St. Francis Anglican Church in Turlock is the first parish in its diocese to face an individual lawsuit in a dispute that has split Episcopal churches across the country.
Posted on 02/12/2010 1:52:38 PM PST by SmithL
MODESTO – The Episcopal-Anglican battle in Stanislaus County got very personal this week when the Episcopal faction filed a lawsuit against St. Francis Anglican Church in Turlock seeking control of the its assets.
The suit was filed Monday in Stanislaus Superior Court by the Rev. Jerry Lamb, bishop of the Modesto-based Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. It names the Rev. Gerald "Gerry" Grossman and nine members of the church's vestry, or ruling body, as well as the St. Francis parish as defendants.
St. Francis is the first parish in the diocese to face an individual lawsuit in the dispute that has split Episcopal churches across the country, largely over Scriptural interpretation, such as whether Jesus is the only way to salvation and if homosexuals should be ordained.
In the San Joaquin Valley, there is the Episcopal Diocese in Modesto that includes seven parishes. In Fresno, there is a rival diocese with about 40 parishes, including St. Francis.
"The (Modesto) diocese has never given us money," Grossman said. "The national church has never given us anything. Why do they think they have a right to this property?"
No monetary damages are mentioned. Instead, the lawsuit seeks "to return control of the parish premises and other parish assets to the plaintiffs in the matter."
The reason the Turlock parish was targeted is complicated by church and legal rules, but it boils down to this: The diocese to which it is loyal – led by Bishop John David Schofield – was the first in the country to leave the national Episcopal Church in December 2007 and align itself with the larger worldwide Anglican church.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
fyi
Lovely church.
St. Francis’ website:
www.saintfrancisturlock.com
Interesting case, with possible ramifications beyond the current Episcopal-Anglican dispute.
I was thinking of how this legal case could affect the several Catholic dioceses now in bankruptcy in the US.
If a diocese can seize the property of a parish in this case, can those who are owed money from Catholic diocese seize parish property to settle their claims?
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.
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Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15
It’s been a while since I’ve used the ‘churchproperty’ keyword.
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