Episcopal Property Wars: Musical Chairs in San Joaquin

(This is the second in a series of blog entries about the fate of disputed properties in the Episcopal and Anglican Churches. To read about two northern Virginia congregations, click here.
by Jeffrey Walton
October 1, 2013

Transfer of a disputed church property from Anglicans to Episcopalians has also resulted in moving, merging, dissolving and re-constituting congregations in one central California town.

The change at St. James Church in Sonora is in some ways a microcosm of messy Anglican realignment and both the stark theological differences and litigation that usually accompany it.

The historic “red church” of St. James in the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin was turned over to the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin in July. Known for bold color and architecture, St. James is also the oldest standing Episcopal Church building in California, constructed in 1859. the rest