Ohio session recommends disaffiliation from PCUSA
The Layman Online, September 25, 2006
The Session of Hudson Presbyterian Church in Hudson, Ohio, voted unanimously Sept. 17 to recommend that its congregation disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA).
A congregational meeting called by the session for the purpose of acting on this recommendation will be held Oct. 8.
Seven informational gatherings for the congregation will be conducted in preparation for the Oct. 8 meeting. Five meetings of this nature have been held during the past 12 months, during which members of the congregation have studied the policies, programs and actions of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in relation to the teachings of Scripture.
Hudson’s growing sense of estrangement from the denomination comes as no surprise to Eastminster Presbytery, of which the congregation is a member. On numerous occasions, representatives of the Hudson church have voiced their concerns at presbytery meetings.
On Sept. 12, Eastminster Presbytery voted to create a “consulting commission” to represent the presbytery in “dialogues” related to the General Assembly’s adoption of the controversial Peace, Unity and Purity report. Although it called this group a commission, the presbytery did not vote to give it the powers usually associated with administrative commissions; namely, the authority to remove a minister and take control of a local church session.
On Sept. 24, representatives of Eastminster Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry met with the Hudson session and asked if the presbytery’s consulting commission would be permitted to meet with the session for the purpose of “dialogue.” The Hudson session agreed to arrange such a meeting for Sept. 30. It also agreed to allow members of the consulting commission to attend any of its seven informational gatherings that are being held prior to the Oct. 8 congregational meeting.
The anticipated loss of Hudson Presbyterian Church is a serious blow to Eastminster Presbytery. Having grown steadily for the past 10 years, Hudson is now the fifth-largest congregation in the presbytery, and it outstrips all others in its overall giving of $872.39 per member. By contrast, the largest congregation in the presbytery, Poland Presbyterian Church in Poland, gives $469.77 per member.