St. Jude's Anglican Church is looking for a new location

In Oct. 2016, St. Jude's Parish lost its church property at 1200 South Curry Street that it had built and worshipped-in for the past 30 years. Due to an adverse legal ruling against the Diocese with which it belonged, St. Jude's was forced to find a new place of worship, and since then they have been holding services in the Fellowship Hall of Mountain Bible Church at 630 Maple St. Now, the congregation and clergy of St. Jude's have embarked upon a project to find a new and permanent church home.

St. Jude's had its beginning in the mid 70s when a small group of Episcopalians began meeting in members' homes. Eventually, and with the assignment of a full-time priest from the Diocese of San Joaquin in 1977, they began worshipping out of a mortuary on the corner of Curry and C streets. Their Sunday School was held in the old Spencer Lees clothing factory where the present police station is located. However, the local group numbering in the twenties, desired their own church in Tehachapi. Spencer Lees donated 1.2 acres of land on the corner of Curry and Piñon streets, and the new church raised the needed funds for building. The design, general contracting and much of the construction was accomplished by church members, many of whom are still members.

The building was completed about 1985, and services commenced immediately at the new church. Currently, St. Jude's is under the spiritual guidance of Fr. Wes Clare.

The history of the Anglican Church, of which St. Jude's is a part, extends back to the early centuries of Christianity. The Anglican Church evolved as part of the Roman Catholic Church in the British Isles. However, with growing discontent with the Roman church and concern for British sovereignty, culminating with King Henry VIII in the 16th century, the Church of England broke with Rome. Today, the world-wide Anglican Communion has over 80 million adherents in 160 countries. The earliest start of the Church of England in America was the founding of the Jamestown colony in Virginia in 1607. The church in America grew in size and influence in the early Colonies, and following the American Revolution, the church evolved into the Episcopal Church.

St. Jude's, as all Anglican churches, is a liturgical church. The liturgy is based on the 1662 Book of Common Prayer which celebrates the ancient worship and prayers of the early Christian Church. Anglicans believe in the primacy of the Bible, the Creeds, the traditions of the early Christian church, and the writings of the early church leaders. Celebration of Holy Communion is central to each Sunday's service. St. Jude's is a member of the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin and covers a large geographical area including the San Joaquin Valley to Sacramento, the Owens Valley, and has parishes in Reno and Henderson, Nev.

Over time the Diocese of San Joaquin along with several other U.S. dioceses became increasingly alienated from the larger body of Episcopal churches with which it was associated. While the Diocese desired to retain its traditional beliefs, the larger Episcopal Church became more progressive.

In 2008 the Diocese voted by a 90% margin to realign out of the Episcopal Church. At the time it could keep its buildings and financial holdings. A lawsuit was subsequently filed by the Episcopal Church in conjunction with an alternate Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. After a protracted legal battle, the Anglican Diocese lost, and all properties and assets were transferred to the Episcopal Diocese. Consequently, on Oct. 23, 2016, with heavy but hopeful hearts, the congregation of St. Jude's moved out of its building to the fellowship hall at Mountain Bible Church, which Pastor Marvin Slifer and the congregation so graciously invited its members to use for worship. The building at 1200 S. Curry remains vacant. However, St. Jude's continues holding services each Sunday, and the membership and clergy have retained their enthusiasm to continue the Anglican style of worship and to meet the challenge of starting anew. But the present location is only temporary.

So what is in store for St. Jude's? Being forced out of its comfort zone has brought the promise of a new beginning for St. Jude's. The church has begun an ambitious program to find a permanent place of worship in the Tehachapi area either by acquiring a new building, acquiring and refurbishing an existing structure, or leasing. One concept of a hoped-for new church is shown in the architectural rendering pictured in this article. Crucial to this endeavor is the requirement to raise a substantial amount of capital and for that the church is reaching out to its members as well as the community at large through an aggressive capital fund campaign. Through it all, this church remains a place of healing for broken lives and they share joyful ministry together, helping those in need in the greater Tehachapi area.

For more information about what St. Jude's is doing, follow them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/St-Judes-in-the-Mountains-Anglican-Church-Tehachapi-CA-150063355099691/