St. James, others told to recant

Deepa Bharath

Attorneys for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles sent a letter on

Friday to three Southern California churches, including one on Via

Lido, demanding that they surrender their respective properties to

the diocese by Monday morning or immediately acknowledge the bishop’s

authority.

The three churches -- St. James in Newport Beach, All Saints’ in

Long Beach and St. David’s of North Hollywood -- announced their

secession from the Episcopal Church of the United States on Aug. 17

and placed themselves under the Diocese of Luwero in the Anglican

Province of Uganda, Africa.

St. James Church broke away because of the Episcopal Church’s

refusal to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and its

refusal to accept the supremacy of the scriptures, Pastor Praveen

Bunyan said. The churches also oppose the Episcopal Church’s liberal

view on homosexuality and its appointment of Gene Robinson, an openly

gay man, as the Bishop of New Hampshire.

The letter, sent by attorneys on behalf of Bishop J. Jon Bruno,

states that the churches have defied the bishop’s authority by

continuing to hold worship services and conducting business under the

aegis of the Diocese of Luwero. Attorneys say the churches have

violated both state and canonical law by continuing to operate on

property that rightfully belongs to the diocese.

The letter also demands that St. James and the other two churches

“immediately surrender control of the parish corporation and parish

property to the Bishop and those congregants who have elected to

remain as faithful members of the church.”

Another option, according to the letter, is for the churches to

abide by a list of rules and conditions laid out by the diocese. That

list includes holding no more services, conducting no more business

and using no more printed materials such as the Book of Common

Prayer. Additionally, each church must provide a current financial

statement along with copies of all bank account and investment

statements and other financial records, attorneys say.

Bunyan said he is still “digesting” the contents of the letter.

“I’m not surprised by it, though,” he said. “They’re trying to do

what they believe is right. And we’ll continue to do what we believe

in.”

The church and the surrounding property on Via Lido is and has

always been held by St. James, a nonprofit corporation formed in

1949, he said.

“They can say what they want to say,” Bunyan said. “We have the

deeds and the documents to prove it.”

It will be business as usual at the church, he said.

“Our services will go on as always on Sunday,” Bunyan said. “We

will be responding to this letter through our attorneys.”

The issue is bound to be dragged to court, where a long-drawn,

emotional legal battle awaits both parties, said Peter Haynes, pastor

of St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church in Corona del Mar.

“It’s going to be lose-lose battle for all sides involved,” Haynes

said. “It’s going to leave bitterness in the hearts of people for

whom that property is sacred. But at the same time, you can’t force

people to live in a house where they don’t want to live. It’s a

shame.”

* DEEPA BHARATH is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at

deepa.bharath@latimes.com.