sentences:  In 1784, the Commonwealth of Virginia revoked the status of the Anglican Church as state church.In 1789, The Falls Church was abandoned and remained unoccupied for almost 50 years; in 1836, it was reoccupied by an Episcopal congregation.Francis Scott Key was a lay reader of this congregation, as was Henry Fairfax, who used his own funds to restore the building during 1838 and 1839.