Letter from Rev Elijah White re: Church of our Saviour Settlement

By the Rev. Elijah B. White
February 20, 2011

Dear Members and Friends of Our Saviour,

Today, February 20 in the Year of our Lord 2011, Septuagesima, our Parish voted for a future as significant as our initial formation under Oatlands Plantation's oak grove during the War between the States, construction of our church building in 1878 and parish hall in 1906, independence as a separate congregation no longer subservient under any larger parish in 1973, and our first full-time Rector in 1980.

With the unanimous endorsement of our Vestry, Officers and clergy, and a 10-1 endorsement by our voting members, we have this day settled the lawsuits filed against us by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in Richmond and by the national Episcopal Church in New York City.

I am not glad about this, but I heartily endorse these decisions, have spoken out in favor of them as the best arrangement obtainable in our current legal situation, and look forward to working energetically for our ongoing Christian mission together free from the burdens, distractions and costs of continued litigation. This frees us to put all our efforts into God's work.

Loudoun County appraises our property at $314,500. We have already spent some $400,000 in our own legal defense and contributions to our joint efforts with ADV-CANA.

Given an unfavorable decision by the Supreme Court of Virginia last June, and their sending our cases back to the Fairfax County Circuit Court to be retried individually under a different set of legal standards and criteria, our alternatives were either to negotiate the best settlement we could now or to spend another third of a million dollars and another 18-20 months in new litigation with a dubious chance of success when any Fairfax decision is sure to be appealed to that same Supreme Court of Virginia.

Recognizing that every agreement contains some points that each side likes and some that each side does not like, the terms of this settlement include the following:

• neither side admits to the validity of the other side's arguments, contentions, claims or assertions

• the Diocese of Virginia gains title to the real property and certain older items of personal property

• our Parish gains a lease of up to five years of full and free quiet enjoyment of all real and personal property, the Diocese being bound by this up-to-five-year agreement but our Parish being free to terminate it at any time upon thirty days notice

• our Parish will pay $500 per month while we occupy the premises {these payments will not come out of our Parish offerings nor budget - the full cost of a maximum five-year lease, $30,000, has already been paid into a separate account by an anonymous donor}

• our Parish will retain all our 1928 Prayer Books and 1940 Hymnals - our church organ and parish hall piano - all Eucharistic vestments and Altar hangings - all other clergy vestments - our Paschal Candlestick and Advent Wreath - our processional Cross and its accompanying wall plaque - our inlaid table in the entranceway - the big lectern King James Version Bible - the American flag Col. Mike Sweeney brought to us from Camp Fallujah in Iraq - the two cemetery benches given in memory of Anita - the silver lavabo bowl - and all of our Parish funds: no cash will go to the Episcopal Diocese nor to the national Episcopal Church

• any donor or contributor of a hand-worked kneeler, or any family member of such or of an individual in whose honor it was given, may identify and claim such a kneeler and take it

• anyone who wants a member moved from our cemetery or memorial wall can do so at any time until we leave the premises - the Parish offers to pay for such moves

• anyone who has a reservation in our cemetery or memorial wall and wants to use it can exercise that right at any time

• our congregation voted today to disaffiliate with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America under the Province of Nigeria and its local Anglican District of Virginia, and may not affiliate nor serve under any other Anglican entity so long as we remain on our present premises - once we leave we are free to affiliate with whomever we may choose

I send this summary to you right away - more information will follow by e-mail and newsletter. If you participated in the meeting after the 9.30 service last Sunday the 13th you saw that, although 26 people had attended the 8 o'clock and many were not at either service, we quite literally had standingroom only, the parking lot was full, the lawn half-full, more cars lined to dirt road out front, and one could hardly move in the parish hall afterward. If everyone were to come, we could not possibly accommodate them.

The fact is that we are in the process of outgrowing our beloved buildings - this is the Lord's own work, God giveth the increase, which is a growing problem for us but a very godly problem to have. Our Vestry and many knowledgeable members have been actively looking at potentially-suitable properties, and will continue to do so.

I love this place, these buildings I've served since 1948-49 when Janet Cobb's father brought me down as his Altar boy when he was Rector of S. James' Leesburg. Leaving them will hurt me very much, as I know it will many of you, but I am confident that we are doing both the best and the right thing in our complex circumstances of ending litigation and planning for growth.

Please pray for us all, as individuals for whom Christ died and rose again and as a congregation committed to His godly worship, His service, and the Faith once and for all delivered to the saints.

May the God we strive to serve bless, guide, guard, direct and prosper us all.

Faithfully yours in His service,

Lige

This article comes from the Anglican District of Virginia website
http://www.anglicandistrictofvirginia.org/

The URL for this story is:
http://www.anglicandistrictofvirginia.org/uploads/Settlement_ElijahWhite_Letter022111.pdf