The Church of the Holy Spirit (CHS) is a large
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
parish in
Cave Spring, Virginia, just outside of
Roanoke. Founded in 1985 as part of the
Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, CHS left the
Episcopal Church in 2000 as part of the
Anglican realignment.
History
CHS began in 1985 as a
home fellowship of Roanoke-area Episcopalians whose faith had been renewed through the
Cursillo
''Cursillos in Christianity'' ( es, Cursillos de Cristiandad, "Short courses of Christianity") is an apostolic movement of the Catholic Church. It was conceived in Spain between 1940 and 1949 and began with the celebration of the so-called "first c ...
movement.
In 1986, the group was recognized as a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, and the Rev.
Quigg Lawrence
Raymond Quigg Lawrence Jr. (born 1959) is an American bishop of the Anglican Church in North America. He was consecrated in 2013 as bishop suffragan in the Atlantic coast network of PEARUSA, which in 2016 became the Anglican Diocese of Christ Our ...
was called a rector in January of 1989.
After CHS had met in six different locations to accommodate its growth—from 42 members to more than 1,400 with multiple church plants in the Roanoke area—in 1995, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit called the Terumah Foundation raised funds to purchase land and construct a 27,000-square-foot facility on Merriman Road in southwest Roanoke County. While CHS used the property, Terumah remained the owner.
In 2000, early in the process of the
Anglican realignment, Bishop
Neff Powell deposed Lawrence and ejected CHS from the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.
The property ownership arrangement with Terumah allowed CHS to leave the Episcopal Church without forfeiting the property it used to the diocese. In January 2000, CHS became the first U.S. church to join the
Anglican Mission in America
The Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) or The Anglican Mission (AM) is a self-governing church inheriting its doctrine and form of worship from the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC) and Anglican Church of Canada with members and ch ...
, and Lawrence's orders were recognized by the
Anglican Church of Rwanda
The Anglican Church of Rwanda (French: ''Église anglicane du Rwanda'') is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 11 dioceses in Rwanda. The primate of the province is Laurent Mbanda, consecrated on 10 June 2018.
Official names
The Provinc ...
.
In 2012, CHS joined PEARUSA after its separation from AMIA in order to remain connected with the Anglican Church of Rwanda and the Anglican Church in North America. Lawrence was elected suffragan bishop for PEARUSA's Atlantic coast network, where he would assist
Steve Breedlove with care for clergy in the region. He remained rector of CHS.
The Most Rev.
Onesphore Rwaje and the Most Rev.
Robert Duncan consecrated Lawrence as a bishop on February 4th, 2013 at CHS.
Church planting
CHS has planted daughter churches in
Daleville,
Blacksburg and
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, Parkersburg, WVa, Beckley WVa, Charleston, WVa, and planted what is now a former Anglican church plant in
Salem
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
.
The church participates in broader church planting efforts in Virginia and the Northeast through the
Diocese of Christ Our Hope, as well as combined parish and diocesan church planting efforts in West Virginia.
References
External links
Church of the Holy Spirit website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Spirit, Church of the
Anglican Church in North America church buildings in the United States
Religious organizations established in 1985
Churches in Roanoke, Virginia
Anglican realignment congregations
20th-century Anglican church buildings in the United States
Brick buildings and structures in Virginia