael McConnell of the Stanford Law School Constitutional Law Center), as well as the American Anglican Council, the Presbyterian Lay Committee, and the Association for Church Renewal (whose authors include Pepperdine Law School Dean and former Solicitor General and U.S. Court of Appeals judge, Ken Starr). The Becket Fund brief addresses the constitutional issues in depth. The AAC brief addresses the issue of denominational "trusts" and explains why the alleged trust here does not meet any of the ordinary requirements of a trust. The brief are availabe for download below.

BRIEF FOR APPELLEES CANA CONGREGATIONS (Diocese)

BRIEF FOR APPELLEES CANA CONGREGATIONS (ESCUSA)

BRIEF AMICUS CURIAE OF THE BECKET FUND FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN SUPPORT OF APPELLEES

BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE THE AMERICAN ANGLICAN COUNCIL, PRESBYTERIAN LAY COMMITTEE, AND ASSOCIATION FOR CHURCH RENEWAL, IN SUPPORT OF APPELLEES