Two churches sue to be declared owners of their properties
By Patrick Jean
Staff Writer The Layman Online
Friday, August 31, 2007

Two churches are suing the Presbytery of South Louisiana for judgments that they, and not the presbytery or the Presbyterian Church (USA), are the owners of their properties.

Woodland Presbyterian Church in New Orleans sought a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction and declaratory judgment May 21, while First Presbyterian Church in Thibodaux sought only a declaratory judgment Aug. 1. The lawsuits were filed in the 19th District Judicial Court in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Woodland Church was granted a temporary restraining order May 22, followed by a stipulated preliminary injunction nine days later. No hearing dates have been set for the declaratory judgment petitions.

Pastors of the churches say they hope the matter will be resolved then. They want the presbytery to enter into a stipulated final judgment, similar to the one it reached in November 2006 with First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge, in which the presbytery declared that church owned its property. the rest