October 29, 2009 – Earlier today, the breakaway congregation which chose to disaffiliate from the Episcopal Church filed a Notice of Appeal to the Supreme Court of Georgia.

The appeal requests that the state supreme court review Superior Court Judge Michael L. Karpf’s October 27 order in favor of Christ Church Episcopal, which provided that the Christ Church property be used for the mission of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Georgia.  A copy of Judge Karpf’s order can be found here.

Our rector, The Rev. Michael S. White, stated, “We respect and reaffirm the soundness of Judge Karpf’s reasoned decision and his unequivocal ruling in our favor.  In so doing, he dismissed all of their arguments and, essentially, found them to be without merit. We have every confidence and expectation that the Georgia Supreme Court will do the same.”

Judge Karpf found similar decisions reached by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Georgia Supreme Court, as well as other state courts across the U.S, persuasive.  He also dismissed the breakaway congregation’s reliance on a recent decision by the South Carolina Supreme Court as inapplicable and concluded that their other arguments “lack merit.”

Our diocesan chancellor, Jim Elliott, stated that our congregation will not likely be permitted to take possession of the Christ Church property until the appellate process concludes.  He estimated that the appeal would take nine months.

In the meantime, our congregation will continue to meet every Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. at St. Michael and All Angels’ (Washington Avenue) to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.   Said Father White, “We remain steadfast in our faith and will continue to follow God’s call.  Our congregation is strong and growing, and we are heartened by the enormous support we have received not only in Savannah but also across the U.S.”