A 35-member church has agreed to pay Mission Presbytery $120,000 so that it could be dismissed from the Presbyterian Church (USA). The First Presbyterian Church of Ingram, Texas and pastor Rev. Raymond M. Tear were dismissed to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, after the presbytery approved the settlement agreement at its March 3-4 meeting. According to an…
By Asher Price, American-Statesmnan. An effort among some Presbyterians nationally to get their church to divest from oil, gas and coal stocks is running into opposition from their Texas brethren. About 30 regional church districts, or presbyteries, have supported a proposal by the San Francisco Presbytery calling on the Presbyterian Church (USA) to pull out…
By Jeremy Baker, KENS 5, San Antonio, Texas. A summer camp is trying to make a comeback after being blasted by the Memorial Day weekend floods of 2015. The camp received $250,000 for the John Knox Ranch from First Presbyterian Church San Antonio and Mission Presbytery. The ranch hosts 500 children every summer. “This is…
At a special congregational meeting held yesterday (1/31/16), First Presbyterian Church-San Antonio, Texas approved a financial settlement of $1,525,000 with Mission Presbytery, joining 14 other churches across the nation that have paid in excess of $1 million to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) with their property. The church had already left the PCUSA — voting…
[Editor’s Update: Interim pastor, Dr. Ron Scates, sent a letter to the congregation today, 11/3/15.] Sunday, (11/1/15) First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio voted by 87 percent to disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA). According to information on the church web site, 1,072, of the church’s 2,202 members — 48.6 percent of the membership —…
A Texas judge has granted a request from First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio for a temporary injunction against Mission Presbytery. “FPC has demonstrated the likelihood of its complete and exclusive ownership of any property held in its name,” wrote Judge John D. Gabriel in his ruling. “The Court also finds that Mission Presbytery has…
Mission Presbytery has sent individual letters to First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio’s three pastors and the clerk of session informing them that not only is Sunday’s congregational meeting “not consistent” with the requirements and provisions of the denomination’s constitution, it could result in “the possibility of ecclesiastical charges and of being found to have…
The campaigning has begun at First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, Texas in preparation for the upcoming vote on whether the congregation should immediately leave the Presbyterian Church (USA). FPC-San Antonio will vote Sunday afternoon, November 1, on whether to disaffiliate from the PCUSA and join ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. The vote…
Despite testifying before a state district judge that it had no intention of taking control of First Presbyterian Church-San Antonio, Texas from its session and pastors, on Oct. 23 Mission Presbytery formed an Administrative Commission (AC) to “intervene on its behalf” with the church. The presbytery formed the AC in reaction to a congregational meeting…
A church in Illinois voted overwhelmingly Sunday to disaffiliate with the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the session of a Texas church has voted to recommend that its congregation follow the same route out of the denomination. Church votes to disaffiliate During Sunday’s (10/18/15) congregational meeting, members of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Aurora, Ill., voted 123-17…