It's time for reflection and regeneration with the Holy Spirit as our guide. May you feel the power of our prayers and our love and respect as you move and breathe in your "Mission with Christ".

I'm certain that you've been updated on the sad and disruptive situation regarding our church in Newport Beach, Ca. We're spiritually led by a great vicar, The Rev. Canon Cindy Evans Voorhees. She's a remarkable priest who teaches us and leads us toward the path of Christ's Light in our life and the world around us. As you're aware, The Rev. J. Jon Bruno, the Bishop of Los Angeles, has attempted to sell our 70 year old parish church with his Corp Sole ownership. Our parish family has been locked out of this unsold property since July 2015. A complete timeline of details may be reviewed at website WWW. savesaintjamesthegreat.org for further understanding and detail.

You said in your sermon that "the way of Jesus will always turn our lives and the world upside down, and this would really be the right side up". However, we were not prepared to have our world turned upside down by a bishop without "pastoral love" or warning for our thriving church. We are being denied participation in the Jesus Movement here in Newport Beach. We do continue to do the work of Christ at an off-church site location.

Our parish family has a question for you Bishop Curry. Very simply asked,... ARE YOU THE ONE?

ARE YOU THE ONE... who will talk and walk with Bishop Bruno and petition him to rescind the sale of our church property immediately? ARE YOU THE ONE... to end the serious and expensive litigation through the court systems?

ARE YOU THE ONE... to attend our Diocesan Convention this December with an open heart and ear attempting to solve the stalemate quickly?

ARE YOU THE ONE... to help our parish on its way to our Galilee to find Christ?

As you can read in this letter, we strongly believe that through your leadership and talent you can work with the appointed national team, already in motion, to return our church and its loving people back to the work God has given us to do in our community. We crave not to worry. We crave to be happy as your sermon teaches us.

Please know that we remain a people of strong faith. We pray and expect that the outcome will be one that will satisfy all involved, with God's help. We ask again for your attention and involvement for a quick solution that would make Jesus, Bishop Bruno, our Vicar Rev. Cindy and our parish family at St. James the Great happy.

"So don't Worry, Be HAPPY". We heard you and love your message!

St. James website can be accessed here:
www.savesaintjamesthegreat.org

Please visit our webpage and "like" our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/pages/Save-St-James-the-Great-Newport-Beach-Episcopal/590476821094030?fref=ts

FACTS OF THE MATTER

On May 17, 2015, without advance discussion, Bishop Jon Bruno announced to the congregation of St. James the Great that he had signed an agreement to sell the church building and property to a developer, Legacy Partners, for $15 million. Legacy announced soon thereafter that it intends to demolish the church buildings and to erect luxury townhouses on the property.

In early June the congregation and the bishop learned that the original donor of the property, the Griffith Company, gave the St. James property to the bishop's predecessor in 1945 to be used "for church purposes exclusively."

Because of this church use restriction, the intended sale of the St. James property to Legacy did not close as planned in June. At the end of June, the bishop locked the congregation out of the building and grounds, which sit empty and un-used, forcing the congregation to worship in a nearby park in the summer and a nearby museum in the winter.

In June of this year a Temporary Restraining Order was filed to stop the sale of the property and save St. James the Great files court action against Bishop, seeking to stop the sale of the church property. At the Newport Beach City Council Meeting, all council members (except one who expressed no opinion) support the continued church use at the location of St. James the Great. A councilmember goes on record to describe Bishop Bruno as 'despicable' and his actions as 'deplorable'.

Though the sale transaction is not completed, without warning Bishop Bruno changes the locks at St. James the Great which immediately puts Canon Voorhees, congregation, and staff out on the street and eliminates access to the sanctuary and seizes all business and financial resources.

Locked out of the church, the congregation moves across the Street into Lido Park. While the sanctuary of St. James the Great sits unsold, unused, and locked, the vibrant congregation (225+) meets for Sunday worship in the park across the street.

On July 6 concerned clergy and members of the St. James the Great congregation file a formal complaint against Bishop Bruno with Bishop Clay Matthews, Intake Officer of the Episcopal Church. The Complaint alleges that Bishop Bruno, in his dealings with the St. James the Great property and congregation, has violated various canons of the Episcopal Church, including those that prohibit the sale of consecrated property without appropriate approval, those that prohibit "dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation," and those that prohibit "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy."

END