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[b]SAVANNAH, GA: Historic Christ Church Faces Crisis of Ownership [/b]
Orthodox Anglicans Called Upon to Pray as Court Day Approaches
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
August 6, 2009
No Episcopal church in North America can make the claim that Christ Church, Savannah makes - two of the greatest preachers of the eighteenth century served as rectors there and, over time, brought about a spiritual revolution that changed the face of Christianity forever.
John Wesley and George Whitefield were once rectors in the proud history of Christ Church and from whose ministries later came forth the Methodist church. Through their open air preaching, they outraged Church of England officials as they spawned the English and Welsh Revivals of the 18th century. Wesley felt that the church failed to call sinners to repentance, that many of the clergymen were corrupt, and that people were perishing in their sins. Sound familiar?
Fast forward 276 years later to 2007. Christ Church, which started with a land grant from King George of England, finds itself embroiled in theological differences not unreminiscent of the 18th Century. The issues are again both moral and theological - the consecration of a non-celibate homosexual to the episcopacy, the trustworthiness of the Bible as the "final authority and unchangeable standard" and a fading Christology that neither Wesley nor Whitfield would recognize.
In 2007 the congregation, under its rector The Rev. Marc Robertson, voted with an 87 percent majority to leave the Diocese of Georgia and The Episcopal Church and come under the protection of the Anglican Province of Uganda until the orthodox realignment in North America crystallized.
As a result, The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia and TEC have sued Christ Church, trying to seize its funds and buildings, particularly the church on Johnson Square because of its symbolic significance as the "Mother Church of Georgia" and the pulpit of Wesley and Whitefield. Legal expenses from defending this platform for the Gospel have run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Christ Church, a member of the new Anglican Church of North America, will be defending herself against the claims of her former national church and her former diocese who have filed a motion for summary judgment.
TEC and the Episcopal Diocese claim the property based on a church law, adopted in the 1970s, called the Dennis Canon, which says that all parishes hold their property in trust for the diocese.
Christ Church, however, was established in 1733, and asserts that it has legal title to its building and other property by the Crown grant prior to the existence of the Episcopal Church, which was confirmed by special act of the Georgia legislature in 1789, the same year the Episcopal Church was established. Christ Church also predated the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, which it helped form in 1823 as a precursor to affiliating with the Episcopal Church.
Today there is a shadow congregation composed of persons who want to remain in TEC and other former members of Christ Church. This shadow church was cobbled together by the Episcopal Bishop and others to assist in claiming the name and assets of the parish. The split has divided families and friends.
The situation is not dissimilar to that in the Diocese of Virginia where a number of parishes are in legal dispute over properties, many of which precede the formation of the Episcopal Church. So far, the orthodox, who maintain they are the rightful heirs both spiritually and ecclesiastically, are winning in the courts.
Christ Church is fighting to defend "the faith once delivered" to the saints. "Come stand with us," says Carol Rogers Smith, Senior Warden.
"Christ Church is continuing its witness to Jesus Christ and the saving power of the Holy Spirit here in the heart of Savannah. We remain committed to the Gospel that '"warmed the heart'" of John Wesley, that motivated George Whitefield and Juliette Gordon Low to reach out in compassion to children, and that stirred the creative spirit of Bland Tucker in hymnody," says Robertson.
"We believe remaining in our historic location is important to this witness and ministry. Though litigation poses a risk to many of our efforts, we are confident in God's calling and are committed to the faithful pursuit of the various Gospel opportunities He has placed before us.
"It has been the discipline of God's people to fast and pray prior to significant events in their lives, both personal and corporate. Certainly we see this in the life of our Lord, whose public ministry is defined by two '"bookends'" of prayer."
As Christ Church enters into a momentous season of their history, they will engage in a vigil of prayer beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening, August 13th - the evening before their court hearing, says Robertson. The parish has invited the Rev. Phil Ashey of the American Anglican Council to join them as their "chaplain" for this Vigil. Ashey will offer biblical instruction during the first portion of the Vigil.
On August 14, Christ Church will once again head to court to plead its case. Pray for this congregation, its rector and faithful followers. For Christ Church ministries and her Gospel Defense and to support financially this historic parish's stand for the gospel, go here: www.christchurchsavannah.org
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