Happy Thanksgiving! The Parish Offices are closed Thursday and Friday (11/28 & 11/29). The Thrify Church Mouse is closed this weekend (11/29 & 11/30). Sunday Services are at the normal times of 9:00 a.m (Contemporary Church) & 11:15 a.m.) Historic Church.
A Report on The Falls Church's Ties to Slavery
1730s-1860s
New research concludes that rectors and vestrymen of The Falls Church held about 750 people in bondage between the 1730s and 1860s.
FALLS CHURCH CITY, October 21, 2024 — Today, The Falls Church published a report detailing the relationship between the parish and the institution of slavery. The report represents the first iteration of an extensive research project and begins to explain how The Falls Church benefited economically from the system of slavery and specifically identifies how the church’s clergy and lay leadership owned approximately 750 enslaved persons, if not more. The Falls Church is an Episcopal community founded over 250 years ago and is the namesake of the City of Falls Church.
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The Falls Church’s Racial Justice Ministry published this report at the encouragement of the Reverend Burl Salmon, the church’s rector. The Racial Justice Ministry was founded in 2021 to pursue equality for all by identifying and eradicating racial barriers in the Church, community, and country. The report is the first phase of the Ministry’s broader comprehensive review of The Falls Church’s relationship with race and racism now and in the past. The project is rooted in the Episcopal Church’s Becoming Beloved Community initiative, a project designed to bring about racial reconciliation, healing, and justice that begins with truth-telling.
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“I am proud of the important role The Falls Church has played in the Falls Church community—and American history—for over 250 years, and this report begins to explain how the church’s history is complicated, as America’s history is, itself, complicated,” said Fr. Salmon. “The report is an important first step in acknowledging difficult truths about the long history of this parish and the broader community, and my prayer is that it will allow us to learn from those wrongs, seek spiritual penance, and make amends with communities from which we have benefitted egregiously.”
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The Right Reverend E. Mark Stevenson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, commended The Falls Church for its recent investigation into the Diocese’s past. “We are deeply grateful for their diligent work in shedding light on the darker chapters of our history,” Bishop Stevenson said. “This is a crucial step towards addressing our past injustices and working to build a more inclusive and equitable church,” he added. “The Diocese of Virginia fully supports The Falls Church’s ongoing efforts and looks forward to partnering with them in this important work.”
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The report includes a series of recommendations, and the congregation of The Falls Church is currently discerning how best to respond to the findings of this report, in keeping with the Episcopal Church’s commitment to racial justice and equality.
The Falls Church is grateful for the support and assistance of the Rev. Cannon Dr. J. Lee Hill, Jr., Cannon for Racial Justice and Healing for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia; Julia Randle, former Registrar and Historiographer for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia; archivists at the Fairfax County Historic Records Center; and the librarians of the Virginia Room at the Fairfax Public Library.
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Contact: Joel Wood, Parish Administrator, jwood@thefallschurch.org, 703-241-0003 ext. 4404.
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The Falls Church is a welcoming community, called to be an enduring beacon of faith, hope, and love to all. The Falls Church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Connect with the Falls Church at thefallschurch.org or hello@thefallschurch.org.
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The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia is a faith community made up of more than 68,000 baptized members in 173 congregations spanning from Northern Virginia to the James River, from the Shenandoah Valley to the Chesapeake Bay. The Diocese is a community of disciples who love Jesus, are transformed by a faith lived out in daily life, and committed to racial justice and reconciling all people with God and one another.