The following ruling was received today from the Superior Court: “The Court, having taken the above-entitled matter under submission on 11/06/2009 and having fully considered the arguments of all parties, both written and oral, as well as the evidence presented, now rules as follows: The court confirms its tentative rulings on both motions for summary judgment. It is so ordered. Steven R. Denton”

This means that as a church we are to comply with the judgment that rules in favor of the Episcopal diocese in their law suit against us. The aspects of timing of departure are not known at this time. Our hope is that in negotiations we may have at least to the end of this year. We as a vestry will consider all aspects of how to go forward. We will meet on Sunday and try to answer your questions at the all-parish meeting. We have been preparing in many ways and will provide more information on Sunday.

Please keep the parish in your prayers and let us unite as one in this time of opportunity to serve the Lord faithfully. We thank our wonderful lawyer for all his extraordinary service to the Lord and this parish. This is the time to “Stand Firm” in our calling of faithful response to our Savior Jesus. Keep the faith and let’s walk together in His love. 1 Tim 6:11-16.

Yours in Christ’s love,

Fr. Joe & the Vestry

St. Anne’s Anglican Church
Oceanside, CA

A gracious letter from a good and faithful leader. Please pray for him and for his congregation.

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Comments:

Fr. Joe is a kind and gentle man and will handle this in a pastoral and godly way. He has been the associate rector at St. Anne’s until just a few months ago when the rector, Fr. Tony Baron, left for another position and Fr. Joe became rector. So now Fr. Joe has to deal with this himself. Please add him to your prayers.

[1] Posted by Branford on 11-13-2009 at 06:01 PM • top

God bless the faithful of St. Anne’s. This parish is very dear to my heart. I lived in the Oceanside area years back when it was still a TEC church. This parish was thriving. The other TEC churches were in sharp decline. I wonder what TEC will do with the empty building. Probably sell it to fund more litigation.

[2] Posted by priestwalter on 11-13-2009 at 06:15 PM • top

[3] Posted by Br_er Rabbit on 11-13-2009 at 06:23 PM • top

If you read postings by high-ranking San Diego liberals on other sites, you will see that they are claiming that the remnant TEC parishes are recovering quite nicely. Of course I don’t believe that for a minute, but what it does mean is that the cash-strapped Diocese of San Diego will need to create and fund two Potemkin parishes for a year or so before they will be able to consider selling the properties.

[4] Posted by jamesw on 11-13-2009 at 06:34 PM • top

Anything to put a facade on a rotten and crumbling structure. May God bless Fr Joe and the people of St Anne’s.

[5] Posted by Cennydd on 11-13-2009 at 07:46 PM • top

Joe and I were in seminary together….God be with you and the parish.

[6] Posted by Creighton+ on 11-13-2009 at 09:06 PM • top

My wife and I have worshiped at St. Anne’s on 2 occasions in recent years, each visit was an enriching spiritual experience. It is a thriving church of faithful followers of Jesus Christ. May God continue to keep His good hand of grace and mercy on this church.

Rev. Peter Dewberry
http://www.free-inside.com

[7] Posted by Peter Dewberry on 11-13-2009 at 09:38 PM • top

St. Ann’s and Holy Trinity parishes were orthodox when I worshiped in them, led quiet days and was interviewed by the later in the late ‘70’s. they are faithful today. They will stand firm tomorrow . . . perhaps in another place, but stand firm they will.

Under girders wanted, apply on your knees.

Bob†
. . . still ridin’ for the brand.

[8] Posted by Bob Maxwell+ on 11-14-2009 at 12:04 PM • top

No doubt this is a difficult time filled with sadness and confusion for many people. But God is always faithful, and will remain faithful.

May they grieve. May they move forward in love without forgetting the past. May they live in a renewed call to mission without the baggage, silliness, and bureaucracy of The Episcopal Church.

[9] Posted by RevRL on 11-14-2009 at 02:05 PM • top

Dear St. Anne’s - Look for really BIG amazing beautiful unimaginable innumerable blessings from the LORD as you move forward in HIS Holy Spirit.
Jesus is Lord! Amen.

[10] Posted by Floridian on 11-14-2009 at 03:09 PM • top

A bit of irony for the diocese is that this victory will force them (via the TEC Charts) to admit that it has lost 370 Members and 270 ASA when it takes ownership of an empty Holy Trinity and St. Anne’s. Statmann

[11] Posted by Statmann on 11-14-2009 at 04:29 PM • top

Was it the Curmudgeon who pointed out that empty buildings are taxable at regular real estate rates and the owners will lose the lower church org. status because a church is not using the buildings?

[12] Posted by Floridian on 11-14-2009 at 04:39 PM • top

#12 yes it was, but on his blog, not here.

[13] Posted by Br_er Rabbit on 11-14-2009 at 04:41 PM • top

Hey Creighton

I remember Joe from seminary days too,—- both his first stint in the early 1980s as a lay student and his second in the early 90s as a postulant for Holy Orders. He was just as gracious then as he is now

[14] Posted by David Wilson on 11-14-2009 at 05:19 PM • top

T’would be a shame if somehow the tax assessor were to find out this building no longer houses a worshiping congregation…a terrible shame.

[15] Posted by Matt Kennedy on 11-14-2009 at 05:22 PM • top

Thank you all for your faithful encouragement. We tried to take to task the Dennis Canon citing that it was not a legally concluded resolution of the church in 1979 and that there are no records in the archives of the House of Deputies signing off on it. Alas, the judge would not hear it, that it was ‘internal’ to the ‘hierarchical’ church as that language was used in the CA State Supreme Court decision. Our lawyer engaged valiantly and for a moment we thought we might have urged him to allow it to go to full trial. As always, we’re trusting in the Lord for all our future. Thank you brethren! His Blessings to all.

[16] Posted by PadreJoe on 11-14-2009 at 07:22 PM • top

I’m sure TEC will be able to pay for clergy a organist and have a couple or so people show up at a service now and then to avoid the taxes.

[17] Posted by JustOneVoice on 11-15-2009 at 08:55 AM • top

When Bp. Mathes (San Diego) was asked this week by the North County Times about rebuilding the remnant at St. Annes, he replied, “Jesus started with 12…” Let the reader understand.

For the record, there is no remnant—never has been—at Holy Trinity. We left the diocese 3 years ago 100% intact. There are many reasons to believe the diocese won’t be able to or even want to rebuild any kind of congregation there.

So absurd it hurts, but it will be fascinating to see how they handle this, “victory.”

It goes w/o saying that our vestry at Holy Trinity and the leadership at St. Annes need your prayers.

[18] Posted by sandiegoanglicans.com on 11-16-2009 at 01:45 AM • top

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