In My 1975, The State of California, through the Attorney General, consented to an evidenciary hearing in which the state would have tried to prove that MCC worship services would be a “clear and present danger” to the good order of prisons.  The Federal Court ruling had in effect ordered that prisoners who request MCC Communion services and counseling have a constitutional right to the services of this bona fide church.

Attorney John Wahl, who fought the case for two years on behalf of MCC (and its previous Director of Prison Ministry, The Rev. Joseph Gilbert) and on behalf of the prisoner plaintiffs said, “This order represents a complete vindication of the position of the plaintiffs.  We got what we wanted.  With the Consent Decree we start of in a spirit of cooperation, hopefully in the inauguration of services in the prisons for the inmates who want the services of MCC.

This May, 2010, Mr. John Eshleman Wahl, attorney on behalf of MCC, died.  May 2010 celebrates his victory in the State Court, followed by the October ruling by the Federal Court.  Thirty-five (35) years later, we honor Mr. Wahl for his amazing work on behalf of this growing and hopeful church.

Read this article in MCC’s “Unity” magazine, October 1975 edition.

Attorney John Wahl Wins Federal Case for MCC Prison Ministry (October 1975)

Last modified on 2010-12-16 05:30:42 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

An “In Unity” article, Volume II Number 4 1975 – featuring the two year legal battle to allow MCC communion and counsel for inmates in California prisons.

Nov. 16, 1933 – April 26, 2010 Born in Redbluff, Calif. and a life-long California resident, John was preceded in death by his father, G. Albert Wahl; and his mother, Katherine Eshleman Wahl; and his grandfather, Jack Eshleman who served as the Lieutenant Governor of California and the District Attorney for Imperial County, Calif.

John died at home in Palm Springs, Calif. John is survived by his brother, Geoffrey and sister-in-law, Judy Wahl of Brown’s Valley, Calif.; several nieces and nephews; as well as Mr. Larry Hughes, his former domestic partner, long-time friend and business partner of 38 years of Joshua Tree, Calif.

John completed his undergraduate work at the University of California at Berkley. Upon graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as an aircraft Commander Pilot. During his 12 year Navy career, John flew radar recognizance missions over China and enjoyed a life-long interest in ships and aircraft. Upon his discharge from the Navy, John attended the Hastings Law School in San Francisco, Calif. Upon graduation, John received his Jurist Doctoral degree. While in law school, John served as the editor of several legal newspapers. Much of John’s law practice included a great deal of pro bono work for various human rights issues. John felt passionately about the fair administration of justice and found himself representing clients who were unable to pay or pay very little. His high level of community consciousness, responsibility and dedication resulted in many contributions of his time and legal expertise to many non-profits, organizations and faith communities through the years.

Among his many accomplishments, John served on the Council on Religion and the Homosexual (one of the nation’s oldest and well respected pioneer human rights movements for the GLBT community); the president of the San Francisco Night Ministry of the San Francisco Council of Churches, a program which continues today to serve the down and out and homeless in the city of San Francisco; the primary counsel for the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches winning a landmark case which insured the rights of this primarily gay and lesbian Christian church to minister to inmates at State and Federal prisons; the lead counsel for the partnership of the California Council of Churches, the Northern California Association of Rabbis and the Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco representing the families of those lost to the violence of Jonestown. John was able to secure and release funds from the Rev. Jim Jones personal financial resources to transport, process and bury the hundreds of corpses that were the result of this horrendous, infamous tragedy that rocked our nation and world. John was as much an activist as a lawyer.

He coordinated the AIDS Awareness Demonstration held during the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to the Mission Delores Church in San Francisco. He was an active participant for many years in both the Stonewall Democratic Club and the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club in San Francisco. John also was instrumental in the Concerned Market Street Merchants of San Francisco. John also served as the attorney for the honorable Harvey Milk, the prominent, assassinated San Francisco County Supervisor. Locally, Mr. Wahl served faithfully with the Desert Business Association, the Desert Outreach Foundation (formerly the Desert Rainbow Foundation), the Golden Rainbow Senior Center and served as secretary for the Desert Business Association Foundation. John received Certificates of Honor and Recognition from the California State Assembly, the California State Senate, the city and county of San Francisco and the then mayor of San Francisco, the honorable Diane Feinstein for his extensive pro-bono work.

John will be remembered in a Celebration of his Life to be held during a Service of the Holy Communion at the Metropolitan Community Church of the Coachella Valley, 32150 Candlewood Drive in Cathedral City (right off of Ramon, one block east of Landau Blvd.) on Saturday, May 15, 2010 beginning at 2:00 PM. A reception honoring Mr. Wahl will be held immediately following the service in the fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor John’s memory may choose to make a contribution to the Critter Coalition (an animal rescue non-profit) PO Box 1841, Joshua Tree, CA 92252 or the Building Fund of the Metropolitan Community Church of the Coachella Valley. For more information please contact MCCCV at (760) 328-3591.

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