Illinois Anglicans received welcome news recently: the state Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and will let stand a lower court ruling that awarded a diocesan endowment and property to the Anglican Diocese of Quincy. The move follows similar rulings in Texas and precedes an anticipated district court ruling in South Carolina that may favor Anglicans there. Anglicans’ recent good fortune at the courthouse is a dramatic change from years of mostly losing property trials to the Episcopal Church.
But while property lawsuits have been newsmakers in Anglican circles, several congregations have quietly pursued new building projects. In a denomination in which school cafeterias and storefronts have been regular places of worship, the construction of new church spaces establishes a physical footprint in the communities these churches serve.
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