CNY Diocese sues former Episcopal church in Binghamton to gain control of property

By William Moyer
Press & Sun-Bulletin
Thursday April 17, 2008

BINGHAMTON -- The Diocese of Central New York is attempting to order a former Episcopal Church in Binghamton to vacate its buildings and turn over legal title of the property to its regional office.

In a lawsuit filed this week, the diocese asked the State Superior Court to force Church of the Good Shepherd, on Conklin Avenue, to leave the facility as well as account for all money -- including an endowment fund -- because the congregation withdrew from the Episcopal Church and joined the Anglican Church of Kenya.

"It's a David-versus-Goliath situation; the Episcopal Church has deep pockets. This is a powerful and wealthy institution that is trying to crush a local church, only to put it on the auction block and sell it for cash," attorney Raymond J. Dague said Thursday from his Syracuse office. "It's a sad thing that a bishop who's supposed to protect sheep is trying to crush them."

Dague, who represents Good Shepherd, said the diocese is trying to "seize" the church's property because the congregation and regional Bishop Gladstone A. Adams are "on the opposite sides of a controversy over homosexual bishops and authority of Scripture."

The attorney for the diocese, Jonathan B. Fellows of Bond, Schoeneck and King in Syracuse, did not return a telephone call seeking comment. the rest