Anglican church awaits ruling on property

A law firm representing St. John’s Anglican Church in Petaluma has sent a letter to an attorney with the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Calif-ornia indicating that the church wants to wait on a state Supreme Court ruling regarding ownership disputes between the church and breakaway congregations rather than entertain a settlement offer by the diocese to obtain the disputed church property.

The Anglican church “chooses to wait for the decision of the California Supreme Court regarding rightful ownership,” wrote Randall Penner of Penner, Bradley and Buettner law firm in Fresno, in a letter to Lisa Halko, a lawyer for the diocese.

On June 25, the Fourth Appellate District overturned a lower court ruling that All Saints Church in Long Beach, St. James Church in Newport Beach and St. David’s Church in North Hollywood — all of which earlier voted to leave the Los Angeles Diocese and Episcopal Church over morality issues, particularly gays and lesbians being allowed to serve in positions of church leadership — own the church buildings and other property.

On Sept. 12, the California Supreme Court unanimously granted the three churches’ request to review this reversal. The outcome of the ruling could have implications for similar property disputes between church organizations and breakaway churches.

The vast majority of the 230 members of what was then known as St. John’s Episcopal Church, at 40 Fifth St., voted to sever relations with the Episcopal Church and local diocese over moral issues. A dispute over the property developed between the Episcopal Church and the congregation, which renamed itself St. John’s Anglican Church.

Under the leadership of the Rev. Norman Cram, the rector of St. John’s from 1995 to 1999, several of the church’s members who did not want to split from the Episcopal Church and diocese began worshiping in homes, and now gather weekly at Elim Lutheran Church as the St. John’s Episcopal Church community.

The Episcopal Church Diocese of Northern California made a settlement offer to St. John’s Anglican Church on Nov. 9 to regain the Fifth Street property in exchange for endowments and other church holdings.

Although lawyers for the Anglican church and the Episcopal Church diocese now are dealing with the dispute, no lawsuits have been filed and the diocese has not determined if it will file a suit, said Canon Britt Olson.

Officials and representatives from the diocese did not want to further discuss the matter, and the Rev. David Miller of St. John’s Anglican Church did not return a phone call.

Cram said that despite the ongoing conflict, he continues to meet with people from the Anglican congregation.

“It’s really interesting. We want to continue in our relationship, and don’t want this issue to get in the way, so we don’t discuss it. I and they respect this,” he said.

(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com.)