Virginia youth pastor held in Thanksgiving slaying of family members

From Virginia-

A Virginia youth pastor has been arrested in the shooting deaths of his wife, stepdaughter and the stepdaughter’s boyfriend in their home on Thanksgiving Day, police said.

Christopher Gattis, 58, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

Police arriving at the family's Chester, Va., home around 11:30 p.m. found the women’s bodies inside and the man’s body in the front yard, officials said.  

More here-

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/25/virginia-youth-pastor-held-in-thanksgiving-slaying-family-members.html

More Religious Questioning from Senate Democrats

From The National Review-

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, asked a nominee to a federal district court about his church. Whitehouse begins his first question for the record thus: You are an elected member (until 2020) of the Falls Church Anglican, which broke away from the Episcopal Church largely due to the denomination’s consecration of an openly gay bishop. The Falls Church Anglican considers “marriage to be a life-long union of husband and wife” intended for “the procreation and nurture of godly children” and entailing “God-given” “roles of father and mother.” 

In 2015, the associate pastor of the Falls Church Anglican agreed that “if the U.S. Supreme Court decision includes a redefinition of marriage, this will constitute an intrusion of the state on God’s institution of marriage ‘from the beginning’.” Whitehouse then asks nominee Trevor McFadden seven questions based (loosely) on these facts about his church. Whitehouse asks McFadden whether he agrees with the associate pastor, for example. Several other questions relate to whether McFadden could faithfully apply the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which required governments to recognize a fundamental right to same-sex marriage.

Read more at:

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/453358/more-religious-questioning-senate-democrats

Hitting the pavement instead of the sheetcake

From Christian Century-

Tina Fey officially made “sheetcaking” into a verb, as she consumed copious amounts of frosting on SNL’s Weekend update. Fey is, of course, unveiling the grassroots art of stress eating. Which was her way of dealing with watching the heartbreaking Nazi parade at her alma mater.

Boys in white polo shirts, khakis, and torches, standing next to militia armed to the teeth, chanting, “Jews will not replace us” will certainly up the caloric intake for most of us. Between long walks and fervent prayers, I found that my ice cream intake has also increased. Ben and Jerry have become steady companions.

Please, please. Find comfort where you can. Yet, I have to say, since most of the people who read the esteemed Christian Century are clergy or lay people who have at least one denominational t-shirt in our drawers, we can’t really take Tina Fey’s advice. We, unfortunately, don’t have the convenient option of screaming into a pile of bakery goods. Especially if we're white, we have to robe up, show up, stand up, and pray up, whenever possible.

More here-

https://www.christiancentury.org/blog-post/born-again-again/hitting-pavement-instead-sheetcake

How Church Leaders in Charlottesville Prepared for White Supremacists

From The New Yorker-

Just down the road from Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a thousand white supremacists congregated around a statue of Robert E. Lee this weekend, is another historical landmark. It’s a large, two-story brick building called the Jefferson School, which first underwent construction in 1924—the same year that the Confederate monument went up—at the insistence of the local black community, whose children were barred from the city’s high schools because of segregation. Now the school is on the National Register of Historic Places.

On Monday night, a few hundred Charlottesville residents gathered at the Jefferson School, in an auditorium on the second floor, for a community meeting. Two days before, three people died and nineteen were injured when violent demonstrators from across the country came to Charlottesville with guns, shields, weapons, and flaming tiki torches for a “Unite the Right” rally. “We’ll fucking kill these people if we have to,” one of them told Vice News. A twenty-year-old neo-Nazi from Ohio ran over counter-protesters in his car, in an act that Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General, later called domestic terrorism. (The President initially condemned violence “on many sides,” then followed up on Tuesday afternoon by saying that there were “very fine people on both sides.”) But, almost as soon as they had arrived, the agitators were gone, and community members were left to try to make sense of what had just happened.

More here-

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-church-leaders-in-charlottesville-prepared-for-white-supremacists?mbid=social_facebook

A small church with a big voice | Glebe Episcopal Church played a role in inspiring the American Revolutionary War

From Virginia-

Glebe Episcopal Church, which was called Bennett’s Creek Church in the Colonial era, is located near the Driver neighborhood of North Suffolk, and is celebrating its 375th anniversary this year. Besides its extraordinary longevity, its history includes strong ties to the outbreak of revolution in America.

Early 1775 saw most of Great Britain’s American Colonies in turmoil.

In Richmond, Patrick Henry gave his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech. In Philadelphia, John Hancock was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. But one other event, largely obscured by the passage of time, also had a great impact, most certainly in Virginia.

Years earlier, in 1754, John Agnew, a Glasgow-born Scot, was appointed rector of Bennett’s Creek Church by the Bishop of London (a British Crown appointment).

In time, he became a man of substantial property along the coast, and had the tendency to get into loud, public arguments with Virginia burgesses, as well as his own church’s leadership.


More here-

https://pilotonline.com/news/local/history/a-small-church-with-a-big-voice-glebe-episcopal-church/article_dff5aa5b-9c21-520a-a2ec-ea2522142802.html

Judge postpones bond decision for ex-Virginia Beach youth minister jailed on sex assault charge

From Virginia-

A former youth ministry leader who says his Parkinson’s disease has rapidly grown worse while he awaits trial on a sexual assault charge will have to wait until Thursday to find out whether he can be released on bond.

Circuit Judge James C. Lewis said he wants to hear more about the home electronic monitoring that lawyers for Jeffrey Bondi are recommending before making a decision. He postponed the conclusion of a hearing that began Monday so that a representative of the monitoring company can testify.

Bondi, 47, has been incarcerated since mid-January, when he was indicted on a single charge of felony object penetration. If convicted, he would have to serve a minimum of five years in prison and could get up to a life sentence.

More here-

http://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/ex-virginia-beach-youth-minister-jailed-on-sex-assault-charge/article_6b6bdeb7-34c3-5e38-bd17-bbff4dcc75c4.html

Episcopal Church leader hosting First Baptist Church sermon

From Williamsburg-

The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, will lead a sermon at Williamsburg's First Baptist Church Sunday morning.

"It's very, very rare for an Episcopal bishop to come to a Baptist church." First Baptist Pastor Reginald Davis said.

Bishop Curry was scheduled to ring the church's Freedom Bell during Black History Month last year, but an unexpected illness prevented his appearance.

Davis visited the bishop while in the emergency room, and his prayers and concern convinced the bishop to make a return trip.

Davis said he thought it would be wonderful to host the first African-American leader of the Episcopal Church to speak before his parish. He anticipated a message of inclusiveness that reaches across denominations. 　

http://www.vagazette.com/life/va-vg-episcopal-bishop-0325-20170325-story.html

County's largest church welcomes (retired Bishop John) Howe as new pastor

From Virginia-

Dr. John W. Howe, who became senior pastor at The Lake of the Woods Church on Jan. 1, is not entirely new to the pulpit of the 800-member multidenominational church in Locust Grove.

Howe was occasionally a guest preacher there from 1977 to 1988, when he and his family enjoyed vacations at a getaway home in LOW. He was pastor of the 3,700-member Truro Anglican Church in Fairfax at the time, and LOW Church was a fledgling congregation of believers who met in the community clubhouse.

Subsequent decades saw the church grow into Orange County’s largest, while Howe was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, the spiritual and administration leader of 38,000 members in 88 parishes centered in Orlando and stretching from Ocala to Okeechobee.

More here-

http://www.dailyprogress.com/orangenews/entertainment_life/county-s-largest-church-welcomes-howe-as-new-pastor/article_01617fc4-dc8b-11e5-adf3-a35f321f8e0a.html

Newport News church helps those struggling with homelessness

From Virginia-

St. Paul's Episcopal Church brings together food and faith in its efforts to help individuals and families struggling with homelessness. The church is a landmark of downtown Newport News — its building was constructed in 1900 — and has developed a close community with its volunteers and regular visitors.

Father Richard Budd, the interim pastor at St. Paul's for the past two years, said his most rewarding aspect of the church's homeless outreach is the Bible study he participates in twice a week.

"I love to do them," he said. "There are very knowledgeable people with strong religious backgrounds that attend regularly. We have great discussions, and we're able to make applications to daily life."

More here-

http://www.dailypress.com/news/newport-news/dp-nws-fund-st-pauls-20160103-story.html

Remains of 4 early colonial leaders discovered at Jamestown’s historic Anglican church

From Virginia (via India)

Archaeologists have uncovered human remains of four of the earliest leaders of the English colony that would become America, buried for more than 400 years near the altar of what was America’s first Protestant church in Jamestown, Virginia.

The four burial sites were uncovered in the earthen floor of what was Jamestown’s historic Anglican church from 1608, a team of scientists and historians announced Tuesday. The site is the same church where Pocahontas famously married Englishman John Rolfe, leading to peace between the Powhatan Indians and colonists at the first permanent English settlement in America.

Beyond the human remains, archaeologists also found artifacts buried with the colonial leaders — including a mysterious Catholic container for holy relics found in the Protestant church.

More here-

http://indianexpress.com/article/world/americas/remains-of-4-early-colonial-leaders-discovered-at-jamestowns-historic-anglican-church/

Thieves steal pews, altar from two Chesterfield churches

From Virginia-

An altar, several pews, a bishop's char and a candle holder were all stolen from two Chesterfield churches in the past month. Police say the crimes amount to about $6,000 in stolen items.

Police are searching for the thieves and trying to determine whether the two cases are related.

Thieves hit St. Barnabas Episcopal Church on Iron Bridge Road on September 28 and stole several items, including the bishop's chair and several church pews, according to Chesterfield Police.

 "It was the sense of violation that you know, is so difficult," Father Ray Nelson of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church said of the crime, also pointing out it had to be more than one person, because the items were so heavy.

More here-

http://www.nbc12.com/story/26832630/thieves-steal-pews-altar-from-two-chesterfield-churches

Bishop: Parishioners should switch to different church

From Virginia-

Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo has urged Roman Catholics attending a one-of-a-kind Catholic and Episcopal church to worship at a nearby parish because he has not been able to find a "suitable priest" to serve the blended congregation.

It was the latest round of adversity for a church that has battled to maintain its ecumenical mission in the face of flagging support in the Catholic hierarchy.

In a letter read Sunday to members of the Church of the Holy Apostles, DiLorenzo noted that the 36-year-old congregation's interim Catholic priest is in poor health and has been unable to serve consistently.

A monthslong search for a replacement, DiLorenzo said, has not succeeded. He urged Catholic congregants to "prayerfully consider" attending Holy Spirit Catholic Church a few blocks away on Lynnhaven Parkway until a new priest is found.

More here-

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/05/bishop-catholics-blended-church-should-go-elsewhere

Two Ministers Forge Friendship Across a Church Divide

From The New York Times-

The two ministers were foes before they ever met, partisans in a war they did not start, but partisans nonetheless.

For four years, they did not speak.

But in the spring of 2011, the Rev. Tory Baucum drove 100 miles south to Richmond to introduce himself to the Rev. Shannon Johnston. And now the friendship that resulted, nurtured over Guinness in the bar of Richmond’s storied Jefferson Hotel, at dinner with their wives and during many difficult conversations, is being hailed as one of the most unexpected and intriguing developments in a bitter feud that has split the Episcopal Church in the decade since the denomination elected an openly gay bishop.

More here-

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/19/us/two-ministers-forge-friendship-across-a-church-divide.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Virginia church may look Anglican, but it's fully Baptist

From Charlottesville-


Sunday mornings at All Souls Charlottesville are fairly common for an Anglican congregation.

The Book of Common Prayer and the Revised Common Lectionary are standard, creeds are spoken together, the Eucharist is the central focus of the liturgy and the minister blesses the congregation before it scatters back into the world.

But the Charlottesville, Va., congregation isn’t an Episcopal church. It’s Baptist — in fact it’s a plant of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2014.

This isn’t a Baptist church in the Charleston tradition, a structured expression of worship often distinguished from the more revivalistic Sandy Creek tradition. It goes beyond that to include wine in communion and the view by some, including Pastor Winn Collier, that worship and life ought to be expressed sacramentally.

More here-

http://www.abpnews.com/ministry/congregations/item/28506-va-church-is-anglican-leaning-but-fully-baptist#.U0Pewcbzg9X

Virginia Beach church with Roman Catholic and Episcopal congregation overcomes challenges

From Virginia Beach-

A Virginia Beach church with a blended congregation of Roman Catholics and Episcopalians has overcome a year of challenges regarding its services.

Catholic and Episcopal clergy have performed services together and shared leadership duties at the Church of the Holy Apostles for 36 years.

In November 2012, Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond, ordered the church to change its worship. DiLorenzo said allowing Catholics and non-Catholics to participate in a combined communion liturgy violated Roman Catholic norms.

Months of discussions were held with theologians and with Catholic and Episcopal diocesan officials before a solution was found, The Virginian-Pilot ((http://bit.ly/1bhQPgV) ) reported.

The church now conducts a less formal rite, Morning Prayer, instead of the traditional Mass. It’s followed by the Eucharist with Catholic and Episcopal prayers offered separately at different altars.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-beach-church-with-roman-catholic-and-episcopal-congregation-overcomes-challenges/2013/11/10/6eb051e6-4a29-11e3-bf60-c1ca136ae14a_story.html

F.C. Churches Poised for Supreme Court Ruling

From Falls Church-

The New Press has learned that leaders of the Falls Church Episcopal Church and their colleagues at the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, on one side, and the breakaway congregation of former Episcopal Church members now identified as Falls Church Anglicans, are expecting tomorrow a ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court of an appeal of the January 2012 ruling by the Fairfax Circuit Court establishing the Diocese as the rightful owner of the historic Falls Church church property in downtown Falls Church. The ruling may also address tertiary property issues, such as funds held in trusts and adjacent church-owned properties.

http://fcnp.com/2013/04/17/f-c-churches-poised-for-supreme-court-ruling/

Former U.S. bishop Walter Sullivan dies

From Virginia-

Sullivan's outreach extended to other faiths, as well. He donated $50,000 of diocesan funds to the Virginia Holocaust Museum when it was being built and sat on its board of directors.

He also helped found the Church of the Holy Apostles in Virginia Beach in 1977, a joint parish of the Catholic and Episcopal dioceses. Co-pastors conducted services at side-by-side altars — one for Catholics, the other for Episcopalians. The idea was popular among military families who came from different backgrounds and religions.

Last month, the Richmond diocese said the church could continue to longtime practice of allowing the blended church to remain under one roof, but it ordered clergy to devise a plan to meet in separate rooms for Holy Communion.

Sullivan's views reflected the liberal thinking found in the Roman Catholic Church in the 1970s, but he was criticized in the latter part of his career for moving too far away from the Vatican's central positions on church services and the priesthood.

More here-

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/11/former-us-bishop-dies/1762483/

Blended Roman Catholic, Episcopal parish in Virginia Beach told to separate services

From Virginia Beach-

A Virginia Beach church that has offered blended Roman Catholic and Episcopal services for three decades has been told by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond to meet in separate rooms for Holy Communion.

Clergy at the Church of the Holy Apostles were told to devise a plan that allows parishioners to remain under the same roof but worship separately.

The plan is subject to approval by Roman Catholic Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo and Bishop Herman Hollerith of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia.

Parishioners told the Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/Ugpi8P) the blended church has allowed families in mixed marriages to worship side by side and strengthen their community.

The Episcopal leader of the church says he's confident the changes can be made.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/fc8e053b9abd4ab982861e09dfa713d1/VA--Blended-Church

Va. Supreme Court Grants Breakaway Anglican Congregation's Appeal

From Virginia-

A Virginia congregation that broke away from The Episcopal Church over theological differences has been notified that its appeal was granted by the State Supreme Court regarding issues surrounding funds and property.

The Falls Church Anglican, a large congregation in Fairfax County that left the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia years ago along with several other conservative churches in the Commonwealth, was granted its appeal on Friday.

Jeff Walton, Anglican program director at the Institute on Religion & Democracy, told The Christian Post that the Va. Supreme Court's decision was a "positive development."

"This is a positive development for the Anglican group, which seeks to retain financial assets in its accounts at the time of the separation," said Walton.

"By hearing the appeal, the Virginia Supreme Court is allowing that the original case transferring all parish property – physical and financial – to the diocese may not have been correctly decided."
Read more at

http://www.christianpost.com/news/va-supreme-court-grants-breakaway-anglican-congregations-appeal-84174/#PmpQpOUqUutamHYr.99

St. Stephen's sanctuary reopens for good after quake damage

From Virginia-

The St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church congregation reopened its sanctuary permanently on Sunday during a rededication ceremony — a year following the 5.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked the Culpeper area last August, causing about $500,000 in damage throughout the nearly 200-year-old historic site.

The Aug. 23, 2011 natural disaster caused cracks in the sanctuary’s interior and exterior walls and produced extensive damage to the sanctuary’s stained glass windows, balcony area, steeple, chimney, front steps, sidewalks, organ and the brick wall bordering the church.

Meanwhile, the congregation continued to worship in the church’s parish hall and in limited areas in the sanctuary until the major repairs started after Easter Sunday.

A nearly at capacity crowd filled the sanctuary on Sunday for the nearly two-hour rededication ceremony of the church and ministries.

“Through the ages, Almighty God has moved his people to build houses of prayer and praise, and to set apart places for the ministry of his holy word and sacraments,” preached the Rev. Michael Gray, rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church located on North East Street in downtown Culpeper. “With gratitude for the work of so many hands, we are now gathered to rededicate this sacred place.”

More here-

http://www2.starexponent.com/news/2012/aug/13/st-stephens-sanctuary-reopens-good-after-quake-dam-ar-2127421/