Speak Out: Should Churches Surrender Donations?

The Episcopal Church is the last place local church members want their money to go. Some even went so far as to , choosing instead that their donations be spent inside their own churches.

But thanks to a by a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge, Truro Church, The Falls Church and five other congregations stand to lose a good portion of their donations to the denomination and diocese .

Everything the congregations acquired before Jan. 31, 2007, the date Judge Randy Bellows notes as the official separation from The Episcopal Church, must be forfeited to the denomination and diocese. The congregations must also surrender the churches and other property they've cultivated for decades.

Truro, Falls Church and other congregations argue that the ruling . The Episcopal Church claims that the property never belonged to the congregations to begin with.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in support of the congregations, stating that the donations should go to the churches instead of The Episcopal Church, as the donors wished.

Where do you stand? Should money and items donated five or more years ago go to the congregations the donors intended or The Episcopal Church? Speak Out In The Comments.

And check out these stories for more about the issue: