Posted on 01/04/2008 2:05:33 PM PST by rabscuttle385
What is 815? I am at a loss.
And who cares about the Dennis Cannon? It has NO force in state law.
Unless they are going for adverse possession.
I couldn't remember if his site did or not, so I played it safe.
The Diocese is in dire financial straits because its income was derived primarily from the eleven churches in Northern Virginia. The rest of the parishes are dead: when I first came to U.Va. in 2003, my family visited the local Episcopal church, where the priest was eager to shoo us away and the five or ten people present at the service looked at us as strangers.
The eleven churches will survive and continue to grow. They have the cash flow, and yes, they do have the lawyers.
The street address for the Episcopal headquarters in New York. Used as a shorthand to refer to the institutional 'bosses'.
Full address: 815 Second Avenue New York, NY 10017
And who cares about the Dennis Cannon?
Some states still yield to the decisions of the church bosses in hierarchical churches, rather than looking at neutral principals of law as do most states. (That's why the Presbyterian Church USA argues that it has a hierarchical, rather than a presbyterian, form of government now).
In any event, Virginia statutory law seems to be quite favorable for the local parishes, which is why Lee never should have let himself be blackmailed into this litigation.
You've mentioned that several times. Georgia was the original 'neutral principles of law' state. Have there been any statues or case law post-Vines that I need to know about? I've never really sat down and looked at current Ga law on the subject, since it is one of the quietest states for litigation at this point - Christ Church Savannah being the only active dispute I can think of at the moment.
“The fact their lawyers aren’t working on a contingency basis tells you something.”
What’s the recovery for the Diocese? It gets to ‘keep’ the parishes that voted to leave, and their properties which would stay with the parishes? How can this be a contingency case without a financial recovery?
I am surprised with all the Episcopalian lawyers they couldn’t get a strong volunteer team. Guess the “Chancellor” doesn’t relly love the church as much as he would profess or he would sacrifice on its behalf.
This was a stupid fight for the Diocese to pick, and they did it with the encouragement of the national church which should foot the bill. As I understand it, the attorneys are those from the National church out of DC.
So let me get this straight: TEC (specifically DoV under 815's orders) is selling property in order to fund litigation to sue departing parishes so that they can keep the property. Yeah, that's the ticket.
I'd wish I could say that I was shocked by the depth of their spite, but sadly this is just business as usual now. Somewhere Screwtape must be laughing his tail off.
Why? The Church comes second to the blessed MDG's, so they just purchase indulgences from the UN and they have a clear conscience. In fact, they might have even started to figure out that TEC's just a middleman, anyway.
On the other hand, maybe they recognize that this litigation is nothing more than spiteful, and they want no part of it. When even the lawyers know you're doing something wrong, then you know you're in trouble! :)
Present company excluded from that last jab, of course.
(great scene, complete with weeping wife and kiddies...we have a video of it)
OK, I take that back. ;)
That clears it up - thanks.
I “preview” with the actual URL and the rest garbage — FR will tell you if excerpting is needed (or if posting is prohibited). “Playing it safe” just puts the burden on your readers.
You have got to be kidding! (I know, you're not.) What kind of church is that? We love to have visitors, and do all we can to make them feel welcome.
Well then, I know what to do next time.
Any more news from there?
The legal proceedings are supposed to pick up again this month with a ruling from the Judge involved.
>>my family visited the local Episcopal church, where the ... five or ten people present at the service looked at us as strangers.
Exactly the opposite of my experience. As an airline pilot with many Sunday layovers in strange cities, I finally got tired of asking the hotel clerk “where’s the closest church?” (They all knew where the closest Catholic church was ;o) I started cajoling the hotel van to take me there or hoofing it. During my career, I’ve probably been in close to 100 Episcopal churches, some large, most small. With one exception, I was always received with open arms. In the tiny congregations, the little old ladies would fall all over each other trying to welcome me, assuming that I was the forward scout of the wave of newcomers that would swell their tiny congregations back to life.
One exception: Jorge Boosh’s congregation in Houston (I didn’t know that at the time). Not wishing to show up with my captain’s jacket on and have to hear aviation passenger war stories, I put on a white shirt with my uniform tie. I turned out to be the only man in the church without a jacket. I guess I must have looked like an LDS missionary, because when the peace was exchanged, no one shook my hand. I was stunned. When I left, no one acknowledged me. I had pre-written a $50 check for the collection plate; after stewing about it for a few days, I called the bank and stopped payment on it. I laid in wait for a call or note from the church - it never came.
The older George Bush is Episcopalian; the current President Bush is a Methodist.
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