April 9, 2009
By Pat McCaughan

SAN DIEGO – After meeting in a local community center for two and a half years, members of St. John's Episcopal Church in Fallbrook in the Diocese of San Diego will celebrate Easter back in their church home.

"This is a great moment – a resurrection moment – for the people of St. John's. They've been meeting there since 1891 and can tell you stories after stories of holy moments in that sacred space," said Bishop Jim Mathes of San Diego in a telephone interview on April 9.

Instead of officiating at the St. Paul's Cathedral, as is customary on Easter, Mathes will instead be at St. John's 10 a.m. April 12 celebration. "This is where I'm supposed to be, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus."

The entire diocesan community is invited to share that moment, he said. "The people of the diocese have shown we can care for each other deeply and support each other in times of challenge and times of great opportunity."

St. John's senior warden, Kathy Wood, said she is overjoyed. "God is everywhere, but our history is in that building," she said. She and other parishioners were displaced in 2006 when dissident members voted to realign the parish with the Diocese of Luwero in the Anglican Church of Uganda but claimed the property on Iowa Street in northern San Diego County.

A member since 1955, Wood said, "I've worked on the altar guild and sung in the choir for most of those years. We know who donated each beautiful gift for the altar and sacristy. Caring for my church is a sacred trust and I'm glad to be allowed to do that again."

On March 11, the California Supreme Court dismissed a petition for review, effectively ending claims that dissident members had the authority to take possession of the church building and corporate assets.

The justices' decision let stand an October 21, 2008 appellate court ruling in New v. Kroeger that property and assets of congregations are held in trust for the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church and the diocese. The Fourth District Court of Appeals had unanimously reversed a San Diego County trial court ruling that California law permitted a vestry to amend parish bylaws in order to quit the Episcopal Church.

Mathes said representatives of the diocese met with dissident parishioners to begin to work out details for the hand-over of property and other assets. "Obviously, it's an ongoing process," he said.

He was not present at that meeting but said he would be delighted if those members were present at Sunday's Easter celebration. "It would be a moment to reconnect as one Body in Christ," he said.

Two other San Diego area churches, St. Anne's in Oceanside and Holy Trinity in Ocean Beach, are still held by breakaway congregations. Mathes said he hopes they will eventually return those properties to the diocese. "I would hope it would have the effect of having them recognize and honor the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church under which those congregations were founded and ministered for so many years," he said.

Patty Campbell, a St. John's member, agreed. "It would have been perfectly fine if they had wanted to disagree and go off in a different direction," she said. "We would have said ‘Godspeed!' and given them hugs. But to leave the Episcopal Church and continue to operate as directors of the Episcopal corporation-that isn't right."

Meanwhile, parishioners like Frankie Schwederman, thrift shop director for 12 years, began to focus on ministry once the transition is accomplished. The thrift shop "has historically raised $10,000 a year, all of which goes to outreach programs in Fallbrook," Schwederman said. "We have a team of 20 volunteers who are ready and eager to get back to serving our community."

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego encompasses 50 congregations in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties, and in Yuma County in Arizona.

Episcopal News Service
The Rev. Pat McCaughan is Episcopal Life Media correspondent for Provinces VII and VIII. She is based in Los Angeles.