New hearing date in Kirk
property dispute is Sept. 9
The Layman, August 29, 2008
The hearing on the property dispute between Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church, now an Evangelical Presbyterian Church congregation, and the Presbytery of Eastern Oklahoma has been rescheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 in Tulsa County District Court, according to Greg Coulter, the presbytery’s executive.
Judge Jefferson D. Sellars had been scheduled to hear arguments on the Kirk’s motion for summary judgment on August 28.
Coulter announced the change in an e-mail to presbytery leaders and others interested in the case because of the presbytery’s “commitment to be transparent in our dealings and to let you all know whenever anything changes.”
In response to the rescheduling of the hearing, he said, “We do not read this as good news or bad, merely as an administrative delay. In God’s good time all will be revealed. The presbytery remains open to discussions of out-of-court settlement options and hopes that this delay will open a door to further conversations. We have endeavored to pursue the settlement of this matter out of court, but our efforts have so far been fruitless. Please keep praying for all involved, especially that those who need to open the doors to settlement discussions might be willing to do so.”
He said the presbytery’s staff was “trying to organize a called meeting of our Presbytery Council on Sept. 18, with our next stated meeting of the presbytery on Sept 19-20. This will give us a chance to look at the Judge’s (hoped for) decision and report next steps options to the presbytery. I will try to keep all informed as matters develop and remain hopeful that all will work out according to God’s purposes and that our efforts will not be found to be an obstacle. We are greatly encouraged by words of support from all over the denomination and even from some who are not part of our denomination. Thus we press on.”