Layman readers petition GA commissioners
The Layman, May 21, 2008
More than 900 subscribers to The Layman have signed a petition supporting property rights for local churches which is scheduled to be delivered to commissioners to the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Commissioner preparation packages were mailed Tuesday from the Presbyterian Lay Committee offices in Lenoir, N.C. Each package contains a Petition in Support of Proposal which says:
PLC staff members Debbie Mast and Barbara Redman ready the GA Commissioner packages for mailing “As a Biblically faithful Presbyterian, I feel it is critical that all congregations within the Presbyterian Church (USA) understand their rights to their church property. The Louisville leadership has indicated their willingness to seize property from congregations that demand loyalty to Jesus Christ and His Word, and it is only fair that all congregations be informed that they do not automatically lose their property when they choose a different denomination . Therefore, I petition you, as a Commissioner of the General Assembly, to support (proposals) which will ensure every congregation is guaranteed its property rights – property that faithful people have given their funds to purchase, maintain and want to use to worship our Lord and disciple others.”
As of May 20, 934 signatures – which included many couples and families – acompanied the petition. More continue to come into the PLC offices.
“These 900-plus signatures represent the outcry we have heard from our readers,” said Charles F. Burge, executive director of the Lay Committee. “When informed of the legal maneuverings by the denominational hierarchy, the average person in the pew is outraged. They simply want to assure that the facilities that have been bought and paid for by themselves and others in their congregation are retained for the use of the local congregation and for the advancement of Biblical authority, the lordship of Christ, and the gospel as rediscovered by the Reformation.”
Along with the petition and signatures, the G.A. commissioners will also receive the special General Assembly issue of The Layman.
General Assembly commissioners are scheduled to consider a revised Form of Government that would rewrite the first 18 chapters of the Book of Order, including Chapter VIII about property. That chapter is left mostly intact, but would be renumbered and re-titled from “Chapter VIII: The church and Its Property” to “Chapter Four: The Church and Civil Authority.” The current section on incorporation and trustees (G-7.0400) would be moved into Chapter Four, and “congregation” would be substituted for “particular church” in all sections of the chapter dealing with property.
The 218th General Assembly will be held June 21-28 in San jose, Calif.