St. Luke’s still in limbo

Members of St. Luke’s of the Mountains Anglican Church are waiting for their day in court but for three other churches, that day has come and the decision has gone against them.

In a landmark ruling, the California Supreme Court on Monday upheld an earlier court decision that the property and buildings of three churches that separated from the Diocese of Los Angeles and Episcopal Church do not belong to the breakaway congregation but to the Diocese.

The ruling directly affects St. James Church in Newport Beach; St. David’s in North Hollywood and All Saints in Long Beach, but the ripple affect is being felt at St. Luke’s here at home. The three congregations voted to leave the Episcopal Diocese in 2004; St. Luke’s’ congregation left in 2006. At that time, then-pastor Father Ron Jackson said the congregation’s decision to leave the Episcopal community was due in part to the “drift of the American church.” The catalyst for the churches’ exodus was the consecration of the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, by the Episcopal Church in 2003 in New Hampshire.

St. Luke’s fell under the leadership of the Anglican Province of Uganda in the Diocese of Luweero. The marquee in front of the church was changed from Episcopal to Anglican and the congregation stayed at the church. The congregation and ministry that wanted to remain with the Diocese left to find other Episcopal churches in the area.

On July 3, 2007, the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled the property at 2563 Foothill Blvd. belonged to the Episcopal Church of Los Angeles Diocese. St. Luke’s Anglican appealed that decision and in late August 2007 was granted a stay of judgment pending the appeal.

“The parties have completed the briefing and we are waiting for oral argument,” said Eric Sohlgren, attorney for St. Luke’s.

In the meantime, the state Supreme Court handed its decision down regarding the three other churches. That decision will be taken into consideration by the Court of Appeals when ruling on St. Luke’s.

John Shriner, lead council for the Diocese, said the oral arguments have not been scheduled yet but “we suspect it would be fairly soon.”

In the opinion written by Associate Justice Ming W. Chin, it was made clear that the decision did not deal with any religious debate.