The Bill of Rights ensures Christ Church Anglican members the freedom to worship.
Different documents dictate where the congregation can build its place of worship, though.
The Rev. Marc Robertson and his flock intend to build a new sanctuary on the corner of Drayton and 37th streets. Neighbors and other Thomas Square residents opposed to the church’s plans are arguing the mid-city rezoning ordinance prohibits the facility being built as proposed.
Very excited for Christ Church Anglican in Savannah, GA.
Google Maps shows a Public Library in the next block and 37th as a major street. While I can appreciate neighbors objecting to change on the face of it this is a reasonable request. I’d be grateful for comment from those with local knowledge.
The neighborhood is not really zoned for a church. It is mid town residential. There is an excellent restaurant across the street. There are off street parking issues. A historic building may have to be moved. Some would prefer to buy an older but well built church which is not being used rather than tackling all the problems of building a new church in this location. And there may security concerns at night if you park several blocks away.
Curious that Pb would say the area is not suitable for a church. St Paul’s Episcopal is but a few blocks away, at 34th and Abercorn. The Christian Revival Center is at 37th and Bull, which is even closer. Also at 38th and Bull is New Covenant Church (formerly Epworth United Methodist) and its large administrative/daycare center building.
Other large public buildings within a few blocks of the location include Sisters Court (an old convent, fall taller than any part of the proposed drawings for Christ Church Anglican), medical offices associated with a local hospital (whose director is more than happy to allow CCA parishioners to park in his lot), the Bull Street Library, the Richard Arnold School (covers almost all of the 35th and Bull block) – need I continue? Regarding the “parking issues,” architects engaged by the church investigated the amount of parking available and found it exceeded code requirements. The historic building to which Pb refers is a ramshackle house ready to fall down – but Christ Church agreed with a Metropolitan Planning Commission member that it would seek to save the building and just move it to one edge of the property (it would make a dandy coffee shop for our church youth group, and the upstairs could be used as lodging for visiting ministers). Finally, regarding the “security concerns,” (thank you Pb for your tender concern for CCA parishioners’ safety), when CCA owned the historic building on Johnson Square, a parishioner was mugged when she went to enter the choir room door to the undercroft. Wherever one is in Savannah, one needs to be aware of one’s surroundings.
I said the present zoning is a problem and hence the lack of approval. I would not presume to suggest where they should locate. Someone had asked for some local take on the location. I should have known better.
I appreciate the comments of Pb and of sophy0075. Urban zoning issues are always complex, particularly in mixed commercial / residential neighborhoods, as I have learned from living in Asheville and in Durham, NC. What’s the situation at the old church, now again Episcopal? Is the congregation rebuilding?
TomRightmyer — I believe the Episcopal congregation is at around 125 — so they can look forward to permanent diocesan support is my guess.
I’m excited that Christ Church Savannah will be building in the heart of the city — good, continuing competition against the Anglicans who don’t share the same Gospel.
I too hope that CCA prevails and gets it new home built. I’ll just point out that the article itself betrays a rather appalling level of ignorance about the backstory, referring to the large majority of the historic congregation that followed Marc Robertson+ out of TEC as a “splinter group” and so on. It’s sad, but common, that reporters just don’t “get religion.”
David Handy+
Ah, David,
It isn’t that the SMN got the facts wrong because of an appalling level of ignorance, but an appalling level of bias. Compared to the torments endured by our fellow Christians in the Mideast, however, this is peanuts.
Sophy0075 (#9),
I suspect you’re right about the blatant bias. I got nervous right off the bat from the first sentence when the reporter, one Adam Van Brimmer, spoke of the Bill of Rights as merely guaranteeing “freedom of worship” as opposed to freedom of religion. That’s usually a telltake sign of liberal bias.
But besides the “splinter faction” phrase, I was taken a back by the stunning line about your congregation aligning itself “with [an} Anglican diocese in Africa.” Apart from the bad grammar, the vague line seems to exude condecension and snobbery.
But yes, you’re absolutely right that compared with facing the prospect of losing your life or all your possessions, etc., as our brave brothers and sisters in Christ do in Egypt, Syria, or such troubled places, the sacrifices that CCA is being called to make are relatively small.
Anyway, along with TomRightmyer above, I thank you for providing the local information that helps fill in the gaps in this atrocious report.
David Handy+
If SMN chose, they could do a story on the real splinter group and how they can’t support the building they sued to hold on to. But that doesn’t fit their narrative….move along, nothing to see…