GA asked to approve $2 million to battle New Wineskins and EPC
Charles F. Burge, The Layman, June 25, 2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Two commissioners to the 218th Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly are requesting $2 million from the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) to cover legal fees “defending our Constitution against the New Wineskins Non-Geographic Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.”
Commissioners Thomas Woodward and Ingrid Cyros of Northern New England Presbytery made the request via a commissioner’s resolution (03-21), which also requests a reimbursement of half of all legal fees — up to a maximum of $185,000 — for the presbytery.
The resolution cites the case of Londonderry Presbyterian Church in New Hampshire, which has taken Northern New England Presbytery to court to secure the title to its property. According to the resolution, the presbytery has incurred more than $226,000 in legal costs and estimates another $150,000 by the end of the year.
“The additional legal costs for 2008 may increase presbytery expenditures by more than 50 percent over its budget,” the resolution states.
The rationale is based upon the Presbyterian “connectional system of government” and that “the PCUSA holds that the Church is an organic unity of which its synods, presbyteries and local congregations are integral parts. We must be careful that we do not lose the civil lawsuit and set legal precedent endangering our Constitution, simply because we cannot afford to put up the best defense.”
The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) does not agree with the request. In a comment on the resolution, COGA notes “that an additional 39 presbyteries face, or have faced, similar challenges.” It also states that “our present annual budget for this assistance is only $50,000 intended to cover all ongoing cases” and that the stated clerk has already provided $20,000 to the Presbytery of Northern New England for the Londonderry suit.
The resolution was approved 37-5-3 by the General Assembly Procedures Committee on Tuesday and now goes to plenary to be voted on by General Assembly delegates by Saturday.