Episcopal parish, diocese reach accord
By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
November 11, 2006

An Episcopal congregation in Woodbridge has become the first to strike a deal with the Diocese of Virginia about how it plans to leave the Episcopal Church.

All Saints Episcopal Church is one of seven Episcopal churches in Northern Virginia that are considering leaving the diocese because of the Episcopal Church's decision in 2003 to consecrate a homosexual bishop.

The leaders of All Saints, a 500-member congregation, announced Thursday they will cede the church's property to the diocese, which will pay the remaining $188,000 mortgage.

Then, All Saints will rent the property from the diocese for $1 a year for five years while it builds a new 800-seat church on a $2.7-million piece of property it bought in 2001. The site is on 28 acres near the Potomac Mills shopping mall in Prince William County.

"This is very, very encouraging for us," said the Rev. John Guernsey, rector of All Saints. "It helps us move forward."the rest