From Stockton CA-
There are times when an entire community has a vested interest in the outcome of an individual church's infighting. Such is the case with 160-year-old St. John's Episcopal Church in downtown Stockton.
The stately facility is more than a place of worship. It's an iconic part of the city's history.
The land for the church was given to the congregation by none other than Capt. Charles Weber himself. It doesn't get much more historic than the city's founder having a hand in the church's formation.
But now the ownership of the property and church itself are tied up in a legal fight over - predictably - a church schism caused by a dispute over the ordination of gays and women.
More than 50 congregations split from the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin in the 2007 in protest over the ordination of women and gays.
St. John's has aligned with the more conservative Anglican Church in North America. The diocese has filed suit in San Joaquin County Superior Court to reclaim the asset - as it has done up and down the Valley in similar situations.
What's unfortunate for Stockton as a whole is St. John's has become an essential part of the community fabric. Concerts are held there. Communitywide events have been held in the facility.
And it will be a negative if the beautiful facility is shuttered because these factions cannot work things out.
We urge them to do so - for the benefit of the diocese, the congregation and Stockton.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100907/A_OPINION01/9070304/-1/A_OPINION
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