More than a dozen
churches have
left PCUSA with their property this year
By Patrick Jean
Staff Writer
The Layman
Monday, July 14, 2008
Since
2005, more than 50 Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations have voted to
leave the denomination.
This year, in addition to Woodland
Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, more than a dozen PCUSA
congregations have left with their property from the denomination, or
are seeking dismissal. These include:
- Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, Fair Oaks, Calif., and First
Presbyterian Church, Roseville, Calif.: Churches voted June 8 to
disaffiliate from the PCUSA and affiliate with the New Wineskins/EPC
presbytery. Judge had ruled in favor of summary judgments sought by
the churches, which have been seeking quiet title to their
properties, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief, since
March 2007. Sacramento Presbytery had said it would not appeal the
rulings, but the Synod of the Pacific was allowed to intervene in
the cases, and it ordered the presbytery to file an appeal, which is
pending.
- Hillsdale Presbyterian Church, Hillsdale, Kan.: Joined
the New Wineskins/EPC presbytery in April after agreeing to pay
$90,000 to Heartland Presbytery in exchange for being dismissed with
its property from the PCUSA. The payment settled a property
ownership lawsuit that the church filed against Heartland after an
administrative commission for the presbytery rejected the church's
dismissal request.
- Stow Presbyterian Church, Stow, Ohio: Eastminster
Presbytery agreed in May to accept $40,000 from the congregation in
exchange for dismissing them with their property from the PCUSA.
Church voted in October 2006 to disassociate from the denomination,
then entered two months later into negotiations with the presbytery.
Church is affiliated with the New Wineskins Association of Churches,
but will remain independent for now.
- First Presbyterian Church, Corinth, Miss.: St. Andrew
Presbytery agreed in February to accept $150,000 from the
congregation in exchange for dismissing them with their property
from the PCUSA. Accord resulted in dismissal of property ownership
lawsuit that the church filed against the presbytery a year earlier.
Church joined the EPC.
- Covenant Presbyterian Church, Omaha, Neb.: Congregation
paid $125,000 to the Presbytery of Missouri Valley and will pay them
$30,000 a year for the next seven years, in exchange for being
dismissed with its property from the PCUSA. Agreement ended property
ownership lawsuit that the church filed against the presbytery.
Church joined the EPC.
- St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Somerset, Pa.: Redstone
Presbytery agreed in March to the congregation's dismissal request.
St. Paul's was allowed to leave with all of its property from the
PCUSA without paying any money to the presbytery. Church joined the
EPC.
- Memorial Park Presbyterian Church, McCandless, Pa.:
Pittsburgh Presbytery approved a $575,000 settlement with the
congregation in April. The accord let Memorial Park leave with its
property from the PCUSA and join the EPC. It also settled a property
ownership lawsuit that the church filed against the presbytery in
January.
- First Presbyterian Church, Thibodaux, La.: Congregation
voted May 4 to disaffiliate from the PCUSA and was accepted into the
New Wineskins/EPC presbytery the next day. Church had sought South
Louisiana Presbytery's approval of a dismissal request, but the
Synod of the Sun's appointment of an administrative commission for
the presbytery prompted the disaffiliation vote.
- Hudson Presbyterian Church, Hudson, Ohio: A judge in May
upheld a 2007 ruling that the church property belongs to the portion
of the congregation that voted for disaffiliation in November 2006
and joined the New Wineskins/EPC presbytery, not to those who voted
against disaffiliation and now worship at a separate site under a
different pastor. Eastminster Presbytery intends to appeal.
- College Corner Presbyterian Church (a.k.a. First United
Presbyterian Church), College Corner, Ohio: Congregation voted
June 1 to request dismissal from the PCUSA and seek admission into
the New Wineskins/EPC presbytery. Three days later, Whitewater
Valley Presbytery approved an administrative commission for the
church with the power to dissolve the session and remove the pastor
"when it should become evident to the commission that
minister(s) or congregation members are moving toward expressing a
desire for separation and the reconciliation is not likely."
Church has filed a property ownership lawsuit and obtained a
temporary restraining order against the presbytery.
- Oreland Presbyterian Church, Oreland, Pa.: Philadelphia
Presbytery agreed May 20 to the congregation's request to be
dismissed with its property from the PCUSA. In exchange for its
dismissal, church agreed to pay presbytery $440,000, equal to value
of church's property, over 10 years as mission-oriented "tithe
of support." Church waiting to join the EPC's Presbytery of the
East.
- Hope Presbyterian Church, Rogue River, Ore.: A judge
ruled May 15 in favor of a summary judgment sought by the
congregation, which filed a property ownership lawsuit around the
same time it voted in July 2007 to request dismissal from the PCUSA
and join the EPC. Cascades Presbytery is waiting to see if a general
judgment paper will explain the ruling in greater detail before
filing an appeal. Meanwhile, an administrative commission continues
to work with the church on the presbytery's behalf.
- Millbrook Presbyterian Church, Fresno, Calif.: San
Joaquin Presbytery agreed June 7 to the congregation's dismissal
request. Millbrook was allowed to leave with its property from the
PCUSA without paying any money to the presbytery. Church joined the
EPC.
|