Falls Church Anglican holds first service in huge new building on Arlington Boulevard
The Falls Church Anglican held its first Sunday service Sept. 8, along with a consecration and dedication ceremony, in its brand-new building on Route 50.
The sanctuary holds about 900 people and was so full on Sunday that late arrivals watched the service on a monitor in the lobby. The building also houses the children’s ministry. The office building next door, which is owned by the Falls Church Anglican, has adult education programs and church offices.
The church was built on what had been a multistory parking lot. The Falls Church Anglican tore it down and built a new parking deck on the other side of the office building.
The congregation had previously been based in The Falls Church, a church built in the 1730s in the City of Falls Church.
In 2006, the Falls Church congregation split into two, following years of conflict over the more liberal direction being taken by the Episcopal Church of North America. The majority of the congregation voted to leave the Episcopal Church and instead align with the Anglican Communion. One of their main complaints had to do with the ordaining of a gay man as Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire.
Following a lengthy court dispute, the Episcopal congregation was awarded ownership of the Falls Church property in 2012. The Anglicans purchased the office building at 6565 Arlington Boulevard in 2015, moved their offices there, and began planning a new church building.
Meanwhile, the congregation held church services in leased space at Bishop O’Connell High School and other locations. The church refers to its years of homelessness as its “tabernacling season.” The Sept. 8 service also celebrated its new rector, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Ferguson.
From the outside, it's one of the ugliest churches I've ever seen. It's like they just took a small chapel and blew it up to gargantuan proportions. The lack of detail on the facade, or really anthing visually interesting or eye-catching at all, is striking. Given the fact the Episcopalian/Anglican cathedrals are some of the most beautiful in the world, it's a real wasted opportunity. The architectural style is more reminiscent of an Evangelical megachurch than anything else.
It's a shame you're giving coverage to this discriminatory wing of the Episcopal Church.
It's a shame you are giving this discriminatory wing of the Episcopal Church any coverage at all.
Agreed. What an ugly building. Perhaps if the congregation wasn't so anti-gay they might have built something with a better aesthetic sense. But then, being anti-gay is the only reason the congregation even exists.
Yea, really, the white color of the building reminds me of a klu klux klan hat. I guess this place is the front door to hell.
Actually, this church is not aligned with "the Anglican communion." The Episcopal Church is the USA member of the Anglican Communion. Falls Church Anglican is part of an anti-gay breakaway denomination that calls itself ACNA (Anglican Church in North America), which actually has *no standing* with the Anglican Communion.
See:
https://www.anglicancommunion.org/structures/member-churches.aspx
A mammoth, monstrous monument to intolerance.
Let people worship in peace. I doubt you would hate on Dar al Hijrah which has the same views on homosexuality. Just because someone thinks different than you doesn't mean they are intolerant.
Thinking a person is going to hell because they prefer the company of the same sex is the very definition of intolerance. Also, there was been PLENTY of ire on here for Dar.
Ire or Hate?
Does anyone else see the irony of people's intolerance in calling this church intolerant, not to mention how hateful these comments are? I don't know what their stance is on gay marriage or whatever, and if they are anti-gay, I disagree with them, but this was a free country last I checked and they can believe what they want to believe. You don't have to agree with them or go to the church. This is where we are in this country – if you don't agree with others, you attack them. It sickens me and you should all be ashamed of yourselves.
Sorry no room for people who would cause pain to another set of individuals or groups. Remember what the Nazis did 75 years ago and what the Romans did to the Christians and what the white Europeans did to Africans, and I can go on and on.
If this Church is hated they brought it upon themselves. Like one of the posts said above, this Church is the front door to hell.
Comparing the over 900 people who attended the first Sunday service in this building to the Nazis is an example of the arrogant ignorance and intolerance of those who go around patting themselves on the back calling themselves “Progressive” and is emblematic of the “Love Trumps Hate” mob.
Well if numbers prove you wrong, just look at the number of followers Hitler had in 1939 and prior. It grew exponentially with a small seed of hate that grew to create world chaos and then implode.
it doesn't get much worse than people trying to compare the struggle of so called African Americans equality in the USA to the struggle for LGBTQ equality…especially because the "people" trying keep the so called African America birth rate down(and the white birth rate up) are trying to promote homosexuality to so called African Americans
Don’t you have a moon landing to deny or something?
I think el Ra Jewel is already on the moon for the is not on this planet.
Every time another one of these private social clubs opens up in Fairfax county the tax burden on the rest of us gets worse and typically in perpetuity. There's a church up the street on Annandale that's been abandoned for years and is currently being used to park junk cars. Not exactly the 'highest and best use' but when they don't have to pay taxes like most other private entities there is no motive to do anything.
Prediction: In 10-15 years these homophobes will be so out of touch with the mainstream the attendance will drop and they won't be able to pay to keep the heat on.
Gawd, you're Freaking me Out!
What an eyesore. Even before I realized this was the intolerant Anglican splinter group, I wondered who on earth built such a church and felt it looked totally out of place.