The congregation of Christ Church (Anglican) in Savannah is waiting for a decision from the Georgia Supreme Court concerning ownership of their property.

On August 18th, Rector (Senior Pastor) Marc Robertson, sent an email to his congregation and other supporting friends explaining their situation:

Just a quick update on our situation for your information and prayers on our behalf.

We have been through a bit of a flurry the past few weeks, anticipating a possible negative judgment against us. We believe we will not be given any grace if the court rules against us and orders us to leave our property.

In fact, it is quite possible if such a scenario occurs, we may have hours, not days or weeks, to vacate. As a result, I have packed up my library and personal belongings (including some furniture from my parents and Alice’s parents we had stored in the parish house) and moved them out, just to avoid a possible situation where I may not be allowed back into the building to acquire them without more legal hassle.

We have made plans for worship at Independent Presbyterian Church here in Savannah. They have been incredibly gracious and hospitable. While we hope we don’t ever have to go to their building, it is an incredible encouragement to be received so warmly. Hats off to Terry Johnson and his flock for their love and kindness to us!

Other churches in the area have offered us tangible support in various ways, which is quite humbling and heart-warming. When Jesus said to His disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans” I failed to realize how that might work its way out in the greater Body of Christ! Thanks be to God.

Some time ago, when sharing our story with friends at Bible Baptist Church here in Savannah, one of their members encouraged me to put our story on video. Such a project was well beyond my capabilities, but, by the grace of God and the leadership of one of our members, Mr. Steve Dantin, I am happy to announce to you that we now have our story on DVD!

Entitled “Stand With Us,” the 25-minute DVD gives an overview of our congregation and its struggle to proclaim the Gospel in the context of being sued. (A YouTube clip is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDr0T_-2KXc. For a full copy of the DVD, go to http://www.christchurchsavannah.org/ContactUs.htm)

The State Supreme Court is on vacation for the month of August, so we don’t anticipate any legal rulings for the remainder of this month. Please pray they will accept our petition to hear the case, and after that, to rule in
our favor, which will also be in favor of you and your church’s future mission.
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Following are two other articles describing the situation at Christ Church. The first is a pastoral devotion for dealing with the crisis. The second is a summary of events leading up to this crisis.

A Time to Focus – by Marc Robertson
My Father was an ophthalmologist. When he examined my eyes, he would put a big machine in front of my face and flip back and forth between various combinations of lenses – “Tell me which is better… this? Or this?” Flip… click… flip… click. Finally, we would come to an agreement on the best lenses for my glasses.

I’ve done some “flipping and clicking” in the past few days. With the disappointing news of the Appellate Court ruling against us, there have been many things to consider and many challenges and responsibilities emerging in rapid-fire succession. It was time to regain my focus. Flip… click… flip… click.

The author of Hebrews writes to a beleaguered group of Christians. He reminds his readers of the supremacy of Christ and the solemn commitment we have to follow Him in all aspects of life. He encourages them to “hold fast our confession” (4:14), and to “draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (4:16). He is fully aware that such Christians have “joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one” (10:34). He defines faith: “… the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). He lists a number of faithful men and women as examples of encouragement, and then encourages his readers with these words:

“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:1, 2).

Spending time with God through the epistle to the Hebrews brought me back in focus. I am committed to keeping three things in front of me and in front of us all.

First, we look to Jesus. He is the center of our life together, as He is the center of the universe. Any decision by a court, any hurtful word or action or any temptation to respond in kind, is to be but a glancing episode. Jesus remains in the center. It is His glory, His truth, and His Kingdom for which we stand.

Second, we look to each other: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24,25). We are called to care for one another, to “stir up” one another, to encourage one another, to be together with each other. God did not create us to go through the turmoil of life on our own. He has given us friends in Christ to stand alongside us, and us with them, in the challenges of life. Here is a glorious opportunity to do just that, and to discover how God delights in His children loving one another.

Third, we look to our mission. The call to proclaim the Gospel and to love God and others has not diminished one bit. Our circumstances only make the focus sharper, the background more stark, the vision that much clearer. Our circumstances are only the backdrop to the stage. God continues to call us forth to be major players in His story of redeeming love. Right now, the backdrop is dark, but that only makes us and our message stand out in greater contrast.

Let’s take advantage of it by being faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ. Who knows if we will ever have such an incredible opportunity again?

Flip… click, flip… click, flip… click. Wherever you may be in your life, I pray you will find God’s focus. It will look different for different people, but I am confident it begins for all of us with Christ and His Word. –

GEORGIA CHURCHES COULD BE IN DANGER OF LOSING BUILDINGS AND PROPERTY

Christ Church, The Mother Church of Georgia in Savannah, has asked the Georgia Supreme Court to review a recent ruling of the Court of Appeals upholding Judge Michael Karpf’s October, 2009 decision that Christ Church holds its property in trust for the Diocese of Georgia and The Episcopal Church. The decision is based on a 1979 national church “canon”, or bylaw, which Christ Church claims

(i.) cannot override its legal title to the property, and
(ii) was improperly adopted.

Should the ruling stand after all appeals are exhausted, then the congregation will be forced to move to other facilities. Georgia churches in similar situations could be in danger of losing their property as well.

Christ Church disaffiliated from The Episcopal Church on September 30, 2007 by a unanimous vote of its vestry (governing board). Two weeks later this vote was affirmed by an 87% vote of the congregation. “We continue to believe that we must stand firm for the Gospel and oppose the anti-biblical claims of The Episcopal Church,” said David Reeves, Christ Church Senior Warden.

The disagreement stems from theological differences which triggered a debate over ownership of the church’s real estate. Explaining the theological differences, The Rev. Marc Robertson, Christ Church rector, stated, “This disagreement is not about real estate. It is about the basic tenets of the historic faith, proclaiming Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. And it is about freedom: freedom of religion, freedom to practice our religion as and where we have for over 275 years, freedom to choose to follow the Jesus Christ of Holy Scripture and not a culturally manufactured Jesus.”

The founding of Christ Church precedes the existence of The Episcopal Church in the United States and certainly the national church canon. Robertson explained,

“In 1758 an act of the Royal Council granted Christ Church ownership of its church building and cemetery. After the Revolution, the Georgia legislature granted a charter of incorporation to Christ Church. Thus, since 1789 Christ Church has been a legal entity, a corporation defined, bound and protected by Georgia law. Christ Church has never conveyed title to its property to any other party, has never agreed to hold its property in trust for any other party, and has never received any financial help from The Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Georgia, or other church agency.”

According to Christ Church leadership, denominational churches in Georgia that come into disagreement or otherwise fall out of favor with their national church organizations should be concerned: the title to their property may be in danger.

Christ Church says it petitioned the state Supreme Court in order to protect itself and to stand firm against heresy. In addition church leaders hope to alert other churches in Georgia about these issues.

Church Website: http://www.christchurchsavannah.org/index.htm

[Editor’s note: Some of the original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid, so the links have been removed.]