Members of breakaway Anglican churches in Virginia are grieving for the US Episcopal Church after its recent motion to add additional defendants to a church property lawsuit.
The 11 Virginia churches, their clergy, trustees and lay leaders being sued have filed a memo opposing the denomination's motion to add 76 more unpaid church volunteers to the lawsuit and anyone else in the future.
"It's hard to understand the Episcopal Church's and the diocese's motivation for attacking these volunteers and our churches," said Jim Oakes, vice-chairman of the Anglican District of Virginia, an association of conservative Anglican congregations in Virginia. "The motivation appears to be intimidation, but we remain open to negotiating a reasonable solution."
The Virginia churches, including two of the largest and most historic in the Diocese of Virginia, broke ties with the Episcopal Church after overwhelming votes in December. The diocese, and soon thereafter the Episcopal Church, filed suits against the churches and individuals to reclaim the multi-million dollar church properties.
"The Episcopal Church and the diocese have already sued almost 100 unpaid church volunteers who are immune from being sued, and now they want to add more," said Oakes.
Oakes explained that Virginia law is clear that volunteer or vestry members who are unpaid are immune from civil liability from actions taken as their official duties as board members.
It is hard to find any logical reason as to why the Episcopal Church is adding more defendants when they have nothing to gain by doing so, he added.
